Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Similarities between Hindu and Muslim

Scriptures

By A. S. Alam, M. D.

(This is an Interfaith Dialogue Publication)

The content of this brochure is based on the publication ‘Concept of God in Hinduism’ by Dr. Zakir Naik of Islamic Research Foundation of Mumbai, India.

WWW.ALHASSANAIN.ORG/ENGLISH

Table of Contents

[Introduction]4

Revealed Books of God 6

Islam:6

Sacred Books of Hinduism:7

Vedas:7

Ramayana:7

Mahabharata:7

Brahmana:7

Concept of God in the Hindu Scriptures 8

In Upanishad:8

In Brahma Sutra, main creed of Upanishad:8

In Yajurveda:8

In Atharvaveda:8

In Rigveda:8

In Bhagavad Gita:9

Concept of God in Islam comparing with Hindu Scriptures 10

Name of our Creator:10

Messengers of God:10

Avtars and Messengers in Hiduism:10

Prophesy in Hindu Scriptures about Prophet Mohammad:11

Prophet Muhammad prophesied in Atharva Veda12

Kalki Avatar, Antim Rishi, fiinal Prophet:13

He will be born in house of the Chief:13

His father’s name will be Vishnuyash:13

He wil be born in Sambhala:13

His mother’s name will be Sumati:13

Will born on the 12th day of month of Madhav 13

He will be the Antim (final) Avatar14

He will be helped by angels in the battle field:14

Shiva will present a steed to Kalki avatar 14

Life after death In Hinduism 15

Punarjanam:15

Life after death In Islam:15

Paradise – Swarga in the Vedas:16

In Veda:16

In Quran:16

Hell – ‘Nark’ in the Vedas:17

Hell in Quran:17

Zakat or Poor due in Islam:18

Charity in Hinduism:18

Fasting prescribed for selfrestraint:18

Fasting in Hinduism 19

Hajj-Pilgrimage:20

Pilgrimage in Hinduism 21

Jihad in Islam and Hinduism:22

Jihad (i.e. striving) in the Bhagavad Gita22

Prohibition of Alcohol in Islam and Hinduism23

Some other similarities24

‘Shashtang’ and ‘Sejdah’24

Reference:25

[Introduction]

There are many religions in the world. It is often not possible to know about a religion by looking at the followers of that religion. People usually do not study their religion good enough to follow them properly. They practice the rituals handed down to them by the earlier generations and the advice given to them by their religious leaders.

Many religious leaders, specially the priests, have vested interest of material gain. To maintain their privileged position they sometime do not want the people to know what is in the Holy books. In the recent past, the Christian Catholics were not allowed to read the Bible. It was the privilege of the priests only. Some time they introduce new rituals and practices, which substantially deviate from the earlier practices. Other times they add new things to the scriptures, which clearly violate the original doctrines and teachings.

Islam is an Arabic word. It means (1) peace and (2) submission to the will of God. Islam as a religion means acquiring peace by submitting to the will of God. Muslim is a person who submits his or her will to the Creator. Both the words ‘Islam’ & ‘Muslim’ are found in Qur’an.

The wordHindu was first coined by thePersians and the Arabs for the people living in the Indian subcontinent. A Hindu is defined as a person living beyond theSindhu (Indus) river of India. They used to call the Sindhu river as Hindu river and its seven branches as‘Hafta’ (seven) Hindu rivers . It is a geographical definition and is a misnomer for religion.People living in this area belong to many different religions. The word“Hinduism” was first used by British writers in1830 to describe the religious belief of the People of India (New Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol 20, and Ref: 581). In his book“Discovery of India” Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru wrote that the word “Hindu” was first used by a“Tantric” in 8th century C.E . to describe the people of India but not their religion (pages 74-75).

Since “Hinduism” is an English word and originally coined by a British, many Hindu Scholars want the religion to be called“Sanatana Dharma” (Eternal Religion) or“Vedic Dharma” (Religion of Veda). Famous Hindu scholarSwami Vivekananda suggested the name of the Hindu religion to be‘Vedantic religion’ and the followers asVedantists .

