Faith - Guadiance for Your Journey
This post was first published on FB Notes on 5th July 2016 by Afrros Hudli. Link to FB Note.
Read time: 23 minutes
Assalamu Alalikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh [means May the peace, the mercy, and the blessings of The Infinite Intelligence be upon you.]
On the eve of Eid-Ul-Fitr 2016, I take this opportunity to wish all children of Adam (peace be upon him) a peaceful, blessed Eid-Ul-Fitr Mubarak! And to everyone who enjoyed fasting during Ramadan, The Almighty willing, may your fasts and prayers be accepted and ye be rewarded with the very best in this world and the here-after. Ameen.
Given the chaos currently gripping all of mankind when it comes to faith, and religious beliefs it’s high time we did educate ourselves on the similarities of the various faiths. I have taken the time to bring the source to you. What you do with the knowledge is up to you.
My journey on understanding the various religions started when was 16/17 during my IB school - Mahindra United World College (UWC) of India. Arshia Satta, one of our awesome teachers, passionately ran a group on campus on World Religions and I remember always intending to go but never making it as in my mind I didn’t have clarity on what I did believe and showing up there, I thought, would only influence me, hindering my own ability to reason/get clarity on what did I actually believe. I was born in a Muslim family – read the Quran in Arabic, and fasted the whole month of Ramadan starting at age 6/7, went to school in an Anglo-India school for a major part of my schooling life, and had friends who were/are idol worshipers – you probably relate to where am coming from when I say I lacked clarity at 16/17. And amidst it all I remember fasting both years at IB + starting my day with Quran recitation and Fajr prayer. The 2 years at IB have been the most introspective years I have spent on Earth. And I love all my IB mates for allowing me to have my space and yet making me feel I belong. The library on campus which was abundantly filled with books on Theology were a gift indeed. In addition, Theory of knowledge subject that was offered assisted me in unbiasedly examining and approaching the subject of Faith. It was during my IB years that my foundation for clarity in religion was cemented which was laid in my childhood by my parents and my paternal grandparents. Bless the Mahindra’ for bringing UWC to India, bless all the friends I have had from various faith’ they kept me committed to my journey and looking for answers. Post IB discussions with my dad, and maternal granddad on religion and faith were very engaging, enriching and life enhancing. 7 years from there when I moved continents, my new home Australia, brought more refinement, I learnt about Nafs and sufi teachings, and performed my first ‘itikaf’. And how could I have not – Melbourne is home to every single religion of the world, every single religion of the world is practiced here in Melbourne as per the World Parliament of Religions. It’s just so beautiful, enriching the kaleidoscope of life.
Today am read in at least the major religions of our times and below is the source highlighting the similarities between Islam, Christianity, Vedanta, Judism. My faith is Monotheism and love / compassion is what I practice.
This post I hope with empower you as has empowered me to spot the false political leaders/ false religious leaders and most importantly help/guide/protect from falling prey to their devious plots. Am immensely grateful to The Almighty for my journey in faith, for giving me intellect to seek the truth, for guiding me to clarity, for my parents and grandparents for contributing to my knowledge in my formative years, for my friends’/teachers/guides, believers and non-believers alike, for through their lives and our interactions my commitment to my journey remained strong. I pray that the next generation is well equipped with this knowledge so that there be peace on Earth.
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."
Islam:
Islam is a Semitic religion, which has over one billion adherents all over the world. Islam means "submission to the will of God". Muslims accept the Qur’an, as the word of God revealed to His last and final prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him). Islam states that Allah sent messengers and prophets throughout the ages with the message of Unity of God and accountability in the Hereafter. Islam thus makes it an article of faith to believe in all the earlier prophets, starting with Adam, and continuing with Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, John the Baptist and Jesus amongst many others (may peace be on them all).
1. Islam defines God as: (this by the way is also the most concise definition of God as per Theology) "Say: He is Allah, The One and Only. Allah, the Eternal, Absolute. He begets not, nor is He begotten. And there is none like unto Him." [Al-Qur’an Surah Ikhlas Ch 112 V 1 – 4.]
