Nigerian soldiers hold up a Boko Haram flag that they had seized in the recently retaken town of Damasak, Nigeria, on March 18, 2015. Emmanuel Braun/Reuters

West and Southern African countries have become killing fields of ISIS-affiliated terrorist groups and they are getting stronger by the day. Though they are active in the region for about a decade, they have bocome more powerful after getting affiliated to the ISIS after 2014. They have carried out mass killings, mass abductions and arson. Their target are not only Christians but also sufi and moderate Muslims who do not approve of their jihadist ideology.

They claim that they want to establish a shariah based Islamic state or caliphate.

The most ruthless group in the region is Boko Haram. It is based in Nigeria but also conducts terrorist attacks in bordering Niger. It opposes elections through voting, wearing trousers and shirts and secular or modern education. It has declared the Nigerian state a government of non-believers. It is important to note that Nigeria has 50-50 population of Muslims and Christians and in 12 of the 36 states of the country where Muslims are in majority, Shariah law has been recognised by the federal government.

The Boko Haram’s main activity is mass abductions for ransom. During the last six years it has carried out 15 mass abductions. Three mass abductions of school students were carried out in 2014, 2018 and 2020. In 2014, they abducted 276 school girls from a science school in Chibok and released them after ‘negotiations’ with the government. Still some of the girls were not released and are still untraced. In 2018, ISWAP (Islamic State of West African Province), a breakaway group of Boko Haram abducted 110 girls from a school in Dapchi on 19 February. It released them after a ‘deal’ with the government in March. But a Christian girl Leah Sharibu was not released because she did not agree to renounce Christianity. She is still in their custody as a slave.

In December 2020, the Boko Haram abducted more than 300 students from a boys school. They were released after a week following a negotian between them and the government.

It is obvious that mass abductions are a source of income for Boko Haram. The government is weak and cannot control or reign in these terrorist organisations. The army and security forces are ill equipped and have a low morale. This is the reason, Boko Haram carries out mass abductions so easily. The government pays ransom to secure the release of hostages. The government denies this but a report of the UN has revealed that it pays ransom to the terrorists to secure release of histages.

The report submitted to the Security Council revealed that the Nigerian goverrnment paid ransom to secure the release of Dapchi girls. This has emboldened the Boko Haram to carry out more mass abductions.

The most unfortunate part of these deals are that even after getting their demands fulfilled, they don’t release all the captives and the government is so helpless that it can’t do anything. Some girls abducted from Chibok are still in their captivity and are being treated as slaves.

Aparr from abductions, these terrorist organisations carry out mass killings of Christians and moderate Muslims opposing their ideology. Since 2009, they have killed more than 32000 people in Nigeria. In 2020 alone, 11500 Christians have been killed by Boko Haram. They destroyed and burned churches, houses and schools.

Mozambique is another African country where the terrorist outfits, mainly Al Shabab is active against the Majority Christians. In Mozambique, the majority Christian population is 57% while the Muslims account for 19% of the population. The Muslims form a majority in Cabo Delgado province. It is in this province that the terrorists are active. Christians are more aften targetted by them. On November 10, last year, the militants killed more than 50 Christians. The insurgency has intensified in this country since 2017. More than 3000 people have been killed during the last three years. In 2020 alone, they carried out more than 300 attacks in northern Mozambique. Due to this, hundreds of thousands of people had to flee the region. 40 people drowned in Ibo river while fleeing.

Though the country is rich in gas and minerals, there is a largescale resentment against the government because the people of the mineral rich region feel that the benefit of development does not reach them. Poverty and unemployment are used by the militant outfits to recruit the youth. They promise them that once the Shariah ruled state is established, their misery and unemployment will be removed.

Niger bordering Nigeria also reels under the terrorist violence unleashed by the Boko Haram and other militant groups affiliated to the ISIS. The country is predominantly Muslim but the militant organisations want to establish their version of Shariah there. Hence the violence and killing.

On December 14, 2020 the Boko Haram militants killed 34 Christians in Diffa town.

The rise of ISIS after 2014 has provided a shot in the arm of the militant organisations in the African Muslim majoritg countries. These militant outfits that thrived on human trafficking, drug smuggling and aductions for ranson joined rhe ISIS to justify their un-Islamic activities. By joining the ISIS they at once became a part of an international organisation. They are supported by the ISIS whenever they need it and also they present themselves as flagbearers of Caliphate movement.

The hardline and conservative religious teachings in madrasas in these countries and sermons in mosques by the hardline ulema have also contributed to the jihadi mindset of Muslims. The majority of clerics of African countries are educated and trained in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar and therefore have a conservative and fundamental approach to Islam as compared to the sufi and moderate outlook of Sufi stream of Islam of Swahili areas.

