Response to Hinduism and Islam

[Ashima33]

I was going to respond to someone else's thread earlier about a video that shared the similarities of Hinduism and Islam... but the original thread got deleted before I could post my response.... so I'm going to post it on my own thread... because I dunno... things were getting pretty heated... but I think it's kinda important to look at these things.... not meaning to post an offensive thread... just want to share my opinion.

I stated:

"By pointing out the similarities of these two religions... no one is claiming they are the same. Apples and Oranges have similarities. Round, sweet, juicy... but definitely not the same. Sometimes I think we get so caught up in pointing out our differences that we forget that for the time being we ALL have to live on this planet TOGETHER. And we have to have knowledge of eachother. We have to have understanding. Not always agreement. But knowledge and understanding.
I wonder how much many of you know about hinduism? This is def. not me saying it is greater by any means... but what I do think is that it's important to know what you believe and why you believe it. That's why I am studying the Koran. And I think it's just as important to know what you DO NOT believe and WHY. So that's why I will always learn of other faiths... to confirm the belief in my own." :shake::shake::shake::shake::shake:

 

[ShyHijabi]

The point of this website is to clear up misconceptions about Islam and spread the knowledge of Islam. I am sure there are many websites and message boards that explain Hinduism and if one wants to learn about that religion they can go there.

The religions are nothing alike and comparisons simply draw artificial parallels (such as the meaning of the name of Allah vs. the names of their many gods). We do not dare to even entertain that a polytheistic religion could compare to the truth of Islam. The highest sin is Shirk, or assigning partners to Allah. I felt the moderator was wise to lock the thread.

 

[KhairulNizam]

:salam2: This is a common situation in comparative religion. We have to approach it with an open mind to be able to discuss constructively.

In any case, is it not true that civilisation on the Indian subcontinent has thrived since the earliest history of mankind? That would roughly correspond to the time of the earliest prophets.

Is it also not true that Allah had sent messengers and revelations to every group of people on earth and that the number of prophets number in the thousands?

Therefore, looking at the similarities between Hinduism and Islam, is it not possible that at the very core, what is now Hinduism could have been a religion revealed by Allah to a group of people but has diverged from the path over thousands of years?

Perhaps, we should not be too dismissive. Wallahua'lam.

 

[a_brother]

Asalamo Alaikom to all

my intention in posting the video is for any hindu guest where he/she might understand islam in relation to hinduism. Also, for us muslims to have a general information about hinduism to be able to communicate with other hindus about islam...

wasalamo Alaikom:shake:

 

[Ashima33]

The point of this website is to clear up misconceptions about Islam and spread the knowledge of Islam.

A common misconception about Islam is that it is NOT a religion of peace. While we all know this is false, peace must be demonstrated through tolerance for fellow neighbors. To have tolerance you must have knowledge of what you are being tolerant of.
We could clear up some misconceptions of Islam not being a peaceful religion by educating members of TTI about their neighbors with the goal of tolerance.

 

[Waseem203]

A common misconception about Islam is that it is NOT a religion of peace. While we all know this is false, peace must be demonstrated through tolerance for fellow neighbors. To have tolerance you must have knowledge of what you are being tolerant of.
We could clear up some misconceptions of Islam not being a peaceful religion by educating members of TTI about their neighbors with the goal of tolerance.

The point of this website is to show Islam for the peaceful religion that it is. Like the sister said, if people were interested about Hinduism they can go to a Hindu forum. I realize that Islam preaches tolerance but trying to show a nonexistent bond with Hinduism and Islam needs to be corrected.

 

[Mohsin]

:salam2:

I believe Dr. Naik has done a wonderful job, may Allah reward him for that because in reality he has shown the Indians in particular and the all others in general what the Hindu scholars have been hiding.

He studied their original books and proved from them that which these people teach or preach is simply against their own books.

1.

