Hindu & Hinduism at a Glance

What is Hinduism?

It is important to recognize four important fundamental doctrines to fully understand Hinduism. These are derived from the philosophical Vedic texts of Upanishads.

1. The phenomenal world of matter, animals, humans and even gods is a
manifestation of a Supreme Being called Brahman, without whom nothing
would exist.

2. The human beings are capable of not only merely knowing about the existence
of Brahman; they can also realize its existence by direct intuition and
discursive reasoning.

3. The human being possesses a dual nature: one isJiva-atman or the phenomenal
ego and the other is an eternal Self (antar-atman), which is an inner spirit
designed in the same mold as Brahman. If he so desires, it is possible to
identify himself with the inner spirit and therefore with Brahman.

4. The only purpose of man's life on earth is to identify himself with the
eternal Self called Brahman and unite with it through knowledge (jnana),
service (karma) and/or devotion (bhakti).

Who is a Hindu?

Chinmayananda once said, (and I paraphrase), 'I am not interested in converting anyone into Hinduism. I am interested in converting Hindus into Hindu religion.' It rings true today as we have neglected the study of the religion of our ancestors that has survived thousands of years and has had the unique capacity to adapt and change with the times. The Hindu religion is aptly called 'Sanatana Dharma' which is synonymous with 'a religion with no beginning or ending, that will survive forever.'

The fundamental question like what is Hinduism is difficult to answer in simple words and to justly convey the essence of the religion of Hinduism. A more detailed and organized study of the evolution and history of the religion is necessary to fully understand the tenets of the religion. But it need not be complicated or esoteric for a commoner to comprehend. The philosophy, so well explained in the Upanishads can be followed by anyone once the basic concept of the religion is understood.

Who is a Hindu? In simple terms, 'He who accepts the Scriptures (such as the Vedas, Smritis, Puranas and Tantras), as the basis of his religion and of the rule of conduct (or Dharma), and he who believes in one Supreme God (Brahman), in the Law of retributive justice (or Karma), and in reincarnation (punarjanma), is a Hindu.' To really understand this simple statement one has to know what the scriptures are and what are the laws that govern the life of a Hindu.

Five Point of Islam

Islam:

দুনিয়ায় যত রকম ধর্ম রয়েছে তার প্রত্যেকটির নামকরণ হয়েছে কোন বিশেষ ব্যক্তির নামে। অথবা যে জাতির মধ্যে তার জন্ম হয়েছে তার নামে। যেমন, ঈসায়ী ধর্মের নাম রাখা হয়েছে তার প্রচারক হযরত ঈসা (আ)- এর নামে। বৌদ্ধ ধর্ম মতের নাম রাখা হয়েছে তার প্রতিষ্ঠাতা মহাত্মা বুদ্ধের নামে। জরদশতি ধর্মের নামও হয়েছে তেমনি তার প্রতিষ্ঠাতা জরদশতের নামে। আবার ইয়াহুদী ধর্ম জম্ম নিয়েছিল ইয়াহুদা নামে বিশেষ গোষ্ঠীর মধ্য। দুনিয়ায় আরো যেসব ধর্ম রয়েছে, তাদেরর নামকরণ হয়েছে এমনিভাবে। অবশ্য নামের দিক দিয়ে ইসলামের রয়েছে একটি অসাধারণ বৈশিষ্ট্য। কোন বিশেষ ব্যক্তি অথবা জাতির সাথে তার নামের সংযোগ নেই। বরং ‘ইসলাম’ শব্দটির অর্থের মধ্যের আমরা একটি বিশেষ গুণের পরিচয় পাই, সেই গুণই প্রকাশ পাচ্ছে এ নামে। নাম থেকেই বুঝা যায় যে, ইসলাম কোন এক ব্যক্তির আবিষ্কার নয়, কোন এক জাতির মধ্যে এ ধর্ম সীমাবদ্ধ নয়। ইসলাম কোন বিশেষ ব্যক্তি, দেশ অথবা জাতির সম্পত্তি নয়। তার উদ্দেশ্য হচ্ছে মানুষের মধ্যে ইসলামের গুণরাজি সৃষ্টি করা। প্রত্যেক যুগে প্রত্যেক কওমের যেসব খাঁটি ও সৎলোকের মধ্যে এসব গুণ পাওয়া গেছে, তারা ছিলেন ‘মুসলিম’। এ ধরনের লোক আজো রয়েছেন, ভবিষ্যতেও থাকবেন।

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Five Point of Islam:

(Understanding the Basics of Islam to Better

Critique Islam. All Muslim should follow this.)