While Al Qaida thrived on anti-America rhetoric, the ISIS thrives on Caliphate rhetoric. Until the myth of caliphate is removed from the Muslim psyche, the terrorist groups will continue to grow and succeed in their plans.

——-

S. Arshad is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com

This article was first published on NewAgeIslam.com

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This year Saudi Arabia has allowed Christians living in its territory to celebrate Christmas openly. Untill now, Christians were allowed to celebrate Christmas in expat enclaves only. But thanks to Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s Vision 2030 programme, the Saudi government has allowed Christians to celebrate the festival freely. Malls and shops for the first time were seen selling cakes, Christmas Trees, tinsel, baubles and other gift items.

But with this, the Islamists that stick to conservative and narrow-minded interpretations of Sharia have intensified their campaign against the custom of wishing Merry Christmas to Christians.

In 2012, the Taliban had issued a fatwa declaring that congratulating Christians on Christmas was haram (impermissible). Though modern Islamic scholars like Al Qaradhawi’s view is that there is nothing wrong in wishing Merry Christmas to Christians.

But recently, an official of Hamas Ahmad Kulab in an interview to a TV channel echoed the Talibanic view that saying Merry Christmas was forbidden by Sharia. He went on to say that even if they congratulate Muslims, Muslims should not say anything and remain silent.

But a writer and scholar of Saudi Arabia, Tawfiq al Sayf, in his article published in Al Sharq al Awsat (London) on the issue has condemned this attitude of Muslim scholars and jurisprudents. He says in his article that joining in and sharing the joys and sorrows of others is a natural instinct of human beings and this does not require any religious fatwa or ruling. He says someone invented this theory and we repeated it every year. He writes:

“Wishing Christians a merry Christmas or wishing people a Happy New Year is not a matter of religious law and has no connection with any religious ruling which permits (or forbids) it —- for it is not a matter that requires the ruling of a jurisprudent. Even if a jurisprudent was asked about this matter and gave a reply, his reply does not count as a fatwa but rather as a general opinion which had no validity as an obligation or prohibition.”

He also thinks that this act of advising Muslims not to join the celebrations of others is due to the fear that others may corrupt the faith or culture of Muslims. He writes:

“I have a feeling that the tendency to condemn participation in other people’s happy or sad occasion is a part of a broader trend stemming from the inclination to isolate ourselves for fear of being influenced by the (non-Muslim) majority in the world.”

In fact, Tawfiq al Sayf has tried to address and refute the propaganda being spread by the likes of Ahmad Kulab of Hamas who believes that allowing Christmas to be celebrated in Muslim countries will have a bad influence on our children and that wishing Christians on Christmas is an act of Kufr.

It is said that Ibn Taymiyyah had the view that Muslims should not wish Christians on Christmas. And his view was widely circulated by extremist ulema as an interpretation of Quran and Sunnah.

Christmas is a festival and Muslims should share the joys of the People of the Book on this occasion. The Quran enjoins on Muslims to share the joys and sorrow of their close and distant neighbours. One who does not do so cannot be a Muslim.

This article was first published in https://www.newageislam.com/

The post As Saudi Arabia Opens Up To Christmas Festival, Islamists Cry Foul appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The village heads of a Muslim dominated village in Murshidabad district in West Bengal have issued a Fatwa banning lottery, listening music and watching films on mobile and TV, selling and consuming liquor, playing carrom and gambling. They have also put penalty of RS 500 to RS 7000 depending on the severity of the ‘crime’. Apart from the penalty, the offenders will also be paraded around the village with shaved heads. To ensure better enforcement of the Fatwa, they have also announced reward for persons informing the Social Reform Committee about the offenders. This initiative has been taken under the banner of the Social Reform Committee of the village headed by one Azharul Shaikh. The Fatwa has been supported by the head of the TMC- led panchayat who is a Muslim.

According to the Secretary, Azharul Shaikh, the Fatwa was issued to save the Muslim youth from moral degradation.

The village called Advaitpur is dominated by Muslims. The problems that the Social Reforms Committee saw in that village is not an exception to that village alone. Unemployed youth play carrom to pass the time or purchase lottery tickets to try their luck. The youth spend most of their time on mobile phones listening to music or watching films on the TV. Sale and consumption of liquor is also a common problem of the society and the government has formed laws to deal with it. But issuing Fatwa in the name of social reforms only reflects the immaturity of the guardians and elders of the village. No non-governmental body can take law in its own hands and punish citizens according to their own laws. The committee has also decided to make the offenders to do sit-ups while holding their ears and shaving their heads and parading them around the village. This shows their Talibani mentality and the lack of the knowledge of Islamic principles of punishment.

