Rethinking Islam and Hinduism
S Irfan Habib in New Delhi
There has been a lot of noise about rethinking in Islam, particularly post September 11,2001. I feel it is long overdue and September 11 has just given us a rude shock to get into action. Within India, Godhra and the ensuing Gujarat carnage has added urgency to the question of rethinking, making us conscious of the fact that there is something seriously wrong somewhere. If September 11 and Godhra are the ugly faces of Islam than the burning of Graham Staines and his children and the ongoing Gujarat carnage is the depraved and distorted face of Hinduism. Both are threats to the secular and pluralist fabric of India.
Unfortunately Muslims and Hindus have allowed their respective faiths to be hijacked by the lunatic fringe, which appears to be calling most of the shots on their behalf. Pakistan is an apt example of this perversion in Islam while the Sangh Parivar is the mirror image of this aberration in India. The Islamic variety appears to be more threatening to world peace due to Islam’s multinational character and the diverse political problems involving these so called Islamic nations. However this does not mean that the sangh parivar’s machinations and hate filled campaign against its fellow citizens is a lesser danger to civil society. Striking terror and causing mayhem and misery among fellow human beings is nothing but terrorism. It is time to wake up and wrest control from those who have no qualms about vulgarization of their religion as long as it serves their sectarian agenda.
It is a known fact that Islam did not undergo any meaningful reform to cope with the challenges of modernity. Any serious attempt at ijtihad- a reasoned struggle and rethinking to reform Islam, has been countered by specious arguments saying Islam is beyond time and context thus any talk of rethinking is un-Islamic. This was seen during the 19th century when Syed Ahmed Khan, Jamaluddin Afghani, Mohammad Abduh and others gave a call for ijtihad. The so-called defenders of faith take refuge in Islamic tradition to counter any suggestion for change, which conforms to changing times. They fail to realize that Islam came in with a dynamic and revolutionary social, political, and moral message. It can never be a creed to resist change in accordance with the changing contexts. Alam Khundmiri, the late activist and thinker of Hyderabad who died in 1983, was right when he said that most Muslim social reform movements commit a common error of identifying a particular medieval religious tradition with Islam itself, which as a religion was itself a revolt against the superstitions of the age in which it was born. It is a pity that in an attempt to preserve the Islamic tradition, this revolutionary tradition of early Islam is being completely ignored.
The Book has many passages that should inspire man to use his reason and elevate the status of man as an agent of change. Islam left it to the creative intelligence of the believer to translate the essential vision of the Book into an idiom, which suits the requirements of the modern age. This early vision of Islam and its reverence for human reason and respect for human experience was revealed in a limited manner in the magnificent achievements of Muslims in the fields of science, mathematics and philosophy. All this was possible in an era of Mutazilite ascendancy when ijtihad reigned supreme and the shackles of tradition had not yet trapped the vibrant faith. The believers were still conscious of the fact that the only thing eternal about Islam is Quran and the relationship with the Quranic text has to be interpretative, more so if it is perceived to be eternal. Once interpretation or ijtihad was outlawed, any scope of adjustment with the changing times and contexts became impossible. Alam believes and rightly so that the medievalists committed an error by putting the seal of finality on Islam’s historical achievements. Let us stop finding medieval solutions to our modern day concerns and reinstate ijtihad to open up Islam, bring back its dynamism so that it stops being an obstacle to progress.
Another much talked about feature of Islam is Shariah. It is being interpreted in its most revile form by the believers themselves and in the process inviting ridicule and scorn of the civilized world. The Shariah is perceived as a divine code of conduct applicable forever without any spatial or temporal constraints. This has led to serious complications with respect to women’s rights. It is unfortunate that in Islam religiosity and morality have become synonymous with legality, while in fact legality should be subordinate to a moral and ethical vision.
There is an urgent need to make necessary changes in Shariah under the Quranic gaze so that it conforms to the moral fervour of the Prophet and the ethical vision of Islam. Ziauddin Sardar is right when he says that Shariah is nothing more than a set of principles: framework of values that provide Muslim societies with guidance. But these sets of principles and values are not static , they are dynamically derived within changing contexts. Taliban misadventure in Afghanistan has shown to us how narrow adherence to the text and tradition takes us away from the real world. What we have today is the caricature of Islam being projected as the true face of Islam.
But what about Hinduism and its vulgarization at the hands of sangh parivar? A group of rabble-rousers have legitimated themselves as representatives of Hinduism and its believers. They leave no opportunity to malign their bete-noire Islam but tend to do exactly the same while articulating their brand of Hinduism. They have brazenly adopted the most un-Hindu version of Hinduism called Hindutva, propounded by Vir Savarkar in the early last century. Being a proclaimed atheist, Savarkar had no qualms in defacing Hinduism to suit his politics of social engineering. It was treated with contempt it deserved all these years till L K Advani revived it in 1989/90, providing it legitimacy and respect.
Simultaneously Advani promoted the idea of cultural nationalism, which was again inspired by the mischievous ideology of Savarkar who unabashedly made Hindutva and nationalism interchangeable. This exclusivism automatically drove out Maulana Azad, Ashfaqullah Khan, Frontier Gandhi, Ajmal Khan and scores of others from the nationalist gallery of the sangh parivar. Contrast this cultural nationalism with that of Jamaluddin Afghani, who was in India during the 1880s, just when the nationalist discourse had begun. While addressing a group of young Muslims in Calcutta, he emphasized on the composite strength of Indian nationalism where all communities had to be equal participants in their struggle against the British colonialism. He emphasized on the common secular heritage including its science, technology and literature reminding the Muslim youth present that they were the inheritors of a civilization that produced arithmetic and geometry for the world. He further went on to say that `Human values spread out from India to the whole world…. The Indians reached the highest level of philosophic thought. The soil of India is the same soil; the air of India is the same air; and these youths who are present here are fruits of the same earth and climate.
Here we find a clear enunciation of shared heritage that is not conflict-ridden and is not grounded in religious exclusivism. Hindutva is unfortunately rooted in the revival of a sectarian past and not the common past of all Indians. It seeks to construct an unadulterated Indian past after a careful sifting of icons and ideas, leaving out a large section from our heritage as something not only alien but also defiling. The most unfortunate aspect of it all is that Hindutva’s concerted hammering of lies had trapped a substantial Hindu population in its web.
Hinduism and Islam have had their bumpy patches but they never hated each other as much as they do now in their new avatars of Hindutva and jehadi Islam. Both these versions have purged their respected faiths of all humanity, morality and spiritualism. They merely represent crass jingoism, fanaticism and hatred for each other. Both are haunted by the images of their golden pasts which are lost in the march of history and which both of them want to rediscover. This reinventing of sectarian pasts has messed up our present and will certainly blight the region’s future.
The author is a well known researcher and author TO MAKE THE DEAF HEAR Â Ideology and Programme of Bhagat Singh and His Comrades: Irfan Habib; Three Essays Collective
Thanks for posting this Raza!
This writing could perhaps douse the flames of divisiveness that have fanned fundamentalism in the devout souls of the world. What a well thought out and masterfully presented piece of writing!
Hi Raza!
Great post!
Talking from a non islamic point of view I think that ‘occidental’ people as me must assume their part of guilt on this matter.
We must really try to understand Islam talking with muslim people on ‘peer-to-peer’ basis and not letting ourselves being influenced by media etc…
On 3 simple words:
OPEN OUR MINDS
Best,
Ignacio
Id and Ignacio
thanks for the comments.This is a great piece and I am most thankful to Irfan H to have shared it here.
cheers, R
What to say of Prof. Irfan Habib. I have the highest regard for him. He is a great scholar – i have read a miniscule part of his writings and it has touched my heart. I visited Aligarh – and secretly wished to meet him… but he was not in town ! Majaz’s sister Saeeda Apa.. also lives there.. i wanted to.. but i did not meet her, either. Honestly one should NOT meet the people one admires… cuz then the myth is broken. Hence the distance !!
Prof. Irfan Habib is appealing to the humane-ness of both Hindus and Muslims. Communalism in all its shades is bad and self-destructive. Jihadi Mullah is as dangerous as the RSS- knicker-walla. Together they will destroy S.E. Asia.
Eclectic Hinduism will die at the hands of Savarkar’s Hindutva… that is the first huge civilisational casualty. Likewise, the Jihadi Mullah will destroy the democratic soul of Islamic philosophy. How to counter the RSS and the JIhadi.. is the biggest intellectual challenge. It can be met… but that would need leadership of a very high calibre.
India does NOT have such leadership today… and so the RSS is having a free reign. RSS has to be countered intellectually. Expose their lies. This is the battle of the mind.. this is the battle to save the SOUL of India. RSS is bent on destroying both Hinduism and India – simultaneously – thru its sadism.
Ah ! Alam Khudmiri… His younger son was my senior at school. I had a picture of him with me. It was a group photo.. Mr. Khundmiri, his wife, me, Prof. Annemarie Schimmell and Akbar Ali Khan (Barrister)… and Prof. Ghulam Dastagir “Rasheed”. It was clicked by Ms. Schimmel’s camera.. and she sent me the picture from Harvard, Mass. I was in my “O” levels then… and had listened to every single of Prof. Schimmel’s lectures (her first visit to Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India).
I took a bus and got down at Law College, Osmania University. That is where (Auditorium / Law College OU), Prof. Khundmiri had arranged a Lecture for Dr. Schimmell. Prof. Khundmiri read his paper, and i was naturally very impressed.
Prof. Schimmel, was a gifted scholar. I saw her working. She had a small type-writer… on which she used to type endlessly… (She Stayed at the home of Peter Sewitz, Director, Max Mueller Bhavan Hyderabad., at his beautiful home at Masab Tank, Hyderabad.. Mrs. Peter Sewitz was a very fine, highly refined and great hostess !).
Personally Dr. Khundmiri looked scholarly with greek features.. and a strong resemblance with Mr. Z.A. Bhutto of Pakistan. His voice was the best part of his personality. We knew Alam Khundmiri was a big man., so was Prof. Ghulam Dastagir Rashid.. and of course… Annemarie Schimmel was the “Amma” of Indo-Muslim Culture (academically) ! .
Prof. AnNnemarie Schimmel (Harvard) visited Hyderabad for the first time.. and created a sensation… and left a huge impact on the elite of the city . She was accorded a Saint’s Reception. !
I heard Alam Khundmiri…. today i read the fine passage written by Irfan Habib.. and his face and memories came to mind.
very good post, objective and sober!
I am overwhelmed by Mr Dastagir’s kind words of appreciation. However, I feel I should clarify my identity, something I had been facing for the last 25/30 years of my academic career. I am not Irfan habib from Aliogarh though I share the name and the subject. `S’ was added to my name for publications, as suggested by Prof Irfan habib, but even that does not help sometimes.
