What can you tell me about the Jewish faith? Musslim? Budhism? Hinduism?

Question

I wonder a lot, and I hear so much from Christians *who usually sound like idiots, but to each his own* but not much from anyone else. I am agnostic, therefore chose no faith for myself. I am this way because I ask too many questions, but i find that I only have contact with christians *baptists and catholics mostly* and haven't gotten to ask about any other religion.

Please, no responses bashing anyone. We are entitled to our own beleifs, so said on the principle of free-will.

Whatever you can tell me. Anything from a basic outline on.

And sorry, I am a bad speeler. that error was intentional but the mistake with "muslim" was not.

Answer 1

I can tell you that Muslim is Spelt like this: MUSLIM.

Answer 2

You are perfectly rigt to ask as many questions as you wish: curiosity is a great gift.

As for Jewish and Muslim faiths, they are mainly based upon practice and obedience to commandments, which are stated in the Bible and explained in the Talmud for Jews, in the Kur'an and tradition for Muslims. So the word faith is not quite accurate: Judaism and Islam are mostly ways of life, and their main goal is to serve God by doing his will.

Hinduism is a set of rites, customs, traditions, pilgrimages, social order, etc..., by which the Hindu comes closer to his favorite gods. Once again, the word faith is not quite relevant: in India, religion is so self-evident that no one wonders if the gods are there or not. They are there... Once a Hindu writer said that India is so full of gods that there is one god for two Hindus and a half.

Buddhism requires no particular faith: the basic teachings are quite simple, dealing with existence and suffering, and Buddhist practice is a way to put an end to suffering by putting an end to existence. Some say Buddhism is not a religion, but a sort of practical philosophy. There are gods in Buddhism, but they are slaves to Destiny just like any other living creatures.

The only religion in which the word faith is relevant is the Christian: for the Christians, faith is the main quality one must have to be saved, even more important than obeying the commandments, as stated in the Gospels by Jesus himself.

I hope this will be of some help.

Answer 3

Jewish: I don't know a lot about this religion except that they believe in Torah and Moses (PBUH) celebrate Hunnakka.

Muslim: Believe in one god,and his prophets.believe that Jesus (PBUH) was a prophet and nothing more or less. Believe in Quran but respect and believe in every other prophet and books. Believe that Mohamed (PBUH) was the last prophet. Don't drink Alcohol, or eat pig. Heaven and Hell

Hinduism: one of the most ancient religion, believe in many different gods. based on harmony ones self and soul

Buddhism: created in Moses(PBUH) time when he went away to the mountains for a while. basically based on a stone statue and they worship it. (sprituality within ones self)

Answer 4

BUDDHISM
http://www.allaahuakbar.net/buddhism/index.htm

HINDU AND HINDUISM
http://www.allaahuakbar.net/hindu/index.htm

http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Books/MB_BQS/default.htm

Answer 5

the attached link is good for learning about Judaism, the big thing is that theres a singular, undivided God, no trinity,

oh and no eternal hell. and no devil.

Answer 6

i can tell you that you need to find out for yourself, because religion is objective and its different for everyone

Answer 7

Before answering your question, please we need to clarify a very important point, which is:

- Don't ever judge a religion according to its people. Followers may be the worst example of a religion as they wouldn't be following its teachings exactly... and this applies to all religions.

Now i can answer your question:

In a few words, Muslims realize that a world cannot be controlled by many Gods, and that one God is a sole and supreme power who controls the world. Imagine a ship with many captains onboard; Who would take the final decision as to where the ship would settle and how it will be controlled? Obviously, a ship with many captains would sink as each captain would want to take charge. Imagine the same with the world. Only one God takes the decision without struggling with others.

We believe that Prophet Mohammed is the final prophet who God has chosen to send him His words and spread it to people. Islam is a continuation of Judaism and Christianity. We believe that religion has come in three stages as it's God's tactic of mercy by applying His teachings bit by bit.

We believe and respect all prophets, starting from Abraham and all the way until Mohammed. We believe in Moses and Jesus too.