In fact, the members of the Social Reform Committee and the village Pradhan seem to be uneducated and religious zealots. They seem to be unaware of the social and economic realities of their own community of the district. Murshidabad district is a Muslim majority district and has been mentioned in the Sachar Committee Report as one of the most economically and educationally backward Muslim majority districts of the country. The Muslim population in the district is 67 per cent. The literacy rate among the Muslims is 65 per cent while the literacy rate among Hindus of the district in the district is average 75 per cent. Only 43 percent of Muslim children of the district enrol in primary schools and only 3 per cent of them complete higher secondary education. Only 2 per cent of the Muslims of the district are graduate. There are not sufficient number of primary schools within easy reach and there are a few institutions of higher education. After Sachar Committee recommendations, the then Congress government had decided to open a branch of Aligarh Muslim University in Murshidabad but this move had been opposed by the Bengali intelligentsia of the state as well as some communal and so-called secular parties. The branch has been running there but it is facing many problems.

Since the district is Muslim dominated the successive governments ignored it leaving the Muslim population educationally and economically backward. No major industries have been set up here so that Muslims could have benefitted. Since employment opportunities are dismal, Muslims of the districts take less interest in studies and parents are forced to send children to work as labourers.

In this scenario, the Fatwa issued by the so-called Social Reform Committee becomes questionable. First, they cannot run a parallel police system of their own. Second, if they are concerned about the social reform of their community, they should know that social reform is not brought about by wielding lashes or by parading people with shaved head. The holy Prophet Pbuh toiled hard to bring social reforms among the people of his area for eleven years and when the ordainments against wine was revealed Muslims discarded wine over night without any use of force. The youth who are unemployed pass their free time playing carrom which is not an un-Islamic act though Islam discourages such an unproductive pastime and for which the law of the land does not prescribe any punishment. How can then the village committee punish them? The village committee has banned watching TV while our Ulema use TV and YouTube for preaching their views and ideas. In fact, the village committee members are ignoramuses ignorant about the indispensability of the modern means of communication.

The representatives of Muslims like Azharul Shaikh need to think ways to bring about educational and economic reforms among the community. Instead of forcing the youth not to play carrom and purchase lottery tickets, they should work with the government to open more and more schools for their community in the district and pressurise the government to set up more industries in their area. Moreover, they should run campaigns for greater enrolment of children especially girls in primary schools. They should work towards bringing about all round development of the Muslim community.

Issuing Talibani fatwas devoid of any religious justification will only give leverage to communal groups against Muslims and will not yield any positive results.

This article was first published on https://www.newageislam.com/

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Recently, the Imran Khan led Pakistani government had approved of the construction of Lord Krishna Temple in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan and had granted Rs10 crore for that purpose to the Hindu Panchayat. But the religious section and some political leaders of Pakistan objected to the construction of the temple on the ground that a new temple cannot be built in Pakistan as it is an Islamic country and Pakistan aspires to emulate the Riyasat of Madina. Jamia Ashrafia even issued a Fatwa declaring the construction of a Hindu temple in Pakistan haram.

Bowing to the pressure Imran Khan government halted the construction work and referred the issue to the Ideological council. Ironically, the court refused to halt the construction on the ground that the Constitution grants religious rights to the religious minorities including Hindus and Imran Khan-led government’s approval of the construction of the temple was not against the Constitution. However, the pressure of religious bodies brought the work to a halt.

It was an ideological debate that was raging in the country and both the supporters and opponents were presenting their arguments. But the issue took an ugly turn when a video of a four-year-old boy addressing Imran Khan and telling him that if the temple was built in Islamabad, he would kill each and every Hindu. The child’s father was beside him and apparently, he tutored his kid to threat the Hindus as he proudly approved of his minor son’s threat.

This incident has sparked off protests and reactions from both Hindu and secular and sane Muslim communities. This is in sheer violation of not only of the Constitution of Pakistan but also of the Islamic principles.

The Hindus had been demanding the temple in Islamabad for a long time and the government of Pakistan had conceded to their demand within the purview of the law of the land. The matter was now with the Ideological Council and the issue would have been decided according to the law. But that a Muslim, tutors his four-year son to issue threats to kill Hindus shows the moral degradation of the Muslims of Pakistan. The Quran asks Muslims not to leave the path of Justice in the enmity of a community. The Quran also asks Muslims to inculcate among their children good morals and values and treat the minorities with respect and love. The wellbeing and protection of the minorities is the responsibility of the Islamic state. No Muslim can threat the members of the minority community in any manner. If he does so, he will be booked under the Islamic Law.

