Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism and All Other Faiths Believe in Oneness of God and Purity of Heart as the Essence of Religion
By
Arman Neyazi, New Age Islam
23
August 2021
Christians,
Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Followers of Almost All Other Faiths Agree On the
Basic Idea of Religion and That Is That 'God Is Infinite
Main
Points:
1. Religions,
both monotheistic and polytheistic have no grudges between them on the question
of God being Almighty, All-Knowing, Compassionate and Forgiving.
2. We
the human being are divided into nations and races as it creates vibrancy in
life.
3. The
differences created by us came to a pass and got a form of an unbridgeable
gulf.
4. Christmas
and Lohri among other festivals have been an inseparable part of our social
lives irrespective of our religious faith, in India.
5. Bringing
back religious togetherness in our society will not be difficult, we just need
to take the first step toward inclusiveness of our world society.
----
Christians,
Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and followers of almost all other faiths agree on the
basic idea of religion and that is that 'God is infinite, with the essence of
all affirmative values’. Religions, both monotheistic and polytheistic have no
grudges between them on the question of God being Almighty, All-Knowing,
Compassionate and Forgiving. We the human
being are divided into nations and communities, as the Holy Quran says, 'O
mankind, We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into races
and tribes, so that you may identify one another... (Al-Hujurat - 13)' so that
we could identify each other and live with piety and brotherhood. The same Ayat
further says, ‘Surely the noblest of you, in Allah’s sight, is the one who is
most pious of you. Surely Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware (Al-Hujurat - 13)'.
Allah the All-Knower knows who among us is noble and pious. We have not been
divided into nations and races for creating differences among us. We as
different nations and races create vibrancy in life that is a beauty of
society.
We
misunderstood our differences and engaged in a race of supremacism regarding
our nations, races and tribes. Resultantly the differences created by us came
to a pass and got a form of an unbridgeable gulf. But it is not so. With the
essence of belief in His Oneness and His guidance we, the human being can
bridge any gap no matter how wide it may be. Allah, The Most Gracious says in
the Holy Quran:
...Therefore, make peace
between your brethren and observe your duty to Allah that haply ye may obtain
mercy.
(Al-Hujurat: 10)
All
human beings are God’s creation, therefore, the Holy Quran’s revelations are
for the whole of humanity. The verses of the Holy Quran are meant for all human
beings. Above mentioned verse commands all to establish peace and harmony among
the creations of Allah, the Creator.
Who
will Bell the Cat
The
question is who will take the initiative towards the togetherness of all the
human beings, with all its religious and cultural traits that are the most
beautiful treat for the righteously guided people. Holi, Eid, Christmas and
Lohri among other festivals have been an inseparable part of our social lives
irrespective of our religious faith, in India. Bringing back those golden old
days of religious togetherness will not be difficult, we just need to take the
first step to inclusiveness of our world society.
It
is heartening to note that various religious and spiritual leaders and
organisations are at work towards the inclusiveness of society. We the people
of the world are guided by the politics of the day in almost every matter even
our religious faith, hence our world political leaders will have to come
forward and reverse the trend of religious egoism, religious jealousy and
cultural disintegration.
Religions
Advocate the Positivities of Life
No
one religion does not address, truthfulness, kindness, compassion and
inclusiveness among its followers. Every religion and faith talks of human
beings being supreme creations of God. And it means God has blessed us all with
the wisdom and intellect that we can achieve even the most difficult
achievements. And bringing a sense of community inclusiveness and compassion
among the followers of different religious beliefs and faiths is not an
unachievable task. It is just that faithful among us who do not understand the
basic traits and characteristics and essence of our religions will have to be
taught the beauty of religious ethics. Most of the people among us follow our
religions blindly on the guidelines of the half-baked religious leaders in
mosques, madrasas, temples, shrines and religious educational institutions
hence we also become people of half-knowledge that is dangerous for human
societies. Many of us are unaware of the similarities in the religious
incidents around our prophets and apostles.
For
example, the incident of the Noah (Hazrat Nuh (AS)) and his ark, that is
mentioned in all the Abrahamic religions and there is a similar story in Vedas
(a collection of four books forming the earliest body of Hindu scripture. The
Vedas story has a King who was warned by Lord Vishnu about the Flood.
The
concept of sending Prophets in the Abrahamic religions to propagate the message
of Allah finds similarity in the concept of Avatars (Ram and Krishna) coming in
the form of a human being to spread the message of divinity. Consider following
Quranic, Biblical verses and Shlokas and sayings of other religious leaders on
the similarities of the religions and religious ethics.
