A Spiritual Note
Edition 847 - January 29, 2022 - Jumada al-Akhirah 26, 1443
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World Interfaith Harmony Week
World Interfaith Harmony Week is based on a UN resolution for a worldwide week of interfaith harmony, proposed in 2010 by King Abdullah II and Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad of Jordan. World Interfaith Harmony Week falls on the first week of February every year and aims to promote harmony among all people, regardless of their faith.
The basis for this special Week is “A Common Word Initiative,” written by Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad and released in 2007. “A Common Word between Us and You” is an open letter, dated October 13, 2007, from leaders of the Islamic religion to leaders of the Christian religion. It calls for peace between Muslims and Christians and seeks to work for common ground and understanding between both religions, in accordance with the Quranic verse 3:64:
“Say: O People of the Book, come to an equitable word between us and you, that we shall serve none but Allah ...”
In addition, it is also based on the biblical commandment to love God and neighbour.
A Common Word Initiative and the World Interfaith Harmony Week stem from the idea that humanity is connected by the two shared commandments, ‘Love of God and Love of neighbour,’ expanded further to ‘Love for good and Love for neighbour.’ This formula includes all people of good will; people of other faiths, as well as people without faith.
Unfortunately, when comparing religions, one too often pays attention to the differences, with all the nasty consequences that entails. I thought it would be interesting to the Interfaith Harmony Week to compare various religious writings and find out what common values we find in them.
1. Honesty
An important quality of any sincere person. Honesty in word and deed, in trade and conduct. A quality that means that we as humans can rely on one another. About this, we read the following in our sacred writings:
“Give full measure and do not diminish. And weigh with a true balance. And do not wrong people of their dues, nor act corruptly in the earth, making mischief” (Quran, 26:181-183).
In the Bible, we read about this:
“Let him who was a thief be so no longer, but let him do good work with his hands, so that he may have something to give to him who is in need” (Ephesians, 4:28).
And in Hindu scriptures:
“Be as honest, as heaven in looking after your interests” (Taittiriya Upanishad).
2. Forgiveness
Small disputes often lead to lifelong quarrels; families, friends, colleagues, etc. who do not talk to one another, who are not willing to approach one another, who would rather live at odds with one another for a lifetime than take one small step to make things right. And who sometimes only find out after the death of such a family member or friend that they have delayed too long to make amends!
We are often not inclined to forgive others, while on the other hand we want God to forgive us!
Our sacred books teach us the following about forgiveness:
“… And pardon and overlook. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful” (Quran, 24:22).
In the Bible, we read:
“And whenever you make a prayer, let there be forgiveness in your hearts, if you have anything against anyone; so that you may have forgiveness for your sins from your Father Who is in heaven” (Mark, 11:25-26).
And in Hindu scriptures:
“One must forgive, with every injury. ... Forgiveness is holiness; forgiveness holds the universe together. Forgiveness is the power of the mighty; forgiveness is sacrifice; forgiveness is quiet of mind; forgiveness and meekness are the qualities of have that can control themselves. They represent eternal virtue” (Mahabharata).
3. Arrogance
Arrogance is when we look down on others. This is a quality that we must be very careful about. Racial and religious feelings of superiority have in extreme cases led to things like ethnic cleansing, religious conflicts. Just think of the Holocaust where millions of Jews were murdered by the Germans during the Second World War. But also in everyday life, arrogance is often enough a source of conflict and annoyance, because the proud tend to belittle, insult others, etc. That is why our holy scriptures give clear guidelines about this:
“And do not go about in the land exultingly, for you cannot split the earth, nor reach the mountains in height. All this, the evil of it, is hateful in the sight of your Lord” (Quran, 17:37-38).
In the Bible, we read:
“When pride comes, there comes shame, but wisdom is with the quiet in spirit” (Proverbs 11:2).
(The opposite of pride is humility.)
And in Hindu scriptures:
“O Parth, the qualities of those who possess a devilish nature are hypocrisy, arrogance, conceit, anger, hard-heartedness and ignorance” (The Gita, 16:4).