2. Allah chooses Messengers:
PHILOSOPHY OF ANTHROPOMORPHISM - Many religions at some point believe, directly or indirectly, in the philosophy of anthropomorphism i.e. God becoming a human. Their contention is that Almighty God is so pure and holy that He is unaware of the hardships, shortcomings and feelings of human beings. In order to set the rules for human beings, He came down to earth as a human. This deceptive logic has fooled countless millions through the ages.
The Creator prepares the instruction manual: Suppose you manufacture a Wii. Do you have to become a Wii to know what is good or what is bad for the Wii? You simple write an instruction manual. I write an instruction manual that lists the various do’s and don’ts for the machine. Similarly, the last and final instruction manual of the human beings is the Glorious Qur’an. The ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ for the human beings are mentioned in the Qur’an. Allah (swt) need not come down personally for giving the instruction manual. He chooses a man amongst men to deliver the message and communicates with him at a higher level through the medium of revelations. Such chosen men are called messengers and prophets of God.
Despite the absurdity of the philosophy of anthropomorphism, followers of many religions believe in and preach it to others.
"Deaf, dumb, and blind, They will not return (to the path)." [Al-Qur'an 2:18]
The Bible gives a similar message in the Gospel of Matthew: "Seeing they see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand." [The Bible, Matthew 13:13]
A similar message is also given in the Hindu Scriptures in the Rigveda. "There maybe someone who sees the words and yet indeed does not see them; may be another one who hears these words but indeed does not hear them." [Rigveda 10:71:4]
All these scriptures are telling their readers that though the things are made so clear yet many people divert away from the truth.
3. TAWHEED
Definition and Categories: Islam believes in ‘Tawheed’ which is not merely monotheism i.e. belief in one God, but much more. Tawheed literally means ‘unification’ i.e. ‘asserting oneness’ and is derived from the Arabic verb ‘Wahhada’ which means to unite, unify or consolidate.
Tawheed can be divided into three categories.
i. Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah: means maintaining the unity of Lordship. This category is based on the fundamental concept that Allah (swt) alone caused all things to exist when there was nothing. He created or originated all that exists out of nothing. He alone is the sole Creator, Cherisher, and Sustainer of the complete universe and all between it, without any need from it or for it.
ii. Tawheed al-Asmaa-was-Sifaat: means maintaining the unity of Allah’s name and attributes.
iii. Tawheed al-Ibaadah: means maintaining the unity of worship or ‘Ibaadah’. Ibaadah is derived from Arabic word ‘Abd’ meaning slave or servant. Thus Ibaadah means servitude and worship.
4. Shirk
The omission of any of the above mentioned categories of tawheed or deficiency in the fulfilment of any criteria of Tawheed is referred to as 'shirk'.(Please note that the Arabic word 'Shirk' has the same sound as in the English word 'ship' and not as in the English word 'shirk', which means 'to evade'. ‘Shirk’ literally means sharing or associating partners. In Islamic terms it means associating partners with Allah and is equivalent to idolatry. Shirk is the greatest sin that Allah will never forgive: The Qur’an describes the greatest sin in Surah Al-Nisa’: "Allah forgives not That partners should be set up With Him; but He forgives Anything else, to whom He pleases; to set up Partners with Allah Is to devise a sin Most heinous indeed." [Al-Qur’an 4:48]
Christianity:
Christianity is a Semitic religion, which claims to have nearly 1.2 billion adherents all over the world. Christianity owes its name to Jesus Christ (peace be on him).
The Holy Bible is the sacred scripture of the Christians:
a) The Bible is divided into two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is the Holy Scripture of the Jews and contains records of all the prophets of the Jews that came before Jesus (pbuh). The New Testament contains records of the life of Jesus (pbuh).
b) The complete Bible, i.e. the Old Testament and the New Testament put together, contains 73 books. However, the Protestant Bible i.e. the King James Version, contains only 66 books as they consider 7 books of the Old Testament to be apocrypha, i.e. of doubtful authority. Therefore, the Old Testament of the Catholics, contains 46 books and that of the Protestants, 39 books. However, the New Testament of both these sects contains 27 books.
