– Maaz Ahmed Javed (M.Tech. AMU)
Maulana Arshad Madani, president of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, addressed the Hindu Dharma Gurus in a mass gathering and said, “I told them (the Dharma Gurus) that what you call Om, we call Allah”. Maulana Madni, describing the virtues of India in this statement, said that what the Hindu people call ‘Manu’, we (Muslims) call Adam, and Allah Almighty sent Hazrat Adam (AS) to India. After listening to the full statement, it is known that Maulana was saying that we are the followers of Hazrat Adam, the first man in the world, and the followers of the oldest religion. So these people who are chanting ‘Ghar Wapsi (return home)’ should understand that Muslims follow the religion of their forefathers, but these people have adopted a new religion, so they will have to return home. If considered, this message is not a new and unique message for a religious Muslim. In the current situation of the country, this message coming from Jamiat’s platform would have been a bold move if it had been said in obvious and clear-cut sentences. But the tricks used to convey this message were completely reversed. Maulana’s words seem to complement the agenda of those whom he has apparently criticized.
Maulana Arshad Madani, Principal of Darul Uloom Deoband
Our country, India, consists of many traditions, religions, and sects. But the Indian religions do not have any clear evidence in the form of a heavenly book to substantiate their claim like the heavenly religions found around the world. So it is difficult to give them a single name and a definition. Therefore, the most commonly used term for Indian religions, Hinduism, is itself a dilemma. But this too is not an agreed name. Scholars of Indian civilization have tried very hard to describe these religions under a single name or introduction, but almost every attempt seems to produce a new result. No one should be surprised by this fact about Indian religions because there are so many diverse and conflicting things in the books and records found in Indian history that it is not possible to present them under one outline. Maybe that’s why no one has done this work in the past. By understanding these characteristics of this civilization, some people seem to describe the inability to define it and not being able to give it a name as its quality.
After looking at all this background, it is clear that Maulana said such an important thing in such a stupid manner that the matter got confused and the purpose got lost. Maulana gave his own interpretation of the word “om” and likened it to the God of Muslims, Allah. Maulana made the same mistake by telling Hazrat Adam and Manu that they were the same. So after that, a dharma guru named Lokesh Muni humiliated Maulana and spoke harsh words.
“Om & Allah are same” Arshad Madani in a recent gathering
Unlike Indian religions, Islam has an authentic book, the Qur’an. Many examples are readily available of how scholars of different religions have accepted the Qur’an as a heavenly word based on their research. Allah has promised in the Qur’an that He has revealed it and that He will preserve it. Therefore, some researchers compared the manuscripts of different periods with the first manuscript, which was compiled by the third caliph, Hazrat Uthman (RA), and found that every single letter is preserved. It appears to be a word preserved under a divine arrangement. A special feature of the Qur’an is that it is free from philosophical subtleties and conveys its message to the readers in a very clear manner. The Qur’an has explained the existence of Allah Ta’ala in very clear words. It has also been stated that all the prophets were sent with one religion and one call to Tawheed. It is not appropriate to describe Allah and His characteristics by any word that does not have a clear and agreed-upon definition. If clear words are not used for the call to Islam, there is a fear that you will call to something other than Islam. Therefore, in the same speech, Maulana said that according to some people, ‘Om’ is wind. After this, attributing this word to Allah Ta’ala is a very misleading approach. As a result of such false arguments, Maulana lost his point. We should know that this way of calling towards Islam is completely deviated from the prophetic method.
Unfortunately, like in other countries of the world, in our country too, the call to Islam is being toyed with in the name of ‘inter-faith dialogue’. And the result of this is that right and wrong are getting mixed together. It is extremely dangerous for the truth to be presented as equal to or similar to falsehood. As a result, this speech by Maulana only strengthened the lobby of the Sangh. They want a low interpretation of Islam that is acceptable to them. It has always been the case with anti-Islamic forces that they want to distort Islam, like all religions. We hope Maulana and his supporters will accept this in good faith and correct their mistake.