4. Gratitude
Gratitude often seems to be missing in society. All too often we focus on scarcity, on things we don’t have, and we don’t seem to see the things we do have. We take all that we do have for granted. Our holy books are very clear about going through life with a grateful attitude:
“Do you see the water which you drink? Do you bring it down from the clouds, or are We the Bringer? If We pleased, We could make it saltish; why do you not then give thanks?” (Quran, 56:68-70).
In the Bible, we read:
“Have joy at all times. Keep on with your prayers. In everything give praise: for this is the purpose of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
In Hindu scriptures:
“Almighty God, if we offer you a devoted mind and heart, you will offer us every blessing on earth and in heaven. You give nourishment to the body and peace to the soul. You look at us with the love of a mother for her children.
You have created this beautiful earth around us. And in every plant and animal, in every tree and bird, Thy spirit dwells. You have revealed Yourself to me, imbuing my soul with the knowledge that You are the source of all blessing. And so I praise You day and night. I who am weak, glorify You who are the most powerful. I who am nothing, dedicate myself to You, who are everything to me” (Vedas).
In Buddhist scriptures:
“The unworthy man is ungrateful and forgets the many benefits [which he enjoys]. This ingratitude, this forgetfulness is a characteristic of the wicked ... But the worthy person is grateful and aware of the many benefits where he enjoys. This gratitude, this mindfulness, is the quality of the best people.”
5. Jealousy
Usually jealousy involves seeing something that someone else has that we don’t possess, but would like to have, and resent that person for having it. The trick is to admire the person – or what that person possesses – without being jealous of him or her.
“Or do they envy the people for what Allah has given them of His grace?” (Quran, 4:54).
The Prophet Muhammad said:
“Beware of jealousy, for jealousy really consumes one’s good deeds, as fire consumes wood” (Abu Dawud).
From the Bible:
“But if you have bitter envy in your heart and the desire to get the better of others, have no pride in this, talking falsely against what is true.
This wisdom is not from heaven, but is of the earth and the flesh and the Evil One.
For where envy is, and the desire to get the better of others, there is no order, but every sort of evil-doing.
But the wisdom which is from heaven is first holy, then gentle, readily giving way in argument, full of peace and mercy and good works, not doubting, not seeming other than it is” (James 3:14-17).
Hindu scriptures:
“You today easily become victims of lust, anger, anger, jealousy and the like evil tendencies; the atmosphere of the heart is polluted by the vapour of your ego” (Atharva Veda).
6. Respect for parents
The Quran:
“And your Lord has decreed that you serve none but Him, and do good to parents. If either or both of them reach old age with you, say no word to them showing annoyance, nor rebuke them, and speak to them a generous word. And make yourself gentle to them with humility out of mercy, and say: My Lord, have mercy on them, as they brought me up (when I was) little” (17:23-24).
The Bible:
“Children, do what is ordered by your fathers and mothers in the Lord: for this is right. Give honour to your father and mother (which is the first rule having a reward), so that all may be well for you, and your life may be long on the earth. And, you fathers, do not make your children angry: but give them training in the teaching and fear of the Lord” (Ephesians, 6:1-4).
Hindu scriptures:
“The hardships that the father and the mother endure in producing and raising children cannot be relieved even in a hundred years. One should always do what pleases these two” (Manava Dharma Shastra, 2:227-228).
7. Charity
Charity, like volunteering, creates real social bonding and helps create more resilient societies. It also promotes the rights of the underprivileged and spreads the message of humanity.
All of our revealed scriptures assign a very important place to charity.
“You cannot attain to righteousness unless you spend (on good works) out of what you love” (Quran, 3:92).
The Bible:
“And the seed which was put in good earth, this is he who gives ear to the word, and gets the sense of it; who gives fruit, some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty times as much” (Matthew, 13:23).
Bhagavad Gita:
“Acts of sacrifice, charity and austerity should not be neglected, but should be performed, because sacrifice, charity and austerity purify even the wisest souls” (18.05).
