SPIRIT OF ISLAM AUGUST 2O13

Spirit of Islam Issue 8 August 2013 4 FROM MAULANA’S DESK 1. The World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims 2012, Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre, Jordan. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan , born in 1925, in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, is an Islamic spiritual scholar who is well-versed in both classical Islamic learning and modern disciplines. The mission of his life has been the establishment of worldwide peace. He has received the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian honour in India, and the Demiurgus Peace International Award. He has been called ’Islam’s spiritual ambassador to the world’ and is recognised as one of itsmost influential Muslims 1 . His books have been translated into sixteen languages and are part of university curricula in six countries. He is the founder of the Centre for Peace and Spirituality based in New Delhi. ISLAM AND HINDUISM I SLAM and Hinduism both representing two great traditions, have coexisted for more than one thousand years. It is very important to understand the relationship between these two religions. There are two divergent views on the subject of this relationship. One view is that both traditions are very similar to each other. I once happened to meet a Hindu scholar who with great enthusiasm said, “I don’t find any difference between the two religions. When I read the Quran, I feel that I am reading the Gita and when I read the Gita, I feel I am reading the Quran.” This is, however, an oversimplification of this issue. I don’t think that this notion will pass academic scrutiny. The second view is that Islam and Hinduism are both very different from each other and that their only meeting point is (heated) debates. This view was particularly widespread during the British rule in India and reached its zenith at that time. It would be more intellectually and academically productive to assess themerits of the two religions in the context of intellectual development. Such development can come about only as a result of social interaction and intellectual exchange. To illustrate this point, let me cite some historical examples.