Nakba, the Palestinian catastrophe (1948) - Hinduism

No Similarities in Islam and Hinduism

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 09:47:56 +0000

We cannot see any similarity between popular Hinduism and Islam, that is, Hinduism as understood and practiced by the great majority, or taught by their religious leaders.
Islamic beliefs are clear: There is one God, Muhammad is His Messenger (the Final), as there were many before him (24 are named); angels are Allah’s creations, He has sent Books of which Qur’an is the Last, He will resurrect mankind and subject them to Reckoning so that, on the basis of their faith and deeds, humans will either end up in Paradise or Hellfire. Two elements of practice are of prime importance in everyday life: Five daily prayers, and charity: both obligatory as well as voluntary.

If you compared the above with Hindu beliefs and practices, you discover no similarity. Hindus do not believe in oneness of God, but believe there are several – though minor – deities with divine powers (although there is a supreme being who overlords the rest). They do not believe that Muhammad was a Messenger, nor do they believe in any of the 24 Messengers named in the Qur’an, in fact they do not believe that the Qur’an is a Revelation. Similarly, they do not believe in angels as no such word exists in their vocabulary. They also do not believe there will be any Resurrection or Judgment. Concepts of Heaven and Hell are totally missing, and so is the concept of five daily Prayers, or of obligatory charity.

Thus, there is nothing that is basic in Islam, but denied by the Hindus. The two are different religions altogether.

Some people try to show similarities at the Scriptural level. But that is an error. A casual study of Hindu Scriptures and comparison with the Qur’an reveals complete dissimilarity. At best it can be said that the concept of Tawhid (oneness of God) is also present in Hindu Scriptures and that worship of deities or minor gods through their images seem later introductions. That might be true. But that has to be said by the Hindus, and not by Muslims. Muslims cannot be allowed to interpret the religious literature of the Hindus. Hindus know their religion best. If their learned and holy class says that that idol worship is part and parcel of Hinduism, then, that’s it. It is their religion and they know best.

Are Muslims FORCING Hindus to convert?

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 16:55:43 +0000

"Extremist Muslims" are going into Universities and forcing Hindu girls to convert, so claimed the Hindu Forum of Britain.

The Hindu Security Conference 2007 was held last Wednesday and was attended by over 160 delegates from the Hindu Forum of Britain, the National Hindu Students Forum and the Metropolitan Police to discuss and debate issues ranging from faith and identity, radicalisation and extremism on campus; to safety in street crime and Stop and Search.

It was alleged that Muslim boys invited Hindu girls on dates before beginning campaigns of ‘terrorism’ until they converted.

The secretary general of the Hindu Forum of Britain, Ramesh Kallidai, said: "The Police and other agencies may not know about the high levels of resentment building up in the Hindu and Sikh communities over aggressive conversion techniques and intimidation by radical Islamist groups on campuses. Families are breaking down, while some of our girls have been beaten up and had to leave university."

"Extremist Muslims make life miserable for Hindu girls. Some are petrified: they feel these men have a complete hold on them," Kallidai added.

He estimated that hundreds of Hindus girls have been targeted with some reports of Muslim boys being paid £5000 for each successful conversion.

A spokesman from The Hindu Forum of Britain (HFB) told The Muslim Weekly: "I think it was blown out of proportion by some reports. We had anecdotes from students who attended the conference. They are from the National Hindu Student Forum. The people who spoke out said it was from personal experiences, that they have been harassed and bullied. The problem which we and the police recognised was that there was no proper system of recording of such incidents."

Commenting on the general resentment in the Hindu community mentioned by Kallidai, the HFB spokesman said: "One of the issues raised is that Stop and Search affects Asians. They don’t break it down. Many Hindus have been stopped and searched and they don’t know why. It is difficult to tell if there is an increase in both conversion and cases of force. We need to get the facts and figures right and see how this has impacted on the community."

A spokesman from the Metropolitan Police Service told The Muslim Weekly: "The Commissioner and other MPS colleagues attended a Hindu security conference organised by the Hindu Forum of Great Britain on February 21. The issue of Hindu girls being reportedly subjected to aggressive conversion techniques and intimidation on university campuses was raised. We are aware of it as an issue that concerns the Hindu community, particularly young people but we are not aware, without further research, of any specific incidents that have been reported to police. We do not have criminal reports being made. What we have are anecdotal reports…The Hindu community has shown a strong desire to set up a Hindu Safety Forum at Scotland Yard and if it is formed, the MPS will engage with and support it the same way we support the Muslim Safety Forum here."

The Vice President of the Students Union at the Metropolitan University and Chair of the National Student Respect Committee, Noreen Fatima, told The Muslim Weekly: "I have never come across such things. There have been many students who have converted to Islam in the university. I know of Hindu girls, Russian girls, guys from Hong Kong who have converted. As Muslims, we spread the message of Islam, but never with force. If they would like to read any Islamic literature, we provide it to them. We have a complaint system in schools, and if these so called persons were really under stress, they would have reported it. Our society is such that people do speak out. I think that these are mere baseless allegations, because the reality is there have been no complaints made to the school. The fact is that families of converts are not happy that their children have converted to Islam. I think maybe a person who converted made such an allegation out of some self interest and it was picked up by those who wish to smear the image of Muslims."

Speaking to The Muslim Weekly, Tower Hamlets Councillor, Rania Khan said: "I want to clarify if the allegations are true or not. There have been many allegations made against Muslims before and many have been proven false. I do not know any Islamic organisation that would condone such a thing. Islam says: ‘To you your religion and to me mine.’ I think that they are trying to divide the community again, to pit the Muslims against the Hindus. My message to both communities is to ignore the negative media and to stick together as minorities."

Dr Anthony McRoy, a Lecturer at the Evangelical Theological College of Wales who specialises in Islamic studies, told The Muslim Weekly: "It does sound rather suspicious. Under Shari’ah law, any forced conversion would be invalid. Under British law, any form of coercion is unlawful. If they got evidence, let them present them. The girls have to come forward to the police. People will be skeptical without any hard evidence."

Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra of the Muslim Council of Britain told The Muslim Weekly: "Islam does not allow forced conversions. Those who convert have to do so with sincerity and conviction. Islam does not allow an act of haram (forbidden), even if it’s to convert people to Islam. The means have to be halal (permissible) for the ends to be halal. I would very strongly reject these allegations. Our religion does not require us to convert others through bribery and force. We are required to carry out da’wah (preaching) through our lives and actions, to be good role models for society. I urge young Muslims interested in the field of da’wah to join their Islamic societies on campuses where they will learn the right techniques."

The Muslim Weekly managed to get a statement from a Hindu sister who reverted to Islam: "I came from a purely Hindu family. I’d like to say that I had accepted Islam not blindly, or under any compulsion. In the Qur’an itself there is a verse which says ‘Let there be no compulsion in religion’. I accepted Islam with conviction. I have seen, been there, done that, and seen both sides of the story. I know and have experienced what the other side is like, and I know that I have done the right thing."

Experiences of a Recently Converted Hindu Woman

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 18:12:48 +0000

I came from a purely Hindu family where we were always taught to regard ourselves (i.e. women) as beings who were eventually to be married off and have children and serve the husband, whether he was kind or not. Other than this, I found that there were a lot of things, which really oppressed women, such as: If a woman was widowed, she would always have to wear a white sari costume, eat vegetarian meals, cut her hair short, and never re-marry. The bride always had to pay the dowry (bridal money) to the husband’s family. And the husband could ask for anything, irrespective of whether the bride would have difficulty giving it.

Not only that, if after marriage she was not able to pay the full dowry she would be both emotionally and physically tortured, and could end up being a victim of “kitchen death” where the husband, or both the mother-in-law and the husband try to set fire to the wife while she is cooking or is in the kitchen, and try to make it look like an accidental death. More and more of these instances are taking place. The daughter of a friend of my own fathers had the same fate last year!

In addition to all this, men in Hinduism are treated literally as among the gods. In one of the religious Hindu celebration, unmarried girls pray for and worship an idol representing a particular god (Shiva) so that they may have husbands like him. Even my own mother had asked me to do this. This made me see that the Hindu religion which is based on superstitions and things that have no manifest proof, but were merely traditions which oppressed women could not be right.

Subsequently, when I came to England to study, I thought that at least this is a country, which gives equal rights to men and women, and does not oppress them.

We all have the freedom to do, as we like, I thought. Well, as I started to meet people and make new friends, learn about this new society, and go to all the places my friends went to in order to “socialize” (bars, dance halls, ...etc.), I realized that this “equality” was not so true in practice as it was in theory. Outwardly, women were seen to be given equal rights in education, work, and so forth, but in reality women were still oppressed in a different, subtler way.

When I went with my friends to those places they hung out at, I found everybody interested to talk to me and I thought that was normal. But it was only later that I realized how naive I was, and recognized what these people were really looking for. I soon began to feel uncomfortable, as if I was not myself: I had to dress in a certain way so that people would like me, and had to talk in a certain way to please them. I soon found that I was feeling more and more uncomfortable, less and less myself, yet I could not get out. Everybody was saying they were enjoying themselves, but I don’t call this enjoying. I think women in this way of life are oppressed; they have to dress in a certain way in order to please and appear more appealing, and also talk in a certain way so people like them.

During this time I had not thought about Islam, even though I had some Muslim acquaintances. But I felt I really had to do something, to find something that I would be happy and secure with, and would feel respected with. Something to believe in that is the right belief, because everybody has a belief that they live according to. If having fun by getting off with other people is someone’s belief, they do this. If making money is someone’s belief, they do everything to achieve this. If they believe drinking is one way to enjoy life then they do it. But I feel all this leads to nowhere; no one is truly satisfied, and the respect women are looking for is diminishing in this way.

In these days of so called ‘society of equal rights,” you are expected to have a boyfriend (or you’re weird!) and to not be a virgin. So this is a form of oppression even though some women do not realize it. When I came to Islam, it was obvious that I had finally found permanent security. A religion, a belief that was so complete and clear in every aspect of life.

How I find that Islam does not Oppress Women:

Many people have a misconception that Islam is an oppressive religion, where women are covered from head to toe, and are not allowed any freedom or rights. In fact, women in Islam are given more rights, and have been for the past 1400 years, compared to the only recently rights given to non-Muslim women in some western and some other societies. But there are, even now, societies where women are still oppressed, as I mentioned earlier in relation to Hindu women that Muslim women have the right to inheritance. They have the right to run their own trade and business. They have the full right to ownership, property, disposal over their wealth to which the husband has no right. They have the right to education, a right to refuse marriage as long as this refusal is according to reasonable and justifiable grounds.

The Quran itself, which is the word of Allah, contains many verses commanding men to be kind to their wives and stressing the rights of women. Islam gives the right set of rules, because they are NOT made by men, but made by Allah; hence it is a perfect religion.

Quite often Muslim women are asked why they are covered from head to toe (except the face and the hands), and are told that this is oppression! It is not. In Islam, marriage is an important part of life, the making of the society. Therefore, a woman should not go around showing herself to everybody, only for her husband. Even the man is not allowed to show certain parts of his body to none but his wife. In addition, Allah has commanded Muslim women to cover themselves for their modesty: “O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) over their bodies (when outdoors). That is most convenient that they could be known as such (i.e. decent and chaste) and not molested.” (Qur’an 33:59).

If we look around at any other society, we find that in the majority of cases women are attacked and molested because of how they are dressed. Another point I’d like to comment on is that the rules and regulation laid down in Islam by Allah (God) do not apply just to women but to men also. There is no intermingling and free running between men and women for the benefit of both. Whatever Allah commands is right, wholesome, pure and beneficial to mankind; there is no doubt about that.

A verse in the Quran explains this concept clearly: “Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and protect their private parts (i.e. from indecency, illegal sexual acts); that will make for greater purity for them. And Allah is well aware of what they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and protect their private parts (from indecency, illegal sexual intercourse); and that they should not display their beauty and ornaments....” (Quran, Surah “Al-Nur” 24:31).

When I put on my Hijab (veil), I was really happy to do it. In fact, I really want to do it. When I put on the Hijab, I felt a great sense of satisfaction and happiness. Satisfied that I had obeyed Allah’s command. And happy with the good and blessings that come with it. I have felt secure and protected. In fact people respect me more for it. I could really see the difference in behavior towards me.