8. Gossip and slander
Gossip and slander have a profound negative influence on our spiritual well-being. From a social point of view, gossip can also cause a lot of misery, such as quarrels between good friends. The Quran even likens slander to eating the flesh of a dead brother, and other scriptures agree that we should stay away from such things.
“O you who believe, do not let a people laugh at (another) people, perhaps they may be better than they; nor let women (laugh) at women, perhaps they may be better than they. Neither find fault with one another, nor call one another by (offensive) nick-names. Evil is a bad name after faith; and whoever does not repent, these it is that are the wrongdoers.
O you who believe, avoid most of suspicion, for surely suspicion in some cases is sin; and do not spy nor let some of you backbite others. Does one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You abhor it!” (Quran, 49:11-12).
The Bible:
“Do not say evil against one another, my brothers. He who says evil against his brother or makes himself his brother's judge, says evil against the law and is judging the law: and in judging the law you become, not a doer of the law but a judge” (James, 4:11).
Gautama Buddha:
“What is bad? Killing is bad, lying is bad, slander is bad, abuse is bad, gossip is bad, envy is bad, hatred is bad, clinging to false teaching is bad, all these things are bad. And what is the root of evil? Desire is the root of evil, illusion is the root of evil.”
Hinduism:
“He who produces false evidence or is guilty of false speech, goes to hell” (Markandeya Purana).
9. Collaboration
You are undoubtedly aware of how many people interact with one another in daily life. People often favour one another little and would rather see opponents and competitors fail rather than move forward. And when they make progress, there are those who try to thwart them with every possible means — something we encounter very often, especially in our national politics.
This “scratching mentality” often prevents us from making the best of our family, work environment, community, country, organization, etc. We read our holy books, but unfortunately we don’t always apply what we learn from them. We read the following about working together in unison:
“Surely Allah loves those who fight in His way in ranks, as if they were a solid wall” (Quran, 61:4).
“And obey Allah and His Messenger and do not dispute with one another so that you get weak-hearted and your power departs; and be steadfast. Surely Allah is with the steadfast” (Quran, 8:46).
The Bible:
“Last of all, see that you are all in agreement; feeling for one another, loving one another like brothers, full of pity, without pride” (1 Peter 3:8).
“Let this be my last word, brothers; be glad; be complete; be comforted; be of the same mind; be at peace with one another: and the God of love and peace will be with you” (2 Corinthians 13:11).
Hindu scriptures:
“We should work in unity and mutual cooperation, for division leads us to problems and failures” (Rigveda).
““Meet together, talk together, let your minds apprehend alike; in like manner as the ancient godsconcurring accepted their portion of the sacrifice” (Rigveda, 10.191.2).3
10. Anger
We read in Islamic literature:
“And those who shun the great sins and indecencies, and whenever they are angry they forgive” (Quran, 42:37).
“A strong person is not he who can wrestle well, but a strong person is he who can control himself when brought to anger” (Sahih Muslim, a saying of the Prophet Muhammad).
The Bible:
“Be angry without doing wrong; let not the sun go down on your wrath; And do not give way to the Evil One” (Ephesians, 4:26-27).
Hindu scriptures:
“If we speak from hatred and anger, it will lead to misfortune, pain and misery. Therefore one should speak in soft words” (Yajur Veda, 3, 4).
A Chinese saying:
“If you are patient in a moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of regret.”
11. Alcohol abuse
“O you who believe, intoxicants and games of chance and (sacrificing to) stones set up and (dividing by) arrows are only an uncleanness, the devil’s work; so shun it that you may succeed.
The devil desires only to create enmity and hatred among you by means of intoxicants and games of chance, and to keep you back from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. Will you then keep back?” (Quran, 5:90-91).
In the Bible we read:
“Now the works of the flesh are clear, which are these: evil desire, unclean things, wrong use of the senses, worship of images, use of strange powers, hates, fighting, desire for what another has, angry feelings, attempts to get the better of others, divisions, false teachings, envy, uncontrolled drinking and feasting, and such things: of which I give you word clearly, even as I did in the past, that they who do such things will have no part in the kingdom of God” (Galatians, 5:19-21).
