O People Of The Book

Dars-e-Quran, AlaImran rukoo 7 by Maulana Rizwan Pasha Qadiri
at Masjid-e-Shujath, Towlichowki, Hyderabad.
Published in Muslim Murasu, May 2011

Three major Books had been sent down before the blissful coming of the Holy Quran. Tawrath and Injeel (Bible) are available albeit not in their original shape. Saboor has completely vanished. Tawrath is available as Bayaan, speech and dialogue form. ‘Injeel’ was amended repeatedly during different periods. The phrase ‘people of the book’ here refers to Christians and Jews. Few consider Hindus also as people of the book.
Hindus hold Bagavath Gita and four Vedas. Sikhs have a book for them; they fan it in their temples. But Allah refers two communities particularly. Both the communities lived in Madinah. Jews were in good number as inhabitants there and a good number of Christians fared as frequent visitors.
Tawheed – the creed that professes worship of one God is common for all. The holy book of Buddhists also carried the message of Tawheed. The concept, the idea, of one God is there. Though called by different names, Tawheed is the core content. Swami Vivekananda deliberated stridently about Tawheed. The movement against idol worship is not led only by Islam or Muslims. People belonging to other religions also have guided towards Tawheed. Parameshwar, Paramatma, God, they laid stress on one God using different names.
A super force, energy, administers the entire universe. People belonging to all the faiths admit the power of God. Khudrat operates in the functioning of human beings. It is the one that teaches the hatchlings of fishes to swim. Where does this all lead to? Someone is governing the universe. Allah exhibits His power in the functioning of each and every thing. The word ‘nature’ is used to denote this.
Let us first ignore the differences between you and us. Let us not worship anyone except the God.
This is the message given by Buddhism and Jainism as well. In the earlier days, Sikhs were preached about Tawheed. Later worshiping of Gurunanak started. Jains compromised with Hindus in worshiping Mahavir. Buddhism that spread over many countries in the globe got ensnared in idol worship. They started seeing Buddha also as God. Hindus accepted Buddha as their God. Chandrababu Naidu installed a mammoth Buddha statue in the middle of Husain Sagar lake in Hyderabad. Placid harmony spread between Hindus and Buddhists.
Islam has been successful in guarding its fundamentals. Hindus forgot their basics. There was an attempt to subvert Muslims through Dargahs. Muslims opened the doors of Dargah for Hindus, but they themselves did not enter temples. Islam has not come to be changed, but has come to change others. Anyone can come to Dargah or Qanqah, have food and take shelter.
Muslims living in some villages have not received Taaleem. They celebrate both Hindu and Muslim festivals. Hindus accept Muslim festivals. Some Muslim families do prayers and offerings to idols, feudal Lords and angels. They take part in celebrations for Diwali, Dussera and Holi.
Most Muslims have not got lost in Hinduism. Muslims have distinct culture and lifestyle. There will be no compromise when it comes to the subject of God. A Muslim will accept and worship only one God.