Universal Brotherhood

Alhamdulillah …(Arabic)… Respected Advocate Hegde, respected Advocate Hingorane, my respected elders, and my dear brothers and sisters, I welcome all of you with the Islamic greetings, Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barkatahu – May Peace, Blessings and Mercy of Allah (swt)… of Almighty God, be on all of you. The topic of this mornings’ talk is ‘Universal Brotherhood.’ There are various types of brotherhoods - For e.g. brotherhood based on blood relationships, brotherhood based on regions, on race, on caste, on creeds, etc. - But all these types of brotherhood – they are limited. Islam Alhamdulillah, believes in Universal Brotherhood. It does not believe that human beings have been created in castes or in different levels. And I started my talk by quoting a Verse from the Glorious Qur’an, from Surah Hujurat, Chapter No. 49, Verse No. 13, which describes the Islamic concept of Universal Brotherhood, in the best way. It says …(Arabic)… Which means that…

‘O human kind, We have created you from a single pair of male and female, and have divided you into nations and tribes, so that you shall recognize each other, not that you shall despise each other, and the most honoured in the sight of Allah (swt) is the person who has Taqwa – and Allah is all knowing, full of knowledge, and well acquainted with all things.’

This Verse of the Glorious Qur’an says that…

‘O humankind, We have created you from a single pair of male and female’ – that means the whole human race originates from a single pair of male and female. All the human beings in the world – they have a common grandparent. And Allah (swt) says that We have divided the human race into nations and tribes, so that they shall recognize each other, not that they shall despise and fight amongst themselves.’

And the criteria for judgment, in the sight of Allah (swt) – this verse says… ‘Does not depend on sex, caste, colour, creed or wealth – but it depends, on Taqwa – that is God consciousness, that is piety, that is righteousness. Anyone who is more righteous, who is more pious, who is more God-conscious, is honoured in the sight of Allah (swt) – and Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted with all things. Further the Glorious Qur’an says in Surah Ar-Rum, Ch. No. 30, V. No. 22, that…

‘And amongst His signs, is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the variation in your languages, and your colours. Verily in that, is a sign for those who know.’

The Glorious Qur’an says that Allah (swt) has created various types of languages and different colours… black human being, white, brown, yellow – and these are signs. These variations in colour and language, is not to despise each other, because every language that you have on the face of the earth – it is a beautiful language. It may sound funny, if it is unique to you – you may not have heard that language before – it may sound funny – but those people who speak that language, for them it is the most beautiful language. So Allah says… ‘He has created various languages and colours, so that you may recognize, you may know each other. And the Glorious Qur’an says in Surah Israa, Ch. No. 17, V. No. 70 …(Arabic)… That…

‘Allah (swt)… Almighty God, has honoured the children of Adam.’

Allah does not say that He has honoured only the Arabs or the Americans or a particular race – but Almighty God has honoured all the children of Adam, irrespective of race, caste, colour, creed or sex .And there are many faiths, there are many religions, who believe that the humankind has originated from a single pair – that is Adam and Eve (peace be upon them). But there are some faiths which say, that it is because of the sin of the woman… that is Eve (May Allah be pleased with her), that the human beings are born in sin – And they put the blame only on the woman, that is Eve, for the downfall of human beings. In fact the Qur’an speaks about the story of Adam and Eve (peace be upon them) in several places – but in all the places, the blame is equally put on both of them – Adam and Eve (peace be upon them). And if you read Surah Araf, Ch. No. 7 : V, No. 19 to 27…

‘Adam and Eve (peace be upon them), they are addressed more than a dozen of times’. And the Qur’an says that…‘Both of them disobeyed Allah (swt)… Almighty God – both of them repented, and both were forgiven’.

Both are equally blamed for the mistake – there is not a single verse in the Glorious Qur’an, which puts the blame only on Eve (May Allah be pleased with her). But there is a Verse in the Glorious Qur’an in Surah Taha, Ch. No.20, V. No. 121, which says that Adam (pbuh) disobeyed Allah (swt). But if you read the Qur’an, both are equally blamed for not obeying Allah (swt) – they both repented and they both were forgiven. And certain faiths – they say that…‘Because Eve disobeyed Allah (swt) and is responsible for the sin of humankind’ – which Islam does not agree – ‘Allah (swt) cursed the woman, and said that she will bear labour pains.’ That means – Pregnancy is a curse, according to some people – which Islam does not agree at all. And the Qari recited the Verse from the Glorious Qur’an, from Surah Nisa, Ch. No. 4, V. No. 1, which says… ‘Respect the womb that bore you.’ In Islam, pregnancy does not degrade a woman – it uplifts a woman. And the Qur’an says in Surah Luqman, Ch. 31, V. No. 14, that…

‘O humankind, We have enjoined on you, to be good to your parents. In travail upon travail, did your mother bore him, and in years twain, was his weaning.’ The Qur’an says in Surah, Ahqaf, Ch. 46, V. No. 15…‘We have enjoined on the human beings to be kind to the parents. In pain did his mother bore him, and in pain did she give him birth.’