And in the Vedas:
“One commits sins if one of these seven prohibitions is broken. Yaskacharya defines these seven sins in his Nirukta as: theft, adultery, killing a noble person, abortion, dishonesty, ongoing crimes and the consumption of alcohol” (Rigveda, 10.5.6).
12. Keeping promises
“No, whoever fulfils his promise and keeps his duty — then Allah surely loves the dutiful. Those who take a small price for the covenant of Allah and their own oaths — they have no portion in the Hereafter, and Allah will not speak to them, nor will He look upon them on the day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them, and for them is a painful punishment” (Quran, 3:76-77).
In the Bible, we read:
“Again, you have knowledge that it was said in old times, Do not take false oaths, but give effect to your oaths to the Lord: but I say to you, Take no oaths at all: not by the heaven, because it is the seat of God; or by the earth, because it is the resting-place for his foot; or by Jerusalem, because it is the town of the great King.
You may not take an oath by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black.
But let your words be simply, Yes or No: and whatever is more than these is of the Evil One” (Matthew, 5:33, 37).
And in Hindu scriptures:
“Speak the truth, follow the straight path” (Satyam Vadha Dharmam Chara).
13. Bringing about reconciliation
We often have the tendency when we see people in disharmony with one another to interfere to increase the friction. Our religious scriptures teach us just the opposite, which is to try to establish peace between those who are at odds with one another.
“And if two groups of the believers quarrel, make peace between them. Then if one of them does wrong to the other, fight the one which does wrong, till it returns to Allah’s command. Then, if it returns, make peace between them with justice and act equitably. Surely Allah loves the equitable. The believers are brethren so make peace between your brethren, and keep your duty to Allah that mercy may be shown to you” (Quran, 49:9-10).
The Bible:
“Let your desire be for peace with all men, and to be made holy, without which no man may see the Lord” (Hebrews, 12:14).
The Vedas:
“Come together, talk together, let our minds be in harmony. Let our prayer, our purpose, our considerations, our desires, be common. Let our hearts and our intentions be one. May the bond between us be perfect.”
14. Do not return evil for evil
“… Those who restrain (their) anger and pardon people. And Allah loves the doers of good (to others)” (Quran, 3:134).
This passage teaches us three degrees of response to those who have mistreated us:
• The least we can do is suppress our anger. A response based on anger can be excessive and unjust, and may even cause harm to the aggrieved party.
• Beyond suppressing anger, we can forgive those who mistreat us instead of wanting to punish them, if it can turn them for the better.
• Finally, we can go even further and return good for evil, thus setting a good example for them.
In the Bible, we read:
“Do not give evil for evil to any man. Let all your business be well ordered in the eyes of all men.
As far as it is possible for you be at peace with all men.
Do not give punishment for wrongs done to you, dear brothers, but give way to the wrath of God; for it is said in the holy Writings, Punishment is mine, I will give reward, says the Lord.
But if one who has hate for you is in need of food or of drink, give it to him, for in so doing you will put coals of fire on his head.
Do not let evil overcome you, but overcome evil by good” (Romans, 12:17-21).
Mahatma Gandhi:
“An eye for an eye will blind the whole world.”
15. Married life in harmony
All the revealed Holy Books teach marriage partners to be kind to each other:
“And of His signs is this, that He created mates for you from yourselves that you might find quiet of mind in them, and He put between you love and compassion. Surely there are signs in this for a people who reflect” (Quran, 30:21; see also 7:189, 2:187).
The Bible:
“And you husbands, give thought to your way of life with your wives, giving honour to the woman who is the feebler vessel, but who has an equal part in the heritage of the grace of life; so that you may not be kept from prayer” (1 Peter 3:7).
Hindu Marriage Promise:
“Let us stay together for the rest of our lives. Let us never ever part. Let us be united in carrying out our responsibilities within the family. Let us love and cherish each other and enjoy nutritious food and good health. Let us perform our vedic duties to our elders, forefathers, rishis, creatures, and God. Let our endeavour to be united. Let us beget children and amass both temporal and spiritual wealth. May our road be auspicious” (Vedas).
