Concept of GOD in Islam

[Raguraman]

Hare Krishna,

 

I once had a discussion with a muslim on this.

 

He basically said that we muslims do not say that GOD is personal or impersonal. We believe that GOD is the power behind everything(sounds similar to Upanishads).

 

Let the muslims give all the descriptions of God from Quran. This may be a better discussion than one on politics.

[M_Mehdi]

as long as any go on seperating believer human beings into groups of us and them we will continue to go on missing the point of the God given gift of heart...

 

no matter what excuses one wishes to give...

 

 

[muslim]

The most concise definition of God in Islam is given in the four verses of Surah Ikhlas which is Chapter 112 of the Qur’an:

 

"Say: He is Allah,

The One and Only.

"Allah, the Eternal, Absolute.

"He begets not, nor is He begotten.

And there is none like unto Him."

[Al-Qur’an 112:1-4]

 

The word ‘Assamad’ is difficult to translate. It means ‘absolute existence’, which can be attributed only to Allah (swt), all other existence being temporal or conditional. It also means that Allah (swt) is not dependant on any person or thing, but all persons and things are dependant on Him.

 

Surah Ikhlas - the touchstone of theology:

 

Surah Ikhlas (Chapter 112) of the Glorious Qur’an, is the touchstone of theology. ‘Theo’ in Greek means God and ‘logy’ means study. Thus Theology means study of God and to Muslims this four line definition of Almighty God serves as the touchstone of the study of God. Any candidate to divinity must be subjected to this ‘acid test’. Since the attributes of Allah given in this chapter are unique, false gods and pretenders to divinity can be easily dismissed using these verses.

 

 

The following verse of the Glorious Qur’an conveys a similar message:

 

"No vision can grasp Him

But His grasp is over

All vision: He is

Above all comprehension,

Yet is acquainted with all things."

[Al-Qur’an 6:103]

 

By what name do we call God?

 

The Muslims prefer calling the Supreme Creator, Allah, instead of by the English word ‘God’. The Arabic word, ‘Allah’, is pure and unique, unlike the English word ‘God’, which can be played around with.

 

If you add ‘s’ to the word God, it becomes ‘Gods’, that is the plural of God. Allah is one and singular, there is no plural of Allah. If you add ‘dess’ to the word God, it becomes ‘Goddess’ that is a female God. There is nothing like male Allah or female Allah. Allah has no gender. If you add the word ‘father’ to ‘God’ it becomes ‘God-father’. God-father means someone who is a guardian. There is no word like ‘Allah-Abba’ or ‘Allah-father’. If you add the word ‘mother’ to ‘God’, it becomes ‘God-mother’. There is nothing like ‘Allah-Ammi’, or ‘Allah-mother’ in Islam. Allah is a unique word. If you prefix tin before the word God, it becomes tin-God i.e., fake God. Allah is a unique word, which does not conjure up any mental picture nor can it be played around with. Therefore the Muslims prefer using the Arabic word ‘Allah’ for the Almighty. Sometimes, however, while speaking to the non-Muslims we may have to use the inappropriate word God, for Allah. Since the intended audience of this article is general in nature, consisting of both Muslims as well as non-Muslims, I have used the word God instead of Allah in several places in this article.

 

Attributes of God:

 

To Allah belong the most beautiful names:

 

The Qur’an says:

 

"Say: Call upon Allah, or

Call upon Rahman:

By whatever name you call

Upon Him, (it is well):

For to Him belong

The Most Beautiful Names."

[Al-Qur’an 17:110]

 

A similar message regarding the beautiful names of Allah (swt) is repeated in the Qur’an in Surah Al-A’raf (7:180), in Surah Taha (20:8) and in Surah Al-Hashr (59:24).

 

The Qur’an gives no less than ninety-nine different attributes to Almighty Allah. The Qur’an refers to Allah as Ar-Rahman (Most Gracious), Ar-Raheem (Most Merciful) and Al-Hakeem (All Wise) among many other names. You can call Allah by any name but that name should be beautiful and should not conjure up a mental picture.

 

The Glorious Qur’an says:

 

"If there were, in the heavens

And the earth, other gods

Besides Allah, there would

Have been confusion in both!

But glory to Allah,

The Lord of the Throne:

(High is He) above

What they attribute to Him!"

[Al-Qur’an 21:22]

 

If there were more than one God, they would have taken away what they created. The Qur’an says:

 

"No son did Allah beget,

Nor is there any god

Along with Him: (if there were

Many gods), behold, each god

Would have taken away

What he had created,

And some would have

Lorded it over others!

Glory to Allah! (He is free)

From the (sort of) things

They attribute to Him!"

[Al-Qur’an 23:91]

 

Thus the existence of one True, Unique, Supreme, Almighty God, is the only logical concept of God.

 

 

TAWHEED:

 

Definition and Categories:

 

Islam believes in ‘Tawheed’ which is not merely monotheism i.e. belief in one God, but much more. Tawheed literally means ‘unification’ i.e. ‘asserting oneness’ and is derived from the Arabic verb ‘Wahhada’ which means to unite, unify or consolidate.

 

Tawheed can be divided into three categories.

 

1. Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah

2. Tawheed al-Asmaa-was-Sifaat

3. Tawheed al-Ibaadah.

 

A.

Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah (maintaining the unity of Lordship)

 

 

The first category is ‘Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah’. ‘Ruboobeeyah’ is derived from the root verb "Rabb" meaning Lord, Sustainer and Cherisher.

 

Therefore ‘Tawheed-ar-Ruboobeeyah’ means maintaining the unity of Lordship. This category is based on the fundamental concept that Allah (swt) alone caused all things to exist when there was nothing. He created or originated all that exists out of nothing. He alone is the sole Creator, Cherisher, and Sustainer of the complete universe and all between it, without any need from it or for it.

 

B.

Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat (maintaining the unity of Allah’s name and attributes):

 

The second category is ‘Tawheed al Asmaa was Sifaat’ which means maintaining the unity of Allah’s name and attributes. This category is divided into five aspects:

 

(i)

Allah should be referred to as described by Him and His Prophet

 

Allah must be referred to according to the manner in which He and His prophet have described Him without explaining His names and attributes by giving them meanings other than their obvious meanings.

 

(ii)

Allah must be referred to as He has referred to Himself

 

Allah must be referred to without giving Him any new names or attributes. For example Allah may not be given the name Al-Ghaadib (the Angry One), despite the fact that He has said that He gets angry, because neither Allah nor His messenger have used this name.

 

(iii)

Allah is referred to without giving Him the attributes of His creation

 

 

In a reference to God, we should strictly abstain from giving Him the attributes of those whom He has created. For instance in the Bible, God is portrayed as repenting for His bad thoughts in the same way as humans do when they realise their errors. This is completely against the principle of Tawheed. God does not commit any mistakes or errors and therefore never needs to repent.

 

The key principle when dealing with Allah’s attributes is given in the Qur’an in Surah Ash-Shura:

 

"There is nothing

Whatever like unto Him,

And He is the One

That hears and sees (all things)."

[Al-Qur’an 42:11]

 

Hearing and seeing are human faculties. However, when attributed to the Divine Being they are without comparison, in their perfection, unlike when associated with humans who require ears, eyes, etc. and who are limited in their sight and hearing in terms of space, time, capacity, etc.

 

(iv)

God’s creation should not be given any of His attributes

 

To refer to a human with the attribute of God is also against the principle of Tawheed. For example, referring to a person as one who has no beginning or end (eternal).

 

(v)

Allah’s name cannot be given to His creatures

 

Some Divine names in the indefinite form, like ‘Raoof’ or ‘Raheem’ are permissible names for men as Allah has used them for Prophets; but ‘Ar-Raoof’ (the Most Pious) and Ar-Raheem (the most Merciful) can only be used if prefixed by ‘Abd’ meaning ‘slave of’ or ‘servant of’ i.e. ’Abdur-Raoof’ or ‘Abdur-Raheem’. Similarly ‘Abdur-Rasool’ (slave of the Messenger) or ‘Abdun-Nabee’ (slave of the Prophet) are forbidden.

 

C.

Tawheed al-Ibaadah (maintaining the unity of worship):

 

(i)

Definition and meaning of ‘Ibadaah’:

 

‘Tawheed al-Ibaadah’ means maintaining the unity of worship or ‘Ibaadah’. Ibaadah is derived from Arabic word ‘Abd’ meaning slave or servant. Thus Ibaadah means servitude and worship.

 

(ii)

All three categories to be followed simultaneously.

 

 

Only believing in the first two categories of Tawheed without implementing Tawheed-al-Ibaadah is useless. The Qur’an gives the examples of ‘Mushrikeens’ (idolaters) of the Prophet’s time who confirmed the first two aspects of Tawheed. It is mentioned in the Qur’an:

 

"Say: ‘Who is it that

Sustains you (in life)

From the sky and from the earth?

Or who is it that

Has power over hearing

And sight? And who

Is it that brings out

The living from the dead

And the dead from the living?

And who is it that

Rules and regulates all affairs?’

They will soon say, ‘Allah’.

Say, ‘Will you not then

Show piety (to Him)?’ "

[Al-Qur’an 10:31]

 

A similar example is repeated in Surah Zukhruf of the Glorious Qur’an:

 

"If thou ask them, Who

Created them, they will

Certainly say, ‘Allah’: how

Then are they deluded

Away (from the Truth)?"

[Al-Qur’an 43:87]

 

The pagan Meccans knew that Allah (swt) was their Creator, Sustainer, Lord and Master. Yet they were not Muslims because they also worshipped other gods besides Allah. Allah (swt) categorised them as ‘Kuffaar’ (disbelievers) and ‘Mushrikeen’ (idol worshippers and those who associate partners with God).

 

"And most of them

Believe not in Allah

Without associating (others

As partners) with Him!"

[Al-Qur’an 12:106]

 

Thus ‘Tawheed al-Ibaadah’ i.e. maintaining the unity of worship is the most important aspect of Tawheed. Allah (swt) alone deserves worship and He alone can grant benefit to man for his worship.

 

SHIRK:

 

A.

Definition:The omission of any of the above mentioned categories of tawheed or deficiency in the fulfillment of any criteria of Tawheed is referred to as 'shirk'.(Please note that the Arabic word 'Shirk' has the same sound as in the English word 'ship' and not as in the English word 'shirk',which means 'to evade'

 

‘Shirk’ literally means sharing or associating partners. In Islamic terms it means associating partners with Allah and is equivalent to idolatry.

 

B.

Shirk is the greatest sin that Allah will never forgive:

 

 

The Qur’an describes the greatest sin in Surah Al-Nisa’:

 

"Allah forgives not

That partners should be set up

With Him; but He forgives

Anything else, to whom

He pleases; to set up

Partners with Allah

Is to devise a sin

Most heinous indeed."

[Al-Qur’an 4:48]

 

The same message is repeated in Surah Al-Nisa’:

 

"Allah forgives not

(The sin of) joining other gods

With Him; but He forgives

Whom He pleases other sins

Than this: one who joins

Other gods with Allah,

Has strayed far, far away

(From the Right)."

[Al-Qur’an 4:116]

 

C.

Shirk leads to hell fire:

 

 

The Qur’an says in Surah Ma’idah:

 

"They do blaspheme who say:

‘Allah is Christ the son

Of Mary.’ But said Christ:

‘O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord

And your Lord’. Whoever joins other gods with Allah –

Allah will forbid him the Garden, and the Fire

Will be his abode. There will for the wrongdoers

Be no one to help."

[Al-Qur’an 5:72]

 

D.

Worship and Obedience to none but Allah:

 

 

The Qur’an mentions in Surah Ali-’Imran:

 

Say: "O people of the Book!

Come To common terms

As between us and you:

That we worship none but Allah;

That we associate no partners with Him;

That we erect not, from among ourselves,

Lords and patrons other than Allah."

If then they turn back,

Say ye: "Bear witness that we (at least)

Are Muslims (bowing to Allah’s Will)."

[Al-Qur’an 3:64]

 

The Glorious Qur’an says:

 

"And if all the trees on earth were pens

And the Ocean (were ink), with seven Oceans behind it

To add to its (supply), yet would not the Words

Of Allah be exhausted (In the writing): for Allah

Is Exalted in power, Full of Wisdom."

[Al-Qur’an 31:27]

 

Our analysis of Concept of God in various Religion shows that monotheism is an integral part of every major religion of the world. However, it is unfortunate that some adherents of these religions violate the teachings of their own scriptures and have set up partners to Almighty God.

 

An analysis of the scriptures of various religions, reveals that all scriptures exhort mankind to believe in, and submit to One God. All these scriptures condemn the association of partners to God, or the worship of God in the form of images. The Glorious Qur’an says:

 

"O men! Here is

A parable set forth!

Listen to it! Those

On whom, besides Allah,

You call, cannot create

(Even) a fly, if they all

Met together for the purpose!

And if the fly should snatch

Away anything from them,

They would have no power

To release it from the fly.

Feeble are those who petition

And those whom they petition!"

[Al-Qur’an 22:73]

 

The basis of religion is the acceptance of Divine guidance. A rejection of this guidance has serious implications for society. While we have made great strides in science and technology, true peace still eludes us. All ‘isms’ have failed to provide the much vaunted deliverance.

 

The scriptures of all major religions exhort mankind to follow that which is good and eschew that which is evil. All scriptures remind mankind that good will not go unrewarded and evil will not go unpunished!

 

The question we need to address is, which of these scriptures provides us with the correct ‘instruction manual’ that we need to regulate our individual and collective lives?

 

 

Allah Knows Best!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Raguraman]

Hare Krishna,

 

This is so beautiful and similar to what Upanishads. It is sad that the meaning of the words are hidden in English.

 

I would suggest every muslim site to start with the muslim concept of God. It will surely attract hell lot of a people. I still have to read and digest fully what is written here.

[Raguraman]

Hare Krishna,

 

 

"Say: He is Allah,

The One and Only.

"Allah, the Eternal, Absolute.

"He begets not, nor is He begotten.

And there is none like unto Him."

[Al-Qur’an 112:1-4]

 

The word ‘Assamad’ is difficult to translate. It means ‘absolute existence’, which can be attributed only to Allah (swt), all other existence being temporal or conditional. It also means that Allah (swt) is not dependant on any person or thing, but all persons and things are dependant on Him.

 

 

We have a similar word like Assamad. In sanskrit it is SAT, which is also "absolute existence". This word is used only in connection with Bhagavan(Lord Visnu).

 

I always like to quote this from Isavasya Upanishad.

 

http://www.dvaita.org/sources/shruti/translation.html

 

The Rsi of this Upanisad is Svayambhuva Manu. The Lord Hari (Visnu), known as Yajña for being the Lord of all sacrifices, is the Devata.

 

Om Isavasyamidam sarvam yatkiñca jagatyam jagat |

tena tyaktena bhuñjitha ma grdhah kasyasvid dhanam 1

 

This entire universe is pervaded by the Lord Hari, for the reason that it is dependent upon primordial nature, which in its turn is also pervaded by Him. He alone is thus independent. For this reason, enjoy whatever is given to you by Him, and do not seek wealth from any other source (since Hari alone is independent, do not worship others such as kings in hopes of wealth).

 

 

"No vision can grasp Him

But His grasp is over

All vision: He is

Above all comprehension,

Yet is acquainted with all things."

[Al-Qur’an 6:103]

 

 

This is indeed a beautiful verse(s).

 

"No vision can grasp him" = "None can know him fully".

 

Indeed this what we are taught in upanishads. Lord Visnu moves swifter than wind, light, mind etc. WHOM the wind, mind etc. cannot comprehend. What identical teachings we have. We should let both of our peoples know this similarity.

 

From the Isavasya Upanishad again.

 

anejadekam manaso javiyo nainaddeva apnuvanpurvamarsat |

taddhavato'nyanatyeti tisthattasminnapo matarisva dadhati 4

 

(The Supreme is) completely free of fear, for being the primary Being; He is swifter than the mind, and cannot be fully comprehended (even) by the deities (headed by Brahma), while He knows all by His own nature, from beginningless time; though unchanging, staying as-is, He effortlessly overtakes all, no matter how they may run; to that Lord, Mukhya Prana dedicates all the actions performed by all creatures.

 

tadejati tannaijati taddure tadvantike |

tadantarasya sarvasya tadu sarvasya bahyatah 5

 

He causes all to tremble or quake in fear of Him, but He Himself fears none (for being independent); He is very far off (He exists even at infinite distances), and He is also very close by (because He is omnipresent); He is within everyone and everything, and also outside everyone and everything (His presence is all-pervasive).

 

"But His grasp is over

All vision: He is

Above all comprehension,

Yet is acquainted with all things."

 

Again this is great. Upanishads teach that all things move, talk, breathe etc. because of Lord Visnu.

 

The uniqueness of the word Allah is really UNIQUE. But you did not give the meaning of this word. Please translate it literally.

 

 

"Say: Call upon Allah, or

Call upon Rahman:

By whatever name you call

Upon Him, (it is well):

For to Him belong

The Most Beautiful Names."

[Al-Qur’an 17:110]

 

 

There is again a verse like this in Rig-Veda. Viswakarma Sukta of book 10 in Rig Veda says that all the names of Gods(Devas) truly belongs to HIM(Lord Visnu). HE is the one who bestows names(means name and form) to all these Devas.

[muslim]

Assalaamu Alaikum Brother Raguram,

I presume IM meeting you for the second time!

 

Its true that upanishads talks the same thing like the verses in the quran.

But its not only Upanishads , you can see similiar message in gita, vedas and other scriptures of hindus.

 

I'ld like to give the

Common Concept of God in Hinduism:

 

Hinduism is commonly perceived as a polytheistic religion. Indeed, most Hindus would attest to this, by professing belief in multiple Gods. While some Hindus believe in the existence of three gods, some believe in thousands of gods, and some others in thirty three crore i.e. 330 million Gods. However, learned Hindus, who are well versed in their scriptures, insist that a Hindu should believe in and worship only one God.

 

 

The major difference between the Hindu and the Muslim perception of God is the common Hindus’ belief in the philosophy of Pantheism. Pantheism considers everything, living and non-living, to be Divine and Sacred. The common Hindu, therefore, considers everything as God. He considers the trees as God, the sun as God, the moon as God, the monkey as God, the snake as God and even human beings as manifestations of God!

 

Islam, on the contrary, exhorts man to consider himself and his surroundings as examples of Divine Creation rather than as divinity itself. Muslims therefore believe that everything is God’s i.e. the word ‘God’ with an apostrophe ‘s’. In other words the Muslims believe that everything belongs to God. The trees belong to God, the sun belongs to God, the moon belongs to God, the monkey belongs to God, the snake belongs to God, the human beings belong to God and everything in this universe belongs to God.

 

-------------------

Thus the major difference between the Hindu and the Muslim beliefs is the difference of the apostrophe ‘s’. The Hindu says everything is God. The Muslim says everything is God’s.

-------------------

 

Concept of God according to Hindu Scriptures:

 

We can gain a better understanding of the concept of God in Hinduism by analysing Hindu scriptures.

 

BHAGAVAD GITA

 

The most popular amongst all the Hindu scriptures is the Bhagavad Gita.

 

Consider the following verse from the Gita:

 

"Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures."

[bhagavad Gita 7:20]

 

The Gita states that people who are materialistic worship demigods i.e. ‘gods’ besides the True God.

 

 

UPANISHADS:

 

The Upanishads are considered sacred scriptures by the Hindus.

 

The following verses from the Upanishads refer to the Concept of God:

 

"Ekam evadvitiyam"

"He is One only without a second."

[Chandogya Upanishad 6:2:1]

 

"Na casya kascij janita na cadhipah."

"Of Him there are neither parents nor lord."

[svetasvatara Upanishad 6:9]

 

"Na tasya pratima asti"

"There is no likeness of Him."

[svetasvatara Upanishad 4:19]

 

The following verses from the Upanishad allude to the inability of man to imagine God in a particular form:

 

"Na samdrse tisthati rupam asya, na caksusa pasyati kas canainam."

 

"His form is not to be seen; no one sees Him with the eye."

[svetasvatara Upanishad 4:20]

 

 

 

 

THE VEDAS

Vedas are considered the most sacred of all the Hindu scriptures. There are four principal Vedas: Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samveda and Atharvaveda.

 

 

 

Yajurveda

The following verses from the Yajurveda echo a similar concept of God:

 

 

"na tasya pratima asti

"There is no image of Him."

[Yajurveda 32:3]

 

"shudhama poapvidham"

"He is bodyless and pure."

[Yajurveda 40:8]

 

"Andhatama pravishanti ye asambhuti mupaste"

"They enter darkness, those who worship the natural elements" (Air, Water, Fire, etc.). "They sink deeper in darkness, those who worship sambhuti."

[Yajurveda 40:9]

 

Sambhuti means created things, for example table, chair, idol, etc.

 

The Yajurveda contains the following prayer:

"Lead us to the good path and remove the sin that makes us stray and wander."

[Yajurveda 40:16]

 

 

Atharvaveda

The Atharvaveda praises God in Book 20, hymn 58 and verse 3:

 

"Dev maha osi"

"God is verily great"

[Atharvaveda 20:58:3]

 

 

Rigveda

 

The oldest of all the vedas is Rigveda. It is also the one considered most sacred by the Hindus. The Rigveda states in Book 1, hymn 164 and verse 46:

"Sages (learned Priests) call one God by many names."

[Rigveda 1:164:46]

 

The Rigveda gives several different attributes to Almighty God. Many of these are mentioned in Rigveda Book 2 hymn 1.

 

Among the various attributes of God, one of the beautiful attributes mentioned in the Rigveda Book II hymn 1 verse 3, is Brahma. Brahma means ‘The Creator’. Translated into Arabic it means Khaaliq. Muslims can have no objection if Almighty God is referred to as Khaaliq or ‘Creator’ or Brahma. However if it is said that Brahma is Almighty God who has four heads with each head having a crown, Muslims take strong exception to it.

 

Describing Almighty God in anthropomorphic terms also goes against the following verse of Yajurveda:

 

"Na tasya Pratima asti"

"There is no image of Him."

[Yajurveda 32:3]

 

Another beautiful attribute of God mentioned in the Rigveda Book II hymn 1 verse 3 is Vishnu. Vishnu means ‘The Sustainer’. Translated into Arabic it means Rabb. Again, Muslims can have no objection if Almighty God is referred to as Rabb or 'Sustainer' or Vishnu. But the popular image of

 

Vishnu among Hindus, is that of a God who has four arms, with one of the right arms holding the Chakra, i.e. a discus and one of the left arms holding a ‘conch shell’, or riding a bird or reclining on a snake couch. Muslims can never accept any image of God. As mentioned earlier this also goes against Svetasvatara Upanishad Chapter 4 verse 19.

 

"Na tasya pratima asti"

"There is no likeness of Him"

 

The following verse from the Rigveda Book 8, hymn 1, verse 1 refer to the Unity and Glory of the Supreme Being:

 

"Ma cid anyad vi sansata sakhayo ma rishanyata"

"O friends, do not worship anybody but Him, the Divine One. Praise Him alone."

[Rigveda 8:1:1]10

 

"Devasya samituk parishtutih"

"Verily, great is the glory of the Divine Creator."

[Rigveda 5:1:81]11

 

 

 

Brahma Sutra of Hinduism:

 

The Brahma Sutra of Hinduism is:

 

"Ekam Brahm, dvitiya naste neh na naste kinchan"

 

"There is only one God, not the second; not at all, not at all, not in the least bit."

 

Thus only a dispassionate study of the Hindu scriptures can help one understand the concept of God in Hinduism.

 

 

Allah Knows Best!

 

[muslim]

 

Assalaamu Alaikum Brother Raguram,

I presume IM meeting you for the second time!

 

Its true that upanishads talks the same thing like the verses in the quran.

But its not only Upanishads , you can see similiar message in gita, vedas and other scriptures of hindus.

 

I'ld like to give the

Common Concept of God in Hinduism:

 

Hinduism is commonly perceived as a polytheistic religion. Indeed, most Hindus would attest to this, by professing belief in multiple Gods. While some Hindus believe in the existence of three gods, some believe in thousands of gods, and some others in thirty three crore i.e. 330 million Gods. However, learned Hindus, who are well versed in their scriptures, insist that a Hindu should believe in and worship only one God.

 

 

The major difference between the Hindu and the Muslim perception of God is the common Hindus’ belief in the philosophy of Pantheism. Pantheism considers everything, living and non-living, to be Divine and Sacred. The common Hindu, therefore, considers everything as God. He considers the trees as God, the sun as God, the moon as God, the monkey as God, the snake as God and even human beings as manifestations of God!

 

Islam, on the contrary, exhorts man to consider himself and his surroundings as examples of Divine Creation rather than as divinity itself. Muslims therefore believe that everything is God’s i.e. the word ‘God’ with an apostrophe ‘s’. In other words the Muslims believe that everything belongs to God. The trees belong to God, the sun belongs to God, the moon belongs to God, the monkey belongs to God, the snake belongs to God, the human beings belong to God and everything in this universe belongs to God.

 

-------------------

Thus the major difference between the Hindu and the Muslim beliefs is the difference of the apostrophe ‘s’. The Hindu says everything is God. The Muslim says everything is God’s.

-------------------

 

Concept of God according to Hindu Scriptures:

 

We can gain a better understanding of the concept of God in Hinduism by analysing Hindu scriptures.

 

BHAGAVAD GITA

 

The most popular amongst all the Hindu scriptures is the Bhagavad Gita.

 

Consider the following verse from the Gita:

 

"Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures."

[bhagavad Gita 7:20]

 

The Gita states that people who are materialistic worship demigods i.e. ‘gods’ besides the True God.

 

 

UPANISHADS:

 

The Upanishads are considered sacred scriptures by the Hindus.

 

The following verses from the Upanishads refer to the Concept of God:

 

"Ekam evadvitiyam"

"He is One only without a second."

[Chandogya Upanishad 6:2:1]

 

"Na casya kascij janita na cadhipah."

"Of Him there are neither parents nor lord."

[svetasvatara Upanishad 6:9]

 

"Na tasya pratima asti"

"There is no likeness of Him."

[svetasvatara Upanishad 4:19]

 

The following verses from the Upanishad allude to the inability of man to imagine God in a particular form:

 

"Na samdrse tisthati rupam asya, na caksusa pasyati kas canainam."

 

"His form is not to be seen; no one sees Him with the eye."

[svetasvatara Upanishad 4:20]

 

 

 

 

 

THE VEDAS

Vedas are considered the most sacred of all the Hindu scriptures. There are four principal Vedas: Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samveda and Atharvaveda.

 

 

 

Yajurveda

The following verses from the Yajurveda echo a similar concept of God:

 

 

"na tasya pratima asti

"There is no image of Him."

[Yajurveda 32:3]

 

"shudhama poapvidham"

"He is bodyless and pure."

[Yajurveda 40:8]

 

"Andhatama pravishanti ye asambhuti mupaste"

"They enter darkness, those who worship the natural elements" (Air, Water, Fire, etc.). "They sink deeper in darkness, those who worship sambhuti."

[Yajurveda 40:9]

 

Sambhuti means created things, for example table, chair, idol, etc.

 

The Yajurveda contains the following prayer:

"Lead us to the good path and remove the sin that makes us stray and wander."

[Yajurveda 40:16]

 

 

Atharvaveda

The Atharvaveda praises God in Book 20, hymn 58 and verse 3:

 

"Dev maha osi"

"God is verily great"

[Atharvaveda 20:58:3]

 

 

Rigveda

 

The oldest of all the vedas is Rigveda. It is also the one considered most sacred by the Hindus. The Rigveda states in Book 1, hymn 164 and verse 46:

"Sages (learned Priests) call one God by many names."

[Rigveda 1:164:46]

 

The Rigveda gives several different attributes to Almighty God. Many of these are mentioned in Rigveda Book 2 hymn 1.

 

Among the various attributes of God, one of the beautiful attributes mentioned in the Rigveda Book II hymn 1 verse 3, is Brahma. Brahma means ‘The Creator’. Translated into Arabic it means Khaaliq. Muslims can have no objection if Almighty God is referred to as Khaaliq or ‘Creator’ or Brahma. However if it is said that Brahma is Almighty God who has four heads with each head having a crown, Muslims take strong exception to it.

 

Describing Almighty God in anthropomorphic terms also goes against the following verse of Yajurveda:

 

"Na tasya Pratima asti"

"There is no image of Him."

[Yajurveda 32:3]

 

Another beautiful attribute of God mentioned in the Rigveda Book II hymn 1 verse 3 is Vishnu. Vishnu means ‘The Sustainer’. Translated into Arabic it means Rabb. Again, Muslims can have no objection if Almighty God is referred to as Rabb or 'Sustainer' or Vishnu. But the popular image of

 

Vishnu among Hindus, is that of a God who has four arms, with one of the right arms holding the Chakra, i.e. a discus and one of the left arms holding a ‘conch shell’, or riding a bird or reclining on a snake couch. Muslims can never accept any image of God. As mentioned earlier this also goes against Svetasvatara Upanishad Chapter 4 verse 19.

 

"Na tasya pratima asti"

"There is no likeness of Him"

 

The following verse from the Rigveda Book 8, hymn 1, verse 1 refer to the Unity and Glory of the Supreme Being:

 

"Ma cid anyad vi sansata sakhayo ma rishanyata"

"O friends, do not worship anybody but Him, the Divine One. Praise Him alone."

[Rigveda 8:1:1]10

 

"Devasya samituk parishtutih"

"Verily, great is the glory of the Divine Creator."

[Rigveda 5:1:81]11

 

 

 

Brahma Sutra of Hinduism:

 

The Brahma Sutra of Hinduism is:

 

"Ekam Brahm, dvitiya naste neh na naste kinchan"

 

"There is only one God, not the second; not at all, not at all, not in the least bit."

 

Thus only a dispassionate study of the Hindu scriptures can help one understand the concept of God in Hinduism.

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

"Thus only a dispassionate study of the Hindu scriptures can help one understand the concept of God in Hinduism"

•••dear brother, many thanks to have examinated the things beyond prejudices and apparence... this is one of the meanings of the famous bhagavad gita's shloka: "Sarva dharman ..."