Pregnancy uplifts a woman – it does not degrade her. And in Islam, men and women are equal. And according to a Hadith which is mentioned in Sahih Bukhari, Vol.No. 8, in the Book of Adab, Ch. No. 2, H. No. 2… ‘A person came to the Prophet Mohammed (saw)… Mohammed (pbuh), and asked him that… ‘Who is the person who deserves the maximum love and championship in this world ?’ And the Prophet said…‘Your mother.’ The man asked…‘Who next?’ The Prophet said… ‘Your mother.’ The man asked… ‘After that who?’ The Prophet repeated for the third time… ‘Your mother.’ The man asked… ‘After that who?’ Then the Prophet said… ‘Your father.’ In short 75% , ¾ of the love and companionship of the children, are due to the mother. 25% , ¼ of the love and companionship goes to the father. In short, the mother gets the gold medal, she gets the silver medal, as well as the bronze medal – The father has to be satisfied with a mere consolation prize. These are the teachings of Islam. In Islam, men and women are equal – but equality does not mean identicality. There are many misconceptions – specially when women are concerned in Islam. Many Muslims and Non Muslims – they have a misconception, which can be removed if you understand the authentic sources – Qur’an and the Sahih Hadith, correctly. As I mentioned, men and women are overall equal – But equality does not mean identicality. Let me give you an example – that if in a class of students, two student – Student ‘A’ and ‘B’ – they came out first – and both acquire 80 marks out of 100. But if you analyze the answer sheet, there are 10 questions, each carrying 10 marks. In the first answer student ‘A’ gets 9 out of 10, student ‘B’ gets 7 out of 10, so in question 1 student ‘A’ has a degree of advantage, than student ‘B’. In question 2, student ‘B’ gets 9 out of 10, and student ‘A’ gets 7 out of 10 – In question 2, student ‘B’ has a degree of advantage, than student ‘A’. In the remaining 8 questions, both get 8 out of 10 – and if you total the marks of both the students, both get 80 out of 100. So if you analyse, both student ‘A’ and ‘B’ are over all equal. But in the answers to some questions, student ‘A’ has a degree of advantage – In answers to some questions, student ‘B’ has a degree of advantage – but overall, both are equal. Similarly in Islam, men and women are equal. Brotherhood in Islam, does not only mean that the same sexes are equal. The ‘Universal Brotherhood’ in Islam means, that besides race, caste, and creed, even the sex are overall equal. Men and women are equal in Islam – but in some aspects, the men have a degree of advantage – In some aspects, the women have a degree of advantage – but overall both are equal. For example, if a robber enters my house, I will not say that… ‘I believe in women’s right… I believe in women’s liberation – therefore my sister, my wife, my mother, should go and fight the robber.’ Because Allah says in Surah Nisa, Ch. 4, V 34, that… ‘Allah has given men, more strength than the other’ – that is, men have more strength than the women.’ So where strength is concerned, the men have a degree of advantage – so since they have been given more strength, it is their duty to protect the women – Here the men have a degree of advantage. Where love and companionship is concerned, where children should give to their parents – the women have a degree of advantage – As I mentioned earlier, the mother gets three times more respect and companionship, than the father. Here the women have a degree of advantage – but overall if you analyze, men and women are equal in Islam. And for more details, you can refer to my video cassette – I have given a talk on ‘Women Rights in Islam – Modernizing or Outdated ? It is Part I – that is the lecture, and Part II which is the Question-Answer session. These discuss the issue in great detail, and many misconceptions which are there in the minds of the human being, have been removed here. And in this talk, I have divided the ‘Women’s Right in Islam’, under six broad headings… Spiritual rights, Economic rights, Social rights, Legal rights, Educational rights, and the Political rights. And I have described there, that overall, men and women are equal. The concept of Almighty God in Islam, of Allah (swt), is not that Almighty God… Allah (swt), is the deity of a particular race or a particular group of people. But the Qur’an says in Surah Fatihah, Ch. No.1, V. No. 2 …(Arabic)… ‘Praise be to the Lord of worlds.’ Almighty God is referred to as ‘Rabbil Aalamin’ the Lord of the worlds.’ And the last Surah of the Glorious Qur’an, that is, Surah Nas, Ch. 114, V. No.1 …(Arabic)… ‘That say: I Seek refuge with the Lord of humankind’. Almighty God… Allah (swt) is the Lord of the whole of humankind – not of a particular group of people, or a particular race.And there are various Verses in the Glorious Qur’an which begin by saying …(Arabic)… ‘O humankind’ …(Arabic)… ‘O humankind’ …(Arabic)… ‘O humankind.’ And even the two Verses I quoted in the beginning of my talk – they began with …(Arabic)… ‘O humankind.’ And the Glorious Qur’an also says in Surah Baqarah, Ch. No. 2, V. No. 168 …(Arabic)…

‘Oh humankind, eat of what is on the earth, good and lawful for you, and follow not the footsteps of the devil, for he is to you an avowed enemy.’

Islam - in order for Universal Brotherhood to prevail in the world, it has a moral code… it has a moral law, which helps in Universal Brotherhood prevailing throughout the world, throughout the Universe. The Qur’an says in Surah Maidah, Ch. No.5, V. No. 32, that…

‘If anyone kills a person unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land, it is as though he has killed the whole nation – all the people. And if any person saves a life, it is as though he has saved the whole of humankind – all the people.’

The Qur’an says that if any person kills any human being – whether it be a Muslim or Non Muslim – it does not specify the race or caste or colour or creed – If any person kills any human being, unless it be for murder, or for spreading mischief in the land, it is as though he has killed the whole of humanity. And if any one saves an human being, whether it be a Muslim or Non Muslim, from any caste, colour or creed, it as though he has saved the whole of humankind. The Qur’an has various laws of moral conduct, so that Universal Brotherhood will prevail throughout the Universe. The Glorious Qur’an says that…

‘No one should ever rob – it is a crime, it is a sin.’ Islam has a system of Zakat – that is, any rich person who has a saving of more than the Nisab level, 85 grams of gold – he or she should give 2.5 percent of that saving, every lunar year in charity. If every human being in the world gives Zakat, poverty will be eradicated from this world – there will not be a single human being who will die of hunger. And the Glorious Qur’an says, that…‘You should love and help your neighbours.’