Finally, I’d like to say that I had accepted Islam not blindly, or under any compulsion. In the Qur’an itself there is a verse which says “There is no compulsion in religion.” I accepted Islam with conviction. I have seen, been there, done that, and seen both sides of the story. I know and have experienced what the other side is like, and I know that I have done the right thing.

Islam does not oppress women, but rather Islam liberates them and gives them the respect they deserve. Islam is the religion Allah has chosen for the whole of mankind. Those who accept it are truly liberated from the chains and shackles of mankind whose ruling and legislating necessitates nothing but the oppression of one group by another and the exploitation and oppression of one sex by the other.

This is not the case of Islam, which truly liberated women and gave them individuality not given by any other authority.
Sister Noor has been a Muslim for over a year and a half and is currently in her second year of undergraduate study in the Department of Biology.

Women In Hinduism Vs Women In Islam

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Mon, 26 Sep 2005 10:14:46 +0000

Inequity and degradation of women are sanctified in the Hindu religion. Manu Smriti says:

Never trust a woman. Never sit alone with a woman even if it may be your mother, she may tempt you. Do not sit alone with your daughter, she may tempt you. Do not sit alone with your sister, she may tempt you.

Again the same Manu Smriti continues:

"Na stree swadantriya marhathi". "No liberty for women in society".

Now, that is most disgusting!!! This sick pervert actually insinuates that one’s own mother will tempt him! Na’oothu billahi minash-shaytaanir-rajeem!!!

HINDU WOMEN VS MUSLIM WOMEN

The Brahmin media made a big campaign recently out of the Shah Banu case and they blew it out of all proportion. They implied that Islam restricted the freedom of women. Let us compare the positions of the Hindu woman and the Muslim woman. See the following facts for comparison and then try to bring these Brahmins to their senses.

HINDU WOMAN

The Hindu woman has no right to divorce her husband.
She has no property or inheritance rights.
Choice of partner is limited because she can only marry within her own caste; moreover her horoscope must match that of the intending bridegroom/family.
The family of the girl has to offer an enormous dowry to the bridegroom/family.
If her husband dies she should commit Sati (being cremated with her dead husband). Since today's law forbids Sati, society mainly punishes her in other "holy" ways (see below).
She can never remarry.
The widow is considered to be a curse and must not be seen in public. She cannot wear jewelry or colorful clothes. (She should not even take part in her children's marriage!)
Child and infant marriage is encouraged.

THE MUSLIM LADY

The Muslim lady has the same right as the Muslim man in all matters, including divorce.
She enjoys property and inheritance rights. (Which other religion grants women these rights?). She can also conduct her own separate business.
She can marry any Muslim of her choice. If her parents choose a partner for her, her consent has to be taken.
The dowry in Islam is a gift from a husband to his wife (not the other way round as is practiced by some ignoramuses).
A Muslim widow is encouraged to remarry, and her remarriage is the responsibility of the Muslim society.
Mixed marriage is encouraged and is a means to prevent racism creeping into society.
A Muslim mother is given the highest form of respect.

The living revolutionary Mr. Rajashekar questions what right has the Hindus to criticize the Muslims? Have you ever heard of a Muslim burning his wife? Every day we read in the paper about dowry deaths, Hindu women being burnt by the husband or in-laws. It is a fact that upper caste Hindus ill-treat their women. The Brahmin press has brainwashed all of us saying that Muslims do not give freedom to their women. He again questions, "Do the Hindus respect their women?" You be the judge!

Unscientific Claims found in "holy books" of Hinduism

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Mon, 26 Sep 2005 10:13:23 +0000

UNSCIENTIFIC CLAIMS

Brahmins always have a tendency to claim everything in the name of SCIENCE. But the Scientists, Doctors and Specialists claim otherwise. First of all any man with common sense won't agree to the claims originated by these BRAHMINS. Here are a few examples of Brahmin-originated unscientific claims (and the true knowledge of "the gods"):

(A) THE EARTH IS FLAT

NARASINGA PURANA - Page 169 - Abithana Sinthamani - says that the earth is flat. Today it has been proved beyond doubt by the scientists that the earth is round.

(B) DISTANCE BETWEEN EARTH, SUN & MOON

VISHNU PURANA says that sun is 800,000 miles and moon is 2,200,000 miles away from the earth respectively. Astronomy has now proved that the moon is nearer to the earth, i.e. 240,000 miles and that the sun is 93,000,000 miles away from the earth.

(C) THE AREA OF THE EARTH

MARKANDEYA PURANA says that the earth has an area of 4,000,000,000 square miles. According to astronomy, it is only 190,700,000 square miles.

(D) VIBOOTHI (COW DUNG ASH)

The Vedas say that the cow is holy and should be worshipped. These Brahmins also claim that cow dung ash has medicinal value. Samples sent to a leading test laboratory in West Germany have proved this to be untrue. Even today ignorant Hindus smear their homes with cow dung.

In India people are dying of hunger. Why are these low caste Hindus prohibited from eating beef? In India cow meat is cheaper than other available meats. Instead of these Brahmins taking care of the low caste peoples of India they are doing their best to save their "holy" cows. According to Valmith's Ramayana, God Rama "ATE" meat. Why then have these Brahmins given up beef-eating?

(E) URINE DRINKING

One erstwhile Prime Minister, Morarji Desai (Brahmin), boasted that he was drinking eight ounces of his own urine daily (pure and fresh!) in the morning in accordance with the Vedas claim that urine has medicinal value. With the same claim today the Brahmins/RSS are drinking cow's urine as if it is a DAILY TONIC. No scientists have ever claimed that urine has any medicinal value. On the contrary it is well known fact that urine is an unwanted organic substance that the human body needs to discharge. [Editor’s note: This is just plain common sense!!!]

(F) SUN WORSHIP

The Vedas and Puranas say that all Hindus must pray to the sun god SURYA, and that if you look at the sun daily every morning with your naked eyes, your sight will improve. Accordingly many Hindus practise this act of worship; but instead of their eyesight improving, India is the country that has the most blind people in the world (2.5 million blind people and 9 million with corneal blindness).

There is no scientific truth in sun worship, and on the contrary the scientist and doctors advise everyone not to look at the sun directly with the naked eye. Who is telling us the truth, the Scientists or the Hindu scriptures? You be the judge! The credit of India's blindness also goes to Hinduism.

(G) THE RIVER GANGES

Hindus are dumping half-cremated bodies, and the ashes of these corpses, into River Ganges for their salvation as ordered by the Hindu scriptures. In other words, the Holy Ganges water is a human soup! This has made the Ganges water polluted and a breeding ground for numerous diseases.

Question: Is there anything similar to this water in America?

Answer: Yes there is! It is called raw sewage. And common sense tells one that sewage is not to be swam in, drank, nor utilized in sacred activity.

Still these Brahmins claim the River Ganges a sacred river - saying that nothing can contaminate it. Why then is the Government of India spending millions of rupees to clean up the dirty waters of River Ganges?

(H) THE THREAT OF THE ECOLOGY

AP News (India) dated 10-1 1-86 says: When a Hindu is cremated in India, one or more medium-sized trees are also chopped down to accompany him on the funeral pyre. Ecologists warn that forest loss seriously threatens the environment and that we have already lost 32 % of the Indian forest. Daily in India, Hindus are dying and taking with them trees. A staggering 6.43 million kilograms of timber goes up in flames each day. The annual loss is 2.35 million tons. How much pollution does a body create when it is burnt with wood? (Not only that, imagine the foul smell it causes in the atmosphere.)

"The most absurd stories of their gods are readily believed... This hurrying from one means of salvation to another can be accounted for partly by the fear that though an act of merit may have satisfied the claims of one deity, others who have not been pacified may wreck their vengeance upon them. Interested and unscrupulous priests make capital out of the gross ignorance and credulity of the people.... Shrine after shrine is visited and word after word is done; and yet the fear remains that some deity has been neglected who at any moment may demand his rights, or punish for neglect..... There are so many deities, and are so different in character, that almost any habit can be different in, almost any vice committed, under the impression that it is pleasing to one or another." (W.J. Wilkins Modern Hinduism)

Treatment of women in Hinduism

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Sun, 25 Sep 2005 22:43:27 +0000

It is a shame that an attack against Islam is being waged by Hindus when for millenniums, Hinduism is the most oppressive system on record in its treatment of women. From conception to death, woman had to suffer in uncountable ways (details after the basic section) :

- Girls are to be married when 5 years old !
- Vedas prescribe this pracitice
- if the dowry is insufficient
(Jauhar) - Often 100s are burnt at a time.
(Sati) - Sanctioned by the Vedas, Puranas, practiced by Krishna’s wives, it still continues.

BURNING OF WOMEN

Bride-Burning

This is often related to dowry, when the bride’s family cannot pay up to the amount demanded by the in-laws. Often the in-laws make demands in excess of those made at the time of marriage. When the deadline specified runs out, the bride is burned in often gruesome fashions. At least 5000 women die each year for not bringing in enough dowry. At least a dozen women die each day in `kitchen fires,’ which are often passed off as accidents, because their in-laws are not satisfied with their dowries. Only a few of the murderers are brought to justice. [Kitchen 1997]

Wife-Burning

A Hindu-Aryan husband could at any time accuse his wife of infidelity. In case the wife protests her innocence, the council of village elders would then order an ordeal by fire. The accused wife would be required to pass through a blazing flame. Not just death, but any signs of burns would be taken as a sign of guilt and the wife would then have to undergo the penalty for infidelity [EB 8:986 `ordeal’]. Adultery carries the death sentence in Aryan law, so either way she would have to pay with her life for her husband’s or elders’ mere suspicions. The ideal role model for this custom was Sita, Ram’s wife. She was required by her spouse, the "ideal husband"of the Hindus, to pass through the fire ordeal after her return from Sri Lanka.

Jauhar - Variant of Sati

Jauhar refers to the practice of the mass burning of all the wives and daughters in an entire town/district to prevent them from falling into the hands of the enemies. Often the husbands forced their unwilling spouses, sometimes the women practiced it themselves, encouraged by the elders. It is merely a variant of Sati, since it occurred in anticipation of the women’s widowhood. Read the Sati section.

Witch-Burning

The burning of witches during the Vedic Dark Ages of Indian History ( 1500 BC - 500 BC) and the later Puranic Dark Ages ( 100 AD-1000 AD) makes the European Medieval ecclesiastical witch-hunts pale in comparison.

Sati (Widow-Burning)

The Aryans, upon their invasion of India 1500 B.C. introduced the horrific custom of Sati, i.e. the burning of a woman after the death of her husband. When performed singly it is referred to as Sati, when performed en masse by all the women and daughters of a town in anticipation of their widowhood (eg. when the men were to fight a battle against all odds), it is known as Jauhar. It is sanctioned by their most sacred texts, and was practiced from the fall of the Semito-Dravidian Indus Valley civilization to the modern age.