Revealed Books of God

Islam:

The Quran says: “For each period is a Book (revealed)” (Quran S. Rad 13:38).

Only five revelations are mentioned by name in the Qur’an: these are the. Torah, Zaboor, Suhuf, Injeel and the Qur’an. Qur’an is the last and final revelation, revealed to the last and final messenger, Prophet Muhammad (P*). God says in the Quran: “Here is a Message for mankind ; let them take warning there-from, and let them know that He is (no other than) One God: let men of understanding take heed ” (Quran S. Ibrahim 14:52).

All previous revelations were only meant for a particular group of people and for a particular period of time. The Qur’an was revealed for whole of humanity till the end of the world.

Sacred Books of Hinduism:

Sacred Books of Hinduism are divided into two groups, namelySrutis and Smritis .Sruti means heard, perceived, understood, or revealed. They are considered Divine in origin. They includeVedas and Upanishads (Vedanta) .

Smriti means remembered, or from memory or from thought process. This includesPuranas, Ramayana, Mohabharata, Bhagvat Gita, Brahmana, and Manusmriti . The Smritis give rules governing the actions of the individual, the community and the society. They are human in origin and are not considered as sacred as Srutis.

Vedas:

The word ‘Veda’ is derived from theSanskrit word ‘vid’ , which means “to know”. The word‘Veda’ means “knowledge par excellence” or “sacred wisdom.” There are four principal divisions of the Vedas: the Rig Veda, the Sam Veda, the Yajur Veda and the Atharva Veda, The Rig Veda, the Sam Veda and the Yajur Veda are considered to be more ancient books and are known as ‘Trai Viddya’ or the ‘Triple Sciences’.

Upanishsds:

‘Upa’ meaning ‘near’, ‘ni’ means ‘down’ and ‘shad’ means ‘to sit’ . So Upanishads meanssitting down near : Groups of Shishyas (pupils) sit near the Guru (teacher) to learn from him the sacred doctrines. Upanishadalso known as Vedanta . Vedanta (Vedasya-antah), means the end of the Veda, the conclusion of Vedas. The Upanishads are the continuation of the Vedas and chronologically they follow the end of the Vedic period.

Puranas:

The word ‘Puranas’ means ‘ancient’ The Puranas contain the history of the Creation of the Universe, history of the early Aryan Tribes and life stories of the divines and deities of the Hindus. Maharishi Vyasa has divided the Puranas into 18 voluminous parts. Bhavishya Purana gives prophecies of future events.

Ramayana:

An epic, which deals with the life story of Rama.

Mahabharata:

Another great epic, which speaks about the feud between the cousins: the Pandavas and the Kauravas.

Bhagvat Gita:

It is a part of the epic Mahabharata and contains 18 Chapters of Mohabharata, from 25 to 42. It contains the advice given by Sri Krishn to Arjun in the battlefield.

Brahmana:

It givesrituals and sacrificing formulas .

Manusmriti:

It giveslaws written by Manu .

The translations of the Hindu scriptures used for this write up were made by Hindu scholars and orientalists, and none by Muslim scholars.

Concept of God in the Hindu Scriptures.

If you ask a common Hindu how many gods are there, you will get varied answers, from 3 to 3 crores (330 millions). But if you ask Hindu scholar he will say one. The Hindu scriptures say:

In Upanishad:

"Ekam evadvitiyam "- "He is One only without a second ” (Chandogya Upanishad chapter 6, section 2, verse 1).

“Na casya kascij janita na cadhipah .”- “Of Him there are neither parents nor lord ” (Svetasvatara Upanishad chapter 4, verse 19).

" There is no likeness of Him " (Svetasvatara Upanishad chapter 4, verse 19)

“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 chapter 4, verse 20).

In Brahma Sutra, main creed of Upanishad:

“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 .” In Hindi it reads: “Bhagwan ek hi hai dusara nahi hai, nahi hai, nahi hai, zara bhi nahi hai ”.