I thank you again and would surely keep you informed about my little interventions on the subject. My main thrust area had been history of science during colonial India.
cheers
irfan
You may not be Irfan Habib of Aligarh.. but still… welcome to my world. You shine in your own way. Level of scholarship is gong down. Everything is becoming graded and quantified. A lifetime has to be spent – and its a risk ! A personal life has to be destroyed at the altar of scholarship. Its not a pleasant life. It is a very painful, lonely, frustrating life… but fame and respect compensate in some way… Yet its all hollow… and one knows it deep down ! When one is sick and ill and penni-less… the ugly reality dawns… and it is such a tearing, daunting moment and feel. However, some people are born (cursed) to serve at the altar of scholarship. It is a very selfish (or atleast self-centered) station.. one is led away from reality… to an ivory tower of one’s own making ! Yet, the scholalrly minds of a nation are its true assets ! So, weldome Syed Irfan Habib… with your expertise, personality, contribution and sensitivity. May God bless you in the work that you do…. and Raza Rumi is the source (zariya) for bringing together people of diverse talents, interests and short-comings. We are not perfect and are hugely flawed… yet there are some common threads. Connecting this threads is synergy. We have to learn a lot because we have lost an empire… we have to learn from the Bengali Reniassance. In today’s inflationary times, DOING (KARMA) is next to impossible…. yet the flame of hope has to be kept alive. I spend days and nights dreaming… Its better to dream… than be barren. Barren is not practical / pragmatic… its a vegetable / dead existence. The Muslim Civilisation lost the battle cuz it became too practical (micro-based). A certain idealism and romance is the heart and soul of a civilisation. You become too personalised… and you go the way of the titanic. It is impossible.. and one hates it… but ‘SHARING” is key… and charity must begin from “home”. Thats the first step….. i
Religion has become the source of so much conflict and blood-shed over the centuries, even as no major religion in the world preaches hatred or intolerance.
What can be done about that? Frankly, I don’t know. Better men have tried to figure that out and failed.
sidhusaheb,”no major religion in the world preaches hatred or intolerance”.
This is true but it is also a fact that the utmost brutality and spilling of blood has always been preached by the followers of different religions at different times.
The question is how to seperate the two:the message of the religion from the messgae of some of its followers.
Given the past history it looks likely that this kind of perversion will always be with humanity in one form or the other.Depressing really.
As for Hindutva/Sangh Parivar/BJP.They can still be defeated at the next elections….that should bury Advani Ji’s ambitions of being our PM for ever.And about time too.
I was searching for Blogs about guide to christian distance education and found this site. I am interested in your content and appreciate sites like this.
A DEBATE BETWEEN ALLAMAH YOUSUF GABRIEL AND MISS ANNEMARIE SCHIMMEL
By
Sharif Farooq editor Daily Jihad, Peshawar Pakistan
Since a few years the articles and essays of Allamah Yousuf Gabriel had appeared in continuity. In these essays and articles a particular topic that appeared conspicuous was about the atomic hell and
its hazards and the universal destruction of mankind. In the beginning I paid no attention to these articles but when the same topic and the same writer would discuss different aspects of a topic from the Quranic point of view then ultimately the reader is forced to give attention to the topic, particularly when the solution of problem is presented in reference to some divine scriptures and the faith of human beings. Also in the entire world of today, particularly in America, Russia, China, Japan and Europe etc., the topic which receives the greater attention is the same atomic hazards of the future and the atomic destiny of mankind. On one side, man is working miracles in the field of science and is striving from the achievement of every kind of facilities to the end of human diseases; to the extent that by means of artificial heart and artificial liver efforts are being made to revive the dead. While on the other side, upto this time, the most advanced nations of the world have prepared the atomic piles and various germs producing gases to an amount whose one fourth is enough to not only destroy this flourishing world but will cast this world into a sort of a hell whose slightest imagination is enough to cause the human mind to tremble with fear. The great thinkers and the friends of humanity set up demonstrations against the havoc to be wrought by the atomic radiations within these great world powers but all in vain, but:-” the more the treatment is given the worst becomes the disease. Perhaps, in this context the first “Campaign for the Nuclear Disarmament” had started by Bertrand Russel. Some other movements of the same nature are active in those countries. But by the passage of time the atomic destructive activities are on the increase. It is said that the atomic bombs which were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and which caused the death of hundreds of thousand of human beings and even today those parts are incapable of any production, were very small bombs of very low velocity. Man has prepared means of human destruction and in the twinkling of an eye the human race would not only be destroyed but also there shall remain no signs of life on earth. When the civilized man sees the uncivilized ways of the destruction he becomes panicky.In January 1963, I had a chance to speak to the head of NATO (which is the greatest defensive organi-zation in Europe and America) General Norstad in company with a group of Journalists of the common wealth. When I questioned about the sudden outbreak of atomic war, the General disclosed that such arrangements were extent that in case of undeclared atomic war within two or three minutes orders of atomic counterattack be given. However, over the continent of Europe due to fear, war planes equipped with atomic weapons keep on hovering for twenty four hours in the name of defensive purposes. If 22 or 23 years ago the ability to destroy the world within two or three minutes was achieved then today, on what stage of instant destruction will this world be? Allamah Yousuf Gabriel, who offers the solution of every universal problem and presents the methods of preventing the universal destruction in the light of the teachings of the Quran, remains always in the state of restlessness to save the humanity from Nuclear Destruction. Allamah Yousuf Gabriel is a highly learned scholar with unusually great versatility of subjects; is a celebrity among the distin-guished