Scriptural Sanction

The most sacred of Aryan scriptures are the Vedas, and the Rig Veda, the oldest Veda, first mentions the custom of Sati. The following famous "Sati Hymn"of the Rig Veda was (and still is) recited during the actual immolation of the widow [Kane 199-200]:

"Let these women, whose husbands are worthy and are living, enter the house with ghee (applied) as corrylium ( to their eyes). Let these wives first step into the pyre, tearless without any affliction and well adorned."[Rig Veda X.18.7] [Kane 199-200]

In recent times some Aryan apologists have arisen who try to prove that this verse does not sanction sati. This concept arises from a mistaken reading of the word agne or agneh , which they believe is agre . This is a wrong interpretation, and other evidence exists that the Aryans definitely practiced Sati from the earliest times. They distorted this verse which directs the widow to enter the pyre (agneh) so as to mean that the wife was to rise from her pyre and go to the front (agre). In addition to these examples, ancient Aryan scripture encourages Sati. The Garudapurana favorably mentions the immolation of a widow on the funeral pyre, and states that women of all castes, even the Candalla woman, must perform Sati. The only exceptions allowed by this benevolent author is for pregnant women or those who have young children. If women do not perform Sati, then they will be reborn into the lowly body of a woman again and again till they perform Sati. [Garudapurana II.4.91-100] [Kane 237] According to Vasishta’s Padma-Purana, a woman must, on the death of her husband, allow herself to be burnt alive on the same funeral pyre [Abbe DuBois 345]. The Vishnusmirti gives two choices for the widow:

"If a woman’s husband dies, let her lead a life of chastity, or else mount his pyre"[Vishnusmrti xxv.14] [Clayton 13]

Brahma is one of the main Aryan gods, being the creator of the world (later he was identified as an incarnation of Vishnu). One of the Puranas is named after him, the Brahma Purana. Like other Puranas, it was composed after the Vedas (Pandits hold 4000 B.C., Indologists 700 B.C.) This scripture also sanctions sati:

"It is the highest duty of the woman to immolate herself after her husband,"[Br.P. 80.75] [Sheth 103]

Once again we hear that Sati is sanctioned by the Vedas:

"..is enjoined by the Vedas,"[Br.P. 80.75] [Sheth 103]
and is
"greatly reputed in all the worlds"[Br.P. 80.75] [Sheth 103]

Long life is promised to the sati:
"She [the sati] lives with her husband in heaven for as many years as there are pores in the human body, ie. for 35 million years."[Br.P. 80.76, 80.77] [Sheth 103]

Vishnu Dharmasutra XXV.14 contains the statement:

On her husband’s death, the widow should observe celibacy or should ascend the funeral pyre after him.

Several other scriptures sanction widow-burning. Some of these are as given below [Wilkins]:

Thus, it is evident that the custom of Sati was introduced by the Aryans since it is encouraged in their scriptures and many goddesses performed the act.

Aryan Sati Goddesses
The Aryan origin of Sati is evident from the fact that several Aryan ladies and `goddesses’ performed Sati :

[M.Bh. Mausalaparvan 7.18] [Alld.Ch. 977, 1018-1019: Rukmini]
[M.Bh. Adiparvan 95.65] [Alld Ch 985]
. [Alld. Ch. 1018]

"The 8 queens of Krishna, who have been named, with Rukmini at their head, embraced the body of Hari, and entered the funeral fire. Revati also embracing the corpse of Rama, entered the blazing pile, which was cool to her, happy in contact with her lord. Hearing these events, Ugrasena and Anakadundubhi, with Devaki and Rohini, committed themselves to the flames."[Vishnu Pur. 5.38] [Vishnu Pur. {Wilson} p.481]

Ancient Travallers’ Accounts

Even ancient observers mentioned the barbaric practice of Sati. Alexander the Great and the Greeks observed Sati in Punjab [Onescrites in Strabo xv.i.ch 30] [Barth 59]. The Greek Diodorus Siculus who lived in the 1st century BC, mentioned the practice of Sati in his account of the Punjab in the 4th century BC [EB 11:421]. Indigenous historical evidence substantiates this, for

"The earliest recorded historical instance of Sati is that of the wife of the Hindu general Keteus, who died in 316 B.C. while fighting against Antigonos. Both his wives were eager to perform sati, but as the elder one was with child, only the younger one alone was allowed to carry out her wish."[Sheth 104]

The Sati was customary for the widows of Kshatriyas in the end of the first century BC [Strabo XV.ch.700.30] [Harper 273]. Sati was performed by all the Aryan races, for it is recorded that the Germanic tribes used to immolate the widows of chieftain to accompany the husband to Valhalla [Harper 273] [Davidson 150]. The Arab writer Al-Beruni mentioned the practice of Sati among the Hindus. [AlBer. U II.LXIX; II.LXXIII; Sachau ii p.155, ii p.170]

"She [the widow] has only to choose between two things - either to remain a widow as long as ashe lives, or to burn herself, and the latter eventuality is considered preferable ... As regards the wives of kings, they are in the habit of burning them whether they wish it or not."[Al-Beruni. II.LXIX] [Sachau II.p.155]

"Nicolo deo Contei states that as many as 3000 of the wives and concubines of the kings of Vijayanagar were pledged to be burnt with their lord on his death [and often ministers and palace servants accompanied the king in death]."[Basham 188] Strangely the practice increased in popularity in Bengal during the British expansion, despite the best efforts of Ram Mohan Roy to stop it [Harper 273]. This is also confirmed by the Abbe DuBois:

"[Sati] is more in vogue on the banks of the Ganges, [while] in Bengal Presidency [only] 706 suttees occurred in 1817 [and in] the Madras Presidency [out of] 30 million inhabitants not 30 allow themselves to be burnt each year."[DuBois 357] "[the wife] must, on the death of her husband, allow herself to be burnt alive on the same funeral pyre [of her husband]"[DuBois 345]

Sati still continues to this day. In 1990, more than 50 widows were burnt alive in sati. [Sonali Verma, Reuter, 12 August 1997, New Delhi] Note: The data gathered for the report of 50 widows burned to death was not gathered on a collective basis, but as data for micro-sections of India.

Bizarre Hypotheses

Several bizarre hypotheses have been set forth to explain the occurrence of Sati, often with less than honest intentions.

Corruption : Another silly notion is that the custom of Sati started when Hindu society started to "degenerate."[Now, THAT was an oxymoron!] If so, then why do the Vedas take this custom for granted? Why did Krishna’s wives perform sati? Are we to then conclude that Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu himself, was a corrupt Hindu? Again, where did this corruption come from? When did it start? If some outsiders, then it must be one of the Greeks, Bactrians, etc. But they came 1000 years after Krishna! Krishna was one of the earliest Aryan figures, and this story could hence have not been an invention, since the Aryans were very scared of altering anything in their tradition. Hence the Aryans stand condemned for introducing sati.

Islamic Khalifat and Sati: One far-fetched idea ascribes the origin of Sati as being due to the molestation of Hindu women by Muslim men. Needless to say, this would imply the existence of Muslims to molest Krishna’s wives, Madri and the galaxy of Vedic Aryan women who performed self-immolation. It also overlooks the accounts by ancient Greeks and Arabs on the prevalence of Sati. In fact, the Muslim emperors took active steps to abolish Sati. (eg. Ghiyasudin, Akbar, Muhammad Tughlaq) and the Sufi saints condemned it.

Killing of women publicly was not considered a grave crime [Nand 28] [Hopkins 282] [Basham 187] Dress - Vedic women wore paridhanam and vasahantaram [Nand 28] [Altekar 279-81] later dress: uttariya( upper portion), kancuka (bodice)and candetaka(petticoat) sari later times worn. Johar [Nand 177-8] Muh Tughlaq opposed Sati [nand 173]

PUNISHMENT OF WOMEN
The wife could suffer seriously cruel punishment for very minor offences.

Amputation of Ears and Noses
Aryan husbands cut off the ears and nose of their wives if they left the house without their prior permission. The Pancatantra mentions one such story [Pancatantra p.54, I.7th story "The Weaver’s Wife"]. The weaver cut off his wife’s nose because she did not respond and he considered her unfaithful. (actually he cut off the barber’s wife’s nose who was there instead.) The Ramayana and Lord Rama practiced the cutting off of womens’ noses for minor offences, thereby providing divine sanction for the custom. Shurpanakha was a Dravidian lady ( referred to as Rakshis or female demons by the Aryans) who fell in love with Rama. She proposed to him, but he directed her to his brother Laxman. He cut off her ears and nose for this crime, and Ram condoned this act. [Alld Chmbrs 1036]

Death Penalty
The death penalty was prescribed for Aryan women guilty of infidelity. The Manu Smrti, the most authoritative Indo-Aryan law-book, states
"When a woman, proud of her relations [or abilities] deceives her husband ( with another man), then the king should [ensure that] she be torn apart by dogs in place much frequented by people"[Manu Smrti 8:371] "And the evil man should be burnt in a bed of red-hot iron"[Manu Smrti 8:371-2]

VIII.371. "If a wife, proud of the greatness of her relatives or (her own) excellence, violates the duty which she owes to her lord, the king shall cause her to be devoured by dogs in a place frequented by many. VIII.372. Let him cause the male offender to be burnt on a red-hot iron bed; they shall put logs under it, (until) the sinner is burned (to death)."[Manu Smrti Buhler VIII 371-372]
That this custom was prevalent in the 9the century is confirmed by Arab reports. Merchant Sulaiman, an Arab traveller of the 9th century states that "If any man in the Indies runs away with a wife and abuses her body they kill both him and the woman, unless it be proved that she was forced, then the man only is punished with death; but if the woman consented to the evil deed, they are punished with death, both one and the other."[Arab p.56]

Ram, the ideal husband, showed little regard to female life. Ram killed Tataka, a "Rakshi"[Alld Chmbrs 1048].

Infidelity to husband was considered a grave sin and it was believed that such women went to Aksaya hell [Br.P. 87.61 in Sheth 98]. The husband had the power to curse the wife who was disloyal to him. Thus the sage Gautama cursed his wife Ahalya for sleeping with Indra though through no fault of her own. [Sheth 99] (In the Kautilyan period) if a woman was found guilty of a carnal crime her generative organs were cut off and she was ultimately sentenced to death [Arth.IV.13 in Jain p.164], although it is not clear whether this was only for intercourse with slaves. Not only that, but adultery is defined as the simple touching of clothes and even conversing with men:

VIII. 356. He who addresses the wife of another man at a Tirtha, outside the village, in a forest, or at the confluence of rivers, suffer (the punishment for) adulterous acts (samgrahana).

VIII. 357. Offering presents (to a woman), romping (with her), touching her ornaments and dress, sitting with her on a bed, all (these acts) are considered adulterous acts (samgrahana).

VIII. 358. If one touches a woman in a place (which ought) not (to be touched) or allows (oneself to be touched in such a spot), all (such acts done) with mutual consent are declared (to be) adulterous (samgrahana). [Manu VIII.356-358]

RESTRICTIONS ON WOMEN

No Property
Women and Sudras can, in the Aryan-Vaishnava system, have no property:
A wife, a son, and a slave, these three are declared to have no property; the wealth which they earn is (acquired) for him to whom they belong. A Brahmana may confidently seize the goods of (his) Sudra (slave); for, as that (slave) can have no property, his master may take his possessions. [Manu VIII.416-417]
Dress and Veiling
Aryan women had to wear a face-veil when going out. As usual, several observers, seeing Arab women veiled, assumed it must be due to Muslim "contamination."They are not aware that Muslim ladies who do this do it as an act of modesty, and are ignorant of Indian scriptures. Sanskrit literature mentions the
The practice of using veils by women, particularly in well-to-do families, was in vogue. Prabhakaravardhana’s daughter Rajyasri put on a veil when she met her husband, the Maukhari Grahavarman of Kanauj, for eh first time. It is known from Vacaspati Misra (9C AD) that women in good families observed the purdah system and did not appear in public without veils ... However, Dhoyi, the author of the 12 C poetical work the Pavanaduta, relates that the women of Vijayapura (in Bengal) did not observe the purdah system’ [CHI Vol II #37 p.595 # 37 `Some aspects of the position of women in Ancient India’ DCGanguly p.594 ff]

"Harsha’s [1099-1101] [Lohara dynasty] coins [depict] a half cross-legged goddess [and] a veil appears on the head"[GuptaCoins p.39]

"Gangayadeva’s [one of the Kalachuri rulers of Dahala, the country around Jabalpur in MP] (1019-1042AD) coins ... the female is shown as having a veil on her head which hangs down to the shoulders and upper arms"[GuptaCoins p.39]

"Many of the female figures on the gold coins, like the sculpture and literature of the [Gupta] age, do reflect a somewhat new idea of feminine beauty which we now call classical [thinner and more slender]"[GuptaCoins 21]

It is now generally accepted that the purdah ( seclusion and veiling) was existent in India since ancient Aryan times. [Altekar 167-70] [Indra 73] [Shamram 24] [Ojha-Cutlture 66-67] In fact, certain high-class women refused to entertain strangers [Altekar 175] [Nand 5-6] It seems that the bodice was imported by Muslims :

"In several parts of India ... bodices [are worn by ladies under the cloth] ... this, i am told, is a modern innovation, and borrowed from the Mohamedans."[DuBois p.341]

Dowry
The Vedas prescribe that a dowry be given by the bride’s family to the groom. The Rig Veda states that cows and gifts given by the father of the bride to the daughter accompanied the bride’s procession [Rg Ved X.85] [Apte 12]. Kakshivat says he became rich by the father-in-law giving him 10 chariots and maids and 1060 cows during the marriage ceremony [Rg Ved I.126] [Apte 13]. The ancient custom of kanyadan, where the father presented his daughter with jewelry and clothes at the time of her marriage, and vardakshina where the father presented the groom with kith and kind are, in essence the dowry system.