In Yajurveda:

"na tasya pratima asti - "There is no image of Him ". (Yajurveda chapter 32, verse 3).

"Shudhama poapvidham ":"He is bodiless and pure" (Yajurveda Ch 40:Vs 8).

“He is unborn and He should be worshipped” (Yajurveda, Chap. 32: vs. 4).

"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 ." (created things like table, chair, idol, etc) (Yajurveda 40:9).

In Atharvaveda:

"Dev maha osi "- "God is verily great " (Atharvaveda Book 20, hymn 58 and verse 3).

In Rigveda:

The oldest of all the Vedas is Rigveda. It is also the one consideredmost sacred by the Hindus.

“There is only one God, worship Him ” (Rigveda, Bk. 6, Hymn 45 vs. 16).

“Ekam sat vipra bahudha vadanti”- "Sages (learned Priests) call one God by many names. " (Rigveda Book 1, hymn 164 and verse 46). Same also seen in Rigveda Book 10, Hymn 114, verse 5.

The Rigveda gives33 different attributes to Almighty God. One of the beautiful attributes mentioned isBrahma which means ‘The Creator’ (Rigveda Book, 2 hymn, 1 verse 3). 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 goes against the following verse of Yajurveda: "Na tasya Pratima asti" "There is no image of Him ." [Yajurveda chapter 32, verse 3]

Another beautiful attribute of God mentioned in the Rigveda Book 2 hymn 1 verse 3 is Vishnu.Vishnu means ‘The Sustainer’ . Translated into Arabic it means Robb. Again, Muslims can have no objection if Almighty God is referred to as Robb or 'Sustainer' or Vishnu. But the popular image of Vishnu among Hindus is that of a God who has many arms, with one of the right arms holding a Chakra, i.e. a diskette and one of the left arms holding a ‘conch shell’, riding a bird, Guruda, or reclining on a snake-couch. Muslims have strong exception to it. As mentioned earlier this also goes against Svetasvatara Upanishad Chapter 4 verse 19. "Na tasya pratima asti" "There is no likeness of Him ."

Rigveda also says: "Ma cid anyad vi sansata sakhayo ma rishanyata"- "O friends, do not worship anybody but Him, the Divine One. Praise Him alone ." (Rigveda Book 8, hymn 1, verse).

"Devasya samituk parishtutih" "Verily, great is the glory of the Divine Creator." (Rigveda 5:1:81].

Vedas give names of attributes of God but do not give any image to them. Quran gives names of 99 attributes of God and no image is attached to them.

In Bhagavad Gita:

“Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires worship demigods ” (Bhagavad Gita chapter 7, verse 20). Webster’s dictionary describes Demigod as “the offspring of a human being and a god or goddess, or a person regarded as partly divine.”

“He who knows me as unborn, the beginning less, the supreme Lord of all the worlds ” (Bhagvat Gita chapter 10, verse 3).

Concept of God in Islam comparing with Hindu Scriptures.

Concept of God in Islam is given in Quran Sura Ikhlas 112:1-4.

Verse 1: “He is God the one and only ”.

Now compare it with: "He is One only without a second ” (Chandogya Upanishad chapter 6, section 2, verse 1)

Verse 2: “God is absolute and eternal.”

Compare with: “The supreme Lord of all the worlds .” (Bhagvad Gita chapter 10, verse 3)

Verse 3: “He begets not, nor is He begotten.”

Compare with: “Of Him there are neither parents nor lord ” (Svetasvatara Upanishad chapter 6, verse 9).

Verse 4: “And there is none like unto Him.”

Compare with:" There is no likeness of Him " (Svetasvatara Upanishad chapter 4, verse 19)

These four verses are thetouch-stones of theology . Anyone who claims to be God put him to this test. If he passes he is God almighty.