The Qur’an says in Surah Ma’un, Ch. No. 107, V. No. 1 to 7 …(Arabic)… That…

‘Seeth thou not the person who denies the day of judgement, and deals the orphan with harshness, and encourages not the feeding of the indigent.

Woe to those who are neglectful of their prayers, woe to those who pray only to be seen of men, who do not even provide neighbourly assistance.’ The Qur’an says that… ‘Woe to those people who do not even provide neighbourly assistance.’ And our beloved Prophet Mohammed (sws) said that…‘He is not a Muslim, who sleeps with his full stomach, while his neighbours are hungry.’ That means, any person who sleeps with his full stomach… that means… had a good meal, while his neighbours are hungry, is not following the commandments of Allah, and His Rasul. The Glorious Qur’an says that… ‘Do not be a spendthrift.’ The Qur’an says in Surah Israa, Ch. No. 17, V. No. 26 and 27, that…

‘Do not squander your wealth like that of a spendthrift, for verily spendthrifts are the brothers of the evil one… of the Satan.’

If you are a spendthrift, you are bound to disturb the Universal Brotherhood – because but natural, if a person squanders, it creates animosity, it creates enmity, it creates envy between the brothers. A person should not rob, a person should give charity, a person should provide neighbourly assistance – all these are moral conducts, mentioned in the Glorious Qur’an. The Qur’an further says that…‘You should not bribe.’

The Qur’an says in Surah Baqarah, Ch. No. 2, V. No. 188, that…

‘Spend not your wealth on vanities and do not use it as a bait for judges, in order that you may eat somebody else’s property.’

That means… ‘Do not use your wealth to bribe the people, so that you may eat up other people’s wealth’ – Islam does not agree in eating up your brother’s wealth. And the Glorious Qur’an says in Surah Maidah, Ch. No. 5, V. No. 90…(Arabic)…

‘Oh you who believe …(Arabic)… Most certainly intoxicants and gambling …(Arabic)… dedication of stones, divination of arrows …(Arabic)… these are Satan’s handiwork …(Arabic)… Abstain from this handiwork, that you may proper.’

The Glorious Qur’an says that… ‘Abstain from having intoxicants, alcohol, drugs, from gambling, from dedication of stones, divination of arrows – all these are Satan’s handiwork.’ And we know that intoxicants is one root cause for various evils in the society – it prevents the Universal Brotherhood form prevailing. And according to statistics – it tells us that… ‘In America, on an average everyday, more than one thousand nine hundred cases of rape take place – and in most of the cases, either the victim or the rapist, is intoxicated.’ The statistics of America tell us that… ‘There is 8% of incest in America.’ That means, every 12th or 13th person you come across in America, he has committed incest – that is, having sexual relationship with close relatives – father and daughter, son and mother, brother and sister – and majority… almost all the cases, it is under the state of intoxication. AIDS is spreading in the world – one of the reason is intoxicants. Therefore the Qur’an says…‘Intoxicants and gambling – it is a Satan’s handiwork – Abstain form this handiwork, that you may prosper.’ If you abstain from these evil things, Universal Brotherhood will be helped in prevailing throughout the Universe. The Glorious Qur’an says in Surah Israa, Ch. No.17 : V. No. 32…

‘Nor come close to adultery, for it is a shameful deed – It is an evil, opening other roads to evil.’

Islam is against adultery, The Glorious Qur’an says in Surah Hujurat, Ch. 49 : V. No. 11 and 12 that …(Arabic)…

‘Oh ye who believe, let not some men among you laugh at the others – You may never know, that the latter may be better than the former. Let not some women among you, laugh at the other – You may never know, that the latter may be better than the former. Do not defame one another, nor be sarcastic or call each other with nicknames. Avoid suspicion, for in many cases suspicion is a sin. Do not spy on one another, do not backbite, do not speak ill of one another behind their backs. Are you ready to eat the dead meat of your brother ?’

The Qur’an says that…

‘If you backbite, if you slander any one behind their backs, it is as though you are eating the meat of your dead brother.’

And eating the meat of your dead brother is a double sin – Eating dead meat itself is prohibited – eating meat of your dead brother is double crime. Even the cannibals who eat human beings, they do not eat the flesh of their brother. So if you backbite, if you speak ill about somebody else behind their back, it is a double crime – it is eating the meat of your dead brother. And the Qur’an, gives the answer… ‘Allah (swt) says… ‘Nay you will abhor it… No one would like it.’ The Qur’an says in Surah Humuzah, Ch. 104 : V. No. 1 …(Arabic)…

‘Woe to every kind of scandal monger and backbiter.’

All these laws of moral conduct given in the Glorious Qur’an and the Sahih Hadith – they promote Universal Brotherhood. Besides talking about Universal Brotherhood, the uniqueness about Islam is that, it practically demonstrates the Universal Brotherhood. The Muslims are supposed to demonstrate the Universal Brotherhood, five times a day in their Salah. When we offer Salah, we practically demonstrate the Universal Brotherhood. It is mentioned in Sahih Bukhari, Vol. No.1, in the Book of Adhan, Ch. No.75, H. No. 692 that…

‘Hazrat Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) – he said that when we stood for Salah, the shoulder of the companions touched with the shoulder of the companion – our feet touched with the feet of a companion.’

