INTRODUCTION
In this
series of articles, we are analyzing similarities and common grounds between two
major religions of the world: Hinduism and Islam. In the article in the November
2004 issue of the Islamic Voice, we examined and highlighted similarities
between the concept of angels and revelation in Islam and in Hinduism as
mentioned in their respective scriptures. In this month’s article, we shall
study the similarities between the concept of prophethood, and the attributes of
God, in Islam and in Hinduism.
CONCEPT OF PROPHETHOOD IN HINDUISM
AND IN ISLAM
Messengers in
Islam
Messengers or Prophets of Almighty God are
persons chosen by Almighty God to communicate His message to the people.
Messengers were sent to every nation
a. To every
people (was sent)
A Messenger:
when their Messenger
Comes (before
them), the matter
Will be judged
between them
With justice,
and they
Will not be
wronged.
(Al Qur’an 10:47)
b. For We
assuredly sent
Amongst every
people a messenger
(with the
command), “Serve
Allah and eschew
Evil”:
Of the people
were some whom
Allah guided,
and some
On whom Error
became
Inevitably
(established). So travel
Through the
earth, and see
What was the end
of those
Who denied
(the Truth).
(Al Qur’an 16:36)
b.
And there never
was
A people,
without a warner
Having lived
among them
(In the
past).
(Al Qur’an 35:24)
c.
And to every
people a guide.
(Al Qur’an 13:7)
25 PROPHETS ARE
MENTIONED BY NAME IN THE QUR’AN
There are 25 Prophets mentioned by name in the
Glorious Qur’an. Some of such prophets are: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus,
and Muhammad (peace be upon them all).
STORIES OF ONLY
SOME PROPHETS MENTIONED IN THE QUR’AN
It is mentioned in the Qur’an:
Of some messengers We have
Already
told you the story;
Of others
we have not
And to
Moses Allah spoke direct.
(Al Qur’an 4:164)
b.
We did aforetime send
Messengers
before you: of them
There are
some whose story
We have
related to you,
And some
whose story
We have
not related
To you.
(Al Qur’an 40:78)
1,24,000
PROPHETS SENT BY ALLAH
According to a Sahih Hadith in Mishkatul Masaabih Vol. 3 hadith
No. 5737
Ahmad Ibn Hambal
Vol. 5 page 265-266:
“There were
1,24,000 prophets sent by Allah (swt).”
PREVIOUS
PROPHETS WERE SENT ONLY FOR THEIR PEOPLE
All the prophets that came before Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) were sent for their people and nation, and the complete message
they preached was meant only for that time.
PROPHET MUHAMMAD
(PBUH) IS THE LAST AND FINAL MESSENGER
It is mentioned in Surah Al-Ahzab:
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)
PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH) SENT FOR WHOLE OF HUMANKIND
a.
Since Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was the last and final messenger of Allah (swt),
he was not sent for only Muslims or the Arabs but he was sent for the whole of
Humankind. It is mentioned in the Qur’an:
We sent you not,
but
As a mercy for
all creatures
(Al Qur’an 21:107)
b.
We have not sent
you
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:
“Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) said every prophet used
to be sent to his nation only but I have been sent to whole of humankind”.
(Sahih Bukhari Vol. 1, Book of Salaah Chapter 56
Hadith 429)
AVTARS AND
MESSENGERS IN HINDUISM
1.
Avatar
according to common Hindus
a. Common
Hindus have the following concept of Avatar. Avatar is the Sanskrit term where
‘Av’ means ‘down’
and ‘tr’ means ’passover’. Thus Avatar means to descend down or to come down.
The meaning of
‘Avatar’
in the oxford Dictionary is, “(In Hindu Mythology) the descent of a deity or
released soul to earth in bodily form”. In simple words, Avatar according to
common Hindus means Almighty God coming down to earth in bodily form.
A Common Hindu
believes that God Almighty comes down to the earth in some bodily form to
protect the religion, to set an example or to set the rules for human beings.
There is no
reference of Avatars anywhere in the Vedas, the most sacred of the Hindu
scriptures i.e. sruti. However it is found in the smrti i.e., the Puranas and
the Itihasas.
(b) It is
mentioned in the most popular and widely read book of Hinduism
i)
Bhagavad Geeta
Chapter 4 verse 7-8:
Whenever there
is a decay of righteousness, O Bharata,
And a rise
of unrighteousness, then I manifest Myself.
For the
protection of the good, for the destruction of the
wicked and for
the establishment of righteousness, I am born in every age.
