Invitation to our Hindu brethren
http://www.islamherald.com/html/interfaith/hinduism.htm
And the man who believed said: "O my people! Follow me, I will guide you to the way of Right conduct. O my people! The Life of this World is but a (quick passing) enjoyment, and verily, the Hereafter, that is the Home that will remain forever. Whosoever does an evil deed, will not be requited except the like thereof, and whosoever does a righteous deed, whether male or female, and whosoever is a true believer, such will enter Paradise, where they will be provided without limit.
And O my people! How is it that I call you to salvation while you call me to the Fire. You invite me to disbelieve in Allah, and to join partners in worship with Him, of which I have no knowledge, And I call you to the All Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving. No doubt, you call me to (worship) one who cannot grant (me) my request in this world or in the Hereafter. And our return will be to Allah. And the transgressors, they shall be the dwellers of the Fire! And you will remember what I am telling you, and my affair I leave it to Allah. Verily, Allah is the All-Seer of (His) slaves. (The Qurán 40: 37-43)
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The Hindu scriptures also preach 'ONE GOD'
Hinduism, as most Hindus would say, is not a religion but a "Dharma" and a Culture. The Vedas, the Upanishads, the Puranas, the Brahmanas Granth are considered to be the holy scriptures, most sacred being the Vedas. Also there is the Bhagavada Gita, the Mahabharata and the Ramanayan.
The degeneration of any society starts with becoming heedless to the guidance of God and falling prey to our own whims and desires. This eventually may lead to the degeneration of the concept of God itself. The worship of innumerable Gods in Hindu society is a degeneration of the message of God and in stark contrast to the oneness of God preached in the Hindu Holy Scriptures Vedas and Upanishads. A few examples from these scriptures reveal that they also preach Oneness of God, which is exactly the same truth which was conveyed by God through His final messenger Muhammad (There is no god, but God).
- "There is only one God, worship Him" (Rig Veda, Vol. 6, Hymn 45 vs 16 )
- "Do not worship any one beside Him" (Rig Veda Bk. 8, Hymn 1, Vs 1)
- "God is only one, - not a second"- (Chandogya Upanishad Ch. 6, Section 2, verse 1).
- "na tasya pratima asti
"There is no image of Him." [Yajurveda 32:3]
Consider the following expositions about the true concept of God from the Hindu scriptures.
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From the Islamic point of view, the message of Unity of God was being conveyed down through ages via chosen messengers to mankind. Allah says in the Holy Quran that each tribe was sent a messenger and a guide to convey this universal message of Unity of God. For more articles, please visit the section Who is Allah ?
We thus invite our Hindu brethren to return to the worship of the One true God as reminded to us by God through His last and final messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him). The biggest injustice (which is also the biggest lie) which we humans can commit is to say that there are other gods as partners to the only One God. Proclaiming that there is no god besides the One God of all is what God wants to hear from us in words and deeds and this is the true step towards honesty and justice to ourselves and to society around us.
The religion of the 'surrender to the one true God' - Islam, is the only path which God has chosen for mankind and is thus the only way to achieve brotherhood and unification of mankind and for salvation in the everlasting life after death. Worshipping others besides God does not please God, rather it is an act of disobedience to God and a sign of arrogance. By accepting this call of Islam, our Hindu brethren will only be returning to God's original religion for humanity, as we understand was also the original call of the Hindu dharma.
Is prophet Muhammad prophesized in Hindu scriptures?
The advent of the last prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was prophesized in previous scriptures by earlier prophets. A study of the Vedas reveals the message of Unity of God. That Hindus of today worship a number of Gods or incarnations is quite contrary to the Vedic teachings which professes Oneness of God. Infact, it is very easy to observe that the varied forms in which Hindus worship God are nothing but the different "attributes" of Allah mentioned in the Qur'aan. Prophesies of the advent of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is found in the Vedic literature and is the topic of the links below.
- Prophet Muhammad as the Kalki Avatar - by Pt. Ved Prakash
- Prophet Muhammad in Hindu Scriptures by DR. Z. HAQ (Off-site)
- For more information about the prophet, visit the section Who is Muhammad (pbuh)?
Answers to Questions/Misconceptions of Hindus.
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Common Questions asked by Hindus to Islam - by Dr Zakir Naik
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Facts vs. Popular Myths about Muslim Community in India - By P R Ram
Come! Let us reason together
| Mahatma Gandhi, in his inimitable style, says "Some one has said that Europeans in South Africa dread the advent of Islam- Islam that civilized Spain, Islam that took the torch light to Morocco and preached to the world the Gospel of brotherhood. The Europeans of South Africa dread the Advent of Islam. They may claim equality with the white races. They may well dread it, if brotherhood is a sin. If it is equality of colored races then their dread is well founded." |
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Hate comes from Ignorance. Mercy from Knowledge. The history of the Indian subcontinent bears witness to the fact that Hindus and Muslims lived together for centuries. Hindu dominated areas have been ruled by Muslim rulers and Muslim dominated areas were ruled by Hindu rulers, and the subjects were not mistreated. [Read Muslim Rule in India - by M H Faruqi] During the British colonial rule, these two communities fought together, shoulder to shoulder. Ironically, the partition of the Indian subcontinent into Hindu dominated India and Muslim dominated Pakistan (East Pakistan later became Bangladesh) left a colonial gift of hate between Hindu & Muslim minds of the region. The awaken Hindus and Muslims of the region now realize that this legacy of hate is perpetually being ignited by self-serving power-hungry leaders of the land with the help of misguided/ignorant religious leaders on both sides.
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Hinduism has the world's third largest following after Christianity and Islam. It is more important for me because I belong to the country to which the religion belongs and which has majority of its followers. Hinduism today is more about Indian-ness than anything else. It is considered as the oldest religion/culture in the world with majority of its followers in India. Muslims are the biggest minority community in India comprising 12-15%.
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Islam, on the other hand, never confined itself or claimed monopoly over a particular region or people, but from the start it had a universal message and appealed to all humanity as one single community. Today, there are over 1.2 billion Muslims around the World and contrary to popular understanding, majority of the Muslims are of non-Arab origin. Islam is an open invitation to all humanity from God not just towards personal spirituality, but also to the practical mission of upholding truth and justice, the purest truth of which is that 'there is no god besides the one true God'. This core idea is the fountainhead of our success in this life and in the everlasting life after death, and it has remained the message of God to humanity throughout our existence.
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Our call: We thus see an immediate need for immediate efforts on both Hindus and Muslims to engage in serious dialogue with one another to understand the sensitivities of each other's religion. A proactive approach to seek knowledge of each other's religion (deen/dharm) is the crying need not only to understand the message of an important world religion but also the only solution to prevent situation in India to move from bad to worse. There will be many hurdles imposed by the self-serving politicians and misguided religious zealots. But those who sincerely wish goodness to prevail will make efforts to get rid of all powers breeding inhuman communal intolerance and hate.
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Also Read: What is 'Hindutva'? & Hindutva vs. Hinduism
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Hinduism and Scriptures by Dr. Zakir Naik (Off-site)
Recommended Sites for Muslim-Hindu Dialogue
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Also visit these sections...
Concluding Words
Say: "What thing is the most great in witness?" Say: "God is witness between me and you; this Quran has been revealed to me that I may therewith warn you and whomsoever it may reach. Can you verily bear witness that besides God there are other gods?" Say: "I bear no (such) witness!" Say: "But in truth, He is the only One God. And truly I am innocent of what you join in worship with Him." (Holy Qur'an 6:19)
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