Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Dogs of Arabs – 14

Continued from the previous post –
Differences in the two religions - 5
Belief in the "Day of Resurrection", (Yawm al-Qiyāmah: يوم القيامة) is crucial for Muslims. They believe the time of Qiyāmah is preordained by God but unknown to man. The trials and tribulation preceding and during the Qiyāmah are described in the Koran and the Hadith, and also in the commentaries of Ulema. The Koran emphasizes bodily resurrection, a break from the pre-Islamic Arabian understanding of death.
On Yawm al-Qiyāmah, Muslims believe all dead Arabs will be, judged on their good and bad deeds. The Qur'an lists several sins that can condemn a person to hell, such as disbelief (Arabic: كفر Kufr), and dishonesty; however, the Koran makes it clear God will forgive the sins of those who repent if HE so wills. Good deeds, such as charity and prayer, will be, rewarded with entry to heaven. Muslims view heaven, as a place of joy and bliss, with Koranic references describing its features and the physical pleasures to come.
Sufism does not believe in all those things as given above. Many Sufi laugh away these Islamic beliefs. One Sufi saint pointing towards the heap of bones of dead persons piled up in one corner of the burial ground said how can even the most pious of Muslim come out of this tangle of bones? He wanted to say, it is a ridiculous idea to believe in such a saying even by the prophet Mohammad. He was burnt alive on that by the Imam. Since that Sufi saint ridiculed Prophet he was declared as a non-Muslim and so deserved death by burning alive!
Classical Sufi characterized by their attachment to rumination (a practice of repeating the names of God, Hindu practice of Japa) and asceticism. Sufism gained adherents among a number of Muslims as a reaction against the worldliness of the early Umayyad Caliphate (661-750 CE) and later many other rulers of various parts of then Muslim world. Sufi approach was appreciated by most converted Muslims who were not Arabs and practiced Sufi faith under Muslim cover. This was necessary because it was suicidal to challenge the Arab rule in those days. In Hindustan Mogul and Afghan marauders introduced Sufism under the cover of Islam. Most so called Muslims in India and Pakistan are actually practicing Sufi faith though they call it Islam. This confusion continues till this day. They practice something like a hybrid religion which is not Islam mixed with Sufi concepts believing in worshiping Sufi saint along with Prophet Mohammad which is a wrong practice as per strict Islamic dictates. Sufism encourages practices such as black magic or calling of Jinn to help them. Islam is strictly against such a practice as it amounts to condemnation of first pillar, Shahadah.
Other exclusive schools of Sufism describe themselves as distinctly Sufi, a separate religion from Islam. According to Idries Shah, the Sufi philosophy is universal in nature, its roots predating the arising of Islam and the other modern-day religions; likewise, some Muslims consider Sufism outside the sphere of Islam. The reason for such thinking comes from the many differences between the two religions. Most historians of religions admit that Sufism existed in many forms in that region of Mediterranean part of Asia. Spread from Turkey down to Arabia and from Persia to Syria. Some claim that it originated in Turkey while other believe the birthplace to be Persia. But all accept that Sufism was practiced by Arabs in pre-Islamic period. That tradition continued till the time of Prophet Mohammad. Ali was a practicing Sufi and therefore, rejected by true followers of Islam. That was one reason why his candidature to the first Rashidun was challenged. Interesting part is that Mohammad knowingly accepted Ali as his heir. That is an example of dual belief by Ali in both Islam and Sufism. This was however not allowed for any other person by Mohammad.

This topic continues in next post -

You may contact me on my Email ID given below,

You are invited to visit my other blogs
Ashok Kothare, http://ashokkotharesblog.blogspot.com/ for stories
I reckon, http://kotharesviews.blogspot.com/ for philosophy
You may visit blog, Ideas and tips on any subject, http://kotharay.blogspot.in/ for intelligent discussions.
Freedom of Expression, http://blogs.siliconindia.com/kothare/ for intelligent discussions

My New Marathi Blog, http://kothare-marathi.blogspot.in/ मला असे वाटते

No comments:

Post a Comment