CONCEPT OF GOD IN CHRISTIANITY
1. Position of Jesus (pbuh) in Islam:
Islam is the only non-Christian faith, which makes it an article of faith to believe in Jesus (pbuh). No Muslim is a Muslim if he does not believe in Jesus (pbuh).
We believe that he was one of the mightiest Messengers of Allah (swt).
We believe that he was born miraculously, without any male intervention, which many modern day Christians do not believe.
We believe he was the Messiah translated Christ (pbuh).
We believe that he gave life to the dead with God’s permission.
We believe that he healed those born blind, and the lepers with God’s permission.
2. Concept of God in Christianity:
1. Jesus Christ (pbuh) never claimed Divinity The major difference between Islam and Christianity is the Christians’ insistence on the supposed divinity of Christ (pbuh). A study of the Christian scriptures reveals that Jesus (pbuh) never claimed divinity. In fact there is not a single unequivocal statement in the entire Bible where Jesus (pbuh) himself says, "I am God" or where he says, "worship me". In fact the Bible contains statements attributed to Jesus (pbuh) in which he preached quite the contrary. The following statements in the Bible are attributed to Jesus Christ (pbuh):
"My Father is greater than I." [The Bible King James Version, John 14:28]
"My Father is greater than all." [The Bible King James Version, John 10:29]
"…I cast out devils by the Spirit of God…." [The Bible King James Version, Mathew 12:28]
"…I with the finger of God cast out devils…." [The Bible King James Version, Luke 11:20]
"I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgement is just; because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." [The Bible King James Version, John 5:30]
The belief that Christ is the ‘Son of God’, arose out of an error in translation. Christian scholars confirm that the Gospels were not composed until at least thirty years after Prophet Jesus’ (PBUH) death, and were written in Greek. Some of its material was by word of mouth and some in writing, in the Armaec language of the Jews, but none of the original mannscripts exists. When Paul translated the Greek phrase, ‘the slave of God’ (which Prophet Jesus (PBUH) often used) it had 2 meanings: ‘servant or slave of God’ or ‘child of God’. Paul chose the latter. The simple error has brought about a marked change in original Christianity and its concept of God.
Time Magazine, 15th August 1988, states: ‘When we compare the history of Jesus and Christian religion we come to the conclusion that there are two Jesuses – the historical one who was the champion of monotheism (Oneness of God), and the mythical Jesus who is the creation of Paul and others by tainting the teachings of Christ with paganism as confirmed by Richard.N.Ostling.’
Paul is not the only one against whom this charge could be levelled. Peter is equally liable. It was his ‘vision’, while he was hungry, that had changed the dietary law of the early Christians, making permissible for today’s Christians that which was prohibited in old Scriptures. {Reference: ACTS 10:9-16; 11:5-10}. This innovation is against Jesus’ lifestyle.
Thinking Christians will be surprised to learn that their Bible forbids the same food and requires bleeding by slaughter exactly as the Quran does in Surah 5, verse 4. Refer Levitacus, 11:7; 17:14; Genesis, 9:4; Deuteronomy, 12:2; 14:18, and Acts 15:29.
2. The Mission of Jesus Christ (pbuh) – to Fulfill the Law Jesus (pbuh) never claimed divinity for himself. He clearly announced the nature of his mission. Jesus (pbuh) was sent by God to confirm the previous Judaic law. This is clearly evident in the following statements attributed to Jesus (pbuh) in the Gospel of Mathew:
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
"Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
"For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." [The Bible King James Version, Mathew 5:17-20]
3. God Sent Jesus' (pbuh)
The Bible mentions the prophetic nature of Jesus (pbuh) mission in the following verses:
"… and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me." [The Bible King James Version, John 14:24]
"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent." [The Bible King James Version, John 17:3]
4. Jesus Refuted even the Remotest Suggestion of his Divinity
Consider the following incident mentioned in the Bible: "And behold, one came and said unto him, ‘Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?’ And he said unto him, ‘Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.’ " [The Bible King James Version, Mathew 19:16-17] Jesus (pbuh) did not say that to have the eternal life of paradise, man should believe in him as Almighty God or worship him as God, or believe that Jesus (pbuh) would die for his sins. On the contrary he said that the path to salvation was through keeping the commandments. It is indeed striking to note the difference between the words of Jesus Christ (pbuh) and the Christian dogma of salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus (pbuh).