Muslims believe in Jesus, but as a prophet that introduced the world to the Bible, the word of God. But unfortunately, we realize that the Bible has been changed and altered many times by some Christian figures. That's why we see many contradictions in the book.

We love Mary, as God said many times in the Quran that she's the purest woman on earth and she's the best female that ever existed. She's highly appreciated.

God said that people are created for two purposes: To worship Him and develop the world. Science, research and technology is vital; it's what our religion calls for. Most of the science we witness today, like medicine, astrology, mathematics, engineering to philosophy and so on, was discovered by Muslims, like Ibn Sina, Ibn Rushd etc. Unfortunately, as Muslims today mostly live in the Arab world and are controlled by many corrupt, dictator leaders, they live in humiliating conditions where many barriers (like poverty) exist which severely hinders us to progress.

Democracy is a must; it's called "shurra" in Arabic. No place for dictatorship. Mohammed, before taking any decision (like political), consulted and asked his followers, including men and women.

When Fair Muslim Caliphs were in charge many years ago, Muslims were the pioneers. For example, during Omar Ibn Al-Khattab's reign (one of Prophet Mohammed's best friends), the rate of poverty was zero; not a creature in his country was hungry. Believe it or not, but wolves peacefully wondered around sheep without attacking it. Now, imagine that.

Moreover, our religion calls for fairness among all creatures, despite gender, color, ethnicity etc. All people are equal before God, except those who do better are more appreciated by Him.

God loves us and is known by his matchless mercy. To Him we surrender and repent. He forgives all sins and orders people to love each other, be united and respect and protect human rights. For instance, REAL Muslims (who practice their religion rightfully)would not stop non-Muslims from practicing their religion, as some other religion would do. This is called freedom of thought and speech.

What's extremely important in Islam is highly evaluating parents. Those who do not give them enough respect, love, care, and support won't do well in life as they're not pleasing God. Family ties is essential, and people mustn't ever cut ties with relatives.

A Muslim must be modest and humble. Arrogance has no place in our religion.

Some sins are distinguished as 'great sins,' and this includes:

-Killing any soul. Not because a person is non-Muslim then they should be killed. That's terrorism, period. Terrorists are hated by God.

-Drinking alcohol (as it affects your brain and causes you to act unacceptably and then regret it later. It also affects your health).

-Pork. Again, its very unhealthy. A pig eats rubbish.

-Gambling (it makes you risk your money and lose it just for having fun. Money is a gift that should be spent logically and on important things. You should not be stingy and you shouldn't spend it foolishly).

-Illegal sex. You should only have sex with your spouse.

-Ruining a woman's reputation. Gossiping is a taboo. Even if the nasty stuff that you have said about a woman is true, yet you still shouldn't talk about it. A woman's reputation is sensitive and by this you are ruining her life. Also, you are making it more difficult for a her (if she was as a sinner) to repent.

(Talking and gossiping about any person whether man or woman is a sin, just to make it clear).

Seriously, there are load's to talk about; I'm just giving you quick hints. Please make sure to read the Quran, but notice that some verses were said during certain events. For instance, if you read some thing like: 'kill the infidels,' please take note that this verse was said during a time when some non-Muslims were killing Muslims as the former were against Islam. So God ordered people to DEFEND themselves and lives from this brutality. However, during war, Muslims MUST NOT kill or fight women, children, old people, sick people, and unarmed individuals (including unarmed soldiers). Muslims should not battle at night as people must rest peacefully at night at their homes.

It's stuff like that that you should be aware of so not to misinterpret the book. Make sure not to ask any Muslim to explain any thing in the Quran as they could further mess it up for you with their lack of knowledge. Always ask a Muslim scientist or a trusted Muslim preacher for something that you don't know. Also, avoid websites and books (including the Quran) that is translated by Westerners as they could be some non-Muslims ruining this religion. (But I guess I can refer you to only 2 web-sites:- www.islamalways.com and www.irf.net Pick books that are translated by Muslim Arabs (check in the book the place of translation).

I know that was tooo long, but i was trying to help. Please feel free to email me at [e-mail]

Good luck :))

Answer 8

i happen to be jewish. what do you want to know?

