Polytheism & Concept of God in Other Religions

Polytheism & Concept of God in other Religions

Name of Author Abdul Rab

Academic Reviewer Adam Ali (24.08.2018)

Language Editor Abjal Ali (25.08.2018)

Version Number 1.0

Date of Verification 25th August 2018

Phase | Topic 1 | 2.0

Basics of Islam | The Way of Life

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Introduction

Negating polytheism If you combine advance scientific discoveries with religion you get balanced and rational answers to most questions our existence poses. There are still mysteries that science cannot explain and through religious scriptures, it makes more sense if our creator provides meaning for a purpose through Prophets etc. Reasons as to why polytheism is an irrational belief Most Logical Contradiction

When you assume the presence of two Gods then you have one of two possibilities and no more: either that these two Gods have equal power or that one of them is superior to the other.

Let’s begin with the second assumption. If we assume that one God is more powerful than the other then it means the other God is really a weaker God or an inferior God compared to the first. When we talk about a Deity, the question of inferiority and weakness is totally irrelevant and completely inapplicable. So that’s a logical contradiction.

Finally, the order of the universe is too perfect and leads us to believe that it has been constructed from an all eternal being with no defects. God by definition is independent and eternal. However, if these polytheistic gods are semi-independent, it would logically follow that they are not eternal.

‘If there were, in the heavens and the earth, other gods besides Allah, there would have been confusion in both! but glory to Allah, the Lord of the Throne: (High is He) above what they attribute to Him!’1 Allah explains further in the Qur'an: ‘Behold, each god would have taken away what he had created, and some would have lorded it over others! Glory to Allah! (He is free) from the (sort of) things they attribute to Him.’2

The above has a logical basis and is balanced therefore someone of understanding can clearly make a distinction that this is the mighty truth from the Lord of the universe.

1 Qur’an 21:22 2 Qur’an 23:91

Concept of God in Major Religions

Literal meaning of the word religion The word religion comes from the Latin word ‘religare’: ‘to join, or link’ classically understood to mean the linking of human and divine. 3

Meaning of religion “A system of faith and worship, the belief and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.”4 Thus, religion is a systemised and structured doctrine that is set out by a God; and is ultimately the way of life with regards to how someone should live, act, behaviour, etc. for that persons belief. In this presentation, we will try to understand religion from a historical context. I will discuss briefly some of the roots where certain religions derive from. We will study some of the world major religions and Insha'Allah we will draw comparisons by variations in context.

I will discuss Islam in a bit more detail and look into some of the Islamic Laws.

Categorisation of religion There are 2 categories of religions and they are known as Semitic and Non- Semitic: Semitic religions are religions that originated among the Semites. Consequently, to the bible Prophet Nuh (PBUH) had a son called Shem. The descendants of Shem are known as Semites so sematic religions are the religions that initiated among the Jews, Arabs, Assyrians, etc. Let us discuss some of these in detail.

3 English Oxford Dictionary 4 English Oxford Dictionary

SEMITIC RELIGIONS: (Appendix 1)

The three main Semitic religions are. Christianity, Judaism and Islam. They are related by a common belief in God, the hereafter and the constant battle between good and evil. Christianity Origin: Israel, the birth of Jesus of Nazareth (4BC-AD30 approx.). Main text: Christianity combines Jewish Old Testament with the New Testament to form the Christian Bible. Followers: 2.3 billion, total population 32% Divisions: There are three types of Christian communities; Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism and Protestantism Deity: God, part of the Holy Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Christianity is the oldest and largest population as of 2018. It was founded by Jesus Christ around 27 AD. Christianity is the oldest Abrahamic religion. They believe that Jesus was the son of God. The holy book is called the Bible, which consists of two sections added into one; the Old Testament and the New Testament. Christianism have high faith in the death and the returning of Jesus Christ. The main Christian festivals are: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Ascension Day and Pentecost. The two main rites or sacraments are baptism and the Eucharist.

JUDAISM Origin: 20 million, total population 0.3% Originator: The Hebrew leader Abraham Main text: The Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament containing 613 commandments and the Talmud, a collection of civil and religious laws. Holy city: Jerusalem. Followers: 20 million Divisions: Orthodox Jews and Reform Judaism. Deity: HaShem (God). Judaism is an ancient Hebrew religion that developed after the Covenant between God and Abraham in 2000BC. This Covenant was renewed in about 1300BC by Moses as he led the 12 tribes of Israel to the Promised Land (Canaan) promised to

