The Concept of Monotheism in Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Christianity: A Perspective of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (Part Four)
By Dr. Zafar Darik Qasmi, New Age Islam
24 October 2025
Abstract:
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, in Tarjuman al-Qur’an, discussed the concept of monotheism in different religions. He explained that ancient Chinese worshipped the “Heavenly Being,” which showed partial belief in one power. Zoroastrianism believed in one God, Ahura Mazda, but also accepted two opposing forces, Good and Evil. Judaism believed in one God but limited Him to the Israelites. Christianity introduced divine love but mixed it with the Trinity and other ideas. According to Azad, the Qur’an restored pure monotheism (Tawheed), removing all forms of dualism, polytheism, and anthropomorphic beliefs from earlier traditions.
Main Points:
1. Azad studied how ancient religions understood God and the concept of divine unity or oneness.
2. Chinese faith believed in a “Heavenly Being,” showing mixed ideas of mercy and wrath.
3. Zoroastrianism accepted Ahura Mazda as one God but also believed in Good and Evil spirits.
4. Judaism upheld monotheism but viewed God as the exclusive Lord of the Israelites.
5. Christianity taught love and mercy but later mixed pure monotheism with the idea of Trinity.
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In the first volume of his renowned commentary Tarjuman al-Qur’an, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad presents a very interesting and scholarly discussion on the religious ideas that existed in the world at the time of the revelation of the Holy Qur’an. He also examines the concept of monotheism within those religions.
Maulana Azad writes that at the time of the Qur’an’s revelation, five major religious concepts were prevalent in the world: Chinese, Indian, Magian (Zoroastrian), Jewish, and Christian traditions.
(Azad, Abul Kalam Muhiyuddin, Tarjuman al-Qur’an, Sahitya Akademi, 1989, Vol. 1, p. 258)
He discusses in great depth the teachings of all these religions and ideologies, analysing whether the idea of Tawheed (Oneness of God) existed in them or not.
The Chinese Religious and Philosophical Concept
According to Maulana Azad, in ancient China there existed, alongside the belief in local deities, a belief in a “Heavenly Being” — a supreme and exalted entity whose sublimity could only be imagined by looking up to the sky. The heavens were seen as both the source of kindness and generosity as well as of wrath and destruction.
The sun provided light and warmth; the stars illuminated the dark nights; the rain enriched the earth with various forms of vegetation — yet lightning and thunder brought fear and devastation. Thus, in the concept of the Heavenly God, both mercy and wrath were manifest.
Azad refers to ancient Chinese poetry, in which these contrasting aspects of the heavens are expressed with astonishment and confusion:
“What is this that there is no harmony in Your acts? You bestow life, and yet from You come the bolts of destruction.”
(Ibid., p. 259)
Maulana Azad further writes:
“Apart from this Heavenly Being, there were also the spirits of departed humans, believed to have gained powers of influence in the other world. Therefore, they too were considered worthy of worship. Each family had its own ancestral spirits, and every region its local gods.” (Ibid., p. 260)
In short, in the Chinese worldview, the idea of God had been replaced by the concept of the “Heavenly Being.” The sky itself was taken as divine. Azad notes:
“This ‘Heaven’ became such a fundamental element in the Chinese concept that Chinese society came to be called the ‘Heavenly Society,’ and the Chinese Empire, the ‘Heavenly Kingdom.’” (Ibid., p. 259)
Magianism (Zoroastrianism)
Maulana Azad, in the same commentary, writes about the religion of the Magians and their concept of monotheism and worship:
“Before the advent of Zoroaster, an ancient Iranian system of worship was prevalent in Meda and Persia. As in the Indian Vedas, where the worship of gods and the rituals of sacrifice existed, similar beliefs and practices were found among the Medes and Persians.
The divine powers were divided into two great manifestations: one of bright and beneficent beings, who bestowed life’s blessings, and the other of dark and evil spirits, who were the source of misfortune and destruction. Altars were built for the worship of fire, and their priests were known as Mogosh. In the Avesta’s Gathas, they are referred to as Karapan and Kari.
Later, the term Mogosh gave rise to the concept of fire worship, and foreign nations began calling the Iranians Mag and Magosh — the Arabs, in turn, pronounced it as Majus.” (Ibid., pp. 278–279)
After describing the history and culture of the Magians and the religion of Zoroaster, Maulana Azad adds:
“When Zoroaster appeared, he liberated the Iranians from their ancient beliefs and introduced the faith of Mazdaism — the worship of one supreme God, Ahura Mazda.
Ahura Mazda is One, unique, incomparable; He is light, purity, wisdom, goodness, and the Creator of the entire universe. He made two worlds: one of earthly life and another of life after death. The body perishes, but the soul remains, receiving reward or punishment according to its deeds.