16. Adultery
Respect for each other also means being faithful to each other in all aspects of married life — a moral value that unfortunately is increasingly fading, often resulting in venereal diseases, unwanted pregnancies, abortions, broken families, etc.
The holy books are very clear about marital fidelity:
“And do not go near to fornication: surely it is an obscenity. And evil is the way” (Quran, 17:32).
The Bible:
“Keep away from the desires of the flesh. Every sin which a man does is outside of the body; but he who goes after the desires of the flesh does evil to his body.
Or are you not conscious that your body is a house for the Holy Spirit which is in you, and which has been given to you by God? And you are not the owners of yourselves” (1 Corinthians 6:18-19).
Hinduism:
“He who commits adultery is punished both here and hereafter...and if he dies, he falls into hell” (Vishnu Purana, 3.11).
17. Fortitude in trials
Trials are meant to make us stronger; just as we have to work hard at exams in school, we also get ‘tests’ in life. In order to progress spiritually, it is important to keep our faith and trust in the Almighty during these difficult times.
Our sacred books teach us the following about trials and tribulations:
“And We shall certainly try you with something of fear and hunger and loss of property and lives and fruits. And give good news to the patient, who, when a misfortune befalls them, say: Surely we are Allah’s, and to Him we shall return. Those are they on whom are blessings and mercy from their Lord; and those are the followers of the right course” (Quran, 2:155-157).
The Bible:
“There is a blessing on the man who undergoes testing; because, if he has God's approval, he will be given the crown of life, which the Lord has said he will give to those who have love for him” (James, 1:12).
The Ramayana:
“Life and death, joy and sorrow, gain and loss; we cannot avoid these dualities. Learn to accept what you cannot change.”
Rest assured that our Creator does not impose a trial upon us greater than we can bear. As we read in the Quran, 2:286:
“Allah does not impose on any soul a duty beyond its ability.”
And in the Bible, we read:
“You have been put to no test but such as is common to man: and God is true, who will not let any test come on you which you are not able to undergo; but he will make with the test a way out of it, so that you may be able to go through it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Let us therefore bear our difficulties patiently. Our patience and perseverance make us worthy of God’s blessing! We will of course continue to work on solutions within our means.
18. What we sow, we will reap
“And that man can have nothing but what he strives for, and that his striving will soon be seen, then he will be rewarded for it with the fullest reward” (Quran, 53:39-41).
The Bible:
“Be not tricked; God is not made sport of: for whatever seed a man puts in, that will he get back as grain. Because he who puts in the seed of the flesh will of the flesh get the reward of death; but he who puts in the seed of the Spirit will of the Spirit get the reward of eternal life” (Galatians, 6:7-8).
From Hinduism:
“One should do good deeds without focusing on the results, because sooner or later he will surely reap the benefits” (Rigveda).
19. Ritualism – Know the value behind the rituals
Many people perform prayers and fasting and other religious activities as a ritual. Too much emphasis is placed on the postures of prayer, on the exact times of fasting, etc., and oftentimes people fail to realize that there is a deeper purpose behind the rituals. And our religious scriptures give us clear indications about this.
For example, we read in the Quran, 29:45:
“Surely prayer keeps (one) away from indecency and evil.”
If our prayers do not improve our behaviour, what is the value of such prayer?
Likewise, we read in the Quran 2:183:
"O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard against evil.”
If fasting does not improve our behaviour, what is the value of our fasting? Virtually nothing, as the Prophet Muhammad taught us:
“If one does not forsake the falsehood and corresponding deeds, Allah has no need that he forsake his food and drink.”
So our rituals of prayer, fasting, sacrifice, etc., are meant to make us better people. If they do not, then they have hardly any value.
Other religions also agree on this, as we read in the Bible:
“These people give me honour with their lips, but their heart is far from Me” (Matthew, 15:8).
“If a man seems to have religion and has no control over his tongue but lets himself be tricked by what is false, this man's religion is of no value” (James, 1:26).
