The more he immersed himself in the study of the religious scriptures and different socio-political ideologies, the more the truth revealed to him. He realised that all the worldly ideologies and philosophies have many flaws. They were directly or indirectly professing the sovereignty of humans, pushing humans under the slavery of other humans. The prevalent worldly systems only made some humans superior and others inferior and brought divisions into society. This disturbed young Syed Abdullah Tariq a lot. He realised that the only thing that can emancipate humans from the slavery of other humans is the belief in God. Only this belief can unite humanity under the guidance, obedience and slavery of God. He realised that sovereignty can only belong to God. The understanding of various religious scriptures affirmed his faith and drew him to the truth of the oneness of God (Tawheed). The purpose of life and death unravelled to him and he accepted Islam once again, this time with complete conviction. This was the beginning of a beautiful journey dedicated to compassion activities, communal harmony, and religious understanding.

In an interesting turn of events, when Syed Abdullah Tariq was in the initial phase of religious studies, his quest for knowledge and wisdom led him to the doors of Acharya Maulana Shams Naved Usmani, who taught Allama Syed Abdullah Tariq about the truth of life. Acharya Maulana Shams Naved Usmani, a well-known scholar of the Qur’an and Hindu scriptures, had spent his lifetime in the detailed study of various religious scriptures. However, he had a hard time passing on this knowledge to the masses and regretted the absence of an heir to carry on his legacy. As the Creator works in mysterious ways, Maulana Usmani with no heir, and Syed Abdullah Tariq having a thirst to know more, united as a teacher and a student. The former shared all his knowledge with the latter and Syed Abdullah Tariq decided to dedicate his life to uniting mankind on the grounds of compassion. He understood that the true understanding of God is the unifying force that can bring humanity closer. He realised that all religions share a common root and one needs to reach that root to demolish the walls of hatred, enmity, differences, and division. From there will emerge the tree of true religion, dharma or deen.

This fortunate meeting with Maulana Usmani set the course of Syed Abdullah Tariq’s life towards the dissemination of religious knowledge intending to develop understanding, tolerance, and harmony amongst different communities of the world. Maulana Usmani was able to satiate the answers of young and curious Tariq. Maulana Usmani served as an inspiration to him and he, as a dedicated promising student, successfully carried his legacy and mission to spread the message of God to the world. Today, that small incident has charted a great journey to bring the masses closer to their Maker, their Creator. In the year 1987, Syed Abdullah Tariq took a major leap to invest his complete life into matters of deen, understanding of Qur’an and its connection with other major religious scriptures, and focusing full time on it.

ACHIEVEMENTS

The work of Allama Syed Abdullah Tariq is notable for his contribution to reminding Muslims of the Islamic teachings that they have gradually lost sight of. He has corrected both Muslim’s and non-Muslims’ perceptions of Islam and religions as a whole. He has planted the seeds of compassion and harmony among communities through his active fieldwork, lectures, and literary contributions. For his vast contribution to spiritual and social domains, he was acknowledged and honoured by individuals and institutions. Given below is a glimpse of the recognition he has received, the lectures he delivered and the events he attended.