In place of the many gods, Zoroaster introduced the concept of Amesha Spentas and Yazatas, that is, angels who execute Ahura Mazda’s commands. Opposed to them is Angra Mainyu (later known in Pahlavi as Ahriman), the spirit of evil — the devil.” (Ibid., pp. 279–280)
From this passage it is evident that an element of monotheism did exist in Zoroastrianism. Zoroaster sought to move the Iranians away from polytheistic worship and towards belief in one God, although some of their theological concepts differ from Islamic teachings.
Maulana Azad also notes that the Magian faith was based upon dualism — belief in two opposing forces, good and evil:
“The foundation of the Magian concept rested upon dualism: there exist two independent forces — good and evil. Whatever Ahura Mazda does is good and full of light, while whatever Angra Mainyu (Ahriman) does is evil and darkness. Worship was centred on the sun and fire, for light was considered the greatest manifestation of divine attributes. Thus, the Magian concept tried to solve the riddle of good and evil by dividing the control of the universe between two opposing forces.” (Ibid., p. 281)
From this, it becomes clear that the Magian concept is in contradiction to the Islamic idea of Tawheed, where God alone is the absolute and unique source of all power and will.
Judaism
Regarding Judaism, Maulana Azad writes:
“The Jewish concept was, in the beginning, a limited tribal concept. The Yahweh of the Book of Genesis appeared as the God of the family of Israel. Gradually, however, this idea expanded until, in the Book of Isaiah (Second Isaiah), God came to be described as the ‘God of all nations’ and the ‘Temple for all peoples.’ Yet, the national exclusiveness of the God of Israel continued in some form, and at the advent of Islam, the features of the Israelite God were still geographically and racially confined.
In terms of transcendence and anthropomorphism, the Jewish idea occupied a middle position. Its dominant traits were wrath, vengeance, and retribution. The repeated anthropomorphic appearances of God, His human-like emotions, and the severe imagery of punishment — all are common features of the Torah’s narrative style.
The relationship between God and man was portrayed like that between a husband and wife. The husband is jealous and passionate; he may forgive many faults, but not the betrayal of love. Similarly, the God of Israel was portrayed as a jealous deity who had made the house of Israel His beloved spouse. Hence, Israel’s unfaithfulness and association with other nations was depicted as a grave sin deserving severe punishment.
Among the Ten Commandments, one reads: ‘Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, nor bow down to them; for I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God.’” (Ibid., pp. 281–283)
From this it is evident that Judaism upholds the worship of one God and prohibits bowing before any other being. In the matter of monotheism, Judaism and Islam show a certain degree of harmony and similarity.
Christianity
Describing Christianity, Maulana Azad writes:
“Christianity appeared bringing a new message of mercy, love, and forgiveness. The concept of God was no longer that of a tyrant king full of wrath, nor of a jealous husband burning with suspicion; rather, He was presented as a loving and compassionate Father.
Undoubtedly, compared to the severe conception of the Jewish God, this was a revolutionary development. Among human relationships, that between parent and child is the purest and most elevated — untainted by selfish desire or passion. It is a relationship of sheer mercy, care, and nurturing. Even if a child errs repeatedly, a mother’s love does not turn away, nor does a father’s compassion refuse forgiveness.
Therefore, if one must use human analogies to describe the divine, then certainly the image of the Father is nobler and more refined than that of the Husband.
In terms of transcendence and anthropomorphism, the Christian concept was essentially at the same level as that of the Jews. However, when Christian belief merged with the idolatrous ideas of the Roman world, the doctrines of the Trinity, Atonement, and the worship of Christ took root. The Alexandrian pagan philosophy surrounding the god Serapis blended with Christian thought, giving rise to a mixed ‘monotheistic–polytheistic’ theology.
Thus, though Christianity denied pagan idolatry, it did not object to its own. The ancient idol of Madonna was replaced by a new Christian Madonna — the statue of the Virgin holding the Son of God in her arms, demanding the prostration of every devout Christian.
Hence, at the time of the Qur’an’s revelation, the Christian conception had become a mixture of the natural idea of divine mercy and love with the doctrines of the Trinity, Atonement, and Incarnation — a syncretic concept that combined elements of both monotheism and polytheism.” (Ibid., pp. 283–285)
Conclusion
From Maulana Azad’s analysis, it becomes clear that before the revelation of the Qur’an, various nations held differing concepts of divinity.
The Chinese revered Heaven as a supreme power.
The Magians believed in two opposing forces of good and evil.
The Jews upheld the worship of one God but confined Him to their own nation.
The Christians introduced the idea of divine love but later mingled it with polytheistic elements.
The Qur’an, therefore, came as the final and complete manifestation of Tawheed — purifying the concept of God from all anthropomorphic, dualistic, or polytheistic distortions, and presenting the absolute unity and uniqueness of the Creator.
Other Parts of the Article:
The Concept of the Unity of Humanity in the Writings of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (Part One)
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s Perspective on the Unity of Religions (Part Two)
Hindu–Muslim Unity, Tolerance And Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (Part Three)
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Dr. Zafar Darik Qasmi is an author and a New Age Islam Regular Columnist.
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism