Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism A Comparative Study i
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Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism A Comparative Study By Dr. Abid Mushtaq Wani PhD Comparative Religion Department of Islamic Studies University of Kashmir India EDUCREATION PUBLISHING (Since 2011) www.educreation.in iii
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Content List Sr. No. Content Page Introduction 1 1. Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism 2. Concept of God in Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism 3. Concept of afterlife in Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism 4. Concept of Revelation in Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism 4 61 126 183 Conclusion 232 v
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Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism - A Comparative Study Introduction The study of Religion is acquiring Knowledge of our metaphysical history and should be done for its own sake. It is also to quench our emotional and intellectual thirst and a philosophical endevour. A religious phenomenon is peculiar to human species as it is because of our most sophisticated consciousness that we yearn for more than just survival techniques. The Comparative Study of Religion also helps us to know each others creed and rumour mongering is discouraged. This will hopefully lead to understanding and communal harmony. As Kashmir is the place of diverse religions, prominent among them is Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism, I have confined my work to the study of these three religions. I hope this will lead to a positive understanding of each other s religion. My approach in this work is descriptive in which I have elaborated the concepts of theology especially with respect to Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism. I have confined this thesis to only these three religions but have briefly described other major religions and cults. Furthermore, general concepts of religion, concept of God, life after death, Divine revelation and religious leadership have been discussed. The first chapter is Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism. It is an effort to describe thoroughly these three major religions of the world. I 1
Dr. Abid Mushtaq Wani considered Vedas and Upanishads as the major and primal source of Hinduism. Most of the scholars of Hinduism have discarded the books like Manusmriti as the source or lawbook of Hinduism. The ethical code of Hinduism is best presented in the Yogasutra of Patanjali as Yamas and Niyams. Islamic theology is taken from Quran and the authentic words of prophet. Sikhism is defined, mentioning the theories of scholars about it. In the second chapter I have discussed the concept of God in Hinduism. Primarily the Upanishads are presented as a source from where the concept of God is taken but later in the chapter Vedic pantheon of gods and goddesses are also presented with their literal and symbolic interpretations. Islamic concept of God has been taken mostly from Quran. The importance of monotheism and the abhorrence of polytheism according to Islamic theology have been stated. In Sikhism the concept of God is thoroughly mentioned from the Guru Granth Sahib which is the religious poetry of Gurus and saints mostly in praise of God. Third chapter is about the life after death. The life after death as stated in Quran, Hadith, Vedas, Upanishads, Gita and Guru Granth Sahib has been mentioned. Last chapter discusses the concept of revelation from God and the religious heads on which the revelation is bestowed from God. The concept of revelation and its variants are mentioned and thoroughly discussed from Hindu, Islamic and Sikh point of view. Avatarhood, Rishi phenomena, prophethood and gurudom also have been written. 2
Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism - A Comparative Study In conclusion I have tried to compare these theological concepts from Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism. ***** 3
Dr. Abid Mushtaq Wani Chapter 1 Hinduism, Islam And Sikhism HINDUISM Hinduism is one of the ancient religions of the world. It is an amalgamation of many aspects of theology and philosophy. It is a heterodox religion combining in its fold various beliefs of ancient people of India. The sacred texts of Hinduism contain monotheism, monism, pantheism, polytheism and animism. India is a country of diverse kinds of people but centralized in a cohesive paradigm of Hindu panorama. There is a view of the Absolute Brahman in the Upanishads at the one end and a plethora of Vedic deities on the other. That means Hinduism ranges from the metaphysical Monism to the pagan animism. There have always been different interpretations of this deep religion. Hinduism has six systems of philosophies, some of which are without the concept or mention of a supreme deity. It means Hinduism can take diverse range of beliefs in its fold. In this sense Hinduism is one of the inclusive religions of the world. In this inclusive system AdiShankaracharya can come up with his Advaita or Non Dual philosophy about the nature of God and universe, also Ramanujacharya brings forth the interpretation of Dualism or separation of God and the universe. Hence both the personalist and the impersonalist 4
Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism - A Comparative Study interpretations about the nature of Divine Being can coexist in Hinduism. A specific classification of Hinduism can be done in two forms; spiritualistic and ritualistic. Pure source of spiritualism in Hinduism is the metaphysical treatises known as Upanishads. The philosophical message embedded in the Upanishads is known as Vedanta. Here one can rise beyond the confines of organized religion because its approach is not dogmatic or theological but mystical and metaphysical. But there are other scriptures in Hinduism as well that are the source of much ritualistic jargon, such as caste system. Manusmriti can be brought as an example for a ritualistic setup of Hinduism. As we saw the coexisting of the personalism and the impersonalism in Hindu theology so is the coexistence of the spiritualistic and the ritualistic aspects present in the religious literature and in its various interpretations by various prominent scholars of the past and the present era. Hinduism has been a mother of many other prominent religions and ideologies and has influenced other metaphysical worldviews. We shall further define and explore Hinduism; it has neither a specific moment of origin nor a specific founder. Hindus believe that it has always existed and will always exist. Hinduism is called as Sanatana Dharma or Eternal Religion by Hindu scholars and common masses. It is thus a tradition of complex nature with various sects and sub sects with some commonality but it lacks a unified system of dogmas and rituals. It has numerous local and regional variations. One approach is to see all these sects as distinct religions and other approach is to see them as various paths sharing the same destination. At 5