Doctors of Islamic Law and Theology; has unusually great understanding of the Quran and shows equally exceptional knowledge of both the Quran and Science. He is a simple man who lives the life of a dervish in seclusion. If He had been in some other country with an organized propaganda machinery behind him then certainly he would have been counted among the greatest thinkers of the world. He would have been declared as a great Harbinger and mouthpiece of world peace and many books would have been written about him and certainly he would have been awarded Noble Prize for peace. But Allamah Yousuf Gabriel who passed M.A. without a teacher and who has equally great command over English, Persian and Arabic etc., lives in a small Mohallah Nawababad of Wah Factory in a very ordinary quarter. If anyone would see him he would not consider him deserving better attention than a simple and rustic villager. However, where there is intellectual greatness there the worldly splendour is not needed. Knowledge has its own delight and that is the delight of satisfaction and contentment; a delight from which the material world is deprived.I knew Allamah Muhammad Yousuf Gabriel by his articles published but I had no meeting with him. One day when returning from Islamabad, I set out to find him and found him in his quarter. He was astonished. I saw him dressed in simple clothes of local ordinary cloth, wearing simple white turban and standard beard. The accent envisaged rural rusticity, wearing a simple ordinary slipper in his feet, declining age but very strong physique. He took me to a small quarter of his son. His son works in Wah factory. This quarter was his. In the adjoining room was the table of Allamah with very ordinary furniture. In every-thing appeared simplicity. I was offered tea in a simple cup. He said to me, ” I have rented a room in separation away from here. There I do all my writings”.I was gazing at Allamah Yousuf Gabriel in surprise, his simplicity was making its effect upon me. After formal introduction when Allamah began to explain the atomic destruction of the world in the scientific Light of Quran, I sat spell bound and amazed at the enlightening ocean of knowledge that came out from the lips of Allamah. When he recited the English translation of the relevant signs of the Quran in fluent English, I was astonished. And along-with that he stated the details of a debate which he had with famous German Orientalist MISS ANNEMARIE SCHIMMEL. Miss Schimel denied the divine original of the Quran. Allamah Yousuf Gabriel convinced her that the Quran was the book of God and based his debate on the Quranic chapter “Al-Homaza”. He shows exceptional great knowledge in the subject of atomic science and atomic radiations.Allamah told me that in 1964 BERTRAND RUSSEL, the famous English Philosopher in reply to my letter wrote, ” Since Adam and Eve ate the apple, man has never abstained from any folly that he was capable of and the end is atomic hell”. Allamah said that apparently the surmise of Russel was correct. certainly he was not amiss about the end of mankind as may be seen in the present circumstances, but the prophecy of the Quran about the atomic hell (Chapter-Al-Homaza)is such a miracle in the world of science and philosophy that there is no possibility of refutation either by scientists or the philosophers. The Quran has given the causes of the appearance of the Atomic Hell, therefore it is possible for mankind to escape from atomic doom by removing the causes which the Quran has given as the causes of the appearance of atomic hell. And thus it is due to the hope which the Quran gave to me that I did not follow the suit of Bertrand Russel but rather took my own way in the hope that mankind will be saved from the dreadful end in the Nuclear Fire. The atomic hell of this present transient world is the replica of the Hotama (the term used by the Quran) of the next eternal world and the cause of both the atomic hell and the Hotama are the same and therefore who escaped the punishment of atomic hell in this world they will certainly find the Hotama i.e. the atomic hell of the next world in wait for them.The nature of the debate between Allamah Yousuf Gabriel and Miss Annie Marrie Schimmel was historic. It was to have very far reaching effects. It was in September 1963 that in the Punjab University Lahore, Miss Annemarie Schimmel had to deliver a lecture form 3’O clock to 5’O clock. The topic was that the Quran was not the word of God but rather the Prophet of Islam Muhammad ( May Peace be Upon Him) had written it. Allamah Yousuf Gabriel reached the Punjab University at quarter to three and found the seat in the first row on the left side. About twenty celebrated Ulema of Pakistan were present.Four Christian Fathers were also there. Allamah Allaud-Din Siddiqui who was the head of Islamiat and thereafter retired as the Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Uni-versity, was in the chair. Exactly at 3’O Clock the learned Scholar Miss Annemarie Schimmel arrived. She took the seat and asked permission to start the lecture and she began to count mistakes that according to her were in the Quran and she kept on enumerating the mistakes upto 4’O clock. At 4’O clock Allamah Allauddin Siddiqui who was in the chair,, dragged his chair and brought it on my left side. I said to Allamah Alla-ud-Din Siddiqui,”Sir! You have abdicated your throne”. His answer was, ” brother! I had great expectation in you, but you sit mum. The Ulema also are sitting silent. I being the president have to remain neutral have therefore brought myself into the audience so that I may be able to say something to refute the view of the Madam”.I said to Allamah Allau-din – Siddiqui, ” Allamah Sahib ! Is the Quran yours?” He said, “No”.Then I said, ” Am I the author of the Quran?” His answer was no. Then I said, ” To God belongs the Quran and certainly God is the best protector of his word. Let us admire the Madam”.(Actually God was making such arrangements that would give Allamah Yousuf Gabriel a chance to refute the Madam. Even when she was delivering the lecture, the act of leaving the chair by Allamah Allaud Din puzzled the lady and she stopped the lecture and thus Allamah Yousuf Gabriel found the chance to stand up and discuss the topic with her.) Madam’s lecture was in English. Allamah Yousuf Gabriel stood up and addressed the lady in English.The following dialogue was recorded:-
GABRIEL “Madam! You deny the Quran’s divine original because you think there are mistakes in the Quran. Surely Madam There are no mistakes. Quran is free from mistakes. You are mistaken. Btu there is no time that I may clear those mistakes which you say, are in the Quran. I will therefore leave this side to you and will show you something in this Quran which nobody knew accept the God when the Quran was revealed to the Holy Prophet (May Peace be Upon him)”
MADAM:- “What is that?”