Staying Alone
It may be thought that only the absence of the husband could temporarily alleviate the condition of Aryan women. Alas, even then she was under constant suspicion. To prevent nightly intrigues, she cannot even sleep alone:
"whilst her husband is absent, she shall sleep with one of her female relatives and not alone"[Vasishta’s Padma Purana]

"Husbands are not supposed to have intercourse with a wife who bore only daughters."[Hindu Law and Custom, p.145]

Going Out and Education
Women and Sudras were declared to be unfit for study of their own sacred texts:
"And as women, Sudras and the inferior members of the twice-borne classes were unfitted for hearing the Veda, and were infatuated in desiring the blessings, arising from the ceremonies, the muni, with a vision to their felicity, in his kindness composed the narrative called the Mahabharata."[Bhag.Pur. I.4.25] [Muir III,p.42]

Also Madhava Acharya stated:

"They [women and Sudras] are debarred ... from being competent students of the Veda"[Vedarthaprakasha of Madhava Acharyya on the Taittriya Yajur Veda, quoted in Muir III,p.66]

No Divorce
Divorce was not permitted.
No Remarriage
Even if the wife ran away from the harsh husband, she could never get remarried as long as she is in the confines of Hindu tradition.

Is there any concept of universal brotherhood in Islam?

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Sun, 25 Sep 2005 18:40:50 +0000

Question: By a Hindu: Is there any concept of universal brotherhood in Islam?

Answer: According to Vedas, it is mentioned that…‘The humankind have been created from four parts of Almighty God – from the head, it is the Brahmin; from the chest, is the Kshatriya; from the thigh, it is the Vayshyas, the business class; and from the feet is the Shudra – Caste system... But you, if you know your Veda very well, you should testify to the Forum – Does not the Veda say that…‘From the head you have the Brahmins; from the chest you have the Kashtriya; from the thigh you have the Vayshyas, the business class, learned class, warrior class, business class? Shudras... the Shudras are supposed to be the downtrodden.

How can hinduism provide universal brotherhood with the above statement?

Now Universal brotherhood in Islam:

There are various types of brotherhoods - For e.g. brotherhood based on blood relationships, brotherhood based on regions, on race, on caste, on creeds, etc. - But all these types of brotherhood – they are limited.
Islam Alhamdulillah, believes in Universal Brotherhood. It does not believe that human beings have been created in castes or in different levels,
and the Glorious Qur'an says from Surah Hujurat, Chapter No. 49, Verse No. 13, which describes the Islamic concept of Universal Brotherhood, in the best way. It says ......

‘O human kind, We have created you from a single pair of male and female, and have divided you into nations and tribes, so that you shall recognize each other, not that you shall despise each other, and the most honoured in the sight of Allah (swt) is the person who has Taqwa – and Allah is all knowing, full of knowledge, and well acquainted with all things.’

This Verse of the Glorious Qur’an says that… ‘O humankind, We have created you from a single pair of male and female’ –
that means the whole human race originates from a single pair of male and female. All the human beings in the world – they have a common grandparent. And Allah (swt) says that We have divided the human race into nations and tribes, so that they shall recognize each other, not that they shall despise and fight amongst themselves.’ And the criteria for judgment, in the sight of Allah (swt) – this verse says… ‘Does not depend on sex, caste, colour, creed or wealth – but it depends, on Taqwa – that is God consciousness, that is piety, that is righteousness.
Anyone who is more righteous, who is more pious, who is more God-conscious, is honoured in the sight of Allah (swt) – and Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted with all things. Further the Glorious Qur’an says in Surah Ar-Rum, Ch. No. 30, V. No. 22,

‘And amongst His signs, is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the variation in your languages, and your colours. Verily in that, is a sign for those who know.’

The Glorious Qur’an says that Allah (swt) has created various types of languages and different colours… black human being, white, brown, yellow – and these are signs. These variations in colour and language, is not to despise each other, because every language that you have on the face of the earth – it is a beautiful language, It may sound funny, if it is unique to you – you may not have heard that language before – it may sound funny – but those people who speak that language, for them it is the most beautiful language. So Allah says… ‘He has created various languages and colours, so that you may recognize, you may know each other,

And the Glorious Qur’an says in Surah Israa, Ch. No. 17, V. No. 70

‘Allah (swt)… Almighty God, has honoured the children of Adam.’

Allah does not say that He has honoured only the Arabs or the Americans or a particular race – but Almighty God has honoured all the children of Adam, irrespective of race, caste, colour, creed or sex .And there are many faiths, there are many religions, who believe that the humankind has originated from a single pair – that is Adam and Eve (peace be upon them)

Eating Cow Meat

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 16:51:15 +0000

Allah says in the Holy Quran in Surah Anam, Ch 6, V. No. 108…

‘Revile not those who worship gods besides Allah, lest in their ignorance, they will revile Allah (swt)

On the topic of Cows:

Question:
Alot of Hindus have this Question which is: Muslims – they keep on killing Cows why cant they live on veg’

Answer:

You see every allegation requires an answer.
Any other questions just ask, my muslims brothers and sisters we are all here to clarify the misconception – it is my pleasure. Only if I clarify the misconception, will the person understand Islam better. More a person criticizes and more he is logically convinced, will he understand Islam better. That is what we do – Islam says spread the message of truth, with hiqmat. The Qur’an says in Surah, Nahl, Ch. 16, V.125 …(Arabic)… That is…‘Invite all to the way of thy Lord, with wisdom and beautiful preaching, and argue with them, and reason with them, in ways that are best and most gracious’.

Regarding the concept of... ‘Can we have Non-Veg?’ – .

Talking about killing cows, etc. And there are many Non-Muslims who say…‘You know, you Muslims, you all are ruthless people, you all kill animals.’ Just for your information, a Muslim can be a very good Muslim, even by being a pure vegetarian. It is not compulsory that he should have Non-Veg, to be a good Muslim. But since the Qur’an says in several places… ‘You can have the cattle’ – Why we should not have ?

The Qur’an says in Surah Maidah, Ch. No.5, V. No. 1 – It says that …(Arabic)… ‘Fulfil all your obligation – and lawful for you are all four footed animals, with exceptions named.’ Qur’an says in Surah Nahl, Ch. No. 16, V. No. 5, that… ‘Allah has created for you cattle, which are the signs – From it you derive warmth, and there are various benefits in it, and of their meat, you can eat.’ Qur’an repeats this in Surah Mominun Ch. 23, V. 21... ‘You can eat the meat of the cattle’.

You know in Non-Veg – It is rich in protein, it is rich in iron, and it is very nutritious. In the other foods, the level of protein which get, in Non-Veg. – you cannot get in any other vegetarian food. Soya bean which is supposed to be the best form of protein in vegetable – it comes no where to close to the Non-Veg. protein.

And regarding the concept of killing of cows –
If you read the Hindu Scriptures – I am not here to criticize any Religion – I have to speak the truth – it permits a person to have Non-Veg. If you read the Hindu Scriptures, the Sages and Sants…they had Non-Veg… They even had beef. It is later on, due to the influence of the other Religions like Jainism, etc. that people were being influenced in the philosophy of Ahimsa...of not to kill animals – that they accepted this philosophy in the way of life.

Otherwise, Islam is also for animal rights -I can give a talk only on animal rights. Islam is the Religion which says that...‘Do not overburden the animals, treat them nicely, give them food – But when required, they are even created for food.’ If you analyze the other Religions which believe in this philosophy…‘That you should not have Non-Veg.’ – This philosophy was based on the concept that…‘You should not kill animals, because they are living creatures – Therefore having Non-Veg. is a sin.’

I do agree with them – If any human being can live in this world without killing a single living creature, I would be the first one. The Universal Brotherhood in Hinduism, is that…‘Every living creature is your brother – every living creature, irrespective whether he is a animal or a bird or an insect.’ I am asking a simple question that…‘How can a person even survive for five minutes, without killing millions of his brothers?’

Those who know simple science, will understand what I am saying. That, whenever you breathe, there are millions of germs you are inhaling, and you are killing – that means in this Religion, you are killing your brothers to survive.

The Universal Brotherhood in Islam is, every human being is your brother – brotherhood in faith is, every Muslim is a brother. Every living creature is not my brother – but we have to protect the living creature, should not harm them, should not unnecessarily torture them – but when required, you can have them for food. So when this philosophy says that…‘Having Non-Veg. is a sin, because you kill living creature’ –

Today science tells us that…‘Even the plants have life’ – Do you know that? So the logic that…‘Killing living creatures is a sin’, has failed.

So now they change the logic, and they say that...‘See plants have got life, but plants cannot feel pain – therefore killing the animals is a greater sin, as compared to killing plants.

Do you know today science is advanced, and we have come to know, even the plants can feel pain – the plants can even cry, the plants even feel happy – so the logic that plants cannot feel pain, has failed.

What is the thing – the cry of the plant cannot be heard by the human ear, because the human ear has a frequency of twenty cycles per second, to twenty thousand cycles per second. Anything between this, the human ear can hear – anything below or above, the human ear can not hear. For example, if a master blows a dog whistle – you know there are dog whistles – It is called as a silent dog whistle – It blows the whistle, which has a frequency of above twenty thousand cycles, and below forty thousand cycles, per second. The dog can hear upto forty thousand cycles per second – So when the master blows the whistle, the dog hears the whistle, but the human beings do not hear – It is called as a silent dog whistle. Similarly, the cry given out by the plant cannot be heard by the human being – but they also cry, they also feel pain.

There was a brother of ours who argued with maximum, and he told me that...‘Brother, I agree with you, that the plants have got life, they can feel pain – but you know, the plants have got two senses less. They only have three senses – the animals have got five senses – therefore killing an animal is a greater sin, as compared to killing a plant. So I told him...

‘Brother suppose you have a younger brother, who is born deaf and dumb – two senses less. After he grows up, if someone goes and kills him, will you tell the Judge: O me lord give the murderer a less punishment because my brother had two senses less? Will you say that? You will say: ‘Me lord give him double punishment because he killed a person who was innocent’. So in Islam the logic does not work like that – two senses or three senses. Islam says in Surah Baqarah, Ch. 2, V. 168…‘Eat of the good things that We have provided for you’

– That means, whatever is good and lawful, you can have. And that is the reason if you analyze, the cattle in the world

– Allah (swt) has His way – Almighty God – the reproduction of the cattle is very fast, as compared to reproduction of the other animals and the human beings – they reproduce very fast. If I agree with you that no human beings should have any cattle, then we will have over population of cattle in the world. And regarding killing of cows, there is a book written by Maulana Abdul Karim Parikh ‘Gauhatya’… ‘Cow slaughter – Who is to blame?’ And if you analyze the people that deal in leather…leather of cows – more Non-Muslims, than Muslims. Leathers – the Jains…they deal in that – So the people who are responsible to benefit from the cow slaughter, are not the Muslims – the more of them are Non-Muslims. So if you know history well, and if you know logic also well, you will understand that Allah says...‘Eat of the good things We have provided for you’ – If you can have, there is no problem.

And besides that if you analyze, the set of teeth of the herbivorous animals…the cow, the goat, the sheep – they only eat vegetables – they have a flat set of teeth.

If you have analyze the set of teeth of the carnivorous animal – the lion, the tiger, the leopard, they have got sharp pointed teeth – they can only have Non-Veg.

If you analyze the set of teeth of the human beings – if you go in the mirror and look at your teeth – we have pointed teeth, as well as flat teeth. If Almighty God wanted us to have only vegetables, why did He give us these pointed teeth? …For what? To have Non-Veg.

If you analyze the digestive system of the herbivorous animal…the cow, the goat, the sheep – they have digestive system which can only digest vegetables.

The digestive system of the carnivorous animal…the lion, the tiger, the leopard – they can only digest Non-Veg.