Name of our Creator:

God is a common noun. Although we all are men, each of us has a personal name. The Quran refers to God asAllah . The personal name of God in Aramaic (the mother tongue of Jesus-P*) isALAHA. In Hebrew, it is ALAH, ELAH, or ELOH . (Encyclopedia Britannica 1980, 'On church doctrines', & New and improved edition of the Bible, edited by Rev. C. I. Scoffield).

In Rigveda Allah is mentioned as Ela or Ala: (1) Rigveda book 2, Hymn 1, verse 11, (2) Rigveda book 3, Hymn 30, verse 10, and (3) Rigveda book 9, Hymn 67, verse 30).

Allah is a unique name. It has no plural, no gender, and it cannot be mutilated as we see with the word ‘God’ viz. God (greater God), god (lesser God), Gods, Godfather, Godmother, Godson, Goddaughter, Godchild, Godhead, Goddess, Godless, Godlike, Godly, Godsend, and even Goddamned.

Messengers of God:

Quran says: “To every people (was sent) a Messenger ” (Quran S. Yunus 10:47).

“And there never were a people, without a warner having lived among them (in the past) ”. (Quran S. Fatir 35:24)

According to a Sahih Hadith1,24,000 prophets were sent by God. Only 25 prophets are mentioned by name in the Quran. Mohammad is the seal of the prophets and was sent as a universal messenger for the whole of humanity (Quran S. Ahzab 33:40, S. Saba 34:28).

Avtars and Messengers in Hiduism:

‘Av’ means ‘descend’ and ‘tr’ means ’Cross over’. Thus Avatar means to descend down or come down. According to common Hindus Avatar means Almighty God coming down to earth in bodily form. There is no reference of Avatars anywhere in the Vedas which are revered as Sruti (revealed) scripture. It is found in Bhagvat Gita.

“Whenever there is a decay of righteousness, O Bharata, and a rise of unrighteousness, then I manifest Myself. For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked and for the establishment of righteousness, I am born in every age ” (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 verse 7-8).

Almighty God does not, can not and will not take human form. If He does He ceases to be God. God has no beginning and no end. Man has a beginning and an end. There can not be an entity with a beginning and a end as well as no beginning and no end. Further, if He does become a human He becomes a Demigod. Hindu holy scripture forbids worshipping Demigods (Bhagavad Gita chapter 7, verse 20).

Prophesy in Hindu Scriptures about Prophet Mohammad:

In Bhavishya Purana, Prati Sarag Parv III, Khand 3, Adhyay 3, Shalokas 5 to 8, it reads :

“Etasminnastare mlessa acharjeno samannita: I

Mohamad iti khyeta shisya shakha samannita”: II5II….

"A malecha (belonging to a foreign country and speaking a foreign language)acharjeno (spiritual teacher)will appear with his companions. His name will be Mohamad. Raja (Bhoj) after giving this Maha Dev (holy man of angelic disposition)from the Marusthal (desert country)a bath in the Panchgavya and the Ganga water (i.e. purifying him of all sins)offered him the present of his sincere devotion and showing him all reverence said, “O pride of mankind, O lord of the desert, I pay homage to you. You have collected a great force to kill the devil and you yourself have been protected from the Malecha opponents. O Ye the image of the Most Pious God, the biggest Lord, I am slave to thee, take me as one lying by thy feet ”. (compiled by Mahrishi Vyasa and translated by Dr. Vidyarthi.)

Here it clearly says that the name of the Prophet will be Mohammad. He will be born in a desert country (marusthal), and will be pride of mankind (Parabatis nath).