5. Jesus (pbuh) of Nazareth – a Man Approved of God
The following statement from the Bible supports the Islamic belief that Jesus (pbuh) was a prophet of God. "Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know." [The Bible King James Version, Acts 2:22]
6. The First Commandment is that God is One
The Bible does not support the Christian belief in trinity at all. One of the scribes once asked Jesus (pbuh) as to which was the first commandment of all, to which Jesus (pbuh) merely repeated what Moses (pbuh) had said earlier: [In Hebrew] "Shama Israelu Adonai Ila Hayno Adonai Ikhad." Which means: "Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord." [The Bible King James Version, Mark 12:29]
It is striking that the basic teachings of the Church such as Trinity and vicarious atonement find no mention in the Bible. In fact, various verses of the Bible point to Jesus’ (pbuh) actual mission, which was to fulfill the law revealed to Prophet Moses (pbuh). Indeed Jesus (pbuh) rejected any suggestions that attributed divinity to him, and explained his miracles as the power of the One True God. Jesus (pbuh) thus reiterated the message of monotheism that was given by all earlier prophets of Almighty God.
3. Concept of God in Old Testament:
1. God is One The following verse from the book of Deuteronomy contains an exhortation from Moses (pbuh): [In Hebrew] "Shama Israelu Adonai Ila Hayno Adna Ikhad". Which means: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord" [The Bible, Deuteronomy 6:4]
2. Unity of God in the Book of Isaiah The following verses are from the Book of Isaiah: (i) "I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour." [The Bible, Isaiah 43:11] (ii) "I am Lord, and there is none else, there is no God besides me." [The Bible, Isaiah 45:5] (iii) "I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me." [The Bible, Isaiah 46:9]
3. Old Testament condemns idol worship
(i) Old Testament condemns idol worship in the following verses: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:" "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God." [The Bible, Exodus 20:3-5]
(ii) A similar message is repeated in the book of Deuteronomy: "Thou shalt have none other gods before me." "Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that in the earth beneath, or that is in the water beneath the earth." "Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God." [The Bible, Deuteronomy 5:7-9]
Judaism:
Judaism is one of the important Semitic religions. Its followers are known as Jews and they believe in the prophetic mission of Prophet Moses (pbuh).
1. CONCEPT OF GOD IN JUDAISM: In Judaism too, we find the same thread of monotheism, that is seen in other religions.
(i) The following verse from the book of Deuteronomy contains an exhortation from Moses (pbuh): [In Hebrew] "Shama Israelu Adonai Ila Hayno Adna Ikhad" which means: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord" [The Bible, Deuteronomy 6:4]
The following verses are from the Book of Isaiah:
(ii) "I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour." [The Bible, Isaiah 43:11]
(iii) "I am Lord, and there is none else There is no God besides me." [The Bible, Isaiah 45 : 5]
(iv) "I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me." [The Bible, Isaiah 46:9]
(v) Judaism condemns idol worship in the following verses: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God." [The Bible, Exodus 20:3-5]
(vi) A similar message is repeated in the book of Deuteronomy: "Thou shalt have none other gods before me." "Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that in the earth beneath, or that is in the water beneath the earth." "Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God." [The Bible, Deuteronomy 5:7-9]
2. MUHAMMAD IN JEWISH SCRIPTURES (THE OLD TESTAMENT):
1) Muhammad (pbuh) prophesised in the book of Deuteronomy:
a) God Almighty speaks to Moses in Book of Deuteronomy chapter 18 verse 18: "I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him."
b) Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is like Moses (pbuh):
i) Both had a father and a mother. ii) Both were married and had children. iii) Both were accepted as Prophets by their people in their lifetime. iv) Both besides being Prophets were also kings i.e. they could inflict capital punishment. v) Both brought new laws and new regulations for their people. vi) Both died a natural death.
c) Muhammad (pbuh) is from among the brethren of Moses (pbuh). Arabs are brethren of Jews. Abraham (pbuh) had two sons: Ishmail and Isaac. The Arabs are the descendants of Ishmail (pbuh) and the Jews are the descendants of Isaac (pbuh).
d) Words in the mouth: Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was unlettered and whatever revelations he received from God Almighty he repeated it verbatim. Deuteronomy (18:18): "I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him."