GABRIEL:” Pray Madam tell me, when the Quran was revealed or was written by the Prophet as you think?”.
MADAM: “1380 years ago”.
GABRIEL “And when atom bomb was made?”.
MADAM:-“In 1945 two atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan by the American bombers”.
GABRIEL The Quran was revealed 1380 years ago while atom bomb was made in 1945. Is there some distance between the two dates?”.
MADAM:”Yes! There are centuries intervening”.
GABRIEL:-“Madam! Please look into your conscience and say, was it possible that 1380 years ago in the country of Beduins, in the city of Mecca, an illiterate person (Muhammad, Peace be upon him, was admittedly a person who never had read any book nor had held a pen in his hand to write) would write abook in pure Arabic and name it the “Quran” and in that Quran he would write a chapter about the theory of modern atomism and give the essence of atomic science and portray the atomic bomb explosion, giving the theory of atomism as the cause of the appearance of atomic hell that is the atomic bombs and atomic radiations; all in about 36 words. Do you not consider it a miracle of the Quran?”.
MADAM:-“Are you in sense?”. Is it possible to find the atomic science and atomic bomb in the Quran because the Quran was written 1380 years ago at a time when here was no modern science in the world while the atomic science appeared in 19th century, and the atomic bomb made its appearance in the world in 1945. Further the Quran is not a book of science, it is a book of religion. Science could not be expected in the Quran. I have myself read the Quran, nor any of the Muslim Ulema has ever mentioned the existence of atomic science or the description of atomic bomb in Quran”.
GABRIEL:-“Madam! I never drink hashish, nor have I uttered anything that might envisaged the derangement of man’s mind. In reality you only think it impossible to find atomic science and the description of atomic bomb in a book which appeared 1380 years ago when there was no vestige of modern science in the entire world. So far as you think that the Quran is a book of religion and no science could be expected in that book is a notion quite wrong. If you have read the Quran you certainly might have read the claim of Quran in two places wherein the Quran says:-
‘WE HAVE DISPLAYED FOR MANKIND IN HE QURAN ALL KINDS OF SIMILITUDES”.The tribes of Aad and Thamud were destroyed by the worth of God. The Quran mentions their destruction many times. These tribes were no more than a Muhallah of Lahore, that is, were no more than a few hundred thousands whereas the
use of atomic bombs in the world atomic war means such a destruction of the entire life on earth from Tokyo to New York that no signs of life would be left anywhere. The Quran which mentions the destruction of the tribes of Aad and Thamud with great zeal, why should it not mention the destruction done by the atomic bombs that would involve all life on entire earth. What about the Quran’s claim that of displaying for mankind all kinds of similitudes. certainly the Quran has treated almost all of the subjects of human knowledge.If no Ulema has ever mentioned the existence of atomic science and the description of atomic bomb in the Quran, there is no wonder because this fact I discovered only last year and have not disclosed anywhere.You are the first person to here it”.
MADAM:-“Show me where is that?”.
GABRIEL:” Please read the Chapter “Al-Homaza”, the 104th Chapter of the Quran.”
MADAM:” I am not Hafiz.( Hafiz means a person ho has memorized the Quran).
GABRIEL:” Shall I myself read it or shall I fetch the Quran for evidence?”.
MADAM:” You read it. If you will read wrong I will catch you. I know the Quran”.
GABRIEL” In the name of God, the beneficent, the merciful. Woe unto every slanderer and back-biter who heapeth up riches (of this world) and prepareth the same
( for the times to come). He thinketh that his riches will render him immortal. By no means. He shall surely be cast into Al-Hotama. And what shall cause thee to understand what Al-Hotama is?” Pray tell me Madam ! What is Hotama?
MADAM:” Your commentators write that Hotama is a sort of fire which grinds the things into powder due to the intensity of its flame”.
GABRIEL:” You are quite write Madam. The answer which you have given to my question shows that you really have appreciable study of the Quran. However, the answer which you have given is the answer of the commentators of the Quran that reveals their admirable knowledge. For your information the term “Atom”” used by the scientist is wrong for atom means that which cannot be broken while the scientist himself has broken the
atom into parts. On the other hand, “Hotama” the term used by the Quran means that which breaks and this is the term which is correctly used regarding the topic. ” Hotama” is a noun derived from “Hatama” which means to break. Its second form is “Hattama” which means to break with great intensity. For example you have a glass in your hand and you violently strike it against the rock and the glass explodes into pieces. The last form is “Tahattama” which means to explode. It can be easily seen how far the terminology of the Quran in this context is correct, and how far the word “Atom” as used by the scientist is erroneous. Indeed Madam! When we compare the Nuclear explanations given by the scientists to those which are given by the Quran, we can clearly see the difference between the human mind of the scientist and the divine mind of the Quran. The difference is that of a human being and the God.”God says, ” What shall cause thee what Al-Hotama is?”. And thereafter God explains Al-Hotama. ” It is a kindled fire of God which shall mount above the hearts (of those who shall be cast therein) verily (It shall be as) an arched vault above them, on columns of vast extent. (Quran Chapter-104 Al-Homaza).These are the distinct characteristics of atomic phenomenon,and the characte-ristics which distinguish the Nuclear Phenomenon from the chemical Phenomenon and indeed from every other kind of Phenomenon to be found in the world. This explanation of the atomic fire as is given by the Quran and apparently very simple, is in itself a miracle of knowledge.No atomic scientist in the world could ever be competent enough to describe the characteristics of atomic phenomenon in the manner in which the Quran has described. The Quran says, Atomic Fire is the fire of God enkindled. No doubt, the millions of the degrees of temperature seen in the atomic fire could never be expected in the Chemical Fire.The Quran says Hotama is a fire which mounts above the hearts. No doubt, the explosion of the atomic bomb at first kills its victims by giving shock to their hearts. But further study of the subject reveals a particular attraction of atomic radiations for the heart or that which is related to heart. The Quran says verily the atomic fire shall be as an arched wall above them. No better description of atomic bomb explosion could be given. But the research further takes us to the bounds which far exceeds the bounds found by the modern atomic scientist. Pray tell me Madam! Have you ever seen the atomic bomb explosion?”.