In the same chapter shlokas 10 to 27 it reads: “The Malechha have spoiled the well-known land of the Arabs. Arya Dharma is not to be found in the country. Before also there appeared a misguided fiend whom I had killed; he has now again appeared being sent by a powerful enemy. To show these enemies the right path and to give them guidance the well-known Mohamad (Mohammad) who has been given by me, the epithet of Brahma, is busy in bringing the ‘Pishachas’ to the right path. O Raja, you need not go to the land of the foolish Pishachas, you will be purified through my kindness even where you are. At night, he of the angelic disposition, the shrewd man, in the guise of a pischacha said to Raja Bhoj, O Raja! Your Arya Dharma has been made to prevail over all religions, but according to the commandments of Ishwar Parmatama, I shall enforce the strong creed of the meat eaters. My followers will be men circumcised, without a tail (on his head), keeping beard, creating a revolution announcing Adhan (call for prayer) and will be eating all lawful things. He will eat all sorts of animals except swine. They will not seek purification from the holy shrubs, but will be purified through warfare. On account of their fighting the irreligious nations, they will be known as ‘Musalmaans’. I shall be the originator of this religion of the meat-eating nation .”

The Prophecy states that (i) The evildoers have corrupted the Arab land. (ii) Arya Dharma (Monotheism) is not found in that land. (iii) The present enemies will be destroyed just as the previous enemies (like Abraha) had perished. (iv) The Indian Raja need not go to Arab land since his purification will take place in India after the ‘Musalmaan’ will come to India. (v) The coming Prophet will attest the truth of the Aryan faith i.e. Monotheism and will reform the misguided people. (vi) Clear identity of the Musalmaans are also given.

According to Bhavishya Purana Part – III, khand 1, Adhyay 3, shlokas 21-23:

“Corruption and persecution are in seven sacred cities of Kashi etc. India is inhabited by Rakshas, Shabar, Bhil and other foolish people. In the land of ‘Malechhas’ the followers of the ‘Malechah dharma’ (Islam)are wise and brave people. All good qualities are found in Musalmaans and all sorts of vices have accumulated in the land of the Aryas .”

Prophet Muhammad prophesied in Atharva Veda

In Atharva Veda Book 20 some chapters are known as “Kuntap Sukt.” Kuntap means ‘the consumer of misery and troubles,’ meaning message of peace and safety.

Kuntap suktas in Atharvaved book 20 Hymn 127 verses 1-13:

Mantra 1

He is narashansah or the praised one

He is Kaurama the prince of peace or the emigrant, who is safe even amongst a host of 60,090 enemies.

Mantra 2.

He is a camel-riding Rishi, whose chariot touches the heaven.

Mantra 3.

He is Mamah Rishi. (a great Rishi)

The meaning of the word Mohammad is ‘praised one.’ He made innumerable peace treaties with the Jews, and pagans most of whom were broken by them,. He lived in Mecca whose population was about 60,000. He used to ride a camel and therefore can be called a camel riding Rishi. A Brahmin is prohibited from riding a camel or an ass and to bathe naked (Manu Smriti chapter 11 verse 202). Therefore this could not be an Indian Rishi.

Atharvaveda Book 20 ,hymn 21, verse 6 reads:

“O Lord of the truthful! These liberators drinks these feats of bravery and the inspiring songs gladdened thee in the field of battle. When thou renderst vanquished without fight the ten thousand opponents of the praying one, the adoring one .”

This exactly describes the “Battle of Trench” at Madina. After failing to destroy the Muslims in previous two battles the pagans of Mecca and surrounding areas gathered 10,000 army and marched to Madina. The Muslims, totaling 3000, dug a trench around the city to protect them. After failing to get into the city for about four weeks they ran low of food. A severe sand storm blew away their tents and the remaining food. Severely battered by the storm the pagans left for home.

Atharva Veda book 20 Hymn 21 verse 9 reads:

“You have O Indira overthrown 20 kings and 60,099 men with an outstripping chariot wheel who came to fight the praised one or far famed Orphan ”

Here Atharva Veda describes the conquest of Mecca. After several years of exile in Medina, Prophet Mohammad returned to Mecca with 10,000 followers. Mecca had about 60,000 inhabitants at that time. It was ruled by about 20 tribal chiefs. Seeing such huge followers with him, the city surrendered without a fight. Prophet Mohammad was an orphan, surely a famous one.

He would not drink his mother’s milk.

