What is Hinduism? A Personal View

Re: # 256

"Urstruly, those Hindus texts are speaking of a very different thing.One can't start with those texts and arrive at Allah and the Quran, or vice versa, either by logic and through faith."

And what thing exactly those texts are talking about then? I am not trying to arrive at Allah or Qura'n, I am trying top arrive at One Absolute God, Allah is but one Arabic name of what in english is God.

Re: # 256

"Urstruly, those Hindus texts are speaking of a very different thing.One can't start with those texts and arrive at Allah and the Quran, or vice versa, either by logic and through faith."

And what thing exactly those texts are talking about then? I am not trying to arrive at Allah or Qura'n, I am trying top arrive at One Absolute God, Allah is but one Arabic name of what in english is God.

"Allah is but one Arabic name of what in english is God."

Urstruly, is Allah exactly the same as Khuda?

Dear Dost, Urstruly, Eklavya etc.

While you have dealt with God/Spirituality etc. embodied in Hinduism and Islam, you haven't dealt much with the socio-political structures implied by these two religions.

Can devout Hindus and Muslims "choose" (when faced with no constraints on choice) to live under the same socio-political structure?

Re: # 259

yes, "Khuda" is the persian word for God just like Rabb is Panjabi word for God (probably borrowed from Arabic in turn). Persian usually use the phrase "Khuda-e-YazdaN", which means Eternal God. Urdu borrows it from Persian.

Urstruly, I disagree. Hope we won't accuse all those sincere Muslims who have given up on Khuda in favor of Allah to be fools, or brainwashed.

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GT, if they really care for their traditions and their beliefs, then they can live together only if they are blind as bats with sonar missing, as Gandhi-Nehru were.

I have asked this one question probably a dozen times, at least, without EVER getting an answer. WHAT political settlement would have been simultaneously satsifactory to both Muslims and Hindus in 1947?

Slightly different topic, but sociopolitical issues are as religious as personal ones - probably more.

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If they are aware of themselves, then Hindus and Muslims, as large groups, can 'live together' only so long as one large group totally, overwhelmingly dominates the other, or both large groups are dominated by a third party.

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There is absolutely no such limitation on individuals, or just a handful of individuals.

#261 Urstruly {"Rabb is Panjabi word for God (probably borrowed from Arabic in turn). "}

Urs,
Not probably borrowed, but definitely borrowed. Rabb is Arabic as in Rabb il Aalameen. :) or Muslim names like Abdur Rabb,

Eklavya, Urstruly,

This is just one of the small differences I have with our much respected Urstruly. Allah is not the same as Khuda, or Rabb. Allah cannot be called by any name other than perhaqps the 99 attributes given in Qura'an. As per strict interpretation of Ikhlas, Allah is incomparable, nor likened to anything, hence cannot even be translated in any language.

But then perhaps it is a technical issue and not really material as long as one understands the essence.

Eklavya #259 {"Urstruly, is Allah exactly the same as Khuda?"}

Kaal Bhayya,
As you know very well yourself, for people whose mother tongue is Urdu, both Khuda and Allah are interchangeable. The first is of Farsi origin while the latter is Arabic. Ya Khuda or Ya Allah are equally used.

Salim_Chauhan,

Correction bro. 'Rabb ul Aalameen' is the attribute, not the name. The name is 'Allah'.

But thanks for mentioning this. It further clarifies my point in #264.

Re: # 263 Salim

I am inclined to agree. mostly sikhs use this word among non Muslims; probably Guru Nanak picked it up while his stay in Medina for 13 years. Alternatively, it is quite possible that Muslim influence on punjab for about 700 years at least prior to Guru must have cause the word Rabb to enter into Punjabi lexicon.

Eklavya;

What is basis of your disagreement.

Eklavya,

Actually, I like Kaal better and you should revert. In any case, thanks for the clear answer. I would like to get the opinions of others too. I like you, have come to believe that this is an important (if not fundamental) issue.

Salim bhai, of course! Certainly, for centuries we (that includes Hindus too!) used the two words interchangeably. And zee is perfectly right about the essence argument.

But there is a difference, without which change from Khuda to Allah would never had the momentum and the power it did. Given both you and I know how very common Khuda was and how deeply ingrained the word was in Muslim (and Hindu) minds, what has happened is not short of miraculous.

It has happened because there is a real Islamic argument behind it. I am surprised Urstruly, of all people, is not see it.

#252 hamidumdum2 sahib,

Looks like you took my advice about discussing the topic with Urstruly Sahib over a couple of Stroh's. But why did you have to get started so early and at least you could have waited for Urstruly before you became three sheets to the wind. Now all you can think of are the three bint-e-Ilahi - have you seen any pink elephants yet?

Re: # 264 zeemax

I agree. The word Allah is the proper noun, while 99 other names only represent the attributes of the One who is Allah.

I wish there were an etymologist here who could correct me but I think the words, God, Khuda, Bhagwan are also proper nouns.

#268 Posted by GT,

Kaal is using Eklavya for some reason which he refuses to tell :) But I second your motion!