them by God. It is the sixth largest religion in the world. The Jews split into three assemblies which are known as Conservative, Orthodox and Liberals. The sabbath is a day of rest and Yom Kippur is the day of atonement. Birth, the bar mitzvah, marriage and death are all significant occasions. ISLAM Origin: Saudi Arabia, 6th century AD. Originator: Mohammed (PBUH) (570-632). Main text: The Koran (Qur'an) revealed by God to Mohammed (PBUH) over a period of 23 years and written down in 651. It details the complete way of life for Muslims. Holy city: Mecca. Followers: 1.6 billion followers. Total population 23% Divisions: Sunni (about 90% of all Muslims), Shia (10%). Islam is also an Abrahamic religion. Deity: Allah (God). Muslims believe that Allah is the one true God and that Mohammed is the Prophet of Allah. There are five Articles of Belief: the oneness of God, the holy books revealed by God, the prophets, the Angels and the hereafter. Those who believe and obey the Articles of Belief and follow the 'Pillars of Islam' will be rewarded in paradise. The Pillars of Islam are: 1. Profession of Faith - Believe in God and that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is the last Prophet. 2. Praying 5 times a day 3. Zakat - Giving to charity 4. Fasting in the month of Ramadhan 5. Hajj - Pilgrimage to Mecca Jihad means struggle and not 'holy war' (a popular misconception). The Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) celebrates the flight to Medina by Mohammed in AD 622. BAHAISM Origin: Persia, 1863. A Muslim splinter groups. Originators: Mirza Ali Muhammed (Bab or Gateway) and Mirza Husain Ali (Baha'u'llah or Glory of God). Main text: Kitab al -Aqdas Followers: 8 million, Total population 0.15%

Deity: None, however Baha'u'llah proclaimed himself the manifestation of God. Bahaism was founded by Mirza Husayn Ali. (Baha ull ah) 1900 AD. It started in Iran around the 19th century where Bahaullah preached the religion and later died in Palestine after getting captured in prison. The followers of this religion are known as Bahai and Babis. The religion follows the Abrahamic teaching and currently spread across the Middle Eastern countries and many parts of Asia.

Non-Semitic Religions Around 2000 BC a group of Indo-European people invaded North India known as Aryan. These individuals originated from the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. The Aryan religions are subdivided into Vedic and non-Vedic religions and almost all Aryan religions are non-prophetic religions.

Vedic Religions • Hinduism • Brahmanism

Non- Vedic Religions • Sikhism • Buddhism The Non-Aryan religions have diverse organs. Confucianism and Taoism are of Chinese origin while Shintoism is of Japanese origins. Non-Aryan religion is better known as ethical systems rather than a concept of God. Let us now look at some of the Non-Semitic religions.

Non-Semitic Religions: (Appendix 2)

The main Non-Semitic religions, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism are linked by a belief in karma. Life is regarded as a continual cycle of birth, life and rebirth (samsara) and that the deeds or desires of part lives determine one’s fate in this and future lives (karma). The karmic cycle can be broken by adherence to the doctrine preached by each religion.

BUDDISM Origin: North India, 5th century BC, a Hindi protest group. Originator: 600 BC by Siddhartha Gautama Buddha.

Main text: The tripitaka, meaning three baskets. Followers: 400 million, population 7% Divisions: The main divisions are Theravadan in SE Asia, Mahayanan in N Asia, Lamaism in Tibet and Zen in Japan. Deity: None although Mahayanan Buddhists believe in buddha as a spiritual being. The teachings of Buddha reveal that there is no permanent 'self' and suffering is caused by a desire for that which is impermanent. Buddhism is a dharmic religion and like Hinduism, teachings are based on life after death, karma and reincarnation.

HINDUISM Origin: Indus valley, about 1500BC. Originators: Persian settlers influenced by Aryan invaders. Main text. Collectively known as the Veda. The earliest, Veda Rig, dates from before 1000BC. The most popular is the Bhagavad Gita. Holy city: Varanisi, on the river Ganges. Followers: 1 billion 15% of the world population Deity: None Hinduism is a multitheistic religion in which the many gods and goddesses are worshipped in the home and by the numerous sects. Hinduism is currently the third largest religion in the world and also the one of the oldest religion on this earth. Almost 99% of the total Hindu population lives in South Asia and India. The interesting fact about Hinduism is that there is no founder of this religion and the existence of this religion dates back to 1500BC.

JAINISM Origin: 600BC Originator: Breakaway group of Hindus led by the great hero Mahavira. Main text: Jain Agamas (there are more than 40). Followers: 4.5 million, total population 0.6% Divisions: Digamaras and Shvetambaras Deity: None.

It is a dharmic religion, with the central theme preaching non-violence, an idea that has influenced other religions. Jains see the world as a place of misery and suffering and most are Monks or Nuns each seeking the way to personal liberation (moksha).