The beloved Prophet said – it is mentioned in Sunnah Abu Dawood, Volume No. 1, in the Book of Salah Ch. No.245, H. No.666, our beloved Prophet said…

‘Before starting the Salah… that straighten your rows, stand shoulder to shoulder, and do not leave any gap or opening, for the devil.’ The Prophet said… ‘Stand close to each other during Salah, and do not leave any opening for the devil.’

The Prophet was not referring to the devil which you see in the Onida TV Ad - You know the Onida TV Ad… the devil with the two horns and a tail. The Prophet was not referring to that devil – he was referring to devil of Racism, of Caste, of Colour, of Wealth. Irrespective whether rich or poor, whether king or pauper, when you stand for prayers… when you stand for Salah, stand shoulder to shoulder, so that the brotherhood increases – The devil of Racism, of Caste, of Colour, of Creed, of Wealth, does not came in between you. And the best example of International Brotherhood, is in the pilgrimage of Islam - that is, during Haj. About two and a half million people from various parts of the world – they come to Mecca to perform Haj. People from various parts of the world – from America, from Canada, from U.K, from Singapore, from Malaysia, from India, from Pakistan, from Indonesia – from various parts of the world they come. And the men they are dressed up in two pieces of unsewn cloth – that is preferably white. You cannot identify that the person standing next to you – whether he is a King or a pauper – It is the best example of International Brotherhood. It is the biggest annual gathering of the world. Two and a half million people gather every year – and the person standing next to you – You cannot make out whether he is a King or a pauper. Irrespective whether you are rich or poor, black or white – from whichever part of the world you are coming, you are dressed in the same attire. And our beloved Prophet Mohammed (SAW) said in the speech of his farewell pilgrimage as he said that… ‘There is only one God, and no Arab is superior to a Non-Arab; nor is a Non-Arab superior to an Arab; a White is not superior to a Black, nor a Black is over the White. The only criteria for superiority is taqwa… it is righteousness, it is piety, it is God consciousness. Irrespective whichever race you belong to, whichever colour you have – that does not make you superior – In the sight of Allah, all are equal. Only if you are more pious, more God-conscious, more righteous, can you be superior to the other human being. And when the Haj is performed, every person – he recites… ‘Lab baik Allah humma lab baik …(Arabic)… They keep on repeating …(Arabic)… Even when he comes back from Haj – that always remains in his mind …(Arabic)… which means … ‘Here I am O my Lord; here I am. …(Arabic)… Here I am – You have no partners – here I am. …(Arabic)… All praises are due to You – all bounties are yours. …(Arabic)… To You belongs the whole dominion, the whole Universe, and You have no partners.’ It is engrained in his mind, that …(Arabic)… ‘Here I am O my Lord, here I am.’ And the corner stone of the Islamic faith is, the belief in one and only sole Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe – He alone deserves worship. And it is because of belief in one God, that there can be Universal Brotherhood. That means, the same God has created all the human beings, irrespective whether you are rich or poor, whether a male or female, whether black or white, whichever caste, colour, creed you belong to all of them are equal – because they are created by one and only sole Creator, Almighty God. Only if you believe in one God, can you practice Universal Brotherhood. That is the reason that, all the major Religions which believe in the concept of God – On a higher level they believe in the existence of one Almighty God. And according to Oxford Dictionary, Religion means… ‘A belief in a super human controlling power – A God, or Gods, that deserve worship and obedience’ So in short, if you want to analyze any Religion, you have to understand the concept of God in that Religion. And the best way to analyze the concept of God in any Religion, is not by looking at what the followers are doing – because many of the followers themselves do not know what their Religious Scriptures speak about Almighty God. The best way is, to analyze what the Scripture of that Religion has to speak about Almighty God. And the Glorious Qur’an says in Surah Al Imran, Ch. No. 3, V. No. 64 …(Arabic)…

‘Say: Oh people of the Book. …(Arabic)… that come to common terms as between us and you.’ Which is the first term? …Arabic)… ‘that we worship none, but Allah. …(Arabic)… that we associate no partners with Him. …(Arabic)… that we erect not among ourselves, Lords and patrons other than Allah. …(Arabic)… if then they turn back …(Arabic)… Say ye: ‘Bear witness …(Arabic)… that we are Muslims, bowing our will to Allah (swt).’

