Hezbut Tawheed often organizes dialogue sessions involving prominent figures from various religions. A recurring question arises: is it really possible to form a unified national identity comprising people of all faiths? My response is—it is absolutely possible, provided we all have the will to follow the command of one Creator, Allah.
If we can all commit to this, unity can be achieved instantly. The unfortunate truth is that, influenced by Western civilization’s ideology, most people today don’t even want humanity to be one nation. They seek diversity, fenced-off independent states. And those who do desire unity mostly don’t believe it's possible.
A major allegation of anti-religionists is that religion divides people. It’s undeniable that historically, massive bloodshed has occurred in the name of religion. Even in today’s secular global system, Huntington’s “Clash of Civilizations” continues.
Extremism is being incited, and under the guise of “war on terror,” millions of innocent people are being killed, and country after country is being destroyed.
Despite their liberal rhetoric, proponents of Western civilization are deeply infused with communal bias. Muslims have become the primary targets of this hostility. Before the invasion of Iraq, U.S. President George W. Bush called it a “crusade.”
The original Crusades were bloody wars (1099–1291) between Christians and Muslims over Jerusalem, ending in Christian defeat. In 1917, during World War I, the British took Jerusalem from the Ottoman Caliphate.
For centuries, the materialistic, godless civilization born in the West has dominated the world. It politically leveraged communal hatred to achieve this dominance. As a result, Islamophobia has become widespread. Though Western civilization claims to be indifferent to religious identity, even U.S. President Donald Trump implemented Muslim travel bans on 13 Muslim-majority countries.
Communal discord has long divided humans. In the Indian subcontinent, mistrust, hatred, and animosity have outweighed interfaith harmony. Over the last century, communal riots in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Myanmar have killed millions and displaced many more. Partition itself was based on the Hindu-Muslim “Two-Nation Theory.”
Who is responsible for this division? Was it the intention of the One who revealed religion? Or is it that people, under Satan’s (Iblis) influence, became self-serving and disobeyed the Creator’s commandments?
If we study religious texts, we’ll see the Creator is one. He is the ultimate symbol of justice. His commands are just. Every religion divides actions into two categories: good and evil. Consequently, all humans are either righteous or sinful—those who obey God are righteous, those who disobey are sinners.
Hinduism originally had no caste system based on birth; rather, in the Vedas and Upanishads, social divisions were profession-based and flexible.
Similarly, Islam divides people into Mu’min (believers) and Kafir (those who reject truth). Mu’mins are those who believe in and strive to establish the Creator’s commands. Kafirs reject them. Nowhere does Allah say to forcibly convert, kill, or wage war against people of other religions. He commands fighting only those who reject the truth after it has been made clear.
Yet, Islamophobes falsely claim that Muslims are ordered to fight Jews, Christians, etc. This is distortion. The Qur’an even says that among people, those who say “We are Christians” are closest in affection to believers. (Surah Al-Ma’idah, 82). These verses reflected the political reality of that time—Negus, a Christian king of Abyssinia, supported the Prophet and was honored throughout his life and even prayed for after his death.
Muslims ruled India for 700 years. Had they imposed religion or nurtured communal hatred, how would Sanatan (Hindu) followers still be the majority?
All religions speak of two realms: this life and the hereafter, and of two destinations: heaven and hell—even Buddhism includes these, though modern Buddhism is atheistic. Many scholars argue that the Tripitaka contains monotheistic references. Those who believe in heaven and hell surely agree that humans didn’t create them.
The core beliefs of Abrahamic religions are identical—e.g., all humans descend from one couple: Adam and Eve. Even Vedic tradition mentions Swayambhu Manu and Shatarupa as the first man and woman. Muslims, Jews, and Christians all revere Abraham (Ibrahim) as the patriarch.
So, humanity is one family.
Accepting the command or sovereignty of the One Creator is the foundation of all religions. In Islam, La ilaha illallah means there is no legislator except Allah. This Tawheed was the core message of all Prophets. Allah says He sent messengers to every community with the message: “Worship Allah and shun Taghut (false authorities).” (Surah An-Nahl: 36)
Whenever false authority replaced Allah’s law, injustice and chaos spread. In response, God sent Prophets to reform people. Some accepted and unified under Tawheed; others clung to distorted beliefs. Thus, multiple religions emerged. Even when new divine teachings were established, followers later corrupted them, accepting multiple authorities.
In response, Allah sent new messengers again to restore unity under Tawheed. According to Hadith, 124,000 (or 224,000) Prophets were sent. Only 25 are named in the Qur’an. India, a cradle of ancient civilizations, surely received many Prophets. In Sanatan terminology, these were called avatars. Though their names may not appear in the Qur’an, their teachings align with those of Qur’anic Prophets.
Despite changes over time, religions share countless similarities. Islam is also called Din-ul-Qayyimah—eternal, upright religion. This aligns with the concept of Sanatan Dharma, which also emphasizes one eternal Creator. Its mantra “Ekam evadvitiyam” means “God is one, without a second.”
Similarly, Jesus (Isa a.s.) did not preach the Trinity but Tawheed. In the Bible, someone asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was. He replied, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is One Lord.” (Mark 12:29). He also said, “Only one is lawgiver and judge.” (James 4:12)
The Bible says Jesus will return to destroy the Antichrist. Hadith also says Isa (a.s.) will return to destroy Dajjal and establish peace. If one examines the descriptions of Dajjal, it becomes clear that the materialistic, godless Jewish-Christian Western civilization is the modern manifestation of Dajjal.
The Qur’an states that every People of the Book will believe in Jesus before his death. (Surah An-Nisa: 159). Thus, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and Christians—all will ultimately believe in him, becoming one nation of faith.
My purpose here is not comparative theology, but to present one grand truth: we are one nation. Our religions are divine commands sent by the same Creator at different times and places. The hostility among us is baseless. Two branches of the same tree cannot be enemies.
We should unite as brothers, forgetting religious hatred. The only division among us should be between justice and injustice. Let us accept God as the source of justice. All religions condemn theft, adultery, rape, tyranny, and oppression. Let’s unite against such evils.
Today’s injustice and violence stem from a soulless, Creator-less, materialistic civilization. Let us unite to reject it and strive with full sincerity to build a new civilization based on the command of the One Creator.
Images Related to this Post
Leave a Comment