2) Muhammad (pbuh) is prophesised in the book of Isaiah: It is mentioned in the book of Isaiah chapter 29 verse 12: "And the book is delivered to him that is not learned saying, ‘Read this, I pray thee’; and he saith, ‘I am not learned’. "When Archangel Gabriel commanded Muhammad (pbuh) by saying ‘Iqra’, he replied "I am not learned".
3) Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is mentioned by name in the Song of Solomon chapter 5 verse 16: "Hikko Mamittakim we kullo Muhammadim Zehdoodeh wa Zehrace Bayna Jerusalem." "His mouth is most sweet: ye, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughter of Jerusalem."
All the prophecies mentioned in the Old Testament regarding Muhammad (pbuh) besides applying to the Jews also hold good for the Christians (Holy Quran. 61:6)
Hindu Vs Vedantist
When the Persian and Arab kings traveled south of river Indus they coined the term “Hindus”. Hindus by definition means: anyone (Muslim, Vedantist, Christian, Buddhist, Jew…) living south of the river Indus or in the Indus Valley. Hindu hence is not a religion; the religion is Vedanta. And its practitioner is a Vedantist. Hindu is a geographical definition, anyone coming from India is a Hindu, ‘Hindi’ is the language spoken by Hindus. The scriptures of Vedanta are divided into two main divisions: shruti – that which is heard (revealed truth) and smriti – that which is remembered (realised truth). Shruti is taken to be the world of God. The 4 Vedas - the Rig-Veda, Sama-Veda, Yajur-Veda, and Atharva-Veda and Upanishads form the Shruti. Puranas, Mahabharata, Ramayan form Smriti. Upanishads and Vedas are superior to the Smriti texts.
1. In Chandogya Upanishad Ch 6 Sec 3 V1: “Ekam evaditiyam” which means “God is only one without a second.” [The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 447 and 448]
[Sacred Books of the East, volume 1 ‘The Upanishads part I’ page 93]
2. Svetasvatara Upanishad Ch 6 V 9: "Na casya kascij janita na cadhipah." Which means "Of Him there are neither parents nor lord." [The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 745]
[Sacred Books of the East, volume 15, ‘The Upanishads part II’ page 263.]
3. Svetasvatara Upanishad Ch 4 V 19: "Na tasya pratima asti" which means "There is no likeness of Him." And again in Yajurveda Ch 32 V 3: "na tasya pratima asti" "There is no image of Him." [The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 736 & 737]
[Sacred Books of the East, volume 15, ‘The Upanishads part II’ page no 253] [Yajurveda by Devi Chand M.A. page 377]
4. 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]
[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 737]
[Sacred Books of the East, volume 15, ‘The Upanishads part II’ page no 253]
5. Yajurveda Ch 40 V 9: "Andhatama pravishanti ye asambhuti mupaste" which means "They enter darkness, those who worship the natural elements" (Air, Water, Fire, etc.). "They sink deeper in darkness, those who worship sambhuti."
Sambhuti means created things, for example table, chair, idol, etc. [Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Giffith page 538]
But my ancestors believe and practised idol worship: There was a time our ancestors believed the world was flat. Do we still believe that the world is flat? Take another one, if our ancestors believed 2+2 = 5 would we continue to believe 2 + 2 is 5 or as we know today believe/say it is 4?
On Jihad:
Quran Sura Al Ma’idah Chapter 5 V 32 – “If anyone kills another human being, be it Muslim or non- Muslim, unless it be for a murder or for spreading corruption in the land; it is as though he has killed all of humanity. And if he saves any human being, be it Muslim or non-Muslim, it is as good as he has saved all of mankind.”