Allah shows you a way how to speak with different people. It says …(Arabic)… ‘that come to common terms as between us and you.’ Which is the first term? …(Arabic)… ‘that we worship none but Allah.’ …(Arabic)… ‘that we associate no partners with Him.’ So in order to understand the concept of God, in any Religion, we have to understand what that Scripture has to speak about Almighty God. If you understand the concept of God, you will understand the Religion. Let us first analyse the concept of God in Hinduism. If you ask a common Hindu, who is a layman, that… ‘How many Gods are there? Some may say… ‘Three’ – Some may say… ‘Hundred’ – Some may say… ‘Thousand’ – While others may say… ‘Thirty three Crores’… – Three hundred and thirty million. But if you ask a learned person who is well versed with the Hindu Scriptures, he will tell you that… ‘The Hindus should, actually worship only one God, and they should believe only in one God.’ But the common Hindu, he believes in a philosophy known as ‘Pantheism.’ What the common Hindu says that…‘Everything is God – The tree is God, the sun is God, the moon is God, the monkey is God, the human being is God, the snake is God.’ What we Muslims say that…‘Everything is God’s – ‘G. O. D.’ with an apostrophy ‘S’. Everything belongs to God – the tree belongs to God, the sun belong to God, the moon belongs to God, the monkey belongs to God, the human belongs to God, the snake belongs to God.’ So the major difference between the Hindus and the Muslims is, that the common Hindu says…‘Everything is God’ – We Muslims say…‘Everything is God’s – G.O.D. with apostrophe ‘S’. The only difference is apostrophe ‘S’. If we can solve this difference of apostrophe ‘S’ – the Hindus and the Muslims – we will be united. How do we do it ? Qur’an says …(Arabic)… ‘that come to common terms as between us and you.’ Which is the first term? …(Arabic)… ‘that we worship none but Allah.’ The most common Scriptures, which is the most widely read by the Hindus, is the Bhagvad Geeta. If you read Bhagvad Geeta, Ch. 7, V. No. 20, it says that… ‘All those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they worship demi gods. That means those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires – they worship gods, besides the one true God. And if you read the Upanishads, which is the another scared Scripture of the Hindus – it is mentioned in the Chandogya Upanishad, Ch. 6, Sec. No. 2, V. No. 1 …(Sanskrit)… ‘There is only one God, without a second.’ It is mentioned in the Svetasvatara Upanishad, Ch. No. 6, V. No. 9, …(Sanskrit)… which means… ‘Of Him… of Almighty God there are no Lords, neither does He have any parents.’ It is mentioned in the Svetasvatara Upanishad, Ch. No. 4, V. No. 19, …(Sanskrit)… ‘Of Him there is no likeness.’ It is mentioned in the Svetasvetara Upanishad, Ch. No. 4, V. No. 20, that… ‘He has got of no form… no one can see Him with the eyes.’ Among the Scriptures of the Hindus, the most sacred are the Vedas. There are basically four Vedas – the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samved and the Atharvaved. If you read the Yajurved it is mentioned in Ch. No. 32, V. No. 3 …(Sanskrit)… ‘Of Him there is no image’ – Almighty God has got no image. It is mentioned in the Yajurveda Ch. No. 40, V. No. 8 that… ‘Almighty God is bodiless and pure’. And the next verse of Yajurveda, Ch. No. 40, V. No. 9, …(Sanskrit)… ‘That they are entering darkness – those who worship the Asambhooti’ - Asambhooti means the natural things like air, water, fire. And the verse continues… ‘They are entering more in darkness -those who worship the Sambhoot’ – Sambhooti are the created things like chairs, tables, idols, etc. Who says that?… Yajurveda Ch. No. 40, V. No. 9. Further if you read, it is mentioned in the Atharvaved, Ch. No. 20, Hymn No. 58, V. No. 3 …(Sanskrit)… ‘Verily great, is Almighty God.’ Amongst the Vedas, the most sacred is the Rigved. It is mentioned in Rigved, Book No. 1, Hymn No. 164, V. No. 46, that… ‘Sages and saintly people call Almighty God, by various names.’ And if you read Rigved, Book No. 2, Hymn No. 1, there are various attributes given to Almighty God – One amongst them – It is mentioned in Rigved, Book No. 2, Hymn No. 1, V. No. 3, ‘Brahma.’ If you translate ‘Brahma’ into English, one of it’s meaning is ‘The Creator’ - If you translate into Arabic, it means ‘Khaliq.’ We Muslims have got no objection, if someone calls Almighty God as Khaliq or Creator, or Brahma. But if someone says that Brahma is Almighty God, who has got four heads, and on each head, is a crown – we Muslims take strong objection to it. Moreover you are going against Svetasvatara Upanishad, Ch. No. 6, V. No. 9, which says …(Sanskrit)… ‘Of Him there is no likeness.’ – You are giving an image to Almighty God. Another beautiful attribute given in Rigveda Book No. 2, Hymn No. 1, V. No. 3, is ‘Vishnu.’ If you translate Vishnu into English – one of it is meaning is ‘The Sustainer,’ the Cherished if you translate into Arabic it means Rabb. We Muslims have no objection if someone calls Almighty God, as ‘Rabb,’ or ‘Sustainer’, or ‘Cherisher’ or ‘Vishnu’ – But if someone says that ‘Vishnu’ as Almighty God, who has got four hands, and in one of his hands is a chakra… the discus, and in one of his hands is a lotus, we Muslims take strong objection to it. Moreover you are giving an image to Almighty God – You are going against Yajurved, Ch. No. 32, V. No. 3, which says …(Sanskrit)… ‘Of Him there is no image.’ It is mentioned in Rigved, Vol. No. 8, Ch. No. 1, V. No.1 …(Sanskrit)… ‘All praises are due to Him alone, worship Him alone.’ It is mentioned in Rigved, Vol. No. 6, Hymn No. 45, V. No. 16, …(Sanskrit)… ‘There is only one God – Worship Him alone . And the Brahmasutra, the fundamental creed of Hinduism is …(Sanskrit)… ‘Bhagwan Ek hi hai, dusra nahi hai, nahi hai, nahi hai, zara bhi, nahi hai.’ ‘There is only one God, not a second one, not at all, not of all, not in the least bit.’ So if you read the Hindu Scriptures, you should understand the concept of God in Hinduism. Let us analyse the concept of God in Judaism. It is mentioned in the Book of Deuteronomy, in the Old Testament, Ch. No. 6, V. No. 4 Moses (pbuh) he says that …(Hebrew)… It is a Hebrew quotation which means… ‘Hear O Israel the lord our God, is one Lord.’ It is mentioned in the Book of Isaiah, Ch. No. 43, V. No. 11… ‘I, Even I, am Lord and besides Me, there is no Saviour.’ It is mentioned in the Book of Isaiah, Ch. No. 45, V. No. 5… ‘I am Lord, and there is none else – there is no God besides Me.’ It is mentioned in the book of Isaiah, Ch. 46, V.9…‘I am God and there is none else; I am God and there is none like Me.’ It is mentioned in the Book of Exodus, Ch. No. 20, V. No. 3 and 5, as well as in the Book of Deuteronomy, Ch. No. 5, V. No. 7 to 9, it says that… ‘Thou shall have none other gods besides Me.’ Almighty God is speaking here that…‘Thou shall have none other gods besides Me. Thou shall not make unto thee any graven image, of any likeness, of anything in the heavens above, in the earth beneath, and in the water beneath the earth. Thou shall not serve them, nor bow down to them, for I thy God, is a jealous God. So if you read the Old Testament, we should understand the concept of God, in Judaism. Before I discuss the concept of God in Christianity, I would like to make a few points clear – that Islam is the only Non-Christian faith, which makes it certain article of faith, to believe in Jesus (pbuh). No Muslim is a Muslim, if he does not believe in Jesus (pbuh). We believe that he was one of the mightiest Messengers of Allah (swt), of Almighty God. We believe that he was the Messiah… translated ‘Christ.’ We believe that he was born miraculously, without any male intervention, which many modern day Christians today, do not believe. We believe that he healed those born blind, and lepers, with God’s permission. We believe that he gave life to the dead, with God’s permission. The Muslims and the Christians we are going together – But there are some Christians who say… that Jesus Christ (pbuh), he claimed Divinity.’ In fact if you read the Bible, there is not a single unequivocal statement in the complete Bible, where Jesus (pbuh) himself says that he is God, or where he says… ‘Worship me.’ In fact if you read the Bible Jesus (pbuh) himself says – it mentioned in the Gospel of John, Ch. No. 14, V. No. 28, ‘My father is greater than I’; Gospel of John, Ch. No. 10, V. No. 29, ‘My father is greater than all’; Gospel of Mathew, Ch. No. 12, V. No. 28, ‘I cast out devil with the spirit of God’; Gospel of Luke, Ch. No. 11, V. No. 20, ‘I cast out devil with the finger of God’; Gospel of John, Ch. No. 5, V. No. 30, ‘I can of my own self do nothing, as I hear I judge, and my judgment is just, for I seek not my will, but the will of my Father.’ Anyone who says that… ‘I seek not my will, but God’s will’ – it means ‘Submitting his will to Almighty God.’ And if you translate into Arabic it means ‘Islam’ – and anyone who submits his will to Almighty God, is called as a ‘Muslim’. Jesus (pbuh) – he never came to destroy the law or the Prophets – In fact he came to confirm them. And Jesus (pbuh) he says – it mentioned in the Gospel of Mathew, Ch. No. 5, V. No. 17 to 20, he says that… ‘Think not that I am came to destroy the law or the Prophets’ – All these quotations are from the Bible, from the King James Version. Jesus (pbuh) says that… ‘Think not that I am come to destroy the Law and the Prophets. I am come not to destroy, but to fulfill; for verily till the heaven and the earth pass, not one jot or title shall pass away form the law, until all be fulfilled. And whosoever shall break one of the least commandments and teach men to do so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; and whosoever shall keep them, and teach the same, shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and the Pharisees, in no way shall you enter the Kingdom of Heaven.’ Jesus (pbuh) says, that if you want to go to Paradise, you have to follow each and every law of the Old Testament – including that… ‘God is one; He has got no partners; you cannot create any images of God.’ And Jesus (pbuh), he never claimed that he was Almighty God – In fact he says that he was sent by God. It is mentioned in the Gospel of John, Ch. No. 14, V. No. 24, Jesus (pbuh) says that… ‘The words that you hear are not mine, but my Father’s, who has sent me.’ It is mentioned in the Gospel of John Ch. No. 17, V. No. 3… ‘This is life eternal; so that you may know there is only one God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou has sent.’ It is mentioned in the Book of Acts Ch. No. 2, V. No. 22. that… ‘Hear O Israel, hear these words – Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God amongst you, by wonders and miracles, which God did by him, and you are witness to it.’ It says… ‘Jesus of Nazareth (pbuh), a man approved of God by wonders and miracles which God did by him, and you are witness to it.’ And When Jesus (pbuh) was asked that…‘Which is the first of the commandment?’ – he repeated what was earlier said by Moses (pbuh). It is mentioned in the Gospel of Mark, Ch. No. 12, V. No. 29… (Hebrew)… ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, is one Lord.’ So if you read the Bible, you shall understand the concept of God in Christianity. Let us analyse the concept of God in Islam. The best reply that any person can give you regarding the concept of God in Islam, is quote to you Surah Al Ikhlas, Ch. No. 112, V. No. 1 to 4, which says …(Arabic)…