(Bhagavad Geeta
4:7-8)
ii) It is
mentioned in Bhagawata Purana:
“Whenever there
is deterioration in righteousness and waxing of sinfulness,
the glorious
lord incarnates himself.”
(Bhagawata
Purana 9:24:56)
2.
No Concept of
Avatar but Messenger in Veda and Islam
Islam does not
believe that Almighty God takes human forms. He chooses a man amongst men and
communicates with them on a higher level to deliver his message to the human
beings – such individuals are called Messengers of God.
‘Avatar’, as
mentioned earlier, is derived from ‘Av’ and ‘tr’, which means to descend down or
come down. Some scholars state that God’s Avatar indicates a possessive case and
actually means the coming of a man “who is in special relationship with God”.
Mention of such chosen men of God appears in several places in all the four
Vedas. Thus if we have to reconcile Bhagavad Gita and Purana with the most
authoritative scripture the Vedas, we have to agree that Bhagavad Gita and the
Puranas, when they speak about Avatars, they refer to chosen men of God. Islam
calls such men Prophets.
ATTRIBUTES OF
GOD
ANTHROPOMORPHISM
a.
God need not take human form to understand human
beings
Many non-Semitic
religions have at some time or the other propounded the belief in the philosophy
of anthropomorphism i.e. the concept of God taking human form. Those who believe
in it have a seemingly good logic for it. They state that Almighty God is so
pure and holy that He is unaware of the hardships, shortcomings, weaknesses,
difficulties, feelings, passions, emotions and temptations of human beings. He
does not know how a person feels when he or she is hurt or is in trouble.
Therefore, in order to set rules of behaviour and conduct for human beings, God
came down to earth in the form of a human. On the face of it, this seems to be
logical. But we need to examine this.
b.
Creator prepares an instruction manual
Suppose I
manufacture a tape recorder, do I have to become a tape recorder to know what is
good or bad for the tape recorder? The manufacturer does not have to himself
play the role of a tape recorder to understand the stress caused by normal usage
or even faulty usage of the tape recorder.
Hence, for the
users, as the manufacturer, I write an instruction manual. In this manual I
state, “in order to listen to an audio-cassette, insert the cassette and press
the ‘play’ button. In order to stop, press the ‘stop’ button. If you want to
fast forward press the ‘Fast Forward’ button. Do not drop it from a height for
it will get damaged. Do not immerse it in water for it will get spoilt”.
Manufacturers write an instruction manual or a user manual, which contains the
do’s and don’ts for usage of the machine.
c.
The Glorious Qur’an is the instruction manual for human beings
In a similar
fashion, our Lord and Creator, Allah (s.w.t.) does not need to come to earth in
the form of a human being to know what is good or bad for the human beings. He,
who has created this vast universe, has complete knowledge of His Creation. He
only has to reveal the instruction manual for the benefit of humans. Such a
manual from the Creator informs and explains: (i) the purpose and objective of
the existence of human beings (ii) who created them and (iii) what they should
do and what they should refrain and abstain from in order to get eternal
success.
The last and
final instruction manual for human beings from their Creator is the Glorious
Qur’an.
d.
Allah chooses Messengers
Allah (swt) does
need to come down personally for writing the instruction manual. He chooses a
man amongst men to deliver His message and communicates with him at a higher
level through His revelations. Such chosen men are called messengers and
prophets of God. God conveys His revelations to such persons.
GOD
WILL NOT AND DOES NOT TAKE HUMAN FORM:
a.
God cannot do everything:
Some
people may argue that God can do everything, then why can he not take human
form? If God were to take human form, then He would no longer remain God because
the qualities of God and the qualities of human beings are different.
(i)
God is immortal. Human beings
are mortal.
God is immortal;
human beings are mortal. You cannot have a ‘God-man’ i.e. an immortal and
mortal being at the same time. It is meaningless.
God does not
have a beginning. Human beings have a beginning. You cannot have a person, who
does not have a beginning and yet at the same time having a beginning.
God has no end.
Humans have an end. You can’t have an entity that has no end and still have an
end at the same time. It is meaningless.
(ii)
God does not require to eat:
Almighty God
does not require to eat. Human beings need to eat. The Glorious Qur’an says in
Surah Anam:
And He it is
that
Feeds but is not
fed.
(Al Qur’an 6:14)
(iii)
God does not require rest and sleep:
God does not
require rest. Human beings require rest. God does not require sleep. Human
beings require sleep. The Glorious Qur’an says in Ayatul Kursi:
Allah! There is
no god
But He – the
Living,
The
Self-subsisting, Eternal.
No slumber can
seize Him; nor sleep.
His are
all things in the heavens and on earth.