Common Concept of God in Hinduism:

Hinduism is commonly perceived as a polytheistic religion. Indeed, most Hindus would attest to this, by professing belief in multiple Gods. While some Hindus believe in the existence of three gods, some believe in thousands of gods, and some others in thirty three crore i.e. 330 million Gods. However, learned Hindus, who are well versed in their scriptures, insist that a Hindu should believe in and worship only one God.
The major difference between the Hindu and the Muslim perception of God is the common Hindus’ belief in the philosophy of Pantheism. Pantheism considers everything, living and non-living, to be Divine and Sacred. The common Hindu, therefore, considers everything as God. He considers the trees as God, the sun as God, the moon as God, the monkey as God, the snake as God and even human beings as manifestations of God!

Islam, on the contrary, exhorts man to consider himself and his surroundings as examples of Divine Creation rather than as divinity itself. Muslims therefore believe that everything is God’s i.e. the word ‘God’ with an apostrophe ‘s’. In other words the Muslims believe that everything belongs to God. The trees belong to God, the sun belongs to God, the moon belongs to God, the monkey belongs to God, the snake belongs to God, the human beings belong to God and everything in this universe belongs to God.
Thus the major difference between the Hindu and the Muslim beliefs is the difference of the apostrophe ‘s’. The Hindu says everything is God. The Muslim says everything is God’s.

2.
Concept of God according to Hindu Scriptures:

We can gain a better understanding of the concept of God in Hinduism by analysing Hindu scriptures.

BHAGAVAD GITA

The most popular amongst all the Hindu scriptures is the Bhagavad Gita.
Consider the following verse from the Gita:
"Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures."
[Bhagavad Gita 7:20]

The Gita states that people who are materialistic worship demigods i.e. ‘gods’ besides the True God.
​

UPANISHADS:
The Upanishads are considered sacred scriptures by the Hindus.
The following verses from the Upanishads refer to the Concept of God:

• "Ekam evadvitiyam"
  "He is One only without a second."
  [Chandogya Upanishad 6:2:1]1
• "Na casya kascij janita na cadhipah."
  "Of Him there are neither parents nor lord."
  [Svetasvatara Upanishad 6:9]2
• "Na tasya pratima asti"
  "There is no likeness of Him."
  [Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:19]3
• The following verses from the Upanishad allude to the inability of man to imagine God in a particular form:
  "Na samdrse tisthati rupam asya, na caksusa pasyati kas canainam."
  "His form is not to be seen; no one sees Him with the eye."
  [Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:20]4

1[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 447 and 448]
[Sacred Books of the East, volume 1 ‘The Upanishads part I’ page 93]
2[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 745]
[Sacred Books of the East, volume 15, ‘The Upanishads part II’ page 263.]
3[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 736 & 737]
[Sacred Books of the East, volume 15, ‘The Upanishads part II’ page no 253]
4[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 737]
[Sacred Books of the East, volume 15, ‘The Upanishads part II’ page no 253]


THE VEDAS
Vedas are considered the most sacred of all the Hindu scriptures. There are four principal Vedas: Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samveda and Atharvaveda.

• Yajurveda
  The following verses from the Yajurveda echo a similar concept of God:
  • "na tasya pratima asti
    "There is no image of Him."
    [Yajurveda 32:3]5
  • "shudhama poapvidham"
    "He is bodyless and pure."
    [Yajurveda 40:8]6
  • "Andhatama pravishanti ye asambhuti mupaste"
    "They enter darkness, those who worship the natural elements" (Air, Water, Fire, etc.). "They sink deeper in darkness, those who worship sambhuti."
    [Yajurveda 40:9]7
    Sambhuti means created things, for example table, chair, idol, etc.
  • The Yajurveda contains the following prayer:
    "Lead us to the good path and remove the sin that makes us stray and wander."
    [Yajurveda 40:16]8
    5[Yajurveda by Devi Chand M.A. page 377]
    6[Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Giffith page 538]
    7[Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Giffith page 538]
    8[Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Griffith page 541]
• Atharvaveda
  The Atharvaveda praises God in Book 20, hymn 58 and verse 3:
  
  • 
    [*]"Dev maha osi"
    "God is verily great"
    [Atharvaveda 20:58:3]9
• Rigveda
  
  • The oldest of all the vedas is Rigveda. It is also the one considered most sacred by the Hindus. The Rigveda states in Book 1, hymn 164 and verse 46:
    "Sages (learned Priests) call one God by many names."
    [Rigveda 1:164:46]
  • The Rigveda gives several different attributes to Almighty God. Many of these are mentioned in Rigveda Book 2 hymn 1.
    