‘Say: He is Allah, One and only. …(Arabic)… Allah the Absolute and Eternal. …(Arabic)… He begets not, nor is He begotten. … (Arabic)… There is nothing like Him.’

This is a four line definition of Almighty God… of Allah (swt) - Any person saying that he is Almighty God – if that person fits in this four line definition, we Muslims have got no objection in accepting that person as Almighty God. The first is …(Arabic)… ‘Say: He is Allah, One and only. Second is ..(Arabic)… Allah the Absolute and Eternal. …(Arabic)… He begets not, nor is He begotten. and the fourth is …(Arabic)… And there is nothing like Him.’ This Surah Ikhlas, Ch. No. 112, is the touchstone of theology. ‘Theo’ means ‘God’ – ‘logy’ means ‘Study’. Surah Ikhlas, Ch. No. 112, of the Glorious Qur’an, is the touchstone of Theology. Anyone claiming to be Almighty God – if that candidate fits in this four line definition, we accept him to be Almighty God. And for the Universal Brotherhood to prevail, it is compulsory that you believe and worship only one Almighty God. So anyone claiming to be Almighty God – If that person fits in this four line definition, we have no objection in accepting that candidate, as Almighty God. You know there are many false people who claim to be Almighty God – Let us analyse whether they pass the test or not. And one among such persons, is Bhagwan Rajnish – You know there are some people who claim that he was Almighty God. During one of my lectures…Question-Answer time, there was a Hindu friend of ours, who told that…‘The Hindus do not believe in Bhagwan Rajnish, as God.’ I told him…‘I do agree, and I have read the Hindu Scriptures – No where does the Hindu Scriptures say that Bhagwan Rajnish is God’ – What I said… ‘Some people say that Bhagwan Rajnish is God.’ I know very well that Hinduism does not consider Bhagwan Rajnish, to be God. Let us analyse the claim of such people who way that Bhagwan Rajnish is Almighty God. The first test is …(Arabic)… ‘Say: He is Allah one and only ?’ Is Bhagwan Rajnish, one and only? We know that are several human beings who claim to be Almighty God, specially in this country – there are several such people claming to be Almighty God. Is he one and only? But his followers, they say…‘No, he is one and only.’ Let us go to the next test …(Arabic)… ‘Allah the Absolute and Eternal.’ Was Bhagwan Rajnish, ‘Absolute and Eternal?’ We know from his Biography that he was suffering form Asthma, from chronic Backache, from Diabetes, Malitis. And he says that… ‘The American government, when they arrested him – they gave him slow poisoning’ – Imagine, Almighty God being slow poisoned. The third test is …(Arabic)… ‘He begets not nor is He begotten.’ And we know from his biography, that Rajnish was born in Madhya Pradesh, he had parents… mother and father, who later on became his own disciples. And in the year 1981, Rajnish goes to America, and takes thousands of Americans for a ride. And in the state of origin, he starts his own village, known as Rajnishpuram – Later on the American Government, they arrest him and they put him behind bars – and in 1985 he is deported… he is sent out of the country. He comes back to India in 1985, and in the city of Poona, he starts his own center – the Osho Commune. And if you go there, it is mentioned on the stone there, that… ‘Bhagwan Rajnish, Osho Rajnish never born, never died – But, visited the earth from the 11th of December 1931, to the 19th of January 1990.’ They forgot to mention that he was not given visas to 21 different countries in the world – Imagine Almighty God – He is visiting the earth, and He requires visas. And the last test …(Arabic)… ‘There is nothing like Him’ – It is so stringent that no one besides Allah (swt)… Almighty God can pass. The moment you can compare Almighty God to anyone in the world… to anything in the world, he is not God. For e.g. if suppose someone says that…‘Almighty God is a thousand times as strong as Arnold Schwazzenegar’ – You know Arnold Schwazzenegger – the person who was given the title ‘Mr. Universe’ – the strongest man in the Universe – If someone says at the ‘Almighty God is a thousand times as strong as Arnold Schwazzenegar.’ The moment you can compare Almighty God to anything in this world – whether it be Arnold Schwazzenegger, or King Kong, or Dara Singh – whether it be a thousand times, or million times – the moment you can compare Almighty God to anything in this world, He is not Almighty God. …(Arabic)… ‘There is nothing like Him.’ This is a four line definition of Almighty God, given in the ‘Glorious Qur’an, which is the touchstone of theology. Otherwise the Glorious Qur’an says in Surah Isra Ch. No. 17 : V. No. 110 …(Arabic)…

‘Say call upon Him by Allah, or by Rehman - by whichever name you call upon Him, to Him belongs the most beautiful names.’

You can call Allah (swt) by any name – but it should be a beautiful name – it should not conjure up a mental picture. And there are no less than 99 attributes given in the Glorious Qur’an, for Allah (swt) – Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim, Most Merciful, Most Beneficent – no less than 99. We Muslims, we call Almighty God, by the Arabic name ‘Allah’ – and the reason we prefer calling Almighty God, by the Arabic name ‘Allah’, instead of the English word ‘God’, is because the English word ‘God’ – you can play mischief with that word. For eg. If you add ‘S’ to God – it becomes ‘Gods’ – plural of God – There is no plural of Allah. …(Arabic)… ‘Say… He is Allah one and only ?’ If you add ‘dess’ to God…it becomes ‘Goddess’…that means a ‘female God.’ There is no gender to Allah (swt) – He is neither male neither female… Allah (swt) has got no gender…Allah is a unique word. If you add a ‘father’ to ‘God’…it becomes ‘God-father’ – he is my ‘God – father’, he is my ‘guardian’ – There is nothing like ‘Allah-father’ or ‘Allah-Abba’ in Islam. If you add a ‘mother’ to ‘God’, it becomes ‘God-mother’. There is nothing like ‘Allah-mother’ or ‘Allah-Ammi’ in Islam – ‘Allah’ is a unique word. If you prefix ‘Tin’ before ‘God’…it becomes ‘Tin-God’…meaning ‘fake-God’ – There is nothing like tin-Allah in Islam. That is the reason, we Muslims – we prefer calling Allah (swt) by the Arabic word ‘Allah’, instead of the English word…‘God.’ But if some people, some Muslims, use the word ‘God’ for ‘Allah (swt)’, so that those who do not know the concept of ‘Allah (swt)’ – if they can understand, I have got no objection – But the appropriate word is ‘Allah’… it is much more preferred than the English word ‘God.’ In Islam, the Universal Brotherhood does not only spread horizontally – i.e. it does not only cover all the regions and all the people of the whole world and universe – it even goes vertically. The Universal Brotherhood in Islam… the Universal Brotherhood of faith, includes vertically, even the generation that came before you, that went in the past. The Universal Brotherhood in Islam, includes the people living, and the people of past – You are a single race… or a single people. This Universal Brotherhood… that is the Brotherhood of faith – it spreads horizontally as well as vertically – and the corner stone of this faith in all the Religions, if you analyse – it is the belief in One Creator… one Almighty God. It is only because of this that Universal Brotherhood can prevail in the whole Universe – and this Universal Brotherhood of faith…it is far superior to the Brotherhood of blood relationship. The Qur’an says as I mentioned… ‘You should respect your parents’. The Qur’an says in Surah Isra Ch. No. 17, V. No. 23 and 24, that…