 

thanks, you appear very serious in your spiritual research

[Guest guest]

if 1000 years of islam history does not speak out loud what islam is, then why not ask ben ladin and party what the concept of god is? why not ask wahabis?

 

a few muslims who never care to preach to the islam terrorists and actually support themsecretly) would come here and show how good koran /islam is - a religion of peace and love. this will never make a muslim love the vedic culture, but it will make some hindus love islam which actually is titally intolerant to any thing but islam.

 

how many islam internet forus glorify vedas and upanishads and gita? if you find any list them here. my geuss is that you will not find any. if so, why let a muslim tell here how good koran is? are we not satisfied with sanatand dharma and its scriptures? why not send those preachers who say islam is for peace to go and teach to wahabis?

 

if islam is as good as sanatana dharma, then what was the need for it in the first place? why not tell all the muslims to give up islam and be a hindu?

 

any friendship made with a mulim here, if that cannot pacify the islam terrorists to give up hating kafirs, and help bring back the temples buried under the mosques of india, then that friendship is useless. not only that it is harmful to the hindus.

 

jai sri krishna! -madhav

 

[Guest guest]

in my opinion you are an enemy of the hindus, maybe a fanatic islamist or taliban, speaking in this way to give a bad image of india and the hindus... please stop this behaviour, be loyal and reveal yourself...

 

 

[muslim]

Once while a question came up and I replied by quoting a verse of the Qur'an. Someone smiled and said, "You must be a Wahabi". I've seen how the common people use this term Wahabi and it is often meant as "this is a guy who has a strange and radical way of interpreting Islam - so beware." The history of the term: Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab was a scholar who stood alongside the Saudi family in overcoming the Arabian Peninsula. Because the Turks were the ones who were ousted, Turks who were Sufis, they started a campaign to defame the claims of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab and his followers. Thus the term "Wahabi" came into being.

 

what Ibn Abdul-Wahhab was trying to teach was nothing more then the return to the pure worship of Allah, without grave worship (which the Sufis did) and without good luck charms, amulets, or slaughtering for anyone other then Allah. His book, Kitaab At-Tawheed is nothing more then verses of Qur'an and sayings of the Prophet (PBUH).

 

Because Ibn Abdul-Wahhab used proof from the Qur'an and Sunnah, the other side (who technically had no proof for the innovation they were doing) had no defense except to label these people as Wahabis. when I quoted Qur'an, one of the elders was tipped to thinking I was a Wahbi because he was warned about people that use the proofs of the Qur'an and Sunnah.

 

 

Just a small historical background of the word Wahabi, from what I have read. It all started first by the Turkish government during the life time of Sheikh Abdul Wahab. The Turks wrote and published many books in their campaign of vilification and misrepresentation of the Sheikh's works. They started it around 1746 and continued for a long time even after the death of the Sheikh Abdul Wahab. But until that time the term Wahabi for a group of people was not yet in fashion. It was in 1822 that an Indian scholar Syed Ahmed (shaheed) went for Hajj and there came across the books of Ibn Tamiyah and Abdul Wahab. He was very impressed and spent some time there studying them. When he returned to India he started a movement for the return to the Quran and Sunnah. He had success but the British which ruled India didn't like it that much.

 

It was in the 1860s that the British started to believe that the Great Mutiny against them was a result of a Muslim conspiracy. They started to study the works of Syed Ahmed and realized that it was similar to those of Sheikh Abdul Wahab. It was then that they started to label those who followed the ruling of Syed Ahmed as Wahabis. A few Shia scholars used to label the Wahabis as kafirs. The British caught thousands of Muslim scholars who opposed them, labeled them Wahabis and executed them. It was a great loss to the Muslims of India. The void left by the lack of scholars was quickly filled by two men whom the British intelligence introduced as great reformers for the Muslims. One was Ahmed Rida (Bareilawi) who started the Bareilawi sect which does not believe in Jihad and so made the British happy. He promoted grave, saint and Pirs worshipping and was given a lot of money by the British.

 

The other man introduced by the British was Ghulam Ahmed Qadiyani who introduced the Qadiyani sect, in which he declared himself the last prophet. The poor usually followed the Bareilawi’s and the educated the Qadiyanis. This divide and rule method employed by the British was very successful in harming Islam in India. The Barelawis declared almost everyone who followed the Quran and Sunnah as Wahabis. Fatwas were mass produced near the end of 19th century. You couldn’t marry a Wahabi, eat an animal slaughtered by a Wahabi, drink water from the well of a Wahabi, pray behind a Wahabi, or give zakat to them. Wahabis were declared worse than dogs. You were not allowed to read the books of Wahabis especially the works of Ibn Taymiyah, Ibn Al-Qayyim and of course of Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahab. (al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya)

 

This term Wahabi was used so frequently even in the British press of those days that it became a common term. Even today try stopping someone from asking a grave or saint for a son and he will immediately label you a Wahabi and continue doing their shirk( Ascribing Partner to God ).

 

And to be true I belong to so called "WAHABI", I dont like to call myself that, because it shows as if they are not MUSLIMS.

THE WAHABIS ARE THE FIRST TO REVOLT AGAINST BRITISH IN INDIA!

