Islam and Hinduism link

[mohtashims]

Assalam o Alaikum Wr Wb,

One of my non Muslim friend (Hindu) is interested in knowing about the true religion. With the grace of Allah almighty i was with the help from experts able to put a link between Christianity , Jews and Muslims. However i am a bit lost when the question came to Hinduism. She wants to know what does Islam say about Hinduism. I know Islam (Quran and Prophet Mohammed SAW quotes) say about idol worship but want to know if there is any specific use of the words just as "Yahoodi" and "Nasara".

Her question was if Mahabharat is true (as she believes being a hindu) then what dose Islam say about it.

Please advise me on this.

Jazak Allah hu khair

[Maripat]

Tell her that earliest Hindu scriptures are the Vedas.
Mahabharata is later than them.
Even in Mahabharata there is an episode in which Krishna successfully tries to motivate Arjuna to fight.
This episode is the Gita.

There are two morals that we immediately get from it. Then we should quickly move to Vedas.

Two Morals of Gita Immediately Relevant:
Moral One: If you insist on the truth you might end up fighting your own near and dear ones.
Moral Two: Worry about your own actions, business of the world will run any way because it is run by God.

I'll continue the discussion after your response.

[mohtashims]

Thank you for the response. her reply is pretty straight and i quote "i wan to knw th truht
wht had happnd long back
i still bielvie in vedas
as im born as a hindu
but
still
i need to knw
hw dose this jigsaw puzzle fits
"

I guess that means she is ready to fight with near and dear one for truth.

[Maripat]

This is good akhi.
I'll try the cover the whole landscape of Hindu literature as quickly as possible.
I wanted to do it for my practice itself but Allah (SWT) has given this opportunity and all thanks are due to Him for everything.
I'll pick up the thread in the morning. Logging out for the day.

[Maripat]

The good thing about India in general and Hinduism in particular that unlike they have not completely succumbed to materialism. You can congratulate this sister about that.

Also unlike China and Japan, two other major players on the world scene, they also have not reduced their religion to religion of convenience. Congratulations again.

Now coming to Hinduism and Islam the most prominent objection to Islam in India is that it is a foreign religion.

There are are tidbits and nitpicking but the major objection is above only. And this is a strange objection because Hindus have long back overcome the route cause of this bias. The root cause is (or was) the belief that you shall loose your religion if you cross the ocean.

Hindus are regularly crossing the oceans but have not overcome the secondary bias that Islam is a foreign belief.

This is strange because of another reason. There is a Sanskrit couplet (shloka):

Ayam nihah paro-veti ganana laghu chetsaam
Udaar charitantu wasudhhaiv kutmb kum

This is mine that is yours, this bickering belongs to people with small heart
For those who possess kindly hearts the world as a whole is like the family

When you take the whole world as a family then you indeed do not start claiming that this is foreign religion and that is indigenous.

Indeed in Hindu scriptures you constantly here about creation of the universe.
That is the god Brahma doing that.
So what country can be foreign?

In Hindu scriptures you do hear about sustenance of the cosmos.
That is god Vishnu.
So what can be foreign country then if Vishnu is providing sustenance to all?

Then there is that integral part of Hindu theology that at the end god Shiva will destroy the world.
If whole of the game was confined to India then why will god Shiva be interested in spoiling any game out side?

Clearly some thing must have gone wrong some where to start this talk about mine (nijah) and thine (paro veti). Just because we put borders we do not divide one real God.

Since this is an important point, irrespective of the fact whether she believes in this or not, I wish to communicate this to her. Or any one else listening in India.

I'll pick up the discussion after her reaction, Lord willing.

[mohtashims]

As there is a time zone difference between us, putting across the message and getting the response might be delayed.

[mohtashims]

I however don't think she ever mentioned Islam being a foreign religion.

[Maripat]

I do not know about you but I am in India and the SF posts are marked with GMT.

[mohtashims]

Sorry. I meant me and my friend.

[mohtashims]

Ok. Here is what she says. The question is not if Islam is a foreign religion or not. The question is which is the true religion if it is or better be and an atheist and pretend no God exist.