The holy month of Ramadan and Eid this year saw a new beginning, a step in the right direction by people who matter so much. Iranian high commision in its Iftar party invited Mufti Mohammed Muqarram to lead the prayer as Imam. Iran is a shia majority country, almost all the Iranians, including the Ambassador,  in this office follow the shia school of thought and mufti Muqarram is a sunni imam. This was followed by another such gesture in which renowed shia preacher and secretary of All India Muslim Personal Law Board Maulana Kalbe Sadiq read Eid-ul-Fitr prayers in Lucknow under the Imamat of a Sunni Imam. Both these events will be marked in the history of shia-sunni relations in India and the world as touching new milestones.

Shia clerics like Maulana Aqeelul Gharvi, Maulana zeeshan Hidayti, Maulana Kalbe Jawwad and Maulana Kalbe Sadiq are huge hits even in Sunni gatherings due to their oratory skills and are praised whole heartedly. Upon differences in opinion on several issues Maulana Aqeel says that ikhtelaf (difference of opinion) is important for intellectual growth and it promotes research and awareness so it should be respected and taken in right sprit. It is also not uncommon for both sunnis and shias to pray in each others mosques but praying before an imam of different school is like breaking barriers and it is hoped that stubborness which existed earlier will be shelved now. It is now expected from sunnis to respond and reciprocate in a fitting manner to keep the momentum going.    

Yasser Iqbal Kidwai

Comparison Between Hinduism,Sikhism and Islam

The concept of God in Islam and advaitism (Hinduism) as preached by Shankaracharya is quite similar except for one thing that in former the Universe is created by God and is different from God whereas in later the universe (Brahmaan) and God are one, the creator and creation are not different. Sikhism, however, bridges this gap. 

Sikhism is a faith started by Gurunanak, promoted by eight other Gurus who followed him and finally completed by Guru Granth Sahib. The Guru Granth Sahib contains the teachings of all the Gurus and other Muslim and Hindu saints of the era. The concept of God in Sikhism can be understood from Mul Mantra which defines the God clearly as the creator of the Universe and different from his creation. God is said to be far greater than anything and can't be measured in time and space and thus it was their before it created Universe and will remain even after this universe is distroyed. God is present in this universe and is outside it and his spiritual being is present everywhere and in this way it is omnipresent. This concept is almost exactly what the Islam preaches.

Sikhism is closer to Hinduism in many other concepts, however, like the reincarnation or the rebirth which the Islam denies. According to Islam a person comes to earth only ones and after his death goes to heaven or the hell according to his deeds. When it comes to practice, the Sikhism is similar to Islam in few things and to Hindusim in many others. Like in Sikhism they cremate the deads like Hindus rather than burying as in the Islam but they dont practice Idol workship and Yajanas (Yagya). They dont believe in cast system like Muslims and shunned many wrong practices of the period.

 Yasser Iqbal Kidwai

Islam and Vedanta or the Advaita

Muslims believe that the Almighty has sent prophets and books to all corners of the Earth to civilize the humans and teach them the Tawheed which is the oneness of  God. While trying to view Hinduism in this context we find that many Quranic stories like those of Nooh, Lut, Abraham and Moses are also found in Hindu traditions, although the names of characters are different. The Vedantic concept of Advaita is similar to Tawheed which is the primary and most important part of Islam .

  Advaita meaning without a second is derived from Upanishdas. The philosophy of advaita states that There is only one supreme being and he is the only truth everything else is a part of the supreme reality or that Brahmaan and is illusion (Maya). The Tradition of Wahdatul Wajood in Islam states that the existence of the Sublime Being of the Almighty is compulsory and whatever else exists, is the manifestation of Allah and the spiritual part of Allah. Thus, in reality, there is only one single existence (i.e. Allah). The only difference lies in the concept that in Advaita the creator and the creation are same i.e. The Universe or Brahmaan whereas in Islam the creator and creation are different, Allah is the creator of the Universe. However, this difference is also evident in the Theories of Shankaracharya who believes in the former and the Ramanujam who insisted that God and man are different existence or being and not one.These are, however, minor differences and in fact should be welcomed as these invite discussion and research and thus increase the interest of Scholars as well as common people.  

In practice though, these differences are overwhelmed by the belief in one God who is Omnipotent and Omnipresent in his wisdom. The modern master of Vedanta Swami Vivekananda observed “ I believe it (Advaita and Vedanta) is the religion of the future enlightened humanity...I am firmly persuaded that without the help of practical Islam, theories of Vedantism, however fine and wonderful they maybe, are entirely valueless to the vast mass of mankind...For our own motherland a junction of the two great systems, Hinduism and Islam - Vedanta brain and Islam body - is the only hope...” and “our experience is that if ever the followers of any religion approach to this (Advaita) in an appreciable degree in the plane of practical work-a-day life-it may be quite unconscious generally of the deeper meaning and the underlying principle of such conduct, which the Hindus as a rule so clearly perceive - it is those of Islam and Islam alone....”. 