‘Allah (swt) has ordained for you, that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to your parents. And if any of them or both of them reach old age, do not say a word of contempt – do not even say ‘uff’ to them; But lower to them your wing of humility, and address them with honour. And pray to thy Lord: that cherish them, as they cherished me in childhood.’

That means, you have to love and respect your parents – and give them all honour and respect. But at the same time the Glorious Qur’an says in Surah Luqman, Ch. 31, V. No. 15 – After saying that ‘you have respect the parents’ – the Qur’an says… ‘But if they strive in making thee join partners with Me – who you have no knowledge of – that means of your parents force you to join partners with Almighty God, you do not obey them – but in this world deal with them with justice and compassion.’ That means your parents – you have to obey them, as long as they do not go against Almighty God… against the commandment of Allah (swt) – we have to obey them. If they go against the Commandment Allah (swt) – Almighty is more Superior. The Brotherhood of faith is Universal – It is for superior than Brotherhood of blood relationship. And the Qur’an says in Surah Al Tawbah, Ch. 9, V. 24, …(Arabic)…

‘Say whether it be for your father …(Arabic)… or your sons …(Arabic)… or your brothers …(Arabic)… or your spouses, your husbands and wives …(Arabic)… or your relatives.’

Allah is asking ‘What are your considerations? – Is it your fathers, are they your sons, your brothers, your spouses, husbands and wives, are they your relatives – of all these things for example, your fathers, or your sons, or your brothers, or your spouses, or your relatives ? And Allah continues …(Arabic)…

‘The wealth that you have amassed, the business in which you deal, the houses in which you live.’

Allah says…

‘What are your consideration? What are your consideration?’

And Allah continues …(Arabic)…

If you love all these eight things more than Allah, His Rasul and doing Jihad… striving in the way of Allah – Allah says… ‘If your parents tell you to go against Allah (swt) – they may tell you to rob, they may tell you to cheat, they may tell you to bribe, they may tell you to kill people unnecessarily – if your parents give you guidance against the commandments of Allah (swt) – whether it be your sons, whether it be your brothers of your spouses, or your relatives, or you do deeds against Allah (swt), for the wealth that you are collecting, the businesses in which you deal, the houses in which you delight … Allah says…

‘If you love all these eight things more than Allah, His Messenger, and striving in the way of Allah – Allah says …(Arabic)… ‘Wait’ …(Arabic)…‘Wait until Allah brings about His decision unto you, until Allah brings about destruction unto you …(Arabic)… and Allah guides not the perverted transgressors.’

When it comes to brotherhood of faith, it is far superior to brotherhood of relationship. And further the Glorious Qur’an says in Surah Nisa, Ch. No. 4, V. No. 135, that …(Arabic)…

‘O ye who believe, stand out firmly for justice, as witness to Allah (swt), even if it be against your self, against your parents, against your relatives, whether it be rich or poor, for Allah protects both.’

That means, if you have to stand for justice, as giving Shahadah, as giving witness to Allah (swt) – Allah says… ‘Stand for justice even if you have to speak against your self, against your parents, against your relatives, irrespective whether the people are rich or poor, for Allah protects all? That means where it comes to justice, where it comes to truth… justice is far superior to blood relationship. The brotherhood of faith supersedes all the other brotherhoods – And the brotherhood of faith… the Universal Brotherhood is based on the basic concept of belief in One Creator… One Almighty God… One Allah (swt), which is preached by all the Religions. And the Qur’an says, as I mentioned earlier in Surah Imran, Ch.3, V. No. 64, that …(Arabic)… ‘Come to common terms as between us and you.’Which is the first term? …(Arabic)… ‘that we worship none but Allah.’ Only believing in One Almighty God, is not sufficient - You should also worship only One Almighty God. And only if you believe and worship Almighty God, Who is One, will Universal Brotherhood prevail. Without the concept of one Almighty God, brotherhood and humanity cannot prevail, in the full world. And the Glorious Qur’an says in Surah Anam, Ch. No. 6, V.108 that… ‘Revile not those people, abuse not those people who worship gods besides Allah, lest in their ignorance, they will revile Allah (swt).’ I would like to end my talk by the giving quotation of the Glorious Qur’an, from Surah Nisa, Ch. No. 4, V. No. 1 which says …(Arabic)… That…

‘O human kind reverence your guardian Lord, Who has created you from a single person, and created like nature his mate, and has scattered like seeds countless men and women.’ …(Arabic)…