Samveda Agni mantra 64 (S.V. m-64) and Samveda Book 1 chapter 2, decade 2, verse 2 (S.V. 1:2:2:2) reads:

“The habits of this child are very strange. He does not go to his mother for milk, his mother does not feed him milk and yet as soon as he is born he takes up the noble assignment of prophet hood ”.

It was the custom in those days to give the newly born babies of the city dwellers to the Bedouin wet nurses to take care of them. A Bedouin mother, named Halima, took care of Mohammad and she returned him to the mother at the age 5.

Kalki Avatar, Antim Rishi, fiinal Prophet:

In Kalki Purana (K. P.) chapter 2 verses 4, 5, 7, 11 & 15one finds the followings:

He will be born in house of the Chief:

He will be born in the house of chief of the village Sambhala. Muhammad (P*) was born in the house of the chief of the Kaaba, his grandfather.

His father’s name will be Vishnuyash:

The father of Kalki Avtar will be Vishnuyash (K. P. chapter 2 verses 4). which means ‘worshipper of Vishnu’ i.e. ‘worshipper of God’. Muhammad’s father’s name was Abdullah which means ‘obedient worshipper of Allah i.e. God’.

He wil be born in Sambhala:

He will be born in a village called ‘Sambhala’ which means ‘place of peace and security’. Makkah is known as Darul Aman, which means ‘house of peace and security’.

His mother’s name will be Sumati:

The name of his mother will beSumati ( K.P.2: 4 & 11), which means ‘gentle and thoughtful’ , Prophet Muhammad’s mother’s name wasAaminah, which means ‘gentle and peaceful’.

Will born on the 12th day of month of Madhav.

Kalki Avtar will be born on the 12th day of the bright (first) half of the month of Madhav. It is a historical fact Muhammad (P*) was born on the 12th day of the month of Rabi-ul-Awwal.

He will receive knowledge from theLord on the mountain and then go towards North and then come back.

Kalki Avatar will go to the mountains and receive knowledge from Parsuram, then go towards the north and come back.

Prophet Muhammad (P*) did go to Jable-Noor i.e. the Mountain of Light, where he received the first Revelation from Archangel Gabriel. Later he went north to Madina and at the end made a victorious return to Makkah.

He will be the Antim (final) Avatar

Quran says: “Muhammad is not the Father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah, and the seal (the last and final) of the Prophets, and Allah has full knowledge of all things .” (Quran S. Ahzab, 33:40).

He will be helped by angels in the battle field:

This describes the Battle of Badr (a place 80 miles outside Medina in Arabia). When Mohammad fled to Madina an army of Meccans consisting of 1300 fighters, 1000 camels, 100 horsemen and 600 armors, marched against the Muslims of Madina. About 313 Muslims having only 70 camels, 2 horses, and 6 armors, met the Meccan army at the ‘Battle of Badr’ and with the help of angels gave them a crushing defeat.

Quran says: “Remember ye implored the assistance of your Lord and He answered you: "I will assist you with a thousand of the angels ranks on ranks .” (Quran S. Anfal, 8:9).

Shiva will present a steed to Kalki avatar.

It is prophesied that Shiva will present an extraordinary steed to the Kalki Avatar. Muhammad (P*) received a steed from Almighty God, which was known as‘Buraq’ when he traveled from Mecca to Jerusalem.

Life after death In Hinduism

Most of the Hindus believe in the cycle of birth, death and rebirth, which is called ‘Samsara ’. This is also known asReincarnation or Transmigration of the Souls . According to doctrine of rebirth, differences between individuals, even at the time of their birth, are due to their past karma i.e. actions done in the past birth. When his Karma is good he is reborn in higher social order and status. If his Karma is excellent he is liberated from the Cycle of Rebirth, which is known as Moksha.

Bhagvat Gita (2:22) says: “As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless .”

The Vedas make no mention of ‘Rebirth’ or the concept of transmigration of souls.