(Al Qur’an
2:255)
b.
Worshipping another human being is useless:
If God takes
human form, he would cease to be god and it is useless to worship a human being,
e.g. suppose that I am a student of a very intelligent teacher and I regularly
take his guidance and help in my studies. If unfortunately, my teacher meets
with an accident and has amnesia i.e. an un-repairable loss of memory, it will
be foolish of me to yet seek guidance and help in my studies from him. Because
this person no longer has the expertise after the transformation of his memory
due to the accident. In a similar fashion how can a human being worship and ask
for divine help from a god who has given up his divine qualities and has
transformed himself into a human being like you and I? If a person can worship a
human being then why not others worship you and also worship so many humans
around us?
c.
Human beings cannot become God:
So an entity
cannot be both: God and a human at the same time. For if God retains His divine
powers then He is not a human because humans do not have divine powers. And if
God were to become a mortal which is a human quality, then he is no longer God,
for God is immortal.
Later on that
same human being cannot become God, because it is not possible for human beings
to become God. If it was so, you and I too would become God and attain divine
powers.
That is the
reason why God will never take or rather cannot take human form. The Qur’an
speaks against all forms of anthropomorphism. Anthropomorphism is illogical.
d.
God will not do ungodly things:
Islam does
not say that God can do anything. Islam says that God has power over all things.
Let us understand this with the help of some examples of matters that God cannot
do simply because He is Divine.
(i)
God will not tell a lie:
God only does
Godly things; He does not do ungodly things. God cannot tell a lie. He cannot
even have a desire to lie or to make a false statement. God will never, and can
never tell a lie because to tell a lie is an ungodly act. The moment God tells a
lie, He will cease to be God.
(ii) God will not do any
injustice:
God cannot do
injustice nor can He even harbour a desire to do an unjust act or take an unjust
decision. He will not do it and He cannot do so because being unjust is an
ungodly act. The Qur’an says:
“Allah is never unjust in the least degree.”
(Al Qur’an 4:40)
The moment God
does injustice He ceases to be God. Please realize that God cannot be God and
not-God at the same time!!! He cannot have divine qualities as a Creator, and
yet have the mortal qualities and attributes of His Creation.
(iii)
God will not make a mistake
Perfection is a
quality only of the Creator. His creation can never ever achieve this quality.
We can only try to continually improve and excel but we can never ever be
perfect.
Hence, can God
ever make a mistake? He will never make a mistake. He cannot make a mistake. To
err is human. Making a mistake is an ungodly act. Qur’an says, “…My lord
never errs.” (Al Qur’an 20:52)
Assuming without
accepting that God was to commit a mistake, the moment God makes a mistake He
ceases to be God.
(iv)
God will not forget:
God will not
forget because forgetting is an ungodly act. Qur’an says, “…My lord never
errs, nor forgets.” (Al Qur’an 20:52)
The moment God
forgets he ceases to be god.
e.
God only does Godly things
i.
Allah has power
over all things
The
Glorious Qur’an says in several places:
“for verily
Allah has power over all things”
This same
statement of Divine Wisdom is emphasized for our understanding in:
Surah Baqarah
chapter 2 verse 106;
and again in:
In
Surah Baqarah chapter 2 verse 109
In
Surah Baqarah chapter 2 verse 284
In Surah Ale
Imran chapter 3 verse 29
In Surah Nahl
chapter 16 verse 77
In Surah Fatir
chapter 35 verse 1
ii.
Allah is the
doer of all, all He intends
:
The Glorious
Qur’an says,
“Allah
is the doer of all he intends.”
(Al Qur’an
85:16)
And by now I am
sure you will yourself admit in all humility and sincerity that God only intends
Godly things – not unGodly things.
By ascribing human-like qualities of forgetting, of making mistakes, of getting tired, of needing food, of getting jealous and the like – does one realize that one is mocking God and committing blasphemy by ascribing such attributes to God? Do you think we humans are in any way justified in attributing such human qualities to God?
Is it not a
better choice, and a truthful one at that, to state that our Creator is free
from all such blemishes that ignorant humans ascribe to Him?
For the Glorious
Qur’an says:
Say: “Allah is
free from all such things that they (unbelievers / polytheists) ascribe to Him”.
Thus we have
examined and highlighted similarities between the concept of prophethood, and
the attributes of God, in Islam and in Hinduism as mentioned in their respective
scriptures. In subsequent articles in the present series, we shall study the
similarities between the concept of life after death, fate & destiny and worship
in Islam and in Hinduism.
SIMILARITIES BETWEEN ISLAM AND HINDUISM – Part 6
-Zakir Naik