This is not the first incident of the show of hatred against Hindus and India. In October 2019, during a programme in Karachi, the Jamiat-e- Talaba-e-Pakistan had encouraged students to spew venom against India.

This incident has once again demonstrated the fact that the ideology of violence has spread its tentacles deep down in the Pakistani society and small children are filled with hatred of other religions. This hatred is causing immense harm and damage to its own society as Pakistani Muslim society is divided into sects and sub-sects, each baying for the blood of others. Hatred does not harm others but the hater itself.

Let’s recall that around two months back, anti-Muslim comments were being made in the social media by some communal minded Hindus in the Gulf states. The governments of the gulf countries took strict action against them. Some Arab Muslims also posted communal comments against the Hindus. The government arrested those Muslims as well and booked them against the same laws. This prevented other Muslims to show hatred of the Hindus. This was done in the interest of their own Arab society because if the Islamic governments had allowed Muslims to post obnoxious and hate filled comments against Hindus, it would first harm their own collective moral character which would be harmful for their own society in future.

By allowing Hindus to say what they want against Muslims in India and allowing Muslims to say or do what the Muslims want against Hindus or other religious minorities in Pakistan, the governments in both the countries are actually pushing the Hindu and Muslim societies in India and Pakistan to the mire of moral and social degradation. The result was that when an 8 year old Muslim girl was raped by Hindus in Jammu last year, the common people had rally in support of the rapists and in Pakistan when Mumtaz Qadri was sentenced to death for killing a Muslim politician, Salman Taseer, he was made into a saint by the common Muslims.

Therefore, if Imran Khan really wants to prevent the spread of hatred and culture of violence among the Pakistani children and youth, it should order the arrest of the man at whose behest, his son threatened to kill Hindus. It would be in the interest of the Muslim community of Pakistan and would also save the global Muslim community of the embarrassment the viral video has caused to them. But can we expect this from a Prime Minister who openly said that Osama bin Laden was a martyr and not a terrorist?

Courtesy: https://www.newageislam.com/

The post Will Imran Government Arrest the Man Who Tutored His 4-Year Son to Threaten Hindus? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Waris Pathan’s ‘15 crore’ communal statement has put him in the thick of a controversy. He has been accused of trying to foment communal tension between two communities though he has withdrawn his statement saying he is a responsible citizen and can never make such a statement. But it was probably a calculated move of the AIMIM to make political gains. It is common knowledge that political parties bank upon communal card to consolidate their vote bank and the AIMIM has been doing this for a long time. Waris Pathan is not the only leader of the AIMIM to make such a communal statement against the entire Hindu community. It can be recalled that a few years ago, Asaduddin Owaisi’s younger brother Akbaruddin Owaisi had made a communal remark against the entire Hindu community inviting legal action against him.  At a time when social and political realignments are taking shape across the country in the backdrop of the anti-CAA movement and Muslim-Dalit unity is emerging as the new political and social force which has been disturbing the contours of communal politics, the political parties, both Hindu and Muslim have upped their ante against communal harmony which is bad for their political career. Waris Pathan is an erstwhile MLA and a lawyer and so a communal statement challenging the entire Hindu community could not have been made without a pre-thought.

The main motive behind his statement which was presumably made as a political move of the AIMIM was to scuttle the Hindu-Muslim unity emerging against the anti-NRC-CAA movements which have swayed the Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnatake in the last month. On 5th January, Hyderabad had witnessed the Million March in which about two lakh people had gathered to protest the Citizenship Law and NRC at the call of 40 non-political organizations. Such a huge gathering of Hindus and Muslims at the call of non-political organizations has made the AIMIM shaky and this Hindu-Muslim unity is threatening their political career in the South. In the Million March a local social figure Mushtaque Malik had provided leadership.

 The AIMIM which has been banking on Muslim vote bank since its inception sees this development against its political interests. There have been similar non-political gatherings of anti-CAA protesters in Karnataka as well where AIMIM had been ignored. Owaisi fears that new secular leaders like Mushtaque Malik may emerge in the South challenge his hegemony on Muslim sentiments. The statement by Waris Pathan should be seen from that perspective.

The unity of Hindus and Muslims is not good either for Hindutva parties or the AIMIM which gains from communal polarization. Waris Pathan’s statement against the entire Hindu community was probably aimed at breaking the Hindu-Muslim unity strengthened by Shaheen Bagh movements across the country. It can be noticed that such communal statements are not made by the party president Asaduddin Owaisi but his lieutenants so that Owaisi can shrug off the statements later as irresponsible. But the question is: If the policy of the AIMIM is not based on communal ideology, how do the leaders of the party make communal remarks against a community. The answer is clear: Such remarks are calculated moves of the party to achieve certain political goals.