Those performing Yoga will appreciate that the effect Asanas of Yoga produce to rejuvenate the body and mind can also be produced by the movement of a person practicing Salat (Namaz) five times a day as all the joints of body are stretched and person focuses himself as if he is seeing the God as a universe or as a point and thus his body and noistrils are cleaned by Wadu and soul by the meditation. However, it doesn't mean that anyone of these can replace the other because the specific needs of the two are different.

Many great Muslim Scholars and Poets like Ibn Al Arabi, Ghazali, Rumi, Iqbal and others have given theories which directly or indirectly confirm the Advaita so we have two great religions which are so similar in their approach and theory yet as distinct in practice as Islam and Hinduism. All the great reformers of modern times like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Dayananda Saraswati, Vivekananda etc. tried to bridge this gap by telling people to shun Idol Workship.  

Yasser Iqbal Kidwai

Syeda Hamed a member of planning commision and an expert on Islam plays the role of Qazi at a wedding in Lucknow. This is the first occasion since a long time when a women Qazi gets the Nikah solemnised. The response of local leaders and clerics has been positive and the leading cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawwad encouraged the idea saying that it is perfectly fine for a women to be a Qazi if she posses the same knowledge as her male counterpart. Another interesting facet is that the Qazi is a Shia whereas the couple are Sunni, this is also not unacceptable as the Muslims always have the choice of switching the School of thought.

Women used to play the role of Mufti, Qazi and General at the time of Prophet Muhammed but in recent times their has been a decline of some sort in their position.

WELCOME ADDRESS - Chicago, Sept 11, 1893

Sisters and Brothers of America,

It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions, and I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects.

My thanks, also, to some of the speakers on this platform who, referring to the delegates from the Orient, have told you that these men from far-off nations may well claim the honor of bearing to different lands the idea of toleration. I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth. I am proud to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to Southern India and took refuge with us in the very year in which their holy temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. I am proud to belong to the religion which has sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the grand Zoroastrian nation. I will quote to you, brethren, a few lines from a hymn which I remember to have repeated from my earliest boyhood, which is every day repeated by millions of human beings: "As the different streams having their sources in different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee."

The present convention, which is one of the most august assemblies ever held, is in itself a vindication, a declaration to the world of the wonderful doctrine preached in the Gita: "Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to me." Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now. But their time is come; and I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.

CONCLUDING ADDRESS - Chicago, Sept 27, 1893The World's Parliament of Religions has become an accomplished fact, and the merciful Father has helped those who laboured to bring it into existence, and crowned with success their most unselfish labour.

My thanks to those noble souls whose large hearts and love of truth first dreamed this wonderful dream and then realized it. My thanks to the shower of liberal sentiments that has overflowed this platform. My thanks to this enlightened audience for their uniform kindness to me and for their appreciation of every thought that tends to smooth the friction of religions. A few jarring notes were heard from time to time in this harmony. My special thanks to them, for they have, by their striking contrast, made general harmony the sweeter.

Much has been said of the common ground of religious unity. I am not going just now to venture my own theory. But if any one here hopes that this unity will come by the triumph of any one of the religions and the destruction of the others, to him I say, "Brother, yours is an impossible hope." Do I wish that the Christian would become Hindu? God forbid. Do I wish that the Hindu or Buddhist would become Christian? God forbid.

The seed is put in the ground, and earth and air and water are placed around it. Does the seed become the earth, or the air, or the water? No. It becomes a plant. It develops after the law of its own growth, assimilates the air, the earth, and the water, converts them into plant substance, and grows into a plant.

Similar is the case with religion. The Christian is not to become a Hindu or a Buddhist, nor a Hindu or a Buddhist to become a Christian. But each must assimilate the spirit of the others and yet preserve his individuality and grow according to his own law of growth.

If the Parliament of Religions has shown anything to the world, it is this: It has proved to the world that holiness, purity and charity are not the exclusive possessions of any church in the world, and that every system has produced men and women of the most exalted character. In the face of this evidence, if anybody dreams of the exclusive survival of his own religion and the destruction of the others, I pity him from the bottom of my heart, and point out to him that upon the banner of every religion will soon be written in spite of resistance: "Help and not fight," "Assimilation and not Destruction," "Harmony and Peace and not Dissension." 