 

I repeat againg i dont like to call myself WAHABI because this is not a name given in good thought!

Every muslim should call hismelf a MUSLIM!

Its true that so called wahabi muslims are the one who invite people to ISLAM.

Western Media is trying to Malign ISLAM.

 

Allah knows Best!

[M_Mehdi]

Assalaamu alaikum,

 

just wanted to make a quick note on Sufis... since mentioned on the last post... /images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

Sufis are also Believers... and although one might have a certain experience with a certain sufi order or particular person(s)... one cannot judge a whole people by actions of a few...

 

i've known many who wish to call themselves Sufi who do quote from the Quran and hadeeth...

 

good study of Sufi:

 

Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (450-505 AH / 1058-1111 AD)

 

again just a note.. i don't wish to stop the flow of this thread... /images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

peace be on you.

 

 

[muslim]

Brother Mehdi, I agree upon you that , there may be Good Sufis, most of the people call our Imams , SUFIS!

The actual meaning is SAINT, And there is no way for a muslim to practise sainthood in his life. They should get involved in both worldly and religious affairs!

Well I've heard of Abu Hamid al-Ghazali , but not about his works. can you suggest me any on his works?(books)

 

Fiamanillah

Yahdikumullah

[Guest guest]

<< In other words the Muslims believe that everything belongs to God. ... .. the human beings belong to God and everything in this universe belongs to God >>

 

so the kafirs are not human beings (?)

and that is why they must be forcibley converted or killed as the muslim invaders did for 100 years in india?

 

jai sri krishna! -madhav

 

[Guest guest]

<< And there is no way for a muslim to practise sainthood in his life. They should get involved in both worldly and religious affairs! >>

 

this paradigm is similar to xians who think every one is a sinner. that is why the are afraid to face jesus or any saintly person as they feel guilty. so then run a alondromat of sins. that is do sins, freely and then go in church to confess and think their sin is washed away.

 

the concept of sin in islam is not covering many acts of sin. that is why in hindu view most muslims are sinners.

invading kafirs and killing them and destroyign their temple sis grave sins, and the muslims of india will pay for it - get the reaction due for 1000 years.

 

both xians and muslims think the world is all.

for hindus there is spiritual world and this world is just a temporary palce to be, and not the home for the soul.

that however does not mean that you do not care for dharma and the vedic culture.

 

the religous affair for muslims is jeehad.

their allah is scared of kafirs,

and is that why they do not allow kafirs to visit macca?

is that why muslims countries do not allow any other religion in their state as legal?

 

is it not a grave mistake by democracies of the world to allow islam as legal when the muslim countries do not allow non islam religion?

 

jai srikrishna! -madhav

 

 

[Guest guest]

thank you.

 

deluded gandhians like your are not hindus or do not know what hinduims is. also teh muslims always accuse hindus when one talks about their atrtrocities and barbaric behaviour.

 

suppose gandhi were in teh court of dhritarashtra when duryodhana tried to make draupadi nacked,

then what woudl gandhis have said or done?

 

when arjun said to krishna that he does not want to fight in teh middle of kurkshetra, and if gandhi was ther instead of krishna, what he would have advised to arjun?

 

the greatest sin of gandhisna is to shove off krishna and replace him with gandhi an mundne politician.

 

here the muslim cannot say jai sri krishna, and he is your friend, and when another one thinks of krishna all the time is not a hindu for you. so what kind of hindu you are?

 

jai sri krishna! - madhav

 

 

[Raguraman]

Hare Krishna,

 

 

Another beautiful attribute of God mentioned in the Rigveda Book II hymn 1 verse 3 is Vishnu. Vishnu means &#8216;The Sustainer&#8217;. Translated into Arabic it means Rabb. Again, Muslims can have no objection if Almighty God is referred to as Rabb or 'Sustainer' or Vishnu. But the popular image of

 

Vishnu among Hindus, is that of a God who has four arms, with one of the right arms holding the Chakra, i.e. a discus and one of the left arms holding a &#8216;conch shell&#8217;, or riding a bird or reclining on a snake couch. Muslims can never accept any image of God. As mentioned earlier this also goes against Svetasvatara Upanishad Chapter 4 verse 19.

 

 

1. Do not read about Hinduism from muslim sites.

 

http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Park/6443/Hindu/concept.html

 

2. Do not teach Hinduism to us.

 

3. Do not impose Islam on us.

 

4. We know better than you muslims what our Vedas teach.

 

5. Lord Visnu is the supreme Brahm of Hinduism. There are many authentic verses from Rig-Veda(Read Viswakarma Sukta).

 

6. Lord Krishna(Supreme God'd avatar= Descent)in Gita clearly declares that HE is GOD.

 

7. Do not cut and paste from muslim websites.

 

You do not even have the courtesy to mention this website from where you copied.

 

http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Park/6443/Hindu/concept.html

 

8. You do not know what Sveteshvatara Upanishad says.

 

9. I now know you have no idea what Vedas teach.

 

10. We Hindus do believe that GOD can show himself to Humans and Gods. I do not care whether muslims agree or not with what Vedas say.

[Guest guest]

very good post, raghuraman ji. thanks!

 

jai sri krishna! -madhav