MADAM:”No ! If I had seen the atomic bomb explosion, how could I be here, for that certainly kills the person”.
GABRIEL:” Have you seen any photograph of an atomic bomb explosion Madam? Is there any column to be observed?”.
MADAM:”Yes! The column of Hiroshima bomb rose to the height of four miles”.
GABRIEL:That Madam! the Quran says, “On columns of vast extent”. The rising column of the atomic bomb explosion rises changing various colours indeed very magnificent to see. For your information, the column of the 20 megaton Thermo Nuclear bomb which is called the Hydrogen bomb and the Hell-Bomb, rises to the height of 20 miles and has a diameter of 3 miles. Madam ! If you sat on the peak of Himalaya called Mount Everest, the peak which was conquered a few years
ago by Sir John Hunt and his party, and you looked through a telescope, and before your eyes in the plain of Panipat where in the past so many battles have been fought, rose atomic bomb’s explosions in one thousnad square miles in an arranged symmetry, just as the trees grow in a garden. You would see a magnificent seen of rising columns of atomic explosions changing beautiful colours and rising to the height of 20 miles and there covered by a beautiful roof. You would think that it was a magnificent palace of some great Emperor or some great Amphi-Theatre that was being constructed. No Madam! It was Al-Hotama as is described by the Quran. It is a sort of Hell Fire in which anything is cast, is crushed into the particles of atoms. The Quran in the beginning of this Chapter Al-Homaza has given the causes of the appearance of Hotama and its replica in this world that may be called the Atomic Hell.The First of these causes is the slander and back-biting which is the habit universally seen in this modern age of Baconian materialism. The second cause is the accumulation of riches which also is the basic feature of this modern culture. The Third cause is the belief that the wealth will keep on increasing eternally. This also is a recognized feature of this science-guided materialism. This belief of the people
is so strong that they may be said to think that they will achieve immortality due to their wealth, and that the monuments of their wealth will become immortal. To which the Quran says by no means. Both they and the monuments of their wealth will be plunged into the crushing Hotama. All these three characteristics, namely the slander, the accumulation of wealth and the complete faith in the eternity of the accumulated wealth are the basic features of the theory of modern atomism that is the Baconian Philosophy of fruit and utility. The debate ended with the fall of Madam on the Chair. Madam fell on the chair. There is difference between the sitting on the chair and falling on the chair. She had received a severe shock. Her mission had failed. She had received an answer which really had convinced her of the truth of the argument and had explicitly falsified her own view. In reality, she was converted to Islam at that very moment because she had seen a clear truth of the divine original of the Quran, which she had intended to destroy. She departed. Afterwards, the Ulema, who were the main audience of Miss Annemarie Schimmel, asked Allamah Alla-ud-Din Siddiqui about me because they did not know me because I had always struggled in seclusion.
To them Allamah Allauddin Siddiqui said:-” Respectable Ulema! This is a man whom the providence has created in the Muslim Nation by chance. The intellectual light of knowledge and the light of the Quran which the providence has bestowed on him, if your nation will fail to benefit by that hen God will never forgive your nation. One like him will not be found in this nation”.
Allama Muhammad Yousuf Gabriel
Adara Afqar e Gabriel, nawababad wah cantt. Distt Rawalpindi Pakistan.
[email protected]
WHAT IS HOTAMA or ALHOTAMA
BY
AllamaMuhammad Yousaf Gabriel
[email protected]
” Woe unto every slandering traducer who gathereth wealth of this world and arrangeth it. He thinketh that his wealth will render him immortal. Nay, but verily he will be cast into Al-Hotama. Ah, what will convey unto thee, what Al-Hotama is. (It is) the fire of Allah kindled, which leapeth up over the hearts. Lo! It is closed in on them in outstretched columns”.
(Quran -104-Al-Homaza)
Now this is the full text of the warning (Prophecy) about the atom bomb. Please, read it carefully, and see what you understand by it. Yet, it is much regrettable fact, that the translation, of whatever quality and in howsoever great and grand a language, would never portray the exact picture of the original as a rule. Again due to the necessity of remaining as close to the original in the translation, as the peculiar nature of a scripture demands, the translation would be likened to the meat of a slaughtered body of a living oracle worth millions, when alive. It will be seen however, first, that the characteristics of those doomed to atomic hell, are enumerated, and then the Atomic Phenomenon has been characterized with all its subtle and distinctive features, and lastly the atomic phenomenon in actual explosion has been portrayed.
