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HINDUISM and ISLAM

Men are free and equal; each man has a right to live according to his own liking. But freedom does not mean licence. The enlightened religious view stresses that no one shall hurt the life, health or freedom of another person. It teaches values like self-sacrifice, benevolence, charity and service.

The Quran says: ‘Nothing belongs to man for which he does not striveâ€�;¹ ‘God does not change the condition of a people unless they first change that which is in their heartsâ€� (13.11); ‘For each soul is that which it has earned and against each soul is only that which it has deservedâ€� (2.286). Furthermore, ‘No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of anotherâ€� (53.38). As the Amritabindu Upanishad points out, ‘It is the mind alone that binds or frees a person: when it is attached to sense objects it binds, but when it is detached from them it frees.â€�² So, says the Bhagavadgita, ‘Let a man raise himself by his own self; let him not debase himself. For he is himself his friend and himself his foe.â€�³ Thus goes a proverb: Sow a thought , you reap an action. Sow an action reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny.â€� This is the reason why Swami Vivekananda says we are the makers of our own destiny. ‘Mind is its own place and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heavenâ€� (Milton); ‘Heighten your personality through spirituality to such an extent that God Almighty may be pleased to consult you on what is to be done nextâ€� (Iqbal). Prophet Muhammad says in the sunnah (‘saying and doings of the Prophetâ€�): 1) ‘The Muslim who lives in the midst of society and bears with patience the afflictions that come to him is better than the one who shuns society and cannot bear any wrong done to himâ€�; 2) ‘The believer in God is he who is not a danger to the life and property of anybodyâ€�; 3) ‘He is not a believer who takes his fill while his neighbour starvesâ€�; 4) ‘Live together; do not turn against each other. Make things easy for others and do not put obstacles in each other’s wayâ€�; 5) ‘All creatures of God form the family of God and he is the best loved of God who loves best His crea­turesâ€�; 6) ‘O Lord! Lord of my life and. of everything in the universe! I affirm that all human beings are brothers unto one anotherâ€�; 7) ‘Respect the ways of God and be affectionate to the family of Godâ€�; 8) ‘The believers, in their love and sympathy for one another, are like one body. When any part of it is affected the whole body suffers. Thus as a community we have to live and behave like one physiological entity.â€�

The Prophet said three things were necessary to enter the Islamic faith: 1) to help others even when he is himself economically hard pressed; 2) to pray ardently for the peace of all mankind; and 3) to administer justice to one’s own self (so self-responsibility is also the cardinal principle of Islam as it is of Hinduism).

The teachings of Islam are a summation and consummation of the rudimentary principles of all revelations in their pristine purity right from Hazrat Adam (like Adi Manu of Hinduism) down to Prophet Muhammad. The Quran says: ‘None of our revelations do we abrogate or cause to be forgotten, but we substitute something better or similar. Know you nor that Allah has power over all things?â€�⁴

Islam does not permit any gap between precept and practice. What is theorized must be practised scrupulously. ‘You enjoin right conduct on the people and forget (to practice) yourselves, and yet you study the scriptures! Do you have any understanding?� (2.44).

Though sectarianism is diametrically opposed to the true spirit of Islam, many sects with minor differences crept into the religion without touching its fundamental principles, such as one God (Allah), one book (Quran), one prophet (Rasul), one shrine (Kaba), one pilgrimage (haj) and one annual fast (Ramzan). ‘The believers are but a single brotherhood� (49.10).

The distinctive character of Islam is that it enjoins emphatically upon its followers to be true Muslims within and without the mosque and to lead their lives in consonance with the principles of the Quran and the sunnah. ‘O you who believe! Enter into Islam wholeheartedly, and follow not the footsteps of the evil one, for he is to you an avowed enemy� (2.208).

A person’s character depends upon his nature and nurture. Islam recognizes the fact that while food is a must for the strengthening of the body, prayer is essential for the nourishment of the soul. In Islam the criterion of a person’s respectability ishis piety and purity, not pedigree, wealth, power or status. ‘The most honoured among you in the sight of Allah isthe most righteous of you� (49.13); ‘O you people! Adore your guardian Lord who created you and those who came before you, that you may have the chance to learn righteousness� (2.21).

There are no idols in Islam and image worship is totally absent in mosques. Devotees offer namaz (or salat, prayer) only to the omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent Allah. Islam also banished all false barriers of race, status and wealth, and firmly believes that the entire humanity is united as one family before God called ­through salat and haj. In fact, it wants to unite the whole of humankind under one banner. The tested tenets of salat and haj are efficient and effective in maintaining unity, equality and universality not only in theory but in actual practice in all times and climes.

Prayer is an important discipline in every religion, but each religion has its own particular way of practising it. One thing, however, is common to all of them: regularity. As a Sanskrit saying has it, ‘Na sreyo niyamam vina; There is no good without order.â€� In the Yoga Sutras it is said: ‘Sa tu dirghakala nairantarya satkarasevito drdhabhumih.â€�⁵Constant effort and great devotion are required in order to attain perfection.