Fighting for personal gain, politics, colour, sexual preferences, language is not Jihad. Jihad does not mean Holy War. Jihad comes from the Arabic word ‘Jihada’ which means “to strive”, “to struggle”. And in Islam it means, “To strive against one’s own evil inclination”, it also means “to strive to make the society better”, “To fight in the battle field in self-defence”, “To fight against oppression and tyranny”. The Arabic word for Holy War is ‘Harb muqaddasa’. Nowhere in the Quran or the Last Prophets authentic hadith (i.e. his sayings and actions) is the word ‘Harb muqaddasa’ mentioned. Holy War was a word first used by the historians to describe the crusades of the Christians. Unfortunately, most experts including so called ‘Muslim experts’ translate Jihad as Holy War. Quran Sura Al-Tawba Ch9 V5 – “Where ever you find a kafir you kill them.” This verse is often quoted out of context. The preceding two verses before this verse talk about peace treaty between the non-believers of Makkah and the Muslims [Quran Sura Al-Tawba Ch9 V1-4]. This peace treaty was unilaterally broken by the non-believers of Makkah. And by the time V5 was revealed the non-believers where given 4 months to set the wrong right and failing which a battle was declared and while going in the battle this verse was revealed, ‘when in the battle field, don’t get scared of the enemy. Fight them.’ In the same Ch V6 further says, “If the enemy seeks asylum: don’t just give them safe passage but escort them to a place of safety.” Similarly, after every verse in the Quran where fighting in the battle field is mentioned the following verse states, “If they (non-believers) choose peace, peace is the term.” Islam allows fighting as the last resort in self-defence or against oppression otherwise no.
Bhagavad Geeta Ch2 V 50: Sri Krishan says to Arjun - do Jihad i.e. strive. Mahabharata talks about fighting in the battle field. It has thousands of verses on fighting, many times more than Quran does, as it’s about a fight between Pandavas and Kauravas. Bhagavad Geeta Ch 1 V 42 – 46: Arjun says to Sri Krishan, “I’d prefer to die unarmed rather than fight my own cousins.” To which Sri Krishan says, Ch 3 V2 – 3: “How could such impure thought come in your mind? It is sinful. How could you become so impotent? How could your heart become so weak?” Further, Ch2 V31 – 33: Sri Krishan says, “It’s the duty of a Kshatriya to fight. If he does not fight he shall not go to heaven. And if you don’t fight, you are doing a sin.” Now if these verses were taken out of context, one could say Sri Krishan says kill your relatives. That would be devilish. Instead Sri Krishan is saying, fight against falsehood even if it is your relative. The essence of Ramayan and Mahabharata is fighting for truth against falsehood. That is exactly what Quran is mentioning – strive against falsehood and fight your enemy in the battle field.
On Marriage:
The Holy Quran is the only book which says “marry only one”. There is no verse in the Vedas, The Bible or The Torah except The Quran. If you read Ramayan, father of Sri Ram had 3 wives. Similarly, Sri Krishna had 16108 wives. In Vedanta, Vishnu Purana Ch 24 V 1: Says a Brahman can have up to 4 wives. Jewish scriptures as well as Christian scriptures give you permission to have as many wives as you wish. Prophet Abraham as per The Bible had 3 wives. Prophet Solomon had 700 wives. The church has ruled that Christians should marry only one not The Bible. In 1950 Jewish Rabbi ruled that Jews should marry only one. Again it’ not The Torah. And as per Vedas you can marry as many as you wish. It’ the Indian government in 1954 passed a special Hindus Marriage Act that ruled – marry only one. The Quran in Surah Al Nisa’ Ch 4 V 3: Says “Marry woman of your choice in 2s, 3s or 4s. But if you can’t do justice (to each equally) marry only 1.” If you want to marry more than 1 you should be able to do justice to each equally. But if you can’t do justice to each equally you can’t marry more than 1. Any normal person will struggle to be justice equally as it is human to be biased/ lean towards 1 human over another. Even a mother cannot love each of her children equally she does favour 1 child more than the rest.
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