Mantra for successful personal and professional life. 1) "Learn from the mistakes of others... you can't
Live long enough to make them all yourselves!! "

2)"A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and honest people are screwed first."
3)"Even if a snake is not poisonous, it should pretend to be venomous."
4)"The biggest guru-mantra is: Never share your secrets with anybody. It will destroy you."
5)"There is some self-interest behind every friendship. There is no friendship without self-interests. This is a bitter truth."
6)" Before you start some work, always ask yourself three questions - Why am I doing it, What the results might be and Will I be successful. Only when you think deeply and find satisfactory answers to these questions, go ahead."
7)"As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it."
8)"The world's biggest power is the youth and beauty of a woman."
9)"Once you start a working on something, don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest."
10)"The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all direction."
11)"God is not present in idols. Your feelings are your god. The soul is your temple."
12) "A man is great by deeds, not by birth."
13) "Never make friends with people who are above or below you in status. Such friendships will never give you any happiness."
14) "Treat your kids like a darling for the first five years. For the next five years, scold them. By the time they turn sixteen, treat them like a friend. Your grown up children are your best friends."
15) "Books are as useful to a stupid person as a mirror is useful to a blind person."
16) "Education is the best friend. An educated person is respected everywhere. Education beats the beauty and the youth."
************ ******** ****
Some Inspiring Quotes

1) Never expect things to happen...
Struggle and make them happen.
never expect yourself to be given a good value create a value of your own
2) If a drop of water falls in lake there is no identity. But if it falls on a leaf of lotus it shines like a pearl. So choose the best place where you would shine..
3) Falling down is not defeat...defeat is when your refuse to get up...
4) Ship is always safe at shore... but is not built for it
5) When your successful your well wishers know who you are when you are unsuccessful you know who your well wishers are
6) It is great confidence in a friend to tell him your faults; greater to tell him/her
7) To the world you might be one person, But to some one you just might be the world
8) "Even the word 'IMPOSSIBLE' says 'I M POSSIBLE' "
9) Effort is important, but knowing where to make an effort in your life makes all the difference.
Never take some one for granted, Hold every person Close to your Heart because you might wake up one day and realize that you have lost a diamond while you were too busy collecting stones 

Riyaz Ahmad

Greatest Religious controversies

Prophet’s Cartoons

Denmark’s  newspaper Jyllands-Posten published an article entitled "Muhammed’s ansigt" ("The face of Muhammad") on 30 September 2005. The article consisted of twelve cartoons, some of them depicting Prophet Muhammad in most derogatory form. This sparked off a world wide protest, several newspapers in mainland Europe responded by republishing the cartoons. The republishing of cartoons further aggravated the situation; Muslim masses came out on streets seeking the head of Cartoonists, our own U.P minister Haji Yakoob promised a reward of 51 crores for anyone who killed the ‘cartoonist’. Danish embassies were attacked and Europeans beaten some 150 people were killed in the protests, mostly of police action.Those responsible for the controversy remained adamant throughout and refused to apologize. They had created the mischief completely knowing the fact that depiction of prophet in any image, painting or idol is completely prohibited under Islam and Muslims would not accept anything like that.

Dera-Sikh Controversy

Dera Sacha Sauda, a sikh cult in Sirsa Haryana claiming to have more than one crore followers, became the centre of a storm in Punjab and Haryana, which has refused to die out even today. Sant Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh the head of Dera on 16 may 2007, dressed himself similar to Guru Gobind Singh and distributed the Amrit to his supporters in the same way the Guru had done while founding the Khalsa Panth, this ignited a sharp reaction from Sikh leaders. Sikhs roused in protests mainly in Punjab and Haryana, Dera supporters responded too and there was head on collision between the two, causing loss of life and property. Sant first refused to bend but later on due to political pressure, issued a well crafted regret statement addressing the Guru himself. The Sikh leaders, however, denounced the statement as tricky. The controversy is still a serious cause of tension in the area and the recent clashes in Mumbai, Bhatinda and Dabwali have taken the lives of two more innocents. In this case also, it is unlikely that Sant didn’t know that it is not permitted to imitate the Guru.

Sinister Designs

Since, the people triggering the controversies were not ignorant of the consequences of their action; there is a great possibility that these were designed to meet a wider aim. While the exact motive can’t be established, in the first case it could be the part of agenda of those afraid of Islam’s ever increasing influence on the European Society and leaving no stone unturned to defame it. The later controversy could be the brain child of those trying to polarize the votes in the region.

Are the protests justified?

The protests are definitely required to create an awareness that the use of freedom of speech and action to hurt others sentiments is not acceptable, the extent of the protests should, however, be checked to take care that you are not implementing the designs of those against whom you are protesting.  The violence not only reduces the sympathy but creates an irritation among the others who tend to believe that you are intolerant; exactly what the adversaries have planned for you. Moreover, The Prophet and the Guru were the people of highest grace who laid stress on forgiveness and piety and would never have liked their people to be involved in something which would result in blood shed of the innocents. 

Yasser Iqbal Kidwai