The new Hindu-Muslim unity against the CAA and NRC is not good for the BJP either. Asaduddin Owaisi has once again strengthened the belief of a section of political analysts that he is supported by the BJP.  Waris Pathan’s statement may only benefit the BJP as it will give justification to statements of Giriraj Kishore and other BJP leaders and will further help polarize the people along communal lines.

Waris Pathan’s wisdom as a lawyer is also doubted because he thinks that all non-Muslims are Hindus. That’s why it has clubbed 100 crore people of India as Hindus though Dalit leaders like Waman Meshram and Chandrashekhar Azad have been reiterating the fact that Dalits, Adivasis and other backward communities are not Hindus. They have their separate religious identity. The BJP promotes the idea that all the Dalits and Adivasis are Hindus. By calling 100 crore people Hindus, Waris Pathan targets the Dalits and Adivasis because he knows that the majority of Dalit population led by Waman Meshram and Chandrashekhar Azad have joined the anti-CAA movement. It is necessary for the AIMIM to break this Dalit Muslim unity by making such hard hitting communal statements against the Dalits and Hindus. But the crux of the matter is that the new generation abhors this communal politics and will not be bullied by the communal politicking of the likes of Owaisis and Pathans. The sooner these politicians realize this, the better.

S. Arshad is a regular columnist for NewAgeIslam.com

Courtesy: NewAgeIslam.com

The post Waris Pathan’s provocative statement in line with MIM’s communal politics appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Image: India Times

But the fact that both Islam and Hinduism are based on divine revelation and in essence both worship the Supreme Being is generally ignored. The foundation of Hinduism is the Vedas comprising of different scriptures revealed to Rishis (prophets) over a long period of time. Islam is also based on the Quran which is a reminder of the messages and commandments revealed to prophet before Muhammad pbuh. The Vedas and the Upanishads sing the glory of the Supreme Being (Nirgun Brahman), the Formless God, the Creator of all. The Mundakya Upanishad VI says:
“He is the lord of all. He is the knower of al. He is the inner Controller. He is the source of everything from Him all beings originate and in the end disappear into Him.”

 Vedanta is the theoretical and philosophical part of the Vedas which deals with the Creation and knowledge of the Supreme Being (Brahman). Different parts of the Vedas are ascribed to different Rishis or prophets to whom that part was revealed. About the revelation of the Vedas, Swami Vivekananda has said:
“When you hear that the Rishi (sage) of such and such portion of the Vedas is such and such, do not think that he has written that portion or has created that portion through his own imagination. He is merely a discoverer of the knowledge already existent. That knowledge was latent in this universe since infinity. The Rishi only discovered that knowledge.” 1

From the extract above, it is evident that Hindus do not use the word revelation for the Vedas but believe that the Vedas are not authored by human beings and are divine knowledge revealed to prophets (Rishis) by the Supreme Being, the Brahman.

God in Hinduism and Islam
Hinduism has two concepts of the Supreme Being: Sagun Brahman (Personal God) and Nirgun Brahman (Formless God). Since the ultimate realization of the Supreme Being can be achieved through meditation, the spiritual adept needs to meditate on God by concentrating on Him. To achieve this concentration he needs to conjure the image of a personal God (Sagun Brahman). This concentration on Sagun Brahman leads him to the realization of Nirgun Brahman or the Supreme Being. This concept of Sagun Brahman or personal God represented by an image or idol gave way to idol worship. Initially, this concept of Sagun Brahman was only used by spiritual adepts to acquire concentration but gradually it became common practice and people began to worship idols and idol worship became central to Hinduism. The same can be said about Islam. Many un-Islamic practices have crept in among Muslims which are called Bid’at (innovation) due to wrong or erroneous interpretations of Islamic principles or Quranic verses.

The concept of Sagun Brahman and Nirgun Brahman can also be found in the Quran. The Quran at one point says:
“Nature of God is that upon which He is created man”. (Al Rum: 30)

Here the Quran gives an idea of a personal God (Sagun Brahman). In another verse the Quran says:
“No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision: He is above all comprehension, yet is acquainted with all things “(Al An’am:103)

Here the Quran gives an idea of Nirgun Brahman who is subtle and formless. However, Islam did not permit the creation of the image of Sagun Brahman. That’s why idol worship did not originate in Islam.

This idea of Fitratallah (Nature of God) helps Sufis to concentrate on God. The Vedanta has three stages of meditation according to degree of concentration and duration of meditation; Dhaaran, Dhyan and Samadhi. The Quran also mentions three stages of realization of truth which comes with deep meditations: Aynal Yaqin, Ilmul Yaqin and Haqqul Yaqin. Indian Sufis took some practices from Vedanta and Hindu scriptures to develop physical and mental faculties that helped them attain greater concentration during meditation.  Especially Shattari order introduced Hindu meditation practices into Sufi order. The practices of the Nath Panth, the founder of the Yoga influenced Indian Sufi practices.