The digestive system of the human being can digest both Non-Veg. and Veg. If Almighty God wanted us to have only Vegetables, why did He give us a digestive system that can digest both Veg. and Non-Veg.

So scientifically if you analyze, Almighty God wanted us to have both, Veg. as well as Non-Veg. – Hope that answers the question of the Hindus. If you have any queries, any other misconception brother, it is my pleasure to reply. One misconception at a time – So that I can do justice to each of the misconception.

INTRODUCTION TO HINDUISM

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 11:04:32 +0000

I INTRODUCTION TO HINDUISM:

The most popular among the Aryan religions is Hinduism. ‘Hindu’ is actually a Persian word that stands for the inhabitants of the region beyond the Indus Valley. However, in common parlance, Hinduism is a blanket term for an assortment of religious beliefs, most of which are based on the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita.

II INTRODUCTION TO HINDU SCRIPTURES.

There are several sacred scriptures of the Hindus. Among these are the Vedas, Upanishads and the Puranas.

1.
VEDAS:
The word Veda is derived from vid which means to know, knowledge par excellence or sacred wisdom. There are four principal divisions of the Vedas (although according to their number, they amount to 1131 out of which about a dozen are available). According to Maha Bhashya of Patanjali, there are 21 branches of Rigveda, 9 types of Atharvaveda, 101 branches of Yajurveda and 1000 of Samveda).

The Rigveda, the Yajurveda and the Samveda are considered to be more ancient books and are known as Trai Viddya or the ‘Triple Sciences’. The Rigveda is the oldest and has been compiled in three long and different periods of time. The 4th Veda is the Atharvaveda, which is of a later date.

There is no unanimous opinion regarding the date of compilation or revelation of the four Vedas. According to Swami Dayanand, founder of the Arya Samaj, the Vedas were revealed 1310 million years ago. According to other scholars, they are not more than 4000 years old.

Similarly, there are differing opinions regarding the places where these books were compiled and the Rishis to whom these Scriptures were given. Inspite of these differences, the Vedas are considered to be the most authentic of the Hindu Scriptures and the real foundations of the Hindu Dharma.

2.
UPANISHADS:

The word 'Upanishad' is derived from Upa meaning near, Ni which means down and Shad means to sit. Therefore ‘Upanishad’ means sitting down near. Groups of pupils sit near the teacher to learn from him the secret doctrines.

According to Samkara, ‘Upanishad’ is derived from the root word Sad which means ‘to loosen’, ‘to reach’ or ‘to destroy’, with Upa and ni as prefix; therefore ‘Upanishad’ means Brahma-Knowledge by which ignorance is loosened or destroyed.

The number of Upanishads exceeds 200 though the Indian tradition puts it at 108. There are 10 principal Upanishads. However, some consider them to be more than 10, while others 18.

The Vedanta meant originally the Upanishads, though the word is now used for the system of philosophy based on the Upanishad. Literally, Vedanta means the end of the Veda, Vedasua-antah, and the conclusion as well as the goal of Vedas. The Upanishads are the concluding portion of the Vedas and chronologically they come at the end of the Vedic period.

Some Pundits consider the Upanishads to be more superior to the Vedas.

3.
PURANAS:

Next in order of authenticity are the Puranas which are the most widely read scriptures. It is believed that the Puranas contain the history of the creation of the universe, history of the early Aryan tribes, life stories of the divines and deities of the Hindus. It is also believed that the Puranas are revealed books like the Vedas, which were revealed simultaneously with the Vedas or sometime close to it.

Maharishi Vyasa has divided the Puranas into 18 voluminous parts. He also arranged the Vedas under various heads.

Chief among the Puranas is a book known as Bhavishya Purana. It is called so because it is believed to give an account of future events. The Hindus consider it to be the word of God. Maharishi yasa is considered to be just the compiler of the book.

4.
ITIHAAS:

The two epics of Hinduism are the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

A. Ramayana:

According to Ramanuja, the great scholar of Ramayana, there are more than 300 different types of Ramayana: Tulsidas Ramayana, Kumbha Ramayana. Though the outline of Ramayana is same, the details and contents differ.

Valmiki’s Ramayana:

Unlike the Mahabharata, the Ramayana appears to be the work of one person – the sage Valmiki, who probably composed it in the 3rd century BC. Its best-known recension (by Tulsi Das, 1532-1623) consists of 24,000 rhymed couplets of 16-syllable lines organised into 7 books. The poem incorporates many ancient legends and draws on the sacred books of the Vedas. It describes the efforts of Kosala’s heir, Rama, to regain his throne and rescue his wife, Sita, from the demon King of Lanka.

Valmiki's Ramayana is a Hindu epic tradition whose earliest literary version is a Sanskrit poem attributed to the sage Valmiki. Its principal characters are said to present ideal models of personal, familial, and social behavior and hence are considered to exemplify Dharma, the principle of moral order.

B. Mahabharata:

The nucleus of the Mahabharata is the war of eighteen days fought between the Kauravas, the hundred sons of Dhritarashtra and Pandavas, the five sons of Pandu. The epic entails all the circumstances leading upto the war. Involved in this Kurukshetra battle were almost all the kings of India joining either of the two parties. The result of this war was the total annihilation of Kauravas and their party. Yudhishthira, the head of the Pandavas, became the sovereign monarch of Hastinapura. His victory is supposed to symbolise the victory of good over evil. But with the progress of years, new matters and episodes relating to the various aspects of human life, social, economic, political, moral and religious as also fragments of other heroic legends came to be added to the aforesaid nucleus and this phenomenon continued for centuries until it acquired the present shape. The Mahabharata represents a whole literature rather than one single and unified work, and contains many multifarious things.

C. Bhagavad Gita:

Bhagavad Gita is a part of Mahabharata. It is the advice given by Krishna to Arjun on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. It contains the essence of the Vedas and is the most popular of all the Hindu Scriptures. It contains 18 chapters.

The Bhagavad Gita is one of the most widely read and revered of the works sacred to the Hindus. It is their chief devotional book, and has been for centuries the principal source of religious inspiration for many thousands of Hindus.

The Gita is a dramatic poem, which forms a small part of the larger epic, the Mahabharata. It is included in the sixth book (Bhismaparvan) of the Mahabaharata and documents one tiny event in a huge epic tale.

The Bhagavad Gita tells a story of a moral crisis faced by Arjuna, which is solved through the interaction between Arjuna, a Pandava warrior hesitating before battle, and Krishna, his charioteer and teacher. The Bhagavad Gita relates a brief incident in the main story of a rivalry and eventually a war between two branches of a royal family. In that brief incident - a pause on the battlefield just as the battle is about to begin - Krishna, one chief on one side (also believed to be the Lord incarnate), is presented as responding to the doubts of Arjuna. The poem is the dialogue through which Arjuna’s doubts were resolved by Krishna’s teachings

Concept Of God In Hinduism

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 11:01:03 +0000

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]

as from the sun." The Prophecy confirms:
The name of the Prophet as Ahmed since Ahmed is an Arabic name. Many translators misunderstood it to be ‘Ahm at hi’ and translated the mantra as "I alone have acquired the real wisdom of my father".
Prophet was given eternal law, i.e. the Shariah.
The Rishi was enlightened by the Shariah of Prophet Muhammad. The Qur’an says in Surah Saba Chapter 34 verse 28 (34:28):
"We have not sent thee but as a universal (Messenger) to men, giving them glad tidings and warning them (against sin), but most men understand not."

http://www.irf.net/irf/comparativereligion/index.htm

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in Hindu scriptures

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 10:59:06 +0000

1: Muhammad (pbuh) prophesised in Bhavishya Purana

According to Bhavishya Purana in the Prati Sarag Parv III Khand 3 Adhay 3 Shloka 5 to 8.
"A malecha (belonging to a foreign country and speaking a foreign language) spiritual teacher will appear with his companions. His name will be Mohammad. Raja (Bhoj) after giving this Maha Dev Arab (of angelic disposition) a bath in the Panchgavya and the Ganga water (i.e. purifying him of all sins) offered him the present of his sincere devotion and showing him all reverence said, "I make obeisance to thee. O ye! The pride of mankind, the dweller in Arabia, Ye have collected a great force to kill the Devil and you yourself have been protected from the malecha opponents."

The Prophecy clearly states:
The name of the Prophet as Mohammad.

He will belong to Arabia. The Sanskrit word Marusthal means a sandy track of land or a desert.

Special mention is made of the companions of the Prophet, i.e. the Sahabas. No other Prophet had as many companions as Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

He is referred as the pride of mankind (Parbatis nath). The Glorious Qur’an reconfirms this

"And thou (standest) on an exalted standard of character"
[Al-Qur'an 68:4]|

"Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah, a beautiful pattern (of conduct)".
[Al-Qur'an 33:21]
He will kill the devil, i.e. abolish idol worship and all sorts of vices.
The Prophet will be given protection against his enemy.

Some people may argue that ‘Raja’ Bhoj mentioned in the prophecy lived in the 11th century C.E. 500 years after the advent of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and was the descendant in the 10th generation of Raja Shalivahan. These people fail to realise that there was not only one Raja of the name Bhoj. The Egyptian Monarchs were called as Pharaoh and the Roman Kings were known as Caesar, similarly the Indian Rajas were given the title of Bhoj. There were several Raja Bhoj who came before the one in 11th Century C.E.

The Prophet did not physically take a bath in the Panchgavya and the water of Ganges. Since the water of Ganges is considered holy, taking bath in the Ganges is an idiom, which means washing away sins or immunity from all sorts of sins. Here the prophecy implies that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was sinless, i.e. Maasoom.
According to Bhavishya Purana in the Pratisarag Parv III Khand 3 Adhay 3 Shloka 10 to 27 Maharishi Vyas has prophesised:

"The Malecha have spoiled the well-known land of the Arabs. Arya Dharma is not to be found in the country. Before also there appeared a misguided fiend whom I had killed; he has now again appeared being sent by a powerful enemy. To show these enemies the right path and to give them guidance, the well-known Muhammad (pbuh), is busy in bringing the Pishachas to the right path. O Raja, You need not go to the land of the foolish Pishachas, you will be purified through my kindness even where you are. At night, he of the angelic disposition, the shrewd man, in the guise of Pishacha said to Raja Bhoj, "O Raja! Your Arya Dharma has been made to prevail over all religions, but according to the commandments of Ishwar Parmatma, I shall enforce the strong creed of the meat eaters. My followers will be men circumcised, without a tail (on his head), keeping beard, creating a revolution announcing the Aadhaan (the Muslim call for prayer) and will be eating all lawful things. He will eat all sorts of animals except swine. They will not seek purification from the holy shrubs, but will be purified through warfare. On account of their fighting the irreligious nations, they will be known as Musalmaans. I shall be the originator of this religion of the meat-eating nations."

The Prophecy states that:
The evil doers have corrupted the Arab land.
Arya Dharma is not found in that land.
The Indian Raja need not go the Arab land since his purification will take place in India after the musalmaan will arrive in India.
The coming Prophet will attest the truth of the Aryan faith, i.e. Monotheism and will reform the misguided people.
The Prophet’s followers will be circumcised. They will be without a tail on the head and bear a beard and will create a great revolution.
They will announce the Aadhaan, i.e. ‘the Muslim call for prayer’.
He will only eat lawful things and animals but will not eat pork. The Qur’an confirms this in no less than 4 different places:

In Surah Al-Baqarah chapter 2 verse 173
In Surah Al-Maidah chapter 5 verse 3
In Surah Al-Anam chapter 6 verse 145
In Surah Al-Nahl chapter 16 verse 115

"Forbidden to you for food are dead meat, blood, flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked the name of other than Allah".
They will not purify with grass like the Hindus but by means of sword they will fight their irreligious people.
They will be called musalmaan.
They will be a meat-eating nation.

The eating of herbivorous animals is confirmed by the Qur’an in Surah Maidah, chapter 5 verse 1 and in Surah Muminun chapter 23 verse 21
According to Bhavishya Purana, Parv - III Khand 1 Adhay 3 Shloka 21-23:

"Corruption and persecution are found in seven sacred cities of Kashi, etc. India is inhabited by Rakshas, Shabor, Bhil and other foolish people. In the land of Malechhas, the followers of the Malechha dharma (Islam) are wise and brave people. All good qualities are found in Musalmaans and all sorts of vices have accumulated in the land of the Aryas. Islam will rule in India and its islands. Having known these facts, O Muni, glorify the name of thy lord".