The Warning about the Atomic Hell
Let it be known, that it is a warning and not a decree pre-ordained. But a warning and therefore avertable and avoidable by removing the real causes of the tragedy, the causes enumerated explicitly in the text of the warning, the causes responsible for the resultant emergence of the atomic bomb, and indeed nuclear energy. Let this be known also, that this warning is primarily alluded to the next world, that is the eternal atomic hell in the next eternal world. But just as the fire and the garden are representations of the hell and heaven respectively on earth, this atom bomb is the represetntion of the atomic hell of the next world on earth. The text of the warning is, as it can be seen, miraculously brief and succinct, yet is most clear and most comprehensive. The tones are oracular. How clearly and completely have all the inconsistencies responsible for the appearance of atom bomb; and also the particular characteristics and the distinctive features of the Nuclear Phenomenon, been described, and how precisely have the atomic explosion been portrayed. All in thirty four words only. We repeat the text thereof. Let the reader see, the characteristics of those atomic-hell bound:-
(a) ” Woe unto every slandering traducer, who gathereth wealth (of this world) and arrangeth it. He thinketh that his wealth will render him immortal. Nay, but verily he will be cast into Al-Hotama. Ah, what will convey unto thee what Al-Hotama is?”
(b) The characteristics and the distinctive features of Al-Hotama:-
“(It is) the fire of Allah, kindled, which leapeth up over the hearts”
(c) The portrayal of the atomic explosion:-
“It (fire) is closed in on them, in outstretched columns”
HOTAMA
Hotama means a hell of fire generated by nuclear, that is, atomic energy with all its attributes, namely, the heat radiation, blast, and radio-active fallout united.
The word Hotama, etymologically speaking is derived from its root verb “Hatama”, which means “to Break Something into Pieces”. Borrowing the language of the scientists, we could say; ” the process of atomizing”. Further inquires into the grammatical conjugations reveal that the inflective form Hattama, that is Hatama with T doubled, assumes, a sense of greater impact, and thus it means, “to smash, or dash to pieces, to shatter”. The next inflection, namely, “Tahattama” , “TA” having been prefixed to Hattama, means “to break up, go to pieces, or to be wrecked”; and so also would mean the inflection “Inhatama” that is “in” prefixed to the basic word “Hatama”. Further “Hutaam” and “Hitma”, being the nouns and mean, “Smitherines, pieces, particles” etc.. Very interesting use of the word “Hutaam” is seen in the phrase “Hutaam-ud-Dunia”, that is the “vanities of the world”. These are called as “Hutaam” metaphorically, since they are perishable and must one day be disintegrated. Again the wreckage of a ship is called by the Arab “Hutaam-us-Safina”.
The Resemblance between Quran’s “Hatama” and the “Atom” or the “Atomos” of the Scientsist:-
The word “Hatama” is purely of Arabic origin. The word “Atom” as is used by the scientist, has been adopted from the Greek word “Atomos”. The word “Atomos” means uncuttable, indivisible and indestructible. We will now make our utmost endeavor to show the phonetic resemblance, as well as the resemblance and disparity as regards meanings and purport, between the two words that is “Hatama” of the Quran and “Atom” or “Atomos” of the scientist. This phonic resemblance, amounting to astonishing identity is no secret that has to be divulged. Yet judging from the nature of the topic and impending necessity, we are obliged to show it. The slight phonic difference which is noticeable between “Hatama” and the “Atom” or “Atomos”, could well be attributed to the phonic peculiarities of the two different people with slightly variant vocal organs and their accentual variations, and also to the difficulties of transliteration. It may come as a surprise to the reader, if he is told, that the Arabic Alphabet contains no letter, which we could exactly call as T, as it is pronounced for example in the words, tap, test, tip, top, or tucker etc. by the people of England proper, or certain other parts of the world. Arabic language has two other alternative letters, that is a soft T and TUA. The T of this TUA is not the hard one, it is soft one, but this TUA is pronounced not as ordinary soft T, but literally as TUA. Keeping this testy discussion in mind, we proceed to note, that although the Arabic Alphabet contains the exact letter H as it is pronounced in English “Hat” etc. Yet it has another character which although may sound something like H to a foreigner, yet it is pity that it cannot be exactly, transliterated into not only English, but as far as my knowledge goes, into any language spoken in the world and needs practice to be correctly pronounced by a foreigner and is something in between the letter H and KH. This peculiar letter is used in Hatama and not simple H. However without falling into such minute complexities, we should conclude that the word which we have transliterated as Hatama with H is strictly not at all the exact representation of the word, it is meant to stand for that is the Arabic Hatama, and the actual pronunciation of the word Hatama, we have spoken about, by virtue of TUA having been preceded by that untranslatable character, and which we are always obliged, to write as H in a foreign language is actually far near to the ATUAMA in pronunciation, and not HATAMA. If the reader happens to be so lucky as to have an Arab in his neighborhood, let him ask this Arab friend to pronounce the word HATAMA as is the actual Arabic word which this Hatama stands for, and you will hear him say something like ATUMA with a strange accent on the first A, sounding something between H and Kh. By all this minute description all that we mean to show, is the miracular nature of this coincidence that of the phonic resemblance of these two words, that is, the Arabic HATAMA and Greek ATOMOS, if coincidence we may justly call it for it is a miracle manifest, that of the Omniscient Allah. It is this resemblance of these two basic words which actually is the key to the door and the clue to the inner secret of the prophecy. I say this on personal experience, since, but for this phonic resemblance I would perhaps have never been let in, into the real mystery thereof.
The Quran exact but the Scientist is wrong
By saying that scientist is wrong in a certain aspect, I do in no way mean to injure the feelings of anyone for whom I feel a heart-felt regard, but I feel myself obliged also to point out a little error which the scientist is himself well aware of and which has had a remarkable mystery concealed beneath it.