Sufism has borrowed a lot from the Advaita philosophy of Vedanta. Non-Dualist philosophy of Vedanta (Advaita Vedanta) gave birth to the philosophy of Wahdat ul Wajood among Muslims. The greatest exponent of this philosophy was Ibn-e-Arabi who had read  Bahrul Hayat, an Arabic translation of the Vedantic treatise in Sanskrit called Amrul Kund. The philosophy of Wahdat ul Wujud also preached that only God was real (Wajib ul Wajud) and all the universe including man was only a reflection of the Supreme Being. All creation emanated from him and was a part of God. For example, the waves of an ocean do not have any independent existence out of the ocean. In the same way, man or the universe did not have any independent existence out of God. God is imminent in the universe or is all encompassing.

Though Iqbal was against the philosophy of Wahdat ul Wajud since he considered this philosophy against the principles of Islam, he did not criticize Ibn-e-Arabi because Ibn-e-Arabi brought his arguments in favour of the philosophy from the Quran. The attributional names of God —– Zahir, Batin, Awwal, Akhir, and so on describe the all pervasive nature of God. Whatever is manifest is God and whatever is hidden or within the creations is God. This concept is in line with the concept of Advaita Vedanta which is summed up in the four Mahavakyas (great statements) of the Upanishad.

1)    Aham Brahmasmi (I am God). This can be translated as Anal Haque.
2)     Tat twam asi . Thou art That.
3)    Ayam Atma Brahma.  This indwelling self is Brahman.
4)    Praganam Brahma —— Supreme Knowledge is Brahman.

Thus, Brahman (the Supreme Being) dwells within man and he can attain His knowledge through devotion and meditation.
In Sufism too, Marfat (divine knowledge of the Supreme Being) is attained through meditation and devotion.
 
God Is Light
God, the Supreme Being, is described as light in the Upanishads. His light shines everywhere and lights up the universe as well as the inner soul of man. K.P. Aleaz writes:
 
“The Supreme Lord (Parameshvara) is the self-effulgent self (Svayamjyotiratmaiva) and self-effulgent means ‘being’ – Pure Consciousness. The manifestation noticed in the case of all these names, forms, actions and results is caused by the existence of the Light of Brahman. The light of Brahman is implied by the light seen in things born from it.  Through the various kinds of effulgence in the effects, it is known that luminosity is intrinsic to Brahman. Whatever, things shine —- the sun, moon, stars, lightning fore etc — shine because the Supreme Lord shines.”  2 Now, let’s find out similar concept about God in the Quran. The Quran says, “Allahu Noorus Samawate Wal Arz’. God is the light of the earth and heavens. (Al Nur: 35) It is a long verse and echoes the views present in Vedanta about God as light and His reflection in man and the universe. Another sentence in the same verse says:
 
Noor un ala Nur (Light upon Light).
The exegetes of the holy Quran have not been able to give satisfactory or acceptable explanations of this beautiful verse in figurative and symbolic language. But when we study the verse in the light of the Bhagavad Gita, the meaning of the Quranic verse becomes crystal clear. ‘Light upon Light’ is ‘Light united to Light’ in Shrimad Bhagavad Gita. When the spiritual adept or Sufi attains union with the Supreme Being, Light present within man is united with Light of Brahman. Swami Mumukshananda in his article “Vedanta Concepts and Application through ‘light united to light’ in the light of Advaita philosophy in the following words:
 
“ That meditation on God (Sagun Brahman)gradually leads to the realization of Absolute (Nirgun Brahman) is supported in both the Srimad Bhagvatam and the Bhagavad Gita. In the former Shri Krishna tells Uddhav how by starting his meditation on God with form a devotee can realize  God as Pure Consciousness simultaneously present within him and all pervading — as “Light united to light.” In the Bhagavad Gita (XVIII.55) Sri Krishna says to Arjun,, “Through devotion (the devotee) knows Me in reality as to what  and who I am. Then having known Me in truth, he enters (Me).3
 
In Islamic Sufism governed by the philosophy of Wahdat ul Wajud as in Advaita Vedanta, the spiritual adept unites with God through devotion and meditation. Thus Light is united to Light.
 
The divine light within the Sufi unites with the Supreme Light. The light present inside the devotee is engulfed by the Light of the Supreme self effulgent; all pervasive Being like a candle is guarded by the Fanoos.
 
