Father, Rabbi, Maulana and Brahmin: How Priests Became God
By S.
Arshad, New Age Islam
9 March
2021
Religious
heads or priests assume an important place in all the major religions of the
world. They are responsible for the smooth running of religious places ---
mosques, churches, temples, synagogues etc – along with guiding the followers
of their respective religions in religious matters. However, over time, this
section of the community became powerful and assumed centre stage in their
respective communities. They possess the theoretical and practical knowledge of
their respective religions and are considered an authority in religious
matters. Therefore, Maulana in Muslim community, Father (or church father) in
Christian community, Rabbi in Jewish community and Brahmin in Hindu religious
community hold an important position in their respective religious societies.
Brahmin, Priest, Maulana and Rabbi
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However, the concept of clergy in these societies (except in Hinduism) is not supported by their respective scriptures – the holy Quran, the holy Bible and the holy Torah. Only in Chhandogya Upanishad, the Brahmins have been granted a special status. The devotees are expected not to speak ill of the Brahmins.
The most
striking aspect of the titles Maulana, Rabbi, Father and Brahmin conferred on
the religious heads is that they are in fact used by the Holy Scriptures for
God and not for the religious heads or priests. The priests adopted these
titles to suggest that they were next to God and so very important and revered
persons.
For
example, the term Maulana which is used for religious heads or priests of
Muslims in the Indian sub-continent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri
Lanka). A Maulana is a religious scholar having graduated from a madrasa and
has authority on Shariah matters. But the literal meaning of the word Maulana
is our God or our Lord. (Maulana). The word occurs in the Quran on two
occasions (2:286 and 9:51). The word is not used in the Arab world and in Iran
it is used only to mean the philosopher Rumi (Maulana Rum). In some African
countries, the word means any scholar or secular public figure. How and when
the word meaning God came to be used by Muslims in the Indian sub-continent for
religious heads is a matter of research.
The word
Rabbi is used for religious heads or priests in Judaism. A Rabbi has the theoretical knowledge of
Judaic religious texts like Talmud and is responsible for the services in a
Synagogue. But the word Rabbi does not find a place in the Hebrew Bible. It was
used for the Talmudic era religious teachers who would assemble to codify
Judaism’s written and oral laws. The word rabbi is derived from the Hebrew word
rav meaning the great one or master. In later years, that is from the 1ST
century CE, the word has been used for religious heads of Jews. The word in
Arabic means my God or my Lord. Therefore, the Rabbis adopted a word that
literally meant my God.
The
Christian priests are called church father or generally, Father. In Trinitarian
Christianity, God is called the Father. He is God the Father, God the son and
God the Holy Spirit. In many verses in the New Testament, God describes himself
as Father to the humankind. In the early era of Christianity, from the 1st
century to the 8th century CE, influential Christian theologians and writers
who established intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity were
called Church Fathers. But the church
priests of the later era also used the term for themselves because it gave them
a sense of superiority in their community. Thus, they used a word for
themselves which God used for himself in the Bible.
In
Hinduism, the temple priests are called Brahmin but the word is pronounced a
little differently from the same word meaning the formless attributeless God Brahmin.
Brahmin meaning the priest is pronounced as Brahmin with a long “A”. In the
Vedas, Brahmin is the creative principle, or the Supreme Being which creates,
destroys and sustains the universe. The Vedas and the Upanishads use the word Brahmin
for the Supreme Being or the indwelling soul of the material world a number of
times. However, as mentioned earlier, Chhandogya Upanishad has recognized the
institution of Brahminhood and asks devotees to be respectful of Brahmins.
The word
Maulana among Muslims seems to be inspired by the Judaic and Christian
traditions of adopting the word meant for God though Muslims, particularly in
the Indian sub-continent talk ad nauseam of Jewish conspiracies to corrupt
Muslim minds and their beliefs.
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S.
Arshad is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com
URL: https://newageislam.com/interfaith-dialogue/father,-rabbi,-maulana-brahmin-how/d/124497
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