By the Greek word “Atomos” is necessarily meant “something uncuttable, indivisible and indestructible”. The same is the meaning of the word “Atomos” in Greek language, and the same was meant by early Greek atomists when they used the word, “Atomos”. This word, rather the term “Atomos” was adopted by the modern scientist as “atom”, with the same significance, but in time the atom was split up in sub-atomic parts, such as Neutrons, protons, Electrons and positrons etc. So the “atom” remained no more as “atom”. It has changed its character. It was no more uncuttable. But the point which interests us most is that, was the scientist unmindful of this fact of this basic change of the character of Atom? Did he not realiz the necessity of changing the term with the change of the quality, was the earth allowed to retain its previous designation, that is “flat”, after it was known that it was not flat, but round. Or was it again allowed to retain its previous quality as stationary when it was discovered that it was not stationary, but rather it revolved around its axis and it rotated around the sun. The answer is No. The word “Flat” was changed to “round” , and, “stationary” to “rotating”. Why not then, the question arises, this word “atom” was changed for some other correct word, while Greek, Latin and all the dictionaries of Europe lay opened before the scientist and we could not suspect DEARTH of talent amongst the scientist community. Whey then the word atom was not changed and this misnomer allowed to continue. Was the scientist unmindful of this serious flaw or did he neglect the discrepancy. No. We find Sir James jeans regretting this error, on page 45 of his admirable book, ” The Mysterious Universe” as saying ” Just as the 19th century was drawing to a close, Sir J.J. Thompson and his followers began to breakup the atom which now proved to be no more uncuttable, and so no more entitled to the name of “atom” than the molecule to which the name had pervasively been attached”. Now this was the case at a time as Sir Jeans tells us, when the 19th century was drawing to a close. But we have seen the”atom” shattered into pieces completely by the scientist during the first half of the twentieth century. And yet the atom retained its previous name as if it were its inviolable birth-right. All this seems strange, but the fact which excites far greater wonder than all this is, that the scientists had actually called up a conference with a view to discussing this very question that of the error in the name of the atom. But did they discuss the matter? The answer is yes, they did discuss it. But did they change the name of atom? The answer is No. The question is why? After the discussion of the matter however it was –we do not know why or how, decided, to let the “atom” remain as it was. It may seem something extra-ordinarily strange to anyone acquainted with the hard-headed nature of science and consequently the scientist. The scientist, the adherent of the principles of science, as a rule could not be expected to call atom as atom which was not atom but was actually tom, that is exactly the opposite of what the scientist condescended to call it. Why all this happened. Why the scientist did subject himself to the charge of a gross violation of the rules of science, and how did he happen to slight and ignore the basic spirit thereof. It is a very interesting situation and there lay behind it a fact far more formidable than at first is to be suspected. And you might ask, what is that fact so astoundingly tremendous to justify so loud a clamour as this. The answer is that, the power which had been so pleased as to place the prophecy in the Quran about the Atom bomb, the very same power had superimposed itself on the minds of the scientists in their conference, that they so decided as to let the “atom” remain as it is. This they did, at the eleventh hour and they dropped the question when they had reached the last rung of their proceedings. We are tempted to ask this question from anyone who would be sceptic about this our assumption; why if this was not the reason, then the scientists dropped the question to violate the very spirit of science, and of course, in vivid contradiction to common sense, nay even in violation of the general principle of a world in which no one would ever call “ugly” the “beautiful” or “dark” the “white” except in satirical sense. But again the question arises, as to, why the providence was so over-particular, and so very much interested in the name of atom, that it remain as it is? The answer to this question is this, that this apparent phonic resemblance as existed between the two words, namely, the Hatama of the Quran and the Atom of the scientist, it was desired to remain, for it was due to this phonic resemblance that the prophecy about the atom bomb, contained in the Quran, could be discovered. But for this resemblance, the eye of the mind could perhaps not be directed to the inner mystery. This, as I have already said, and I say this on my personal experience, for, it was this apparent, phonic resemblance between these two words that enticed me into the actual bosom of the secret, and I indeed by the grace of Almighty Allah discovered it and then corroborated the facts by the actual characteristics of the phenomenon in practice. It remains only to say now in this respect, that the terminology of the Quran, is, found to be exact and correct, for, the word Hatama, as is used by the Quran implies, cut ability and not otherwise while the scientist has been mystified by the providence that he may persist in error.
Dear Sir
Kindly include this article on your website for your kind readers Please. I shall be very thankful for this action.
Yours sincerely
Rizwan yousuf
[email protected]
One interesting point is the Hindu groups with extremist ideology do not use the Religious scriptures as their basis. When have we seen people from VHP,Bajrang dal quoting from the Gita? The good thing about the ‘Hindu’ Texts(Hindu is a word arrived recently) or Ancient Texts in India is that they dont allow scope for Violent Interpretation.
A small minority of people will always be susceptible to the use of violence to achieve their objectives. But, the important thing here is they dont get to derive any false-inspiration for violence from the Texts.
Regarding rethinking Islam, Muslims have to come to a conclusion no matter what violent interpretation of Quran is unacceptable. But, I am curious, why so many wrong interpretations of the Holy Text of Muslims? Does it actually say what the Terrorists tell us it says?
Hinduism is a cool religion that is also oriented towards peace and prosperity.-;.
my father likes Hinduism coz he believes that this is a good religion,:*
hinduism is a good religion, my father is hindu and also my mother ~“