The Qur’an confirms this in Surah Taubah chapter 9 verse 33 and in Surah Al Saff chapter 61 verse 9:

"It is He who hath sent His Messenger with Guidance and the Religion of Truth, to proclaim it over all religion, even though the Pagans may detest (it)".

A similar message is given in Surah Fatah chapter 48 verses 28 ending with, "and enough is Allah as a witness".
2: Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) Prophesised in Atharvaveda

In the 20th book of Atharvaveda Hymn 127 Some Suktas (chapters) are known as Kuntap Sukta. Kuntap means the consumer of misery and troubles. Thus meaning the message of peace and safety and if translated in Arabic means Islam.

Kuntap also means hidden glands in the abdomen. These mantras are called so probably because their true meaning was hidden and was to be revealed in future. Its hidden meaning is also connected with the navel or the middle point of this earth. Makkah is called the Ummul Qur’a the mother of the towns or the naval of the earth. In many revealed books it was the first house of Divine worship where God Almighty gave spiritual nourishment to the world. The Qur’an says in Surah Ali-Imran chapter 3, verse 96:

"The first house (of worship) appointed for men was that at Bakkah (Makkah) full of blessings and of guidance and for all kinds of beings". Thus Kuntap stands for Makkah or Bakkah.

Several people have translated these Kuntap Suktas like M. Bloomfield, Prof. Ralph Griffith, Pandit Rajaram, Pandit Khem Karan, etc.

The main points mentioned in the Kuntap Suktas i.e. in Atharvaveda book 20 Hymn 127 verses 1-13 are:
Mantra 1
He is Narashansah or the praised one (Muhammad). He is Kaurama: the prince of peace or the emigrant, who is safe, even amongst a host of 60,090 enemies.
Mantra 2
He is a camel-riding Rishi, whose chariot touches the heaven.
Mantra 3
He is Mamah Rishi who is given a hundred gold coins, ten chaplets (necklaces), three hundred good steeds and ten thousand cows.
Mantra 4
Vachyesv rebh. ‘Oh! ye who glorifies’.
The Sanskrit word Narashansah means ‘the praised one’, which is the literal translation of the Arabic word Muhammad (pbuh).

The Sanskrit word Kaurama means ‘one who spreads and promotes peace’. The holy Prophet was the ‘Prince of Peace’ and he preached equality of human kind and universal brotherhood. Kaurama also means an emigrant. The Prophet migrated from Makkah to Madinah and was thus also an Emigrant.
He will be protected from 60,090 enemies, which was the population of Makkah. The Prophet would ride a camel. This clearly indicates that it cannot be an Indian Rishi, since it is forbidden for a Brahman to ride a camel according to the Sacred Books of the East, volume 25, Laws of Manu pg. 472. According to Manu Smirti chapter 11 verse 202, "A Brahman is prohibited from riding a camel or an ass and to bathe naked. He should purify himself by suppressing his breath".
This mantra gave the Rishi's name as Mamah. No rishi in India or another Prophet had this name Mamah which is derived from Mah which means to esteem highly, or to revere, to exalt, etc. Some Sanskrit books give the Prophet’s name as ‘Mohammad’, but this word according to Sanskrit grammar can also be used in the bad sense. It is incorrect to apply grammar to an Arabic word. Actually shas the same meaning and somewhat similar pronunciation as the word Muhammad (pbuh).

He is given 100 gold coins, which refers to the believers and the earlier companions of the Prophet during his turbulent Makkan life. Later on due to persecution they migrated from Makkah to Abysinia. Later when Prophet migrated to Madinah all of them joined him in Madinah.

The 10 chaplets or necklaces were the 10 best companions of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) known as Ashra-Mubbashshira (10 bestowed with good news). These were foretold in this world of their salvation in the hereafter i.e. they were given the good news of entering paradise by the Prophet’s own lips and after naming each one he said "in Paradise". They were Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, Talha, Zubair, Abdur Rahman Ibn Auf, Saad bin Abi Waqqas, Saad bin Zaid and Abu Ubaidah (May Allah be well-pleased with all of them).

The Sanskrit word Go is derived from Gaw which means ‘to go to war’. A cow is also called Go and is a symbol of war as well as peace. The 10,000 cows refer to the 10,000 companions who accompanied the Prophet (pbuh) when he entered Makkah during Fateh Makkah which was a unique victory in the history of mankind in which there was no blood shed. The 10,000 companions were pious and compassionate like cows and were at the same time strong and fierce and are described in the Holy Quran in Surah Fatah:
"Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; and those who are with him are strong against unbelievers, (but) compassionate amongst each other."
[Al-Qur'an 48:29]
This mantra calls the Prophet as Rebh which means one who praises, which when translated into Arabic is Ahmed, which is another name for the Holy Prophet (pbuh).
Battle of the Allies described in the Vedas.

It is mentioned in Atharvaveda Book XX Hymn 21 verse 6, "Lord of the truthful! These liberators drink these feats of bravery and the inspiring songs gladdened thee in the field of battle. When thou renders vanquished without fight the ten thousand opponents of the praying one, the adoring one."
This Prophecy of the Veda describes the well-known battle of Ahzab or the battle of the Allies during the time of Prophet Muhammed. The Prophet was victorious without an actual conflict which is mentioned in the Qur’an in Surah Ahzab:

"When the believers saw the confederate forces they said, "This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised us and Allah and His Messenger told us what was true." And it only added to their faith and their zeal in obedience."
[Al-Qur'an 33:22]
The Sanskrit word karo in the Mantra means the ‘praying one’ which when translated into Arabic means ‘Ahmed’, the second name of Prophet Muhammed (pbuh).
The 10,000 opponents mentioned in the Mantra were the enemies of the Prophet and the Muslims were only 3000 in number.
The last words of the Mantra aprati ni bashayah means the defeat was given to the enemies without an actual fight.
The enemies’ defeat in the conquest of Makkah is mentioned in Atharvaveda book 20 Hymn 21 verse no 9:

"You have O Indra, overthrown 20 kings and 60,099 men with an outstripping Chariot wheel who came to fight the praised one or far famed (Muhammad) orphan."

The population of Makkah at the time of Prophet’s advent was nearly 60,000
There were several clans in Makkah each having its own chief. Totally there were about 20 chiefs to rule the population of Makkah.
An Abandhu meaning a helpless man who was far-famed and ‘praised one’. Muhammad (pbuh) overcame his enemies with the help of God.
3: Muhammad (pbuh) prophesised in the Rigveda
A similar prophecy is also found in Rigveda Book I, Hymn 53 verse 9:

The Sanskrit word used is Sushrama, which means praiseworthy or well praised which in Arabic means Muhammad (pbuh).

4: Muhummad (pbuh) is also prophesised in the Samveda

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is also prophesised in the Samveda Book II Hymn 6 verse 8:

"Ahmed acquired from his Lord the knowledge of eternal law. I received light from him just as from the sun." The Prophecy confirms:

The name of the Prophet as Ahmed since Ahmed is an Arabic name. Many translators misunderstood it to be Ahm at hi and translated the mantra as "I alone have acquired the real wisdom of my father".
Prophet was given eternal law, i.e. the Shariah.
The Rishi was enlightened by the Shariah of Prophet Muhammad. The Qur’an says in Surah Saba chapter 34 verse 28
"We have not sent thee but as a universal (Messenger) to men, giving them glad tidings and warning them (against sin), but most men understand not."
[Al-Qur'an 34:28]

Common Questions Asked By Hindus About Islam

nospam@example.com (Waheed) — Mon, 19 Sep 2005 23:11:17 +0000

1. IDOL USED FOR CONCENTRATION

Question:

The Hindu Pundits and Scholars agree that the Vedas and other Hindu religious scriptures prohibit idol worship, but initially because the mind may not be matured, an idol is required for concentration while worshipping. After the mind reaches higher consciousness, the idol is not required for concentration.

Answer :
1. Muslims have reached the higher level of consciousness
Muslims have reached the higher level of consciousness. If an idol is required for concentration only in the initial stages and not later on when the mind reaches higher consciousness then I would like to say the Muslims have already reached the state of higher consciousness because when we worship Allah (swt) we do not require any idol or statue.

2. Child asks why does it thunder? When I was discussing with a Swami in IRF. He said that when our child asks us, "Why does the sky thunder?", we reply that "aaee ma chakki pees rahi hai", the grandmother is grinding flour in the heaven; because he is too young to understand. Similarly in the initial stages people require an idol for concentration.

In Islam we don’t believe in telling a lie, even if it’s a white lie. I will never give such a wrong answer to my child because later on when he goes to school and learns that the thundering sound after lightning is due to the expansion of rapidly heated air, he will either think that the teacher is lying or later on when he understands the fact he will conclude that the father is a liar. If you feel that the child may not understand certain difficult things you should simplify the answer rather than give a wrong fictitious reply. If you, yourself do not know the answer, you should have the guts to be truthful and say ‘I don’t know’. But many children nowadays will not be satisfied with this answer. If this answer was given to my son, he would say "Abba (father), why don’t you know?’ This will compel you to do your homework and thus educate yourself as well as your child.

3. Those in standard one require idol for concentration – (2 + 2 = 4 will remain same in standard one and ten)
Some pundits while trying to convince me regarding idol worship said that in standard one the student is initially taught to worship God by concentrating with the help of an idol but later on when he graduates he no longer requires the idol to concentrate while worshipping the God.

A very important fact to be noted is that only if the fundamentals of any particular subject is strong, then only will he be able to excel in future for e.g. A teacher of mathematics in standard one teaches the students that 2 + 2 = 4 irrespective whether the student passes school or does graduation or does a Ph. D. in mathematics, the basics of 2 + 2 = 4 will yet remain the same, it will not change to 5 or 6. In higher standards the student, besides addition may learn about Algebra, Trigonometry, Logarithm, etc. but the fundamental of addition will yet remain the same. If the teacher in standard one itself teaches the fundamentals wrong, how can you expect the student to excel in future?

It is the fundamental principal of the Vedas regarding the concept of God that He has got no image, so how can the Scholars even after knowing this fact keep silent at the wrong practice being done by people.

Will you tell your son who is in standard one that 2 plus 2 is not equal to 4 but 5 or 6 and only confirm the truth after he passes school? Never. In fact if he makes a mistake you will correct him and say it is 4 and not wait till he graduates; and if you don’t correct him initially you will ruin his future

2. WATER IS CALLED BY DIFFERENT NAMES IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES – GOD IS CALLED BY DIFFERENT NAMES AS ALLAH, RAM OR JESUS

Question:
Water is called by different names in different languages: in English as water, in Hindi as paani, in Tamil as tanni. Similarly if God is called either Allah, Ram or Jesus, is it not one and the same?

Answer:

1. To Allah belongs the Most Beautiful Names
The Glorious Qur’an says in Surah Isra chapter 17 verse 110
"Say: ‘Call upon Allah, or call upon Rahman: by whatever name ye call upon Him, (it is well): for to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names.‘"
[Al-Qur’an 17:110]

You can call Allah by any name, but it should be a beautiful name,should not conjure up a mental picture, and should have qualities that only Allah possesses.

2. Water can be called by differnt names in different languages but something else besides water cannot be called water in another language. You can call water by various names in different languages, like water in English, paani in Hindi, tanni in Tamil, mai in Arabic, apah in Sanskrit, jal in Shudh Hindi, jal or paani in Gujrati, pandi in Marathi, neer in Kannad, neeru in Telugu, vellam in Malayalam, etc. If a person tells me that his friend has advised that everyday early in the morning he should have one glass of paani, but he is unable to drink it because when he drinks it, he feels like vomiting. On enquiry he says that the paani stinks and it is yellowish in colour. Later I realise that what he is referring to as paani is not water but urine. Thus you can call water by different names having the same meaning but you cannot call other things as water or paani.
People may think that the example is not realistic and I agree with them because even an ignorant person knows the difference between water and urine. He will have to be a fool to call urine ‘water’. Similarly when any person who knows the correct concept of God, sees people worshipping false gods, he naturally wonders how a person cannot differentiate between a true God and false gods.

