In the previous post when i mentioned that according to the research of some muslim scholars, it is found that Buddha may be the person mentioned in the Final Testament, Quran as Dhul Kifl ... out of this, one visitor of my blog exclaimed, how can a Buddhist be considered as messenger of God. It triggered a thought in me which i would love to elaborate here.
It is said in the Final Testament To every people (was sent) a messenger (Quran 010:047). Now sometime we narrow down the meaning of religion and messenger. All spiritual leaders or messengers were social reformer than anything else. Their work is what we namel religion. We often forget that view point.
If one read the life of all the great messengers, inspirational teachers one can see that they didn't start to preach a religion. They started with addressing some social problem. They all were great social reformer above all other identity.
Moses did that for the oppressed people of Israel. He wanted justice and freedom for his enslaved people in Egypt. Jesus protested against the corrupted Jewish priests who were destroying social justice and for this Jesus ultimately paid the price in the hand of the corrupted powerful. Muhammad protested the corrupted arab society and its injustices.
The time of Buddha was one such time of crisis in Indian society and civilization. People forgot morality, no philosophy concerning God was helping out. At that time he started meditation and thinking on the problem (Just as Muhammad started his retreat in mount Hera for meditation on the social problem of Arabia).
So from secular point of view, these great teachers didn't started any religion. The appreciator or companions or followers of the teachers actually formed the religion. Neither Buddha, nor Moses nor Muhammad started with religion. Religion was the name of the result of their work perhaps. Perhaps the concept of God (incase of Biblical Prophets and Muhammad) or our own Life (in case Buddha) was the best motivation for them, thats why their social reformation always resulted in some religion.
I can add a couple of teachers to your list. K'ung-fu Tse (Confucious) and Lao Tzu, regarded as the founder of Taosim, both were responding to corrupt social and political conditions in China.
ReplyDeleteSo what did all these folk have in common? Was it not the great compassion that inspired them to their great work?
Beloved Aisha,
ReplyDeleteYou are correct. I also missed out some great religious teacher of India as well. People like Arjuna, Chaitannya, Ramakrishna.
Yes i totally agree, they had extra ordinary compassion for fellow human being.
asallam alaykum,
ReplyDeletehow ironic, I just posted on an egroup the other day this very same thesis, that I too, thought the Buddah, peace be upon him!, could very well have been a messenger.
hmm, must be something in the cosmic submatrix convalencing...
seriously, I think your on to something, and from an Islamic standpoint I think we would have much to benefit by re-asessing Islamic ideas about the nature of prophecy.
If we accept that Allah the Most High created everything with Truth, like the Quran says, and, as you point out, He sent messengers to EVERY nation, then there must be some (at the VERY least!) that taught to their people in the languages that they were used to.
I just don't buy they just evaporated into thin air and their nations no longer has some aspect of that message left within itself. There must be something left that can be discerned.
I think, by some of the other post you got in response, that some feel that by definition a prophet of Allah would have to teach Islam in an outward sense, form wise. Why didn't the Buddah teach formal prayer? for example.Or, Why would certain teachers put up with some aspects of polythesim?
The answers aren't handy to me right now, but I think that part of this kind of work requires a heart that can see the bigger picture and not become trapped in the form.
you go Sadiq!
Also, another point to think about is that Allah is 'dynamic' in action - that is He can react to changes in creation. This must be so as He is limited by nothing - He creates the rules and conditions and He can change the at any time.
ReplyDeletePerhaps in ancient times He 'tailored' Revelation to the needs of the community. It is difficult to judge what any given Revelation was initially because the older ones deteriorate but we know that He sent the Qur'an because previous traditions were not being observed - but this may not mean that all the traditions were exactly the same to the letter - the could just as well be the same in spirit, or Allah could adjust them as time went by.
He can do whatever He wants.