Harut and Marut
The Quran mentions the names of two angels called Harut and Marut who possessed the knowledge of sorcery and magic and taught knowledge to those who wanted to learn sorcery and magic only as a test of their faith.  In Hinduism, spiritual adepts invoke Marut, one of the angels to attain supernatural powers to work out miracles and do superhuman deeds. The disciples of Shiva, the re-incarnation of Brahma taught Matsyendranath, the founder of Nath Panth the knowledge of attaining supernatural powers. The Yogis of the Nath Pantha had supernatural powers through the practice of Raja Yoga. A Shloka in Matsyendra Samhita is as follows:
 
Agni Marut Sanyogad Varuna Karmayogatah
Sansiddhi Yogino Dehe Chidme Tat Pradrishyate 4
 
The sixth Patal (part) of Matsyendra Samhita says that the concentration of mind is of three kinds. One kind of concentration is achieved through concentration on Agni (fire) in association with Marut which leads to achievement of perfect body free from diseases and feeling of hunger, thirst etc. In Upanishads also, a number of hymns are addressed to Maruts. On hymn addressed to Maruts in Rig Veda is as follows:
HYMN XIX. Agni, Maruts.

To this fair sacrifice to drink the milky draught thou art invoked:
O Agni, with the Maruts come.

No mortal man, no God exceeds thy mental power, O Mighty one –
O Agni, with the Maruts come

All Gods devoid of guile, who know the mighty region of mid-air:
O Agni, with those Maruts come.

The terrible, who sing their song, not to be overcome by might:
O Agni, with those Maruts come.

Brilliant, and awful in their form, mighty, devourers of their foes’:
O Agni, with those Maruts come.

Who sit as Deities in heaven, above the sky-vault’s luminous sphere:
O Agni, with those Maruts come.

Who scatter clouds about the sky, away over the billowy sea:
O Agni, with those Maruts come.

Who with their bright beams spread them forth over the ocean in their might
O Agni, with those Maruts come.

For thee, to be thine early draught, I pour the Soma-mingled meath:
O Agni, with the Maruts com
(Rig-Veda)

However, in the Vedas, the Maruts are presented as powerful deities that bring storm and rains and are very aggressive. In the Quran, Harut and Marut are mentioned in Surah Baqarah verse no. 102 as angels who were sent down on earth with the knowledge of sorcery and magic.

Zikr or Jap
Zikr or Jap of the Supreme Being or God is an important part of the spiritual practices of followers of both Hinduism and Islam. Without Zikr or jap one cannot move towards union with God. The Quran enjoins on man to engage in Zikr continuously to attain God’s blessings. There are a number of verses in the Quran to this effect. Some are quoted below:

1)    “Bring thy Lord to remembrance in thy (very) soul, with humility and in reverence, without loudness in words, in the mornings and evenings; “ ( Al A’raf: 205)
2)    “and for men and women who engage much in Allah’s praise,- for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward.”(Al Ahzab: 35)
3)   ” The remembrance of Allah (swt) is the greatest (deed)”. Quran (Al Ankabut : Verse 45)

According to the verses of the Quran, Zikr is of two kinds:  One which is done aloud and the other which is done in a low voice.  In Sufism, there is another category of Zikr which is called Sultan ul Azkar. In this Zikr, the Sufi does not chant the names of God aloud or in a low voice but the heart continuously and automatically does the chanting. This Zikr is achieved through strict spiritual discipline and devotion. In Hinduism also, the Jap or Zikr is of three kinds.  Bhaskaranand explains the three kinds of Japa in the following words:
“Chanting the holy name or Japa is done in several ways. When it is done audibly by pronouncing the holy name correctly it is called Vachika Japa. When the chanting is done by moving the lips in such a manner that it can be heard only by the chanter and no one else, it is called Apamshu Japa. In the third type of chanting the holy name is repeated mentally without moving the tongue or the lips. This type of silent chanting is called Manasa Jap. Among these, the third one is considered superior to the second and the second is superior to the first.”5
 
In Hinduism, the devotees or spiritual adepts are also described in different ways according to their attitude to God. The following attitudes are found in Hindu devotees.
 
1)    Shanta attitude – In this attitude, the devotee does not show an intense love for God but he is steady in his devotion to God doing whatever is prescribed to achieve God’s pleasure.
2)    Dasya or serving attitude —- In this attitude, the devote considers himself a servant and God as the Master and obeys what God enjoins him to do. In this relation, a distance is maintained between the servant and the Master.
3)    Sakhya or friendly attitude — In this attitude, the devotee considers God as his friend and expects reciprocation of his love and affection showered on God.
4)    Vatsalya or motherly attitude – In this attitude, the devotees’ looks upon God as his child and showers love and affection like a mother.
5)    Madhura attitude – In this attitude the devotee looks upon God as his husband and considers himself as his wife.  The Bhakti poets come under this category as they celebrate the love of Radha and Krishna in their love for God. They consider God Krishna and himself as Radha.
 