    Among the various attributes of God, one of the beautiful attributes mentioned in the Rigveda Book II hymn 1 verse 3, is Brahma. Brahma means ‘The Creator’. Translated into Arabic it means Khaaliq. Muslims can have no objection if Almighty God is referred to as Khaaliq or ‘Creator’ or Brahma. However if it is said that Brahma is Almighty God who has four heads with each head having a crown, Muslims take strong exception to it.
    
    Describing Almighty God in anthropomorphic terms also goes against the following verse of Yajurveda:
    
    "Na tasya Pratima asti"
    "There is no image of Him."
    [Yajurveda 32:3]
    
    Another beautiful attribute of God mentioned in the Rigveda Book II hymn 1 verse 3 is Vishnu. Vishnu means ‘The Sustainer’. Translated into Arabic it means Rabb. Again, Muslims can have no objection if Almighty God is referred to as Rabb or 'Sustainer' or Vishnu. But the popular image of
    
    9[Atharveda Samhita vol 2 William Dwight Whitney page 910]
    
    
    
    Vishnu among Hindus, is that of a God who has four arms, with one of the right arms holding the Chakra, i.e. a discus and one of the left arms holding a ‘conch shell’, or riding a bird or reclining on a snake couch. Muslims can never accept any image of God. As mentioned earlier this also goes against Svetasvatara Upanishad Chapter 4 verse 19.
    "Na tasya pratima asti"
    "There is no likeness of Him"
    The following verse from the Rigveda Book 8, hymn 1, verse 1 refer to the Unity and Glory of the Supreme Being:
    
  • "Ma cid anyad vi sansata sakhayo ma rishanyata"
    "O friends, do not worship anybody but Him, the Divine One. Praise Him alone."
    [Rigveda 8:1:1]10
  • "Devasya samituk parishtutih"
    "Verily, great is the glory of the Divine Creator."
    [Rigveda 5:1:81]11
    
    
    

Brahma Sutra of Hinduism:
The Brahma Sutra of Hinduism is:
"Ekam Brahm, dvitiya naste neh na naste kinchan"
"There is only one God, not the second; not at all, not at all, not in the least bit."
Thus only a dispassionate study of the Hindu scriptures can help one understand the concept of God in Hinduism.

0[Rigveda Samhita vol. 9, pages 2810 and 2811 by Swami Satya Prakash Sarasvati and Satyakam Vidyalankar]

11[Rigveda Samhita vol. 6, pages 1802 and 1803 by Swami Satya Prakash Saraswati and Satyakam Vidyalankar]

Alhamdulillah people are opening to it more now and I remember a man asking the Hindu scholar at a debate with Dr. Naik that is what he (Dr. Naik) said true ? So he replied what he says if that is from Scriptures then it is true and he was so lost that he even said that I agree that its all written what you have said but lets not confuse people and let them continue doing what they are because if we tell them then it will create confusion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtPLgL0XyrY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw1B29xLSNk

The second one is long video so just watch at 23:20 for few mins and see how he says telling all this to the masses will bring in confusion.

 

[amirah80]

:salam2:

Brothers and Sisters I am closing this thread.

Ditta has already closed the thread "Similarities between Hinduism and Islam - Dr. Zakir Naik" where this conversation originated from. He explained why he has closed the thread in great detail. If anyone has an issue with why it was closed they need to pm Brother Ditta directly and not open another thread to address the same issues it was closed for in the first place. I will post a link to the original thread were you can view Ditta's comments.

http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42799

Salam Sister Amirah80