And in Hindu scriptures:
“Knowledge is indeed better than the mechanical performance of religious rituals. And meditation is better than knowledge” (Bhagawat Gita).
Therefore, in addition to performing the rituals, let us also (and above all) emphasize their inner value. Only in this way will we benefit spiritually from the effort we put into our acts of worship.
20. Handling power
“O David, surely We have made you a ruler in the land; so judge between people justly, and do not follow desire that it should lead you astray from the path of Allah. Those who go astray from the path of Allah, for them is surely a severe punishment because they forgot the day of Reckoning” (Quran, 38:26).
“A public office is something that is entrusted to you and something that causes shame and regret on the Day of Resurrection, except for the one who accepts it with a sense of justice and fulfils the obligations that go with it” (saying of Prophet Muhammad).
The Bible:
“But for the rest, take from among the people able men, such as have the fear of God, true men hating profits wrongly made; and put such men over them, to be captains of thousands, captains of hundreds and of fifties and of tens” (Exodus, 18:21).
From Hinduism:
“The leader should refrain from evil inclinations because they show a wrong preference, which sets a bad example for their subjects” (Yajur Veda).
“Only that person is acceptable as a leader, who obeys the laws and rules” (Rigveda).
21. Religion and health
Diet and exercise play a major role in maintaining good health. With regard to nutrition, says the Quran in 2:172:
“O you who believe, eat of the good things that We have provided you with, and give thanks to Allah if He it is Whom you serve.”
And the Quran, 7:31, teaches us not to overindulge:
“… And eat and drink and do not be extravagant; surely He (Allah) does not love the extravagant.”
The Bible also teaches that we should be careful with our bodies:
“Do you not see that you are God's holy house, and that the Spirit of God has his place in you? If anyone makes the house of God unclean, God will put an end to him; for the house of God is holy, and you are his house” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).
War over religion, is it religion?
It is sometimes said that religion only brings evil and that it should rather be abolished.
If I have a knife in my hand, I can use it to cut vegetables, but I can also rob and kill someone with it. If I do the latter, is the fault with the knife? Or is the fault with the one who wields the knife?
It is the same with religion. If there is a fight for religion, the fault is really not with religion, with the holy books, with the prophets who brought these revelations, etc. The fault lies with those who do not understand religion, who want to abuse religion for political purposes, who point out the differences and thus sow division for their own benefit (divide and rule policy), etc.
To conclude, a part of a song from the film Dhool ka phool, sung by Mohammed Rafi (lyrics by Sahir Ludhianvi).
Maalik ne har insaan ko insaan banaya,
Hum ne use hindu ya musalaman banaya.
Kudrat ne to hume baksi thi ek hi dharti,
Humne kahi bharat kahi iran banaya.
Nafrat jo sikhaye wo dharm tera nahi hain,
Insaan ko djo raunde woh kadam tera nahi hain.
Kuraan na ho djism, wo mandir nahi tera.
Geeta na ho djism, wo dharam tera nahi hai.
Tu Hindu banega na Musalmaan banega,
Insaan ki aulaad hai, insaan banega.
With this, the writer wants to indicate that it is not Allah Who has created division between people; it is we who have made that division. And that a religion that teaches hate is not our religion.
And that we should learn from one another and respect another; a Quran should be found in a mandir, and a Bhagavad Gita in the mosque.
And what is more important than religious expression is to become a good person. (Our religion is useless if it does not make us better people.)
Maulana Kemal Hydal of Trinidad once said, “If religion can’t bring us closer together, how can it bring us closer to God?”
Finally …
As you will notice, there are many more similarities than differences in the different religions that we know. Unfortunately, as stated earlier, all too often emphasis is placed on those few differences, rather than highlighting the similarities.
The purpose of Interreligious Harmony Week, the first week of February, is precisely to emphasize the similarities between religions, to highlight the common values, in order to create greater peace and harmony in the world.
Source:
Jumu‘ah Khutbah
Surinaamse Islamitische Vereniging
Friday 28th January 2022
Riaz Ahmadali