In Islamic spirituality too, Sufis adopt similar attitude towards God. But more common are serving and friendly attitudes.  Generally devotees have Master-servant relationship with God and maintain a distance.  Great Sufis attain the relationship of friendship with God. The Quran recognizes them as Auliya or the friends of God.
 
Prophets and Divine Incarnations
Islam believes in prophets who were raised from among human kind for the social and religious reforms. They spoke the language of the community to which they were raised. Islam believes that one Lakh 24 thousand prophets were sent down on earth. But Hinduism believes that God incarnates Himself on earth to revitalize religion. He is called an Avatara or a divine incarnation. The Srimad Bhagavad speaks of innumerable divine incarnations. Here, Srimada Bhagvatam corroborates Islamic view of many prophets. But Islam does not consider the prophets as incarnations of God but consider them human beings and servants of God. The Vedas also call the prophets Rishis or sages. The Vedas did not call them divine incarnations. However, in later ages, the Rishis were called Adhikari Purusha, men endowed with superhuman powers. The theory of divine incarnation has been explained by Swami Bhaskaranand in the following words:
 
“God incarnates on earth to fulfill two purposes: (1) to inspire (2) to liberate.  He inspires mankind through examples. He willingly takes upon Himself human limitations. Then through intense spiritual practice, He goes beyond them and manifests his spiritual perfections. It should be understood here that as He is perfect from his very birth, the divine incarnation does not really need any spiritual practice to attain perfection. Nevertheless, to inspire others, He goes through various spiritual disciplines and thereby manifests His perfection to set an example for man king.” 6
 
The above extract explains the phenomenon of the birth of Jesus Christ without father and his subsequent ascent to the Heavens instead of his meeting with natural or unnatural death on earth like a human being. This also explains why a section of Muslims consider Prophet Muhammad pbuh a divine (Nuri) being and not a human being (basher).
 
Idea of Mental and Physical Purification
Islam lays stress on physical and mental purification. Physical purification can be achieved through bath with water in a prescribed manner. In the absence of water, Tayammum can also be used for purification. In this process one can rub his hands on a lump of soil and then rubbing the hands on the body in the prescribed way. For ablutions also, water or soil can be used in a prescribed manner. Uttering prescribed prayers while doing Wazu wins greater rewards.

But centuries before Islam’s advent, Hinduism laid stress on physical purification by bathing the body with water. In absence of water, the body could be purified by smearing ashes over the body. Matsyendra Samhita describes the process of purification of body in following words:
 
“The purification of body can be achieved by taking bath in water or with smearing of ashes on body. Detailed description of the actual mode of taking bath has been given. Lord Shiva tells her (Parvati) that bath should be taken in prescribed manner. Different kind of mantras have been suggested which are requested to be uttered at the time of pouring water on the different limbs of the body.”  7
 
Suicide
Killing oneself is declared Haram (a great sin) in Islam and those committing suicide will be made to go through severe punishment in the Hereafter. They will be made to commit the suicide in the same way again and again suffering the same pain which they went through while committing suicide. The unnatural death hounds the man in other world and inflicts more pain and suffering. On this count, Hinduism and Islam have almost the same view on suicide.
 
Beej Akshar and Haroof-E-Muqatta’at
The Quran has many Haroof-e-Muqatta’at in the beginning of 29 Surahs. These letters are said to be possessing great powers. Hinduism also has many Beej Akshars (seed words) that have great powers. One seed word is ‘AUM’. Other seed words are Shreem, Hreem, Kreem, Aim, Dum, Hum and Om Namah Shivaya.
 
These were some of the similarities in belief and practices in Hinduism and Islam. Since Vedas are the basis of Hinduism which are revealed scriptures, it has many tenets in common with Islam. Since the Quran enjoins on us to stress on the common tenets of different religions to promote multi-religious harmony in the world, a more in-depth study of the similarities between Hinduism and Islam may reveal more striking facts. This brief study is only a small step towards promoting interfaith dialogue.

References:
1.    Vedanta by Swami Vivekananda
2.    (Vedanta concepts and Application, Ramakrishna Mission Institute, Kolkata)
3.    (Vedanta; Concepts and Application)
4.    Matsyendra Samhita
5.    (Essentials of Hinduism, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai)
6.    (Essentials of Hinduism, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai)
7.    (Matsyendra Samhita. Page 47)
 
Courtesy: New Age Islam
 

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