Answer 9

CONCEPT OF GOD IN ISLAM

The most concise definition of God in Islam is given in the four verses of Surah Ikhlas which is Chapter 112 of the Qur’an:

"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 112:1-4]

The word ‘Assamad’ is difficult to translate. It means ‘absolute existence’, which can be attributed only to Allah (swt), all other existence being temporal or conditional. It also means that Allah (swt) is not dependant on any person or thing, but all persons and things are dependant on Him.

Surah Ikhlas - the touchstone of theology:

Surah Ikhlas (Chapter 112) of the Glorious Qur’an, is the touchstone of theology. ‘Theo’ in Greek means God and ‘logy’ means study. Thus Theology means study of God and to Muslims this four line definition of Almighty God serves as the touchstone of the study of God. Any candidate to divinity must be subjected to this ‘acid test’. Since the attributes of Allah given in this chapter are unique, false gods and pretenders to divinity can be easily dismissed using these verses.

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.

1. Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah
2. Tawheed al-Asmaa-was-Sifaat
3. Tawheed al-Ibaadah.

A.
Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah (maintaining the unity of Lordship)


The first category is ‘Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah’. ‘Ruboobeeyah’ is derived from the root verb "Rabb" meaning Lord, Sustainer and Cherisher.

Therefore ‘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.

B.
Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat (maintaining the unity of Allah’s name and attributes):

The second category is ‘Tawheed al Asmaa was Sifaat’ which means maintaining the unity of Allah’s name and attributes. This category is divided into five aspects:

(i)
Allah should be referred to as described by Him and His Prophet

Allah must be referred to according to the manner in which He and His prophet have described Him without explaining His names and attributes by giving them meanings other than their obvious meanings.

(ii)
Allah must be referred to as He has referred to Himself

Allah must be referred to without giving Him any new names or attributes. For example Allah may not be given the name Al-Ghaadib (the Angry One), despite the fact that He has said that He gets angry, because neither Allah nor His messenger have used this name.

(iii)
Allah is referred to without giving Him the attributes of His creation



In a reference to God, we should strictly abstain from giving Him the attributes of those whom He has created. For instance in the Bible, God is portrayed as repenting for His bad thoughts in the same way as humans do when they realise their errors. This is completely against the principle of Tawheed. God does not commit any mistakes or errors and therefore never needs to repent.

The key principle when dealing with Allah’s attributes is given in the Qur’an in Surah Ash-Shura:

"There is nothing
Whatever like unto Him,
And He is the One
That hears and sees (all things)."
[Al-Qur’an 42:11]

Hearing and seeing are human faculties. However, when attributed to the Divine Being they are without comparison, in their perfection, unlike when associated with humans who require ears, eyes, etc. and who are limited in their sight and hearing in terms of space, time, capacity, etc.

(iv)
God’s creation should not be given any of His attributes

To refer to a human with the attribute of God is also against the principle of Tawheed. For example, referring to a person as one who has no beginning or end (eternal).

(v)
Allah’s name cannot be given to His creatures

Some Divine names in the indefinite form, like ‘Raoof’ or ‘Raheem’ are permissible names for men as Allah has used them for Prophets; but ‘Ar-Raoof’ (the Most Pious) and Ar-Raheem (the most Merciful) can only be used if prefixed by ‘Abd’ meaning ‘slave of’ or ‘servant of’ i.e. ’Abdur-Raoof’ or ‘Abdur-Raheem’. Similarly ‘Abdur-Rasool’ (slave of the Messenger) or ‘Abdun-Nabee’ (slave of the Prophet) are forbidden.

C.
Tawheed al-Ibaadah (maintaining the unity of worship):

(i)
Definition and meaning of ‘Ibadaah’:

‘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.

(ii)
All three categories to be followed simultaneously.