Islam requires its adherents to offer namaz five times daily at fixed hours. The practice is obligatory and not optional. Devotees who are in good health are expected to follow this prescription till they breathe their last, so that they can train themselves physically, morally and spiritually. Namaz consistsof individual as well as collective prayer and is an effective device to integrate the entire community. Those who sincerely and devotedly perform namaz gain in qualities of head and heart and become useful to society, while others lay themselves open to the risk of becoming sinful.

At the collective namaz performed in mosques no difference is made between king and subject, rich and poor, or learned and ignorant. All are treated equally and all offer prayers standing on the same carpet. This is an established and inviolable rule.

There are some parallels between Hindu prayer and namaz. A Hindu prostrates before God touching eight limbs of the body to the ground (sashtanga/sarvanga namaskara). This is strikingly similar to the sijda posture in namaz. Although sarvanga prostration is disallowed in Islam, Muslims do touch the ground with eight parts of the body: the forehead, nose, two hands, twoknees and two feet. In the different ­postures of namaz too similarities with yogic asanas can be seen. Among them vajrasana, called kha-i-da in the context of namaz, is important. Without it namaz is not complete.

The haj is another instrument with which Islam has been able to banish every kind of discrimination between man and man. The manner of its performance as laid down by Prophet Muhammad under divine guidance eliminates all distinctions based on privilege. Distances are eliminated, differences are made conspicuous by their absence, and ample opportunity is provided to the devotees for getting to know each other and for exchanging views face to face. The haj pilgrimage is such an effective institution that it has not only consolidated the ideal of universal brotherhood among Muslims but has also promoted in them a sense of international citizenship. The Hindu idea of vasudhaiva kutumbakam is thus actualized in Islam.

Just as there are points of resemblance in the religious practices of Hinduism and Islam, we also find parallels in the statements they make about spiritual principles. For example: 1) ‘Bhargo devasya dhimahi; We meditate on the light of Godâ€�, says the Gayatri mantra. The Quran says, ‘Allahu nurussamavathi val ard; God is the light of the sky and the earth.â€� Here bhargah and nur both mean divine light. 2) The Upanishadic truth of ‘E°ì²¹³¾±ð±¹²¹»å±¹¾±³Ù¾±²â²¹³¾ brahma; Brahman is one without a secondâ€� is quite similar to ‘La ilaha illallah; There is no God except Allahâ€�, when the latter statement is understood in its real spirit. Eko devah is another way of saying Allahu ahad (â€�Godis oneâ€�). 3) ‘Jatasya hi dhruvo mrtyuh; Death is certain to one that is born’–so believes the Hindu. The Muslim knows that ‘Kullunafsin zaikhatul maut; Every soul shall have a taste of death.â€� 4) The Hindu prays, ‘Tamaso ma jyotirgamaya; Lead me from darkness to Light.â€� So does the Muslim too: ‘Minazzulumati illannur, My Lord, lead from darkness to light.â€� 5) Hinduism says, ‘Sarvam khalvidam brahma; All this is verily Brahman.â€� Islam says, ‘Wakanallahu bikulli shayyim muhita; God has surrounded all.â€� 6) The Sanskrit santih has its equivalent in the Arabic assalam.

On a more temporal level, our scriptures deal with human equality and its spiritual basis. All living beings have the same divine essence within; the same reality underlies all regardless of the outer differences. The Bahgavadgita says: ‘The fourfold order was created by Me according to the divisions of quality and action.â€�⁶So ‘Know Me as the Knower of the field in all fields, O Bharataâ€� (13.2). In fact, ‘Men of wisdom see with an equal eye a learned and humble brahmin, a cow, an elephant, or even a dog and an outcasteâ€� (5.18). The Mahabharata also speaks about the unity of the human race to this effect: ‘Ekam varnamidam sarvam purvamasidyudhisthira; Kriya karma vibhagena catur­varnyam vyavasthitam. In ancient times all human beings belonged to one caste, O Yudhishthira. The four castes were formed owing to difference in their actions.â€� The Quran says: ‘Kanannasu ummatau wahida; Mankind is a single nation.â€�⁷

Now who is a really enlightened person? How do the scriptures describe him? One major criterion of enlightenment is a sense of equality. According to the Bhagavadgita, ‘He is a perfect yogi who sees everything equally and judges othersâ€� pleasure and pain by the same standard that he applies to himselfâ€�⁸and ‘He who, established in oneness, worships Me as abiding in all beings, that yogi lives in Me, whatever may be the condition he is inâ€� (6.31). Such a yogi is called a sufi in Persian. Sri Ramakrishna says: ‘An ignorant person says, “Oh, God is there, very far off.â€� The man of Knowledge knows that God is right here, very near, in the heart; that He has assumed all forms and dwells in all hearts as their Inner Controller.â€�⁹