Punarjanam:

In Sanskrit ‘Punar’ or ‘Puna’, means, ’next time’ or ‘again’ and ‘Janam’ means ‘life’. Therefore ‘Punarjanam’ means ‘next life’ or ‘the life hereafter’. It does not mean coming to life on earth again and again as a living creature.

Life after death In Islam:

One lives in this world only once and then will be resurrected in the life Hereafter for the Day of Judgment. The Quran says:

1. “How can ye reject the faith in Allah? Seeing that ye were without life, and He gave you life; then will He cause you to die, and will He again bring you to life; and again to Him will ye return .” (Qur’an S. Baqara, 2:28).

2.This Life is a test for the hereafter: “He Who created death and life, that He may try which of you is best in deed ” (Qur’an S. Mulk, 67:2).

3.Full Recompense on the Day of Judgment: “And only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense .” (Qur’an S. Imran, 3:185).

Paradise – Swarga in the Vedas:

In Veda:

“May all these streams of butter, with their banks of honey, flowing with distilled water, and milk and curds and water reach thee in domestic life enhancing thy pleasure. May thou acquire completely these things strengthening the soul in diverse ways .” (Atharva Veda Book 4 hymn 34 verse 6).

In Quran:

“He will forgive you your sins and admit you to Gardens beneath which rivers flow and to beautiful mansions in Gardens of Eternity: that is indeed the supreme Achievement” (Quran S. Saff, 61:12).

“(Here is) a Parable of the Garden which the righteous are promised: in it are rivers of water incorruptible: rivers of milk of which the taste never changes; rivers of wine a joy to those who drink; and rivers of honey pure and clear.In it there are for them all kinds of fruits and Grace from their Lord” (Quran S. Mohammad, 47:15)

Hell – ‘Nark’ in the Vedas:

“May the bounteous fire divine, consume them with his fiercely glowing sharp jaws like flames, who disregard the commandments and steadfast laws of most venerable and sagacious Lord .” (Rigveda 4:5:4)

Hell in Quran:

“(It is) the Fire of (the Wrath of) Allah kindled (to a blaze) The which doth mount (Right) to the Hearts: It shall be made into a vault over them. In columns outstretched .” (Quran S. Humaza 104:6-9)

“Those who reject Our Signs We shall soon cast into the fire: as often as their skins are roasted through We shall change them for fresh skins that they may taste the penalty: (Quran S. Nisa, 4: 56).

“Death will come to him from every quarter yetwill he not die: and in front of him will be a chastisement unrelenting ” (Quran S Ibrahim, 14:17).

Zakat or Poor due in Islam:

Every Muslim is obliged to pay 2.5 % of his savings to his less fortunate fellow human beings every lunar year. This is a ‘purification-of-wealth tax’ Here the wealth revolves from rich to the poor.

Charity in Hinduism:

Charity is also prescribed in Hinduism.

“If it is expected of every rich man to satisfy the poor implorer; let the rich person have a distant vision (for a rich of today may not remain rich tomorrow). Remember that riches revolve from one man to another, as revolve the wheels of a chariot .” (Rigveda Bk. 10 hymn 117 verse 5)

Fasting prescribed for selfrestraint:

“O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you As it was prescribed To those before you, That ye may (learn) self-restraint .” (Quran S. Baqara, 2:183)

Fasting discourages alcoholism, smoking and other addictions.

Fasting in Hinduism

Fasting is a very integral part of the Hindu religion. Individuals observe different kinds of fasts based on personal beliefs and local customs, such as Ekadasi, Pradosha, or Purnima. According to Manusmriti Chapter 6 verse 24: Fasting has been prescribed for a month for purification.

Hajj-Pilgrimage:

Hajj is pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the worship of one true God at Kaba and nearby Arafat. Kaba is the first ‘House of God’, built by Abraham (P*), for the worship of one true God. Hajj is an obligation for a Muslim, once in a lifetime, provided the person is financially and physically able to do so. It is a great spiritual journey.Every male, king or peasant, rich or poor, black or white, wears two pieces of white un-stitched clothes to cover their body. They all stand, side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder, and perform all the rituals. People from all walks of life and from all regions of the world; take this spiritual journey to Mecca in the true spirit of Islamic brotherhood.