3. Purity of Gold is not verified by calling it by different names in different languages but rubbing it against a Touchstone. In the same way, gold can be called sona in Hindi, gold in English, dhahaba in Arabic. Inspite of knowing all these different names for gold, if a person wants to sell you his gold jewellery and says this is 24 carat pure sona, you will not blindly believe, without verifying it with a goldsmith. The goldsmith confirms whether it is gold or not with the help of a touchstone. The yellow glittering jewellery may not be gold, because all that glitters is not gold.

4. Surah Ikhlas is the Touchstone of Theology.
Similarly, any person or candidate who is called God cannot be accepted as the true God without verifying him with the touchstone. The touchstone of theology, that is study of God, is Surah Ikhlas chapter 112 of the Holy Qur’an which says:

"Say, ‘He is Allah, The One and Only; Allah, The Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not Nor is He begotten; and there is none like unto Him.’’’
[Al-Qur’an 112:1-4]

5. Any candidate who passes the Acid test can be called God.
Any candidate who claims to be God and fits in this four line definition, passes the Acid test, is entitled to be called God and worshipped as God.

Suppose a lunatic says that Muhammad (pbuh) is God, (God forbid). Let’s put him to the test of Surah Ikhlas.

i. "Kul hu allah hu ahad" – Say He is Allah, The One and Only;

Is Muhammad (pbuh) one and only? No! he was not the only messenger. There were many other messengers.

ii. "Allah hus Samad" – Allah, The Eternal, Absolute;

We know that Muhammad (pbuh) had to undergo many hardships. Though he was the mightiest messenger of God, he died at the age of 63 and was buried in Madeenah.

iii. "Lam ya lid wa lam yulad" – He begetteth not Nor is He begotten;

We know that he was born in Makkah and his parents were Abdullah and Aaminah. He even had several children e.g. Fatimah, Ibrahim (may Allah be pleased with them), etc.

iv. "Wa lam ya kullahu kufuwan ahad" – And there is none like unto Him.

Though all the Muslims love and revere the Prophet (pbuh) and are supposed to follow each and every of his commandments, yet you will not find a single Muslim in the whole world, who in his senses will ever say that Muhammad (pbuh) is God. The Islamic Creed is, "La illaha illallah Muhammadur Rasoolullah", which means that there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad (pbuh) is the messenger of Allah. This is repeated five times a day during the call for prayer, so that the Muslims are reminded daily that although they respect and obey him, he is only a Messenger and servant of God, and not God Himself.

6. Verify the Gods you worship.
Now that we have explained to you how to use the touchstone of theology it is the duty of everyone to verify with this touchstone, whether the gods that they worship are true or false.

3. HINDUISM IS NOT THE OLDEST AND BEST RELIGION

Question Hinduism is the oldest of all the religions and thus the, most pure, authentic and best of all the religions of the world.

Answer:
1. Islam is the oldest religion
Hinduism is not the oldest of all the religions. It is Islam which is the first and the oldest of all religions. People have a misconception that Islam is 1400 years old and that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is the founder of this religion. Islam existed since time immemorial, ever since man first set foot on this earth. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was not the founder of Islam. He was the last and final Messenger of Almighty God.

2. The oldest religion need not be the purest and the most authentic religion
A religion cannot be claimed to be most pure and authentic, only on the criterion that it is the oldest. It is similar to a person saying that the water he has kept in an open glass, in his house, outside the refrigerator, for three months is purer than the water which has just been collected in a clean glass, immediately after it has been purified.

3. The latest religion need not be the purest and the most authentic religion
On the other hand a religion cannot be claimed to be the purest or authentic, only on the criterion that the religion is new or the latest. A bottle of distilled water which is sealed, packed and kept in the refrigerator for three months is much purer than a bottle of water freshly collected from the sea.

4. For religion to be pure and authentic, it should not have interpolations, changes and revisions in its scriptures revealed from God
For any religion to be pure and authentic, its scriptures should not contain any interpolation, addition, deletion or revision. Moreover the religion’s source of inspiration and direction should be Almighty God. The Qur’an is the only religious scripture on the face of the earth which has been maintained it its original form. All the other religious scriptures, of all the other religions have interpolations, additions, deletions or revisions. The Qur’an has been in the memory of a multitude of people, intact in its original form ever since its revelation, and now there are hundreds of thousands of people who have preserved it in their memory. Moreover, if you compare the copies made by Caliph Uthman from the original Qur’an which is yet present in the museum in Tashkent and in Koptaki museum in Turkey, they are the same as the ones we possess today.

Allah (swt) promises in the Qur’an, in Surah Al Hijr, chapter 15 verse 9

"We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption)."

5. The oldest religion need not be best religion
A religion cannot be claimed to be the best religion only on the criterion that it is the oldest. It is similar to a person saying, that my 19th century car is better than a Toyota car manufactured in 1998, because it is older. He would be considered to be a fool to say that his 19th century car which required a rod to be turned in circles to start it, is better than a key-start 1998 Toyota car, just because it is older.

6. The latest religion need not be the best religion
On the other hand a religion cannot be called as the best religion only on the criterion that the religion is new or that it came later. It is similar to a person who says that my 800 cc Suzuki car manufactured in 1999 is better than a 5000 cc Mercedes 500 SEL manufactured in 1997. To judge which car is better, a person should compare the specifications of the car e.g. the power of the car, safety measures, the capacity of the cylinders, the pickup, the speed, the comfort, etc. 5000 cc Mercedes, 500 SEL car manufactured in 1997, is far superior and better than a 800 cc Suzuki (Maruti Suzuki 800) manufactured in 1999.

7. A religion is best, if it has the solutions to the problems of mankind
For a religion to be considered the best, it should have the solution to all the problems of mankind. It should be the religion of truth, and should be applicable to all ages. Islam is the only religion which has the solution to all the problems of mankind. e.g. the problem of alcoholism, surplus women, rape and molestation, robbery, racism, casteism, etc.

Islam is the religion of truth, and its laws and solutions are applicable to all the ages. The Qur’an is the only religious book on the face of the earth, which has maintained its purity and authenticity proving itself to be the word of God in all the ages. i.e. previously, when it was the age of miracles, literature and poetry and in present times when it is the age of science and technology. Moreover, Islam is not a man-made religion, but a religion revealed and inspired by Almighty God. It is the only religion acceptable in His Sight.

4. IS ALLAH MENTIONED IN OTHER SCRIPTURES

Question:

"Allah" is the most appropriate name for God in the Qur’an. Is this name "Allah" mentioned in other religious scriptures besides the Qur’an?

Answer:

Almost all the major religious scriptures of the world contain the word "Allah" as one of the names of God.
a. Elohim El, Elah, Alah
In the Bible, God is very often referred to as ‘Elohim’ in the Hebrew language. The ‘im’ in the ending is a plural of honour and God is referred to as ‘El’ or ‘Elah’ in the English Bible with commentary, edited by reverend C. I. Scofield. ‘Elah’ is alternatively spelled as ‘Alah’. The difference in spelling is only of a single ‘L’. Muslims spell Allah as ‘Allah’ while the Reverend has spelled it as Alah and they pronounce it as ‘Elah’. Muslims pronounce it as Allah. Hebrew and Arabic are sister languages therefore we say it should be pronounced as ‘Allah’ and not as ‘Elah’.

When I was in school, I was taught ‘D, O’ is do, ‘T, O’ is to. What is ‘G, O’ It is ‘go’ and not ‘gu’. ‘N, U, T’ is nut, ‘C, U, T’ cut; ‘B, U, T’ is but, what is ‘P, U, T’? Not ‘pat’ but it is ‘put’. If you ask "Why?" The answer is "It is their language". If I have to pass I have to say ‘P, U, T’ is ‘put’ and not ‘pat’. Similarly the right pronunciation for A, L, L, A, H, is Allah.

b. Jesus (pbuh) cried out Allah Allah when he was put on the cross
It is mentioned in the New Testament in the Gospel of Mathew, chapter 27 verse 46 as well as Gospel of Mark, chapter 15 verse 34 when Jesus (pbuh) was put on the cross.

Jesus cried with a loud voice saying "E’-Li, E’-Li la’-ma sa-bach’-tha-ni?" that is to say, ‘My God, My God why hast Thou Forsaken Me?’ Does this sound like Jehovah! Jehovah! why has thou forsaken me? Does it sound like Abba Abba? The answer is ‘No’. Hebrew and Arabic are sister languages and if you translate "E’-Li, E’-Li la’-ma sa-bach’-tha-ni" into Arabic it is ‘Allah Allah lama tarak tani’ does it sound similar?

This statement of Jesus (pbuh), "E’-Li, E’-Li la’-ma sa-bach’-tha-ni" is preserved in its original Hebrew in each and every of its translation which is available in more than 2000 different languages of the world and in each and every of them, "Allah" is present.

2. "Allah" in Sikhism
One of the names by which Gurunanak Sahib referred to God is "Allah".

3a. "Allah" in Rigveda Book 2 Hymn I verse II
Even in the Rigveda which is the most sacred scripture of the Hindus, one of the attributes given to God Almighty in Book no 2 Hymn no I verse II, is ‘Ila’ which if pronounced properly is the same as Allah.
3b. Allo Upanishad:
Amongst the various Upanishads one of the Upanishad is named as ‘Allo’ Upanishad in which God is referred to as "Allah" several times.

5. BURYING BETTER THAN CREMATING DEAD BODIES

Question:

Why do Muslims bury dead bodies instead of cremating them, i.e. burning them?

Answer:

1. Components of human body present in the soil Elements that are present in the human body are present in lesser or greater quantity in the soil. Hence it is more scientific to bury a dead body, as it easily gets decomposed and mixed in the soil.

2. No Pollution Cremating (burning) the dead body leads to pollution of the atmosphere which is detrimental to health and harmful for the environment. There is no such pollution caused by burying a dead body.

3. Surrounding land becomes fertile To cremate a dead body several trees have to be chopped, which reduces the greenery and harms the environment and the ecology. When dead bodies are buried, besides the trees being saved, the surrounding land becomes fertile and it improves the environment.

4. Economical
It is expensive to cremate a dead body when tons of wood have to be burned. Annually there is a loss of crores of rupees, only because dead bodies are cremated in India. Burying dead bodies is very cheap. It hardly costs any money.

5. Same land can be utilised for burying another body The wood used for cremating a dead body cannot be reutilised for cremating another dead body since it gets converted to ashes. The land used for burying a dead body can be reutilised for burying another body after a few years since the human body gets decomposed and mixed in the soil.

6. BINDI AND MANGALSUTRA
Why do the Muslim married women not put bindi or tika on the forehead and wear Mangalsutra, like Hindu married women?

1. Bindi or tika Bindi is derived from the sanskrit word bindu, which means a ‘dot’. It is usually a red dot made with vermilion powder and is worn by the Hindu women between their eyebrows on their forehead.
Bindi is considered a symbol of ‘Parvati’ and signifies female energy which is believed by Hindus to protect women and their husbands. It is traditionally a symbol of marriage and is worn by the Hindu married women. It is also called as tika.

2. Bindi has become a fashion
Nowadays, wearing bindi has become a fashion and is even worn by unmarried girls and women. The shape of the bindi is no longer restricted to a dot and is available in various shapes, including oval, star, heart shaped, etc. It is even available in different bright colours like blue, green, yellow, orange, etc. The material of the bindi is no longer restricted to vermilion powder, but is made of coloured felt and other material. It is also available in a variety of designs in combination with coloured glass, glitter, etc.

3. Mangalsutra
Mangalsutra means a thread of good-will. It is a necklace worn specially by Hindu married women as a symbol of their marriage. It consists of two strings of black beads with a pendant usually of gold. The black beads are believed to act as a protection against evil. It is believed to protect the women’s marriage and the life of her husband. In southern India, mangalsutra is called tali, which is a small gold ornament string on a cotton cord or a gold chain.
Hindu Married women are never supposed to remove their mangalsutra. It is only cut off when a Hindu lady becomes a widow.