The enlightened religious attitude necessitates votaries to observe certain basic rules of good conduct. It promotes temperance and moderation in all aspects of life and in all spheres of activity (‘Eat and drink, but exceed notâ€�¹⁰). The teachings of all enlightened religions are simple and understandable, though not always very easy to practise. They demand that the devotee put his discriminatory powers to use so that he keeps himself pure and strong in character, simple and frugal in habits, independent but loyal in social relationships, and thus become useful in public life. Hinduism exhorts its followers to ‘Speak the truth. Practise virtue.¹¹ In the same vein the Quran says: ‘Do not mix up truth with falsehood, nor hide the truth while you know.â€�¹²

We all know these things, but many of us hardly live up to them. It is as they say in Sanskrit: ‘Srnvanto pi na srnvanti, jananto pi na jananti, pasyanto pi na pasyanti. Hearing they hear not, knowing they know not, seeing they see not.� Only an enlightened eye sees properly. Says the Quran: ‘Summum, bukmun, umyun fa hum layargiun; (They are) deaf, dumb (and) blind, and will not come to the right path� (2.18). But we must not lose hope. The Quran says: ‘Allah desires for your ease; He desires not hardships for you� (2.185); ‘On no soul God places a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns and suffers every ill that it earns� (2.2.86). We must press on with our efforts, firm in the faith that God will help us.

Both Hinduism and Islam speak in unison, as it were, about the nature of God. Hinduism holds that God is one, eternal and second to none. In the same spirit, Islam declares that ‘Allah is one. Allah is He on whom all de­pend. He begets not, nor is He begotten. And none is like Him.�

The specific name of the absolute and eternal God in Hinduism is ‘Omâ€�. Having neither number nor gender, it is unique. No other sound represents God as does the syllable Om. The nameless, formless, changeless, omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent God is signified by the Sanskrit letter Om. It is composed of three sounds, a, u and m. The Bhagavadgita says: ‘Om ityekaksaram brahma; Brahman is the monosyllable Om.â€�¹³

The same place that Om occupies in Sanskrit and Hinduism, the word Allah occupies in Arabic and Islam. This word too, like Om, has neither number nor gender, and hence is unique. No other word in the Arabic language represents God as does the word Allah. It too signifies the nameless, formless, changeless, omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent God. It is also a composite of three letters, alif, lam and he. That is why it is said: ‘La ilaha illallah; There isno God except Allah.� This is a fundamental belief in Islam. This specific name ‘Allah� is firmly established inIslam. Notwithstanding the minor differences among Shias, Sunnis and the seventy three sects, all Muslims strictly adhere to the specific name Allah for God Almighty. Just as Hindus believe that the syllable Om is the ultimate symbol of the Godhead, Muslims believe that the word Allah is the name of God.

Strange to say, the very appellations ‘Hinduismâ€� and ‘Mohammedanismâ€� are both misnomers. The religion that passes under the name of Hinduism was not established by any human being or incarnation of God. It is the Religion Eternal. So itis proper to call it Sanatana Dharma. Actually, the word Hindu has more to do with geography than with religion and is not found in any of the authentic scriptures. The followers of Sanatana Dharma ought to be called Sanatana dharmis or Vedantins, as Swami Vivekananda said. Likewise with Islam. Prophet Muhammad never claimed that he established a new religion. He categorically said that it was God’s religion and not his. As the Quran says, ‘Surely the (true) religion with Allah isIslam.â€�¹⁴ So the religion that Muhammad propagated should be properly called Islam, not Mohammedanism, and its followers must be called Muslims instead of Mohammedans.

In one of its final verses the Bhagavadgita sums up the gist of all spiritual endeavours: ‘Renounce all duties and take refuge in Me alone. I shall liberate you from all sins, grieve not.â€�¹⁵ It means the devotee should take sole refuge in God and follow Him faithfully. It is the same with Islam too. The very word Islam means submission of one’s will to the will of God. A Muslim is expected to surrender himself to God and uphold the truth of the absolute unity of God. This eternal truth of Islam is called din-e-haq.

Devout Hindus believe in the revelation of the Veda and try to follow its injunctions. In the same way, pious Muslims believe that the Quran is a revealed scripture and follow its teachings carefully. Thus, both should lead purposeful lives and become blessings to their respective communities.

References

¹ Quran, 53.39.
² Amritabindu Upanishad, 2.
³ Bhagavadgita, 6.5.
⁴ Quran, 2.106.
⁵ Yoga Sutras, 1.14.
⁶ Bhagavadgita, 4.13.
⁷ Quran, 2.213.
⁸ Bhagavadgita, 6.32.
⁹ M, The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, trans. Swami Nikhilananda (Chennai: Ramakrishna Math, 2002), 266.
¹⁰ Quran, 7.31.
¹¹ Taittiriya Upanishad, 1.2.1.
¹² Quran, 2.42.
¹³ Bhagavadgita, 8.13.
¹⁴ Quran, 3.18.
¹⁵ Bhagavadgita, 18.66.

‘Our age far surpassed all other ages in knowledge. There has been no correlative wisdom with a sense of discrimination and awareness of the ends of the human life.�
- Bertrand Russell