Only believing in the first two categories of Tawheed without implementing Tawheed-al-Ibaadah is useless. The Qur’an gives the examples of ‘Mushrikeens’ (idolaters) of the Prophet’s time who confirmed the first two aspects of Tawheed. It is mentioned in the Qur’an:

"Say: ‘Who is it that
Sustains you (in life)
From the sky and from the earth?
Or who is it that
Has power over hearing
And sight? And who
Is it that brings out
The living from the dead
And the dead from the living?
And who is it that
Rules and regulates all affairs?’
They will soon say, ‘Allah’.
Say, ‘Will you not then
Show piety (to Him)?’ "
[Al-Qur’an 10:31]

A similar example is repeated in Surah Zukhruf of the Glorious Qur’an:

"If thou ask them, Who
Created them, they will
Certainly say, ‘Allah’: how
Then are they deluded
Away (from the Truth)?"
[Al-Qur’an 43:87]

The pagan Meccans knew that Allah (swt) was their Creator, Sustainer, Lord and Master. Yet they were not Muslims because they also worshipped other gods besides Allah. Allah (swt) categorised them as ‘Kuffaar’ (disbelievers) and ‘Mushrikeen’ (idol worshippers and those who associate partners with God).

"And most of them
Believe not in Allah
Without associating (others
As partners) with Him!"
[Al-Qur’an 12:106]

Thus ‘Tawheed al-Ibaadah’ i.e. maintaining the unity of worship is the most important aspect of Tawheed. Allah (swt) alone deserves worship and He alone can grant benefit to man for his worship.

SHIRK:

A.
Definition:The omission of any of the above mentioned categories of tawheed or deficiency in the fulfillment 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.

B.
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]

The same message is repeated in Surah Al-Nisa’:

"Allah forgives not
(The sin of) joining other gods
With Him; but He forgives
Whom He pleases other sins
Than this: one who joins
Other gods with Allah,
Has strayed far, far away
(From the Right)."
[Al-Qur’an 4:116]

C.
Shirk leads to hell fire:



The Qur’an says in Surah Ma’idah:

"They do blaspheme who say:
‘Allah is Christ the son
Of Mary.’ But said Christ:
‘O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord
And your Lord’. Whoever joins other gods with Allah –
Allah will forbid him the Garden, and the Fire
Will be his abode. There will for the wrongdoers
Be no one to help."
[Al-Qur’an 5:72]

D.
Worship and Obedience to none but Allah:



The Qur’an mentions in Surah Ali-’Imran:

Say: "O people of the Book!
Come To common terms
As between us and you:
That we worship none but Allah;
That we associate no partners with Him;
That we erect not, from among ourselves,
Lords and patrons other than Allah."
If then they turn back,
Say ye: "Bear witness that we (at least)
Are Muslims (bowing to Allah’s Will)."
[Al-Qur’an 3:64]

The Glorious Qur’an says:

"And if all the trees on earth were pens
And the Ocean (were ink), with seven Oceans behind it
To add to its (supply), yet would not the Words
Of Allah be exhausted (In the writing): for Allah
Is Exalted in power, Full of Wisdom."
[Al-Qur’an 31:27]

Our analysis of Concept of God in various Religion shows that monotheism is an integral part of every major religion of the world. However, it is unfortunate that some adherents of these religions violate the teachings of their own scriptures and have set up partners to Almighty God.

An analysis of the scriptures of various religions, reveals that all scriptures exhort mankind to believe in, and submit to One God. All these scriptures condemn the association of partners to God, or the worship of God in the form of images. The Glorious Qur’an says:

"O men! Here is
A parable set forth!
Listen to it! Those
On whom, besides Allah,
You call, cannot create
(Even) a fly, if they all
Met together for the purpose!
And if the fly should snatch
Away anything from them,
They would have no power
To release it from the fly.
Feeble are those who petition
And those whom they petition!"
[Al-Qur’an 22:73]

The basis of religion is the acceptance of Divine guidance. A rejection of this guidance has serious implications for society. While we have made great strides in science and technology, true peace still eludes us. All ‘isms’ have failed to provide the much vaunted deliverance.

The scriptures of all major religions exhort mankind to follow that which is good and eschew that which is evil. All scriptures remind mankind that good will not go unrewarded and evil will not go unpunished!