Dr. Abid Mushtaq Wani the heart of Hinduism is the doctrine of Samsara or the cycle of birth and death which can be ended by Moksha or the final liberation. One s next life is determined by the actions words and thoughts of previous births. These actions are called Karma. The Law of Karma is a process of cause and effect. Most of the Hindus believe that the whole existence is populated by numerous deities or gods and goddesses who interact with the humans in various apparent and mysterious ways. A certain classification of the Hindu sects can be done in four parts; Shaivism or the worship of Shiva, Vaishnavism or the worship of Vishnu, Shaktism or the worship of Goddess Shakti and Smarta or those who go beyond dualities and adore the Absolute Brahma. The term Hindu is a Persian form of Sindhu, which is a river in northwest India. It was first used in the 14 th century by Arabs, Persians, and Afghans to describe the people of India. Later the term Hinduism was adopted by British colonial administration to describe various beliefs and practices of India. It is difficult to say with accuracy when the religion of Hinduism began. Excavations by Sir John Marshall in the 1920s revealed a pre-aryan civilization in the Indus Valley at the two cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro (the Mound of the Dead), in the North West of India. This culture dates from circa 3000 BC, and it continued to flourish until circa 2000 BC, when it began to wane 1. Historians mostly hold the opinion that this religion has its origin in this Indus Valley civilization. Many statues were found by archaeologists in this area which can be seen as representation of old Hindu religion which predates Vedas historically. Many statues were sitting in the Yogic postures and 6
Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism - A Comparative Study some idols resemble the deity Shiva in the form of Pashupati. Historians generally agree that 1500 BC is the date when Vedic civilization began. Many historians are of the opinion that a race known as Aryans invaded India from the Central Asia and established the Vedic religion which later mixed with the local traditions and became a building block for the foundation of the Hinduism. But this Aryan invasion theory is disputed by various scholars who opine that Aryans didn t come from the outside but were the natives of North India. It is customary for the historians of the philosophy and religion of India to commence their studies with the Rig Veda which is regarded as the earliest sacred text of ancient Indian culture. A study of the Vedas forms generally the beginning of an advanced learning in the philosophical and the religious literature of India. The Rig Veda is a book of metrical hymns and is divided into ten parts called Mandalas. Another division of the book is into eight sections called Ashtakas. The hymns of the Rig Veda, called Mantras, are powerfully constructed poems, with an amazing power of rhythm, spontaneity and sublimity of effect, and charged with soulful inspiration, usually with the four feet of the metre into which every poem is cast. The poem is pregnant with great meaning and force which can be directed, by a proper recitation of it, for or against any objective here or hereafter. The hymn has the power to protect (trayate) the one who contemplates (mananat) on it, and hence the name Mantra. The mantras of the Vedas are intended to invoke the deities to whom they are addressed, and to summon the power of the deities for executing an ideal. They are the 7
Dr. Abid Mushtaq Wani means of connection with the denizens of the celestial world and the divinities that immanently guard and perform different functions in the various planes of existence. There are also Mantras addressed in glorification of the Universal Being or the Absolute 2. The Vedas are classified into four groups, called Rik, Sam, Yajur and Atharva. The Rig Veda is primarily concerned with panegyrics to the gods in the heavens, and is the main book of mantras. The Yajur Veda is classified into the Krishna (black) and Shukla (white) parts. The Yajur Veda contains mainly sacrificial formulae in prose and verse to be chanted at the performance of sacrifice. The Atharva Veda abounds mainly in spells and incantations in verse meant for different lower purposes than the purely spiritual. Every Veda has four divisions, called the Samhita, Brahmana, Aranyaka and Upanishad. The Samhita portion of the Vedas embodies the hymns or prayers offered to deities, as already mentioned. The Brahmanas are the ritualistic portion of the Vedas which expatiate on the details of performing sacrifices. The most famous and costly of these sacrifices are the Rajasuya, Ashvameda, Agnishtoma and Soma Yagya, undertaken either for the earthly sovereignty or for the heavenly joy 3. This was all about Vedas. The portion of the Upanishads needs thorough explanation as they are the most profound philosophical and the spiritual foundations of Hinduism and which has influenced many spiritualist traditions. The saints and sages of the spiritualist tradition could not remain satisfied with mere rituals of the Vedas. Hence they meditated in 8
Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism - A Comparative Study lonely places to gain access to the metaphysical reality. They are the originators or the source of the Upanishads. Upanishads are usually in a style of question and answer, question asked by a spiritual seeker and answered by an enlightened sage. It s the reason that Bhagavad Gita is also considered by many scholars as a sort of Upanishad because Krishna has answered the philosophical and spiritual questions of Arjuna. Upanishads have influenced today s New Age spiritual philosophies including Theosophy. These treatises contain the knowledge of the Absolute Being or the Brahman, the Ultimate Godhead and also the description about the nature of soul and enlightenment. The Upanishads hold that the Universe is in essence a spiritual unity. In the light of Consciousness Absolute is all things. The Supreme Being can neither be seen, nor heard, nor thought, nor understood, with the faculties of the individual. He can be recognized where the ego is abolished. Hence one should adore and contemplate on the Reality as Supreme Love and Delight, whereby the Universe begins to reciprocate this love to the votary of such meditation. The Absolute is consciousness. It is the root of all existence. The Infinite alone is bliss 4. The concept of God is further explored in the light of the Upanishads in the next chapter. Let us classify the historical stages of Hinduism. Dr K.R. Sundarajan writes, In broad outline the history of Hinduism can be divided into five periods : the Vedic period 1500 B.C. to 600 B.C. ; the Epic period from 600 B.C. to A.D. 200 ; the Sutra period and the systematic development of the Hindu systems of philosophy beginning from the early Christian era ; the 9
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