4. Allah Is the Protector
Allah (swt), our Creator, is the best to protect human beings. We do not require any red dot or black thread to protect us from evil. It is mentioned in the Glorius Qur’an in Surah Anam Chapter 6 verse 14

"Say: Shall I take for my protector any other than Allah, the Maker of the heavens and the earth?"
[Al-Qur’an 6:14]

It is mentioned in several places in the Glorius Qur’an including
Surah Ali Imran Chapter 3 Verse 150 and Surah Alhajj Chapter 22 Verse 78

"Allah is your Protector, and He is the best of helpers."

Wearing a bindi or mangalsutra signifies a lack of faith in Almighty God, our Creator, who is the best to protect.

5. Against the Islamic Dress Code
Wearing a bindi or mangalsutra is a sign of Hindu women. The Islamic dress code does not permit a Muslim to wear any sign, symbol or mark which is specially significant of a non-Muslim.

6. In Islam, Both Married and Unmarried women should not be Teased
Once, a Hindu friend of mine, while mentioning the benefits of mangalsutra said that it easily identifies a married women, and thus prevents them from being teased and molested. According to Islam, each and every woman, whether married or unmarried, Muslim or Non-Muslim, should neither be teased nor molested.

7. TAKING NAME OF EMPEROR AKBAR IN ADHAAN
Question:

Why do Muslims take the name of Emperor Akbar while calling people to pray?

Answer:
1. Non Muslim misunderstand that Emperor Akbar’s name is taken in Adhaan
Once, when I attended a conference in Kerala, a non-Muslim minister spoke just before my speech. He was highlighting the achievements of the Indian Muslims and their role in the progress of India. He said that amongst the Indian kings, the greatest was Emperor Akbar. No wonder the Muslims take his name five times a day, while calling people to pray. During my speech however, I clarified this misconception.

2. The ‘Akbar’ word of the Adhaan has nothing to do with Emperor Akbar
The word ‘Akbar’ mentioned in the Adhaan which is given to call people to pray has nothing to do with Emperor Akbar of India.The words in the Adhaan were used centuries before the birth of Emperor Akbar.

3. ‘Akbar’ means ‘Great’ The Arabic word ‘Akbar’ means ‘great’. When we say ‘Allahu Akbar’ in the Adhaan we proclaim that ‘Allah is Great’ or ‘Allah is the Greatest’ and we call people to worship the one and only Allah who is the Greatest.

8. WHY DON’T MUSLIMS IN INDIA FOLLOW THE ISLAMIC CRIMINAL LAW?
Question

When Muslims in India insist on having a separate Muslim Personal Law for themselves, why don’t they also insist on implementing the Islamic Criminal Law for the Muslims; for example implementing the rule that the robber’s hands should be chopped off if a Muslim robs?

Answer:

1. Muslim Personal Law
Personal Law is a law concerning an individual person and the persons closely related to him, e.g. laws relating to marriage, divorce, inheritance, etc. It includes laws which are mutually agreed upon by a group of people. This law does not include any crime or an act that will harm the society directly.

2. India is Secular And Democratic
In any country, the Personal Law may differ for different groups of people and for different communities. Since India is a secular and democratic country it allows different groups of people to follow their own personal law if they wish.

3. Islamic Personal Law is the Best Muslims believe that compared to all the different types of personal laws available in the world, the best and the most result oriented is the Islamic Personal Law. Muslims of India prefer following the Muslim personal law also because of their own belief in Islam.

4. Criminal Law Criminal law is that law which is associated with a crime or an act which directly affects the society e.g. robbing, raping, murdering, etc.

5. The Criminal Law should be the same for all people
In any country, the criminal law unlike the Personal Law cannot be different for different groups of people. It has to be same for all people of different groups and different religions e.g. In Islam if a person robs, his hands are chopped off. This punishment is not prescribed in Hinduism. If a Hindu robs a Muslim, what would be the robber’s punishment? The Muslim would want the hands of the robber to be chopped, while the Hindu Law would not agree.

6. The Muslims in India alone cannot separately follow the Islamic Criminal Law without involving the Non-Muslims
Even if a Muslim agrees, that as far as he commits a crime he should be given the punishment according to Islamic Criminal Law, it would not be practical. In case an allegation is made against a Muslim for robbery and if the witnesses are Non-Muslims, and if each one follows his own Criminal Law, the punishment in Islam for bearing false witness is 80 lashes, whereas in the Indian Crimial Law, a person giving false witness can easily escape. Thus, for a non-Muslim to falsely accuse a Muslim of any crime is very easy, if both follow their own criminal law. However, if both follow the Indian Law where the punishment is lenient for false witnesses and robbers, it will encourage both the robber to rob as well as encourage the witnesses to give false witness for their own benefit.

7. The Muslims in India would prefer the Islamic Criminal Law to be implemented on all Indians
We Muslims would prefer that in India the Islamic Criminal Law be implemented on all the Indians, since, chopping the hands of a thief will surely reduce the rate of robbery in India. Similarly, 80 lashes for giving false testimony will prevent a person from giving false witness.

8. Islamic Criminal Law is Most Practical
Islam besides pointing out a crime, it also gives you a solution showing how to prevent the crime e.g. chopping the hands of a robber, death penalty for the rapist. The punishment is so severe that it is a deterrent for the criminal to commit the crime. He will think a hundred times before committing a crime.

Thus if crime has to be reduced or stopped in India the best solution is to implement ‘The Common Islamic Criminal Law’.

9. ARE RAM AND KRISHNA PROPHETS OF GOD?

Question:
If according to Islam, messengers or prophets were sent to each and every nation of the world, then which prophet was sent to India? Can we consider Ram and Krishna to be messengers of God?

Answer:
1. Prophets sent to every nation

a. The Glorious Qur’an mentions in Surah Fatir, chapter 35 verse 24

". . . And there never was a people, without a warner
having lived among them (in the past)."
[Al-Qur’an 35:24]

b. A similar message is repeated in Surah Rad, chapter 13 verse 7

". . . and to every people a guide."
[Al-Qur’an 13:7]

2. Stories only of some prophets narrated in the Qur’an

a. Allah (swt) says in Surah Nisa, chapter 4 verse 164

"Of some messengers We have already told thee the story; of others we have not."
[Al-Qur’an 4:164]

b. A similar message is repeated in Surah Ghafir chapter 40 verse 78

"We did aforetime send messengers before thee: of them there are some whose story We have related to thee, and some whose story We have not related to thee. . ."
[Al’Qur’an 40:78]

3. 25 Prophets of God are mentioned by name in the Qur’an
By name, only 25 Prophets of God are mentioned in the Qur’an e.g. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammed (pbut)

4. More than 1,24,000 prophets of God
According to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), there were more than 1,24,000 prophets sent to this world.

5. All previous prophets sent only for their people
All the prophets that came before Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) were only sent for their own people and were to be followed only for a particular period of time.

Surah Ali Imran, chapter 3 verse 49

"And (appoint him) a messenger to the Children of Israel, . . ."
[Al-Qur’an 3:49]

6. Muhammad (pbuh), the last messenger of God
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is the last and final messenger of Almighty God. It is mentioned in

Surah Ahzab, chapter 33 verse 40

"Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah, and the seal of the Prophets: and Allah has full knowledge of all things."
[Al-Qur’an 33:40]

7. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), sent for whole Humankind

Since Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is the last and final messenger, he was not sent only for the Muslims or the Arabs, but he was sent for the whole of humankind.

a. It is mentioned in

Surah Anbiya, chapter 21 verse 107

"We sent thee not, but as a mercy for all creatures."
[Al’Qur’an 21:107]

b. A similar message is repeated in

Surah Saba, chapter 34 verse 28

"We have not sent thee but as a universal (Messenger) to men, giving them glad tidings, and warning them (against sin), but most men understand not."
[Al Qur’an 34:28]

c. It is mentioned in

Sahih Bukhari, volume 1, Book of Salaah, chapter 56 hadith no. 429

Narrated Jabir bin Abdullah: Allah’s Messenger said,

"Every Prophet used to be sent to his nation only but I have been sent to all mankind."

8. Which prophet was sent to India?
Regarding the question of which prophet of God was sent to India, and can we consider Ram or Krishna to be prophets of God, there is no text in the Qur’an or Sahih Hadith mentioning the name of the prophet that was sent to India. Since the names of Ram and Krishna are nowhere to be found in the Qur’an and Sahih Hadith, one cannot say for sure whether they were prophets of God or not. Some Muslims, especially certain Muslim politicians who try to appease the Hindus, say Ram Alai-his-salaam, i.e. Ram, may peace be on him. This is totally wrong, since there is no authentic proof from the Qur’an and Sahih Hadith that he was a prophet of God. However, a person may say that perhaps they may have been the prophets of God.

9. Even if Ram and Krishna were prophets, today we have to follow the last Prophet of God i.e. Muhammad (pbuh)
Even if Ram and Krishna were prophets of God, they were only meant for people of that time and were to be followed only for that particular period of time. Today, all the human beings throughout the world, including India should only follow the last and final prophet and Messenger of God – prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

10. ARE THE VEDAS A REVELATION OF GOD?
Question:

If Allah has sent His books and revelations in every period, then which revelation was sent to India? Can we consider the Vedas and other Hindu scriptures to be the word of God?

Answer:

1. Revelation sent in every period
The Glorious Qur’an mentions in Surah Rad, chapter 13 verse 38

"For each period is a book (revealed)."
[Al-Qur’an 13:38]

2. Four revelations of God mentioned by name in Qur’an

By name, only four revelations of God are mentioned in the Qur’an i.e. Torah, Zaboor, Injeel and the Qur’an
Torah is the revelation which was given to Moses (pbuh)

Zaboor is the revelation which was given to David (pbuh)

Injeel is the revelation which was given to Jesus (pbuh)

and Qur’an is the last and final revelation which was given to the last and final Messenger Muhammad (pbuh).

3. All the previous revelations sent only for their people
All the revelations that came before Qur’an were only sent for their own people and were to be followed only for a particular time period.

4. The Qur’an sent for whole humankind
Since the Qur’an is the last and final revelation, it was not sent only for the Muslims or the Arabs but it was sent for the whole of humankind. It is mentioned in:

a. Surah Ibrahim, chapter 14 verse 1

"Alif Lam Ra. A book which We have revealed unto thee, in order that thou mightest lead mankind out of the depths of darkness into light . . ."
[Al-Qur’an 14:1]

b. A similar message is repeated in Surah Ibrahim chapter 14 verse 52 "Here is a Message for mankind: let them take warning therefrom, and let them know that He is (no other than) One God: let men of understanding take heed."
[Al-Qur’an 14:52]

c. Qur’an mentions in Surah Baqarah chapter 2 verse 185
"Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur’an, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgement (between right and wrong)."
[Al-Qur’an 2:185]

d. A similar message is repeated in Surah Zumur chapter 39 verse 41

"Verily We have revealed the Book to thee in Truth, for (instructing) mankind."
[Al-Qur’an 39:41]

5. Which revelation sent to India?
The question that arises is "which revelation of God was sent to India and whether we can consider the Vedas and the other Hindu Scriptures to be the revelations of God?" There is no text in the Qur’an or Sahih Hadith mentioning the name of the revelation that was sent to India. Since the names of the Vedas or other Hindu scriptures are no where to be found in Qur’an and Sahih Hadith, one cannot say for sure that they were the revelations of God. They may be the revelation of God or may not be the revelation of God.

6. Even if the Veda was the word of God today you have to follow the Qur’an
Even if the Vedas and the other scriptures were the revelations from God, they were only meant for people of that time and were to be followed only for that particular period of time. Today all human beings through out the world including India should only follow the last and final Revelation of God, i.e. the Qur’an. Moreover since all the previous revelations were not meant to be followed for eternity, Almighty God did not preserve them in their original form. There is not a single religious scripture of any of the major religions which claims to be the word of God and has maintained its pure original text and is free from alteration, adulteration and interpolation. Since the Glorious Qur’an is to be followed for eternity, Allah (swt) has taken upon Himself to maintain its original purity and guard it from corruption. Allah says in Glorious Qur’an.

Surah Hijr chapter 15 verse 9
"We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption)."
[Al-Qur’an 15:9]

Continue reading "Common Questions Asked By Hindus About Islam"