Quranic
Ayaat on the Concept of Religion
Say, "O People of the
Scripture, come to a word that is equitable between us and you - that we will
not worship except Allah and not associate anything with Him and not take one
another as lords instead of Allah." But if they turn away, then say,
"Bear witness that we are Muslims [submitting to Him]." - (Al-Imran: 64)
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-Ikhlas: 112)
He has certainly succeeded who
purifies himself
- (Al-A'la - 14)
Except for him who comes up to
Allah with a sound heart." - (Ash-Shu'ara - 89)
Biblical
Verses on the Concept of Religion
“Blessed
are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” - Matthew 5:8
"I,
even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour."- (The Bible, Isaiah 43:11)
"I
am Lord, and there is none else, there is no God besides Me." - (The Bible, Isaiah 45:5)
"I
am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me." -
(The Bible, Isaiah 46:9)
"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)
Concept
of Religion in Hinduism
BG
4.38: In this world, there is nothing as purifying as divine knowledge. One who
has attained purity of mind through prolonged practice of Yog, receives such
knowledge within the heart, in due course of time.
"He
is One only without a second." - (Chandogya Upanishad 6:2:1)
"Of
Him there are neither parents nor lord." - Svetasvatara Upanishad 6:9
"There
is no likeness of Him." - (Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:19)
"His
form is not to be seen; no one sees Him with the eye." - (Svetasvatara
Upanishad 4:20)
Consider
What Sikhism Says On the Concept of Religion
Only
those beings are pure who meditate (and contemplate) on the Supreme Master.
The
Guru-orientated devotees become pure by meditating on the Master.
With
their devout aura and influence, their parents, family and friends, too, become
pure and pious.
Pure,
also, are those who recite, listen and enshrine Waheguru’s Name in their minds
(consciousness).
Says
Nanak, pure is the Guru-orientated persons who constantly contemplate the
Lord. - SGGS 919
Taoism
Concept of Religion
"I
have heard from my teacher that those who have cunning implements are cunning
in their dealings and that those who are cunning in their dealings have cunning
in their hearts, and that those who have cunning in their hearts cannot be pure
and incorrupt, and that those who are not pure and incorrupt are restless in
spirit and not fit vehicles for TAO. It is not that I do not know of these
things. I should be ashamed to use them."-
Chuang Tzu ~ Chap 12
Buddhist
Concept of Religion
All
that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our
thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with an evil
thought, pain follows him, as the wheel follows the foot of the ox that draws
the carriage. All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is
founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts
with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves
him. - Dhammapada V. 1-2
Baha'i
Concept of Religion
O
SON OF SPIRIT! My first counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and radiant
heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and everlasting. -
Bahá'u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no. 1
The
Concept of Shintoism
If
we keep un-perverted the human heart—which is like unto heaven and received
from the earth—that is God - - (Revelation to Mikado Seiwa)
Zoroastrian
Concept of Religion
He
is One. He is without an origin or end. He has no father or mother, wife or
son. He is without a body or form. Nothing resembles Him. Neither the eye can
behold Him, nor can the power of thinking conceive Him. He is above all that
you can imagine. He is nearer to you than yourself.
The
religious concepts of religions of the world do not differentiate from each
other. All the religions talk in the same vein as far as the betterment of
human society and life after death is concerned. The goal of all religions is
to purify the heart and the mind of the followers so that God manifests in the
hearts of His believers. The act of purifying may differ in all the religions
such as prayers through Zikr, Kirtan and meditations. The ways are different
but the aim is to get the blessings of the Creator.
Consider
the following saying by Anonymous, I read somewhere:
“When one understands one
religion completely, one will understand all religions completely and when one
understands all religions completely, one will understand one religion
completely”
Consider
a famous Hadees of Prophet ﷺ:
"Actions are according to
intentions, and everyone will get what was intended. Whoever migrates with an
intention for Allah and His messenger, the migration will be for the sake of
Allah and his Messenger. And whoever migrates for worldly gain or to marry a
woman, then his migration will be for the sake of whatever he migrated
for." - (Related by Bukhari and Muslim)
The
basic question to be asked in today's world is, who are we to disintegrate
society and break the social norms in the name of religion.
And
Allah Knows the Best.
----
Arman
Neyazi is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/interfaith-dialogue/christianity-hinduism-judaism-oneness/d/125260
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