Shared spaces of Islam and Hinduism
By Francois Gautier
http://www.dailypioneer.com/secon3.asp?cat=\edit3&d=EDITS
At
a time when Hindus and Muslims have again started killing each other; when
mistrust, misunderstanding and hate stalk the two communities; it is imperative
that Islam and Hinduism learn at last to live together. There is no other
solution: Hindus cannot wish away the 130 million Muslim minority; and the
followers of Islam in India cannot ignore forever the feelings of the majority
community, who after all total 850 million strong in India and 1.1 billion
worldwide. Kashmir is an unsolvable problem, as neither Pakistan, nor India, are
ready to surrender their claims, and for obvious reasons. Ayodhya remains an
equally inextricable dilemma, because it has been politicised and communalised
so much by political parties, that nobody is willing to take the first step. But
then, how to bridge the apparently immense gap between Islam and Hinduism ?
On the surface, you cannot find two more dissimilar
religions: The first is a monotheistic faith which proclaims that Allah is the
only God and that believers of all other religions are to be treated as
"infidels"; the second swears by polytheism and adores thirty three
million Gods and Goddesses. Hindus face East to pray; Muslims turn to the West.
Hindus write from left to right; Muslims from right to left. Hindus love the
colour saffron, Muslims dote on green. While Muslims are regarded as Mlechhas
(unholy) by Hindus, Muslims consider Hindus Kafirs (infidels). Whereas the Quran
condemns idolaters to Hell and grants permission to the faithful to kill
infidels, Hindus are sitting and waiting for the Kalki Avatar to redeem the
world of Mlechhas. Because of these differences, both these creeds have been at
loggerhead for centuries and the Muslim invasions of India have been
exceptionally bloody. Even today, Islam and Hinduism collide in Kashmir, in
Ayodhya, or in the wars between Pakistan and India.
Yet,
unknown to both Muslims and Hindus, there exists striking similarities between
Islam and Hinduism. In a just released book, Hinduism and Islam, the Common
Thread (Vyakti Vikas Kendra, Bangalore, vvkpress@vsnl.com) Sri Sri Ravi Shankar,
the founder of the worldwide Art of Living movement, highlights the fact that
contrary to common belief, Hinduism is as monotheistic in its creed as Islam. 'Advaita',
for instance, keeps speaking about non-dual monotheism, while the Bhagavad
Gita says: "Eko devah sarva Bhutantaratma" (one God who dwells in
everybody). Or elsewhere: "All the 33 crore devi devtas are
nothing but the rays of one Paramatma (the Supreme Being)". We also find
that in Hinduism one God is given 108 names, or sometimes even 1008 names
("Sahastranaama"); in the same way, Islam believes in one God who is
vast and formless and He also is addressed by 99 other names.
It
is true that Islam abhors the worshipping of God in stones or images and that
this has been the prime motivation for Arabs and other Muslims to destroy so
many Hindu temples and statues in India from the 7th Century onwards. But do
Muslims know that many Hindus, at the end of a puja, say:"Hritpadma
karnikaa madhye shivena saha sundari; Pravishadvam mahadevi sarvai aavarnai saha"
(You return back to my heart from the idol). Though Islam strictly adheres to
the formless (nirakar), it has nevertheless recognised the importance of the
Form and the Symbol, symbolised by the Kaaba of Mecca; honouring it is
worshipping the Formless through the Form (sagun saakar). Offerings like Chaddar
at the Dargah is also a common traditional practice among Hindus, who like
offering Chunni to the Mother Divine in the temple. More important even, Namaaz
comes from two Sanskrit words: Nama (to worship) and Yaja (to unite with God.)
Vajrasana (a yogic posture) is an essential part of the Namaaz, which is
prescribed five times daily in the Quran. Friday, the holiest day for Muslims,
is as well the holy day for Hindus to worship of the Mother Divine (the Rahukal
puja or the noon puja on Friday is considered very auspicious by Hindus).
"The 30 days of prayer and fasting", says again Sri
Sri Ravi Shankar, "is akin to the Mandala puja and the name of
the Islamic month of Ramadan comes from the Sanskrit word Rama-dhyan. Dhyan
means to meditate and Ram in Sanskrit means 'the one who shines in the heart'.
Thus Ramadan refers to a time to meditate on God. Fasts are also associated with
Vedic worship, and Islam has retained that fasting and praying tradition for
Ramadan".
It
is also very important to note that in the Hindu tradition, although the moon
and stars are revered, it is the sun that predominates, since it was a source of
comfort in the icy Himalayas, the cradle of Hinduism. In the Arabian desert, it
was the moon and stars that gave comfort, while the harsh sun was hostile; hence
the moon and the stars were chosen as the symbols of serenity and divinity
(Shiva is also known as Chandrashekhara-one who has the crescent moon for a
crown). In a similar manner, in India, it was the saffron colour which stood out
in the greenery of the Gangetic plains, whereas green was chosen by the Arabs,
as it was seen from far in the yellow deserts and this is why today, green
adorns many Islamic flags. Again, in the Hindu tradition the first born of God
is Brahma and his wife is Saraswati; the first born of God in Islam is known as
Abraham (a-Brahma) and his wife is Sara. The Hindus
have a practice of chanting mantras on the beads of the japamala; the Muslims
too chant the 99 names of Allah on the 99 beads of their rosary.
Finally,
Mecca was also a holy place for Hindus. The ancient Vedic scripture
Harihareshwar Mahatmya mentions that Lord Vishnu's footprints are consecrated at
three holy sites, namely Gaya, Mecca and Shukla Teertha: "Ekam Padam
Gayayantu MAKKAYAANTU Dwitiyakam Tritiyam Sthapitam Divyam Muktyai Shuklasya
Sannidhau". Though Islam prohibits idol worship, the black Kaaba stone is
held sacred and holy and is called "Hajre Aswad" from the Sanskrit
word Sanghey Ashweta: Non-white stone (The Shiva Linga is also called Sanghey
Ashweta). The pedestal Maqam-E-Ibrahim at the centre of the Kaaba, is octagonal
in shape. In Hinduism, the pedestal of Brahma the creator is also octagonal in
shape. Just as in Hinduism, the custom of circumambulating (Pradakshina) the
Deity is practiced at the Kaaba also. The pilgrims go around the entire building
(Kaaba) seven times in the anticlockwise direction.
We
could go on forever and show more remarkable parallels between Islam and
Hinduism. But it is best to say that it is unfortunate that Hindus have
forgotten that all Muslims are their brothers and sisters and that only their
ways of worship are different. Muslims, in turn, have completely blanked out the
fact that their forefathers were Hindus once upon a time-even Afghanistan and
Arabia were part of Hindu kingdoms before the advent of Christ-so they have
every right to be proud of Vedic culture; they should not disown Hindu
traditions. Thus, Hindus and Muslims spring from the same family and must
respect each other more and more, so that this senseless clash of religion,
which in turn leads to a clash of civilisations, slowly fades away.
|