SIKHISM Origin: India 16th century. Originator: Guru Nanak (1469-1539). Main text: Guru Granth Sahib. Holy city: Amritsar in the Punjab. Followers: 30 million 0.4% of the total population Deity: God, the immortal creator. Sikhs believe that there is but one all-pervading spirit, and it is called the truth. It exists in all creation and has no fear nor hate, it is timeless universal and self-existing. Another philosophy of Sikhism is the concept of pantheism which says that every being is identical to divinity. Sikhism is the third largest dharmic religion. The concept of God adopted by religion cannot be judged by observing the practice of its followers. It is human nature for the followers of religions to be ignorant to the concept of God. Therefore, it is better to analyse the concept of God in any religion by referring to its only scriptures. Let us now discuss some important mentioning of our Islamic Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) in other scriptures.

Prophet (PBUH) in Buddhism scriptures: (Appendix 3)

The Buddha leader Gautama, has prophesized the coming of an inspired person. In the Gospel of Buddha by Caras (pp. 217-8, it is written that this great Buddha will come to the world known as the "Maitreya". These words mean "The Merciful One". By reference to the life-history of Muhammad (PBUH.), it can be seen that he was indeed extremely merciful and the Al-Qur'an also refers to this fact.

Reference of Prophet Muhammed through (Maitreya)

There are further similarities, as the Buddhist Scripture reads: "His (Maitreya) disciples will number many thousands, while mine number many hundreds".

It is a known fact that with Muhammad (PBUH) were thousands of followers. There are further similarities, which will be listed below.

In the Gospel of Buddha (by Carus - p214), an enlightened Buddha is described as having very bright skin and that, a Buddha attains supreme insight at night time. He looks very bright before his death, and finally, after his death he ceases to exist on the earth. All these points can be applied to the Holy Prophet of Islam.

Si-Yu-Ki Vol I. (p.229) further reads “. The exquisite voice of Maitreya is soft and pure and refined; those who listen and hear can never tire.

The Arabic language is remarkable for its eloquence. Furthermore, the Holy Qur'an is considered a work of the highest unique grammatical merit which is known as classic standard Arabic.

Buddhist Scriptures have defined further characteristics of Buddha. In order to qualify for the Maitreya, he must satisfy those conditions.

A Buddha must be a human being - not a Deity. A Buddha must have five special gifts. The gift of treasure, the gift of child, the gift of a wife, the gift of a rule (i.e. leadership, head statesman) and the gift of a life and a limb. In addition, the Buddha would be teacher less, i.e. without any form of formal education. Gautama has also stressed that the Buddha is simply a man, salvation depends only on an individual’s deeds, the Buddha can only preach - he does not have the claim of being in part supernatural.

The characteristics above are all in accordance with the life of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH.). Mentioning of Prophet (PBUH) in the Bible: (Appendix 4)

According to the Bible, God said to Moses, on whom be peace:

“I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I commend him.”5

The Prophet described in the above verse must have the following three characteristics:

1. He will be like Moses. 2. He will come from the brothers of the Israelites, i.e. the Ishmaelites. 3. God will put His words in the mouth of that Prophet and he will declare what God commanded him.

The Prophet like Moses

5 The Holy Bible, New International Version, Deuteronomy chapter 18, verse 18

Some people feel that this prophecy refers to the Prophet Jesus, on whom be peace. But, although Jesus* was truly a Prophet of God, he is not the Prophet spoken of here. He was born miraculously,and, finally, God raised him up. On the other hand, Muhammad is more like Moses; both were born in a natural way and both died natural deaths.

From among the Ishmaelites Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. Ishmael became the grandfather of the Arab nation, and Isaac became the grandfather of the Jewish nation. The Prophet spoken of was to come not from among the Jews themselves, but from among their brothers, the Ishmaelites. Muhammad, a descendant of Ishmael, is indeed that Prophet.

God will put words in his mouth

“Neither the content of the revelation, nor its form, were of Mohammed’s devising. Both were given by the Angel, and Mohammed’s task was only to repeat what he heard.” (World Religions from Ancient History to the Present, by Geoffrey Parrinder, p. 472)

God sent the Angel Gabriel to teach Muhammad the exact words that he should repeat to the people. The words are therefore not his own; they did not come from his own thoughts, but were put into his mouth by the Angel. These are written down in the Qur’an, word for word exactly as they came from God.

Now that we know that Prophet we must listen to him, for, according to the Bible, God says: “I will punish anyone who refuses to obey him”.

Concept of God in Islam

The Shahada is the creed of Islam. The Arabic creed translates to: “There is no Deity6 worthy of Worship except Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger.” The

6 https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/essays/shahada

Shahada is divided into two parts: the first— “There is no God but Allah”—is a confession of Tawhid, the oneness of God upon which all Islamic theology is based. The second— “Muhammad is [God’s] messenger”—confesses the belief in the Prophethood of Muhammad, from which comes Islam’s complete ethical code. In addition. The full text of the Shahada does not appear in the Qur’an, but can be found in various hadiths.

