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Your Questions Answered
The remedy for ignorance is asking questions. (Prophet Muhammad). The spirit of enquiry is the hallmark of an open society and the above saying of the Prophet aptly illustrates this principle. A culture of curiosity and open-mindedness will foster development in any society by motivating its members to learn enthusiastically and enrich their knowledge. This is because awareness of one’s ignorance is half of knowledge, as it becomes a stepping-stone to seeking and finding answers. A questioning mind is like a flowing river that is replenished with fresh thoughts and ideas and continues on its journey.
What is the real message of the Quran, the Bible and the Torah?
The common message of these three religious scriptures is monotheism, or the concept of unity of God. There is a verse in the Quran that reads: The believers, the Jews, the Christians, and the Sabeans, all those who believe in God and the Last Day and do good deeds, will be rewarded by their Lord; they shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve. (2: 62)
Do Muslims love Jesus?
In Islam, the Prophet Jesus and the Prophet Muhammad have an equal position in terms of respect. Both were sent as a mercy to humankind, to guide them to the right path and to spirituality. The Quran says: Say, “We believe in God and in what has been sent down to us and to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes. We believe in what has been given to Moses, Jesus and the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them. It is to Him that we have surrendered ourselves.’ (3: 84).
As a Muslim, what is your view on Hinduism?
Every religion has special characteristics. Hinduism has a unique tradition of accepting plurality of truth without seeking to enforce change of belief system. The composite nature of the Indian society today is not by accident. It is due directly to the monistic way of thinking held by the majority of the Indian population. India believes in plurality, or in the words of Mahatma Gandhi, ‘the manyness of reality’.
According to this religious philosophy, the Hindus believe that everything in the cosmos is an ansh, or part of divinity. They believe in the concept of an indwelling god, that is, every human being has a content of divinity. Due to this concept, the Hindu mind accords the position of divinity to every man and woman. This is the genesis of the culture of tolerance in India. Hinduism does not advocate change of faith. It believes in the principle of mutual acceptance. Thus, Hindus believe they are on the true path and so are others.
What can Muslims learn from people of other faiths?
Life is all about mutual learning. All of us should interact with and learn from one another. Learning is a process. It is not restricted only to some specific issues. This is the age of knowledge explosion and learning. One should imbibe the spirit of learning and must learn from one and all. By virtue of being different, each person has experiences to share and learning to offer.
Learning is to be had from everyone. It is not a question of Muslim or non-Muslim. Just as two stones create sparks when rubbed against each other, similarly mutual learning causes brainstorming and leads to emergence of new ideas.
Does Islam allow Muslims to wish people of other faiths on their festivals?
Absolutely! Opportunities for engaging in interaction should never be lost. Greeting others is a part of social ethics, and not a part of belief system. One must strive to live peacefully and humbly in society. A society is a unit of a nation, which is diverse yet interconnected. When the members of a society acknowledge their diversity despite having different beliefs, they nurture a healthy atmosphere of open interaction, mutual learning and peaceful coexistence.
The way to prosper is to ignore the
matters that divide one from others
and to concentrate on cultivating areas
of mutual concern.