Pilgrimage in Hinduism

There are various places of pilgrimage in Hinduism. One of the sacred places mentioned in Rigved, Bk. 3 hymn 29 verse 4 is“Ilayspad, which is situated at Nabha prathvi.” ‘Ila’ means God or Allah, and ‘spad’ means place, therefore Ilaspad means “place of God ”

Nabha means center and prathvi mean earth. Thus this verse of the Veda prescribes pilgrimage to a place of God situated at the center of the earth.

Sanskrit-English dictionary by M. Monier Williams (Edition 2002 ) states thatIlaspad is “Name of a Tirtha” i.e. place of Pilgrimage – however its location is not known.

Jihad in Islam and Hinduism:

‘Jihad’ is an Arabic word derived from ‘Jahada’, which means tostrive or to struggle . In Islamic contextJihad means to strive or struggle against the evil inclinations of one self. When one wants to lead a righteous and virtuous life, there is constant struggle against the evil desires within oneself. When one wants to raise a family in a less-than-desirable environment, he or she has to exert extra efforts constantly against the evil influence of the society. One often exerts extra efforts to please or obey God. All these are acts of Jihad.

If war is waged against a people, God permits them to fight. God says in the Quran“To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to fight), because they are wronged; and verily, God is Most Powerful for their aid.” (Quran S. Hajj, 22:39).

If people are oppressed or persecuted and they ask for help, it is the duty of Muslims to help them and rescue them from tyranny and oppression. One must not oppress others nor allow oppression by others. God says in Quran:“And why should ye not fight in the cause of God and of those who, being weak, are ill-treated (and oppressed)? Men, women, and children, whose cry is ‘Our Lord! Rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from Thee one who will protect; and raise for us from Thee one who will help.” (Quran S. Nisa, 4:75). These are also acts of Jihad.

Jihad (i.e. striving) in the Bhagavad Gita

“Thereforestrive for Yoga, O Arjuna, which is the art of all work.” (Bhagavad Gita 2:50)

Arjuna preferred to be killed unarmed and unresisting rather than fight and kill his cousins Kauravas.“ I would consider better for the sons of Dhritarashtra to kill me unarmed and unresisting rather than fight with them .” (The Bhagvad Gita Chapter 1 verse 45). Krishna advises Arjun:

“O son of Partha, do not yield to this degrading impotence. It does not become you. Give up such petty weakness of heart and arise, O chastiser of the enemy !”(Bhagvad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 3).

“O son of Kunti, either you will be killed in the battlefield and attain the heavenly planets (paradise), or you will conquer and enjoy the earthly kingdom, therefore get up and fight with determination ” (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 verse 37).

There are hundreds of verses in the Bhagvad Gita alone, which encourage fighting and killing, many times more as compared to such verses in the Qur’an.

In Rigved Book No. 1 Hymn 132 Verse 2-6 as well as many other verses of Hindu Scriptures speak about fighting and killing.

Prohibition of Alcohol in Islam and Hinduism

“O Ye who believe! Intoxicants and gambling (Dedication of) stones, and (divination by) arrows, are an abomination of Satan’s handiwork; eschew such (abomination), that ye may prosper .” (Quran S. Maida, 5:90)

“A priest-killer, a liquor drinker, a thief and a violator of his guru’s marriage bed – all of these, and each separately, should be known as men who committed major crime .” Manu Smriti Chapter 9, verse 235:

“Drinking, gambling, women (not lawfully wedded wives) and hunting, in that order, he should know to be the very worst four in the group of (vices) born of desire ” (Manu Smriti Chapter 7 verse 50).

“These miserable men – whom no one should eat with, no one should sacrifice for, no one should read to, and no one should marry – must wander the earth excommunicated from all religions ”. (Manu Smriti 9:238).