The question we need to address is, which of these scriptures provides us with the correct ‘instruction manual’ that we need to regulate our individual and collective lives?

I hope and pray that Allah guides all of us towards the Truth (Aameen).



CONCEPT OF GOD IN CHRISTIANITY:

1.
Jesus Christ (pbuh) never claimed Divinity



One may ask, if both Muslims and Christians love and respect Jesus (pbuh), where exactly is the parting of ways? 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):

(i) "My Father is greater than I."
[The Bible, John 14:28]

(ii) "My Father is greater than all."
[The Bible, John 10:29]

(iii) "…I cast out devils by the Spirit of God…."
[The Bible, Mathew 12:28]

(iv) "…I with the finger of God cast out devils…."
[The Bible, Luke 11:20]

(v) "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, John 5:30]

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, Mathew 5:17-20]

3.
God Sent Jesus' (pbuh)

The Bible mentions the prophetic nature of Jesus (pbuh) mission in the following verses:

(i)


"… and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me."
[The Bible, John 14:24]

(ii)


"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent."
[The Bible, John 17:3]


CONCEPT OF GOD IN JUDAISM

Judaism is one of the major Semitic religions. Its followers are known as Jews and they believe in the prophetic mission of Prophet Moses (pbuh).

(i) The following verse from Deuteronomy contains an exhortation from Moses: (pbuh)
"Shama Israelu Adonai Ila Hayno Adna Ikhad" It is a Hebrew quotation which means
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord"
[The Bible, Deut 6:4]

(ii) Consider the following verses from the Book of Isaiah :
"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 see them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God…"
[The Bible, Exodus 20:3-5]

(iv) A similar message is repeated in the book of Deutoronomy :
"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, Deut 5:7-9]

CONCEPT OF GOD IN HINDUISM

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:

1.

"Ekam evadvitiyam"
"He is One only without a second."
[Chandogya Upanishad 6:2:1]1
2.

"Na casya kascij janita na cadhipah."
"Of Him there are neither parents nor lord."
[Svetasvatara Upanishad 6:9]2
3.

"Na tasya pratima asti"
"There is no likeness of Him."
[Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:19]3
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]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.



1. Yajurveda
The following verses from the Yajurveda echo a similar concept of God:

1.

"na tasya pratima asti
"There is no image of Him."
[Yajurveda 32:3]5
2.

"shudhama poapvidham"
"He is bodyless and pure."
[Yajurveda 40:8]6
3.

"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.
4.

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]


2. Atharvaveda
The Atharvaveda praises God in Book 20, hymn 58 and verse 3:
1. "Dev maha osi"
"God is verily great"
[Atharvaveda 20:58:3]9


3. Rigveda
1.

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]
2.

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:
3.

"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
4.

"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:

1.

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".
2.

Prophet was given eternal law, i.e. the Shariah.
3.

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."


CONCEPT OF GOD IN BUDDHISM



Buddha was silent about the existence or non-existence of God. It may be that since India was drowned in idol worship and anthropomorphism that a sudden step to monotheism would have been drastic and hence Buddha may have chosen to remain silent on the issue of God. He did not deny the existence of God. Buddha was once asked by a disciple whether God exists? He refused to reply. When pressed, he said that if you are suffering from a stomach ache would you concentrate on relieving the pain or studying the prescription of the physician. "It is not my business or yours to find out whether there is God – our business is to remove the sufferings of the world".

Buddhism provided Dhamma or the ‘impersonal law’ in place of God. However this could not satisfy the craving of human beings and the religion of self-help had to be converted into a religion of promise and hope. The Hinayana sect could not hold out any promise of external help to the people. The Mahayana sect taught that Buddha’s watchful and compassionate eyes are on all miserable beings, thus making a God out of Buddha. Many scholars consider the evolution of God within Buddhism as an effect of Hinduism.

Many Buddhists adopted the local god and thus the religion of ‘No-God’ was transformed into the religion of ‘Many-Gods’ – big and small, strong and weak and male and female. The ‘Man-God’ appears on earth in human form and incarnates from time to time. Buddha was against the caste-system prevalent in the Hindu society.