WATER IS CALLED BY DIFFERENT NAMES IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES – GOD IS CALLED BY DIFFERENT NAMES AS ALLAH, RAM OR JESUS
Question:
Water is called by different names in different languages: in English as water, in Hindi as paani, in Tamil as tanni. Similarly if God is called either Allah, Ram or Jesus, is it not one and the same?
Answer:
To Allah belongs the Most Beautiful Names
The Glorious Qur’an says in Surah Isra chapter 17 verse 110
"Say: ‘Call upon Allah, or call upon Rahman: by whatever name ye call upon Him, (it is well): for to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names.‘"
[Al-Qur’an 17:110]
You can call Allah by any name, but it should be a beautiful name,should not conjure up a mental picture, and should have qualities that only Allah possesses.
Water can be called by differnt names in different languages but something else besides water cannot be called water in another language.
You can call water by various names in different languages, like water in English, paani in Hindi, tanni in Tamil, mai in Arabic, apah in Sanskrit, jal in Shudh Hindi, jal or paani in Gujrati, pandi in Marathi, neer in Kannad, neeru in Telugu, vellam in Malayalam, etc. If a person tells me that his friend has advised that everyday early in the morning he should have one glass of paani, but he is unable to drink it because when he drinks it, he feels like vomiting. On enquiry he says that the paani stinks and it is yellowish in colour. Later I realise that what he is referring to as paani is not water but urine. Thus you can call water by different names having the same meaning but you cannot call other things as water or paani.
People may think that the example is not realistic and I agree with them because even an ignorant person knows the difference between water and urine. He will have to be a fool to call urine ‘water’. Similarly when any person who knows the correct concept of God, sees people worshipping false gods, he naturally wonders how a person cannot differentiate between a true God and false gods.
Purity of Gold is not verified by calling it by different names in different languages but rubbing it against a Touchstone.
In the same way, gold can be called sona in Hindi, gold in English, dhahaba in Arabic. Inspite of knowing all these different names for gold, if a person wants to sell you his gold jewellery and says this is 24 carat pure sona, you will not blindly believe, without verifying it with a goldsmith. The goldsmith confirms whether it is gold or not with the help of a touchstone. The yellow glittering jewellery may not be gold, because all that glitters is not gold.
Surah Ikhlas is the Touchstone of Theology.
Similarly, any person or candidate who is called God cannot be accepted as the true God without verifying him with the touchstone. The touchstone of theology, that is study of God, is Surah Ikhlas chapter 112 of the Holy Qur’an which says:
"Say, ‘He is Allah, The One and Only; Allah, The Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not Nor is He begotten; and there is none like unto Him.’’’
[Al-Qur’an 112:1-4]
Any candidate who passes the Acid test can be called God.
Any candidate who claims to be God and fits in this four line definition, passes the Acid test, is entitled to be called God and worshipped as God.
Suppose a lunatic says that Muhammad (pbuh) is God, (God forbid). Let’s put him to the test of Surah Ikhlas.
"Kul hu allah hu ahad" – Say He is Allah, The One and Only;
Is Muhammad (pbuh) one and only? No! he was not the only messenger. There were many other messengers.
"Allah hus Samad" – Allah, The Eternal, Absolute;
We know that Muhammad (pbuh) had to undergo many hardships. Though he was the mightiest messenger of God, he died at the age of 63 and was buried in Madeenah.
"Lam ya lid wa lam yulad" – He begetteth not Nor is
A religion is best, if it has the solutions to the problems of mankind
For a religion to be considered the best, it should have the solution to all the problems of mankind. It should be the religion of truth, and should be applicable to all ages. Islam is the only religion which has the solution to all the problems of mankind. e.g. the problem of alcoholism, surplus women, rape and molestation, robbery, racism, casteism, etc.
Islam is the religion of truth, and its laws and solutions are applicable to all the ages. The Qur’an is the only religious book on the face of the earth, which has maintained its purity and authenticity proving itself to be the word of God in all the ages. i.e. previously, when it was the age of miracles, literature and poetry and in present times when it is the age of science and technology. Moreover, Islam is not a man-made religion, but a religion revealed and inspired by Almighty God. It is the only religion
The Muslims in India alone cannot separately follow the Islamic Criminal Law without involving the Non-Muslims
Even if a Muslim agrees, that as far as he commits a crime he should be given the punishment according to Islamic Criminal Law, it would not be practical. In case an allegation is made against a Muslim for robbery and if the witnesses are Non-Muslims, and if each one follows his own Criminal Law, the punishment in Islam for bearing false witness is 80 lashes, whereas in the Indian Crimial Law, a person giving false witness can easily escape. Thus, for a non-Muslim to falsely accuse a Muslim of any crime is very easy, if both follow their own criminal law. However, if both follow the Indian Law where the punishment is lenient for false witnesses and robbers, it will encourage both the robber to rob as well as encourage the witnesses to give false witness for their own benefit.
The Muslims in India would prefer the Islamic Criminal Law to be implemented on all Indians
We Muslims would prefer that in India the Islamic Criminal Law be implemented on all the Indians, since, chopping the hands of a thief will surely reduce the rate of robbery in India. Similarly, 80 lashes for giving false testimony will prevent a person from giving false witness.
Islamic Criminal Law is Most Practical
Islam besides pointing out a crime, it also gives you a solution showing how to prevent the crime e.g. chopping the hands of a robber, death penalty for the rapist. The punishment is so severe that it is a deterrent for the criminal to commit the crime. He will think a hundred times before committing a crime.
Thus if crime has to be reduced or stopped in India the best solution is to implement ‘The Common Islamic Criminal Law’.
9.
ARE RAM AND KRISHNA PROPHETS OF GOD?
Question:
If according to Islam, messengers or prophets were sent to each and every nation of the world, then which prophet was sent to India? Can we consider Ram and Krishna to be messengers of God?
Answer:
Prophets sent to every nation
The Glorious Qur’an mentions in Surah Fatir, chapter 35 verse 24
". . . And there never was a people, without a warner
having lived among them (in the past)."
[Al-Qur’an 35:24]
A similar message is repeated in Surah Rad, chapter 13 verse 7
". . . and to every people a guide."
[Al-Qur’an 13:7]
Stories only of some prophets narrated in the Qur’an
Allah (swt) says in Surah Nisa, chapter 4 verse 164
"Of some messengers We have already told thee the story; of others we have not."
[Al-Qur’an 4:164]
A similar message is repeated in Surah Ghafir chapter 40 verse 78
"We did aforetime send messengers before thee: of them there are some whose story We have related to thee, and some whose story We have not related to thee. . ."
[Al’Qur’an 40:78]