Shahadah

The first and perhaps most important of the Five Pillars is shahadah, an expression of faith in the Oneness of God and that Muhammad received and delivered God's final revelation to humanity. Every Muslim is expected to say the shahadah at least once in his or her life, but most say it every day. Anyone who says the shahadah is assumed to be a Muslim. In English, the basic formulation of the shahadah is: "There is none worthy of worship except God and Muhammad is the messenger of God."

The shahadah is not just an expression of belief in God, but also of submission to God — only God is worthy of worship and absolute submission. Ritual recitation of the shahadah reinforces the principle that humans are obliged to completely submit themselves to the desires of a god. The more a person repeats it, the more they may believe it and act on it, which means performing further actions they are told are required of them by God. There is no evaluation of whether such actions are wrong or right, much less their consequences. Obedience is expected to be total and unquestioning. In practice, this often means unquestioning obedience to self-proclaimed representatives of this god.

Salat

The second of the Five Pillars is salat, the prayers which each Muslim must recite five time each day. They cannot be said all at the same time and so they create a sort of rhythm which structures the day:

1. Fajr: After dawn but before sunrise;

2. Duhr: early afternoon till late afternoon;

3. 'Asr: late afternoon prayer till sunset;

4. Maghrib: just after sunset;

5. Isha: late evening till late at night.

When saying their prayers, a Muslim is required to be facing in the direction of Mecca, the city where Muhammad was born, though originally prayers were oriented towards Jerusalem. This changed after Muhammad realized he wouldn't be able to convert Jews to his new religion. Prayers make use of verses from the Qur'an and are said in Arabic.

Like the shahadah, prayers are an expression of one's submission to God and God's will — not just for humanity in general, but also the praying Muslim in particular. The ritualistic and repetitive nature of prayers can help convince a person that they really are subservient and really do need to submit to a higher authority. In a sense, constant and ritualistic prayers can have the effect of causing a person to brainwash themselves. When people are able to do this to themselves, they don't need as much supervision from religious leaders.

Zakat

The third of the Five Pillars is zakat, the financial obligations which every Muslim has to the ummah, or community of believers. In Islam, everything essentially belongs to Allah, which means we humans only hold it in trust. But we must use our possessions wisely, which includes sharing with the less fortunate. In practice, what it comes down to is a contribution to the community's general welfare. Each Muslim calculates their contribution individually, but it is supposed to amount to one-fortieth of their total capital. They can give more if they want, but preferably in secret.

Because zakat is something that can be done privately — people are responsible for accurately calculating what they owe — there is no authority responsible for ensuring accuracy and to which people can be held accountable. The effectiveness of zakat thus depends entirely on convincing people that God will punish them if they fail to contribute sufficiently — which, even if true, does absolutely nothing to alleviate the suffering and privations of the poor here and now. Punishments and rewards in the afterlife are good way to prevent justice from being achieved in this life, a life we all agree exists and where justice should prevail.

Sawm

The fourth of the Five Pillars is sawm, which refers to self-purification through fasting. Traditionally every Muslim fasts from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar. Fasting means abstaining from all food, drink and sexual relations. Some are exempt from the fast, including people who are sick, the elderly, and those on a journey. Women who are pregnant or nursing are also exempt. In each case, it is preferred if they try and make up the days at other times when they are able. Children do not usually start fasting until they reach puberty.

Although the concept of purity may sound relatively innocuous, it is in fact the foundation of many harmful, discriminatory, and even violent behaviors. An insistence on purity has often been the reasoning behind excluding women from certain areas of life, for example, especially after pregnancy or menstruation. A desire for ritual purity can encourage the belief that "impure" beliefs of others must be suppressed, the "impure" people must be discriminated against, and that "impure" behaviors must be legally banned. Purity is a concept which helps separate the righteous from everyone else and this division lies behind nearly every form of religious violence that occurs.

Hajj

The fifth of the Five Pillars is the hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca which each Muslim should make at least once in their life if they are physically and financially able. Many Muslims do it more than once. Pilgrims are to wear simple clothing which is supposed to eliminate national, cultural, and class differences between those attending. Islam is, after all, a religion which is supposed to create a community of believers within which there are no such divisions. The hajj, then, serves as a reminder of this despite the great distances which separate Muslims around the world.

It is laudable that Islam has practical activities to reinforce the principle of equality — Christianity has a similar principle, but nothing analogous to the hajj anymore. At the same time, though, the ideal of equality is not entirely matched by reality. People who complete a hajj are highly regarded in their communities and the prospect of increased status thus becomes an incentive for going on pilgrimage.