Allah says in the Glorious Qur’an:

‘O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him].’7

Allah guides mankind through the following verse:

‘And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient,’8

Allah provides mankind with instructions through the following verse:

7 Qur’an 3:102 8 Qur’an 2:155

‘O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous'9

Allah warns mankind in the Quran by saying:

‘O you who believe! Enter into Islam whole-heartedly: and follow not the footsteps of shaytan; for he is to you an avowed enemy.’10 Allah sends the biggest blessing to creation by sending down his Prophet (PBUH) by saying:

‘There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.’11

The Shariah Law

Life under the Shariah

9 Qur’an 2:183 10 Qur’an 2:208 11 Qur’an 33:21

The Shariah covers all aspects of human life. Classical Shariah manuals are often divided into four parts: laws relating to personal acts of worship, laws relating to commercial dealings, laws relating to marriage and divorce, and penal laws.

Legal Philosophy God sent Prophets and books to humanity to show them the way to happiness in this life, and success in the hereafter. This is encapsulated in the believer's prayer, stated in the Qur'an,

"Our Lord, give us good in this life and good in the next, and save us from the punishment of the Fire."12

The legal philosophers of Islam, such as Ghazali, Shatibi, and Shah Wali Allah explain that the aim of Shariah is to promote human welfare. This is evident in the Qur'an, and teachings of the Prophet.

The scholars explain that the welfare of humans is based on the fulfilment of necessities, needs, and comforts.

Necessities Necessities are matters that worldly and religious life depend upon. Their omission leads to unbearable hardship in this life, or punishment in the next. There are five necessities: preservation of religion, life, intellect, lineage, and wealth. These ensure individual and social welfare in this life and the hereafter.

The Shariah protects these necessities in two ways: firstly, by ensuring their establishment and then by preserving them.

• To ensure the establishment of religion, God Most High has made belief and worship obligatory. To ensure its preservation, the rulings relating to the obligation of learning and conveying the religion were legislated. • To ensure the preservation of human life, God Most high legislated for marriage, healthy eating and living, and forbid the taking of life and laid down punishments for doing so. • God has permitted that sound intellect and knowledge be promoted, and forbidden that which corrupts or weakens it, such as alcohol and drugs. He has also imposed preventative punishments in order that people stay away from them, because a sound intellect is the basis of the moral responsibility that humans were given.

12 Qur’an 2:201

• Marriage was legislated for the preservation of lineage, and sex outside marriage was forbidden. Punitive laws were put in placed in order to ensure the preservation of lineage and the continuation of human life. • God has made it obligatory to support oneself and those one is responsible for, and placed laws to regulate the commerce and transactions between people, in order to ensure fair dealing, economic justice, and to prevent oppression and dispute.13’

Conclusion All major religions that believe in the existence of God ultimately, on a higher level believe in one supreme God (Deity). All religious scriptures speak about monotheism i.e. believe in one true God. Through time most of the religious scriptures have been fabricated by people and changed for their own benefits. The creed of religions have been tampered from monotheism to pantheism or polytheism. Islam is a complete way of life where Allah guides mankind through the Holy Quran and our beloved Prophet deals with all aspects of life through numerous hadiths which including politics, theology, socialism and life from start to finish and beyond (Al-Akirah). In doing so Allah promises mankind Jannah through complete submission to him and provides refuge from the hellfire.

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Bbc.co.uk. (2009). BBC - Religions - Islam: Sharia. [Online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/beliefs/sharia_1.shtml [Accessed 23 Aug. 2018]. Centre, B. (2018). Shahada. [Online] Berkleycenter.georgetown.edu. Available at: https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/essays/shahada [Accessed 23 Aug. 2018]. Hend, S. and Mohsen, R. (2016). How Does Islam Look at Polytheism?. [Online] Da`wah Skills. Available at: http://www.dawahskills.com/featured-posts/islam-look-polytheism/ [Accessed 23 Aug. 2018].

13 http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/beliefs/sharia_1.shtml

Most, W. (2018). Top 10 Largest Religions in The World 2018, Fastest Growing Religion | World's Top Most. [Online] Worldstopmost.com. Available at: https://www.worldstopmost.com/2018/largest- religions-world-fastest-growing/ [Accessed 23 Aug. 2018]. Naik, D. (n.d.). 1-26. [online] D1.islamhouse.com. Available at: https://d1.islamhouse.com/data/en/ih_books/single/en_Concept_of_God_in_Major_Religions.pdf [Accessed 23 Aug. 2018].