India is a country of multiple languages, religions, cultures and traditions and each of these gives colour to its rich history and heritage. The efforts of many in the past have shaped the present of India. To shape the future we will have to invest in Peace and Harmony a pre-requisite for progress and development. As in the past, in the present too we shall have to bear the responsibility of promoting deeper understanding of and between the different communities, languages and cultures.
A small fraction in the Indian society is misled and in ignorance has unfolded a campaign to undo the centuries of hard work, thereby causing severe damage to the identity of Indian Society. Non-issues and street brawls end up in riots and loss of wealth, thus impeding the progress of the country.
Goa has shown great maturity in social relations and awareness and is an example of communal harmony for the rest of the country, although efforts to create rifts have been steady. Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Goa understands the importance of communal harmony and desires to strengthen and safeguard it. Whilst propaganda continues, JIH Goa has been constantly striving to create better understanding and mutual co-operation to tackle issues faced by the Goan society.
Recently the organisation conducted a series of lectures on “Civilizational Harmony in the Ved and Qur’ān” across the state. Abdul Wahid Khan, Ameer-e-Halqa JIH Goa, said Goa has a history of communal harmony but the undercurrents of intolerance have been expressed in many forms across Goa. He said in the age of communication and where skills of propaganda have been refined, Goa will need to work overtime to preserve, safeguard and build communal amity. He said this series of lectures on “Civilizational Harmony in the Ved and Qur’ān” was one such effort to build bridges of dialogue and understanding between communities.
Dr. Muhammad Hanif Khan Shastri, a noted Sanskrit scholar who was awarded Ph.D. on Mahamantra Gayatri Aur Surah Fatiha Ka Arth, Prayog Evam Mahatmya Ki Drishtri Se Tulnatmak Addhayan in 1991, and Maulana Mohammad Iqbal Mulla, Secretary Jamaat-e-Islami Hind were guest speakers for the lecture series.
The first of the series was a courtesy call to Shree Sadguru Brahmeshanandacharya Swami Maharaj at Tapobhoomi – Kundai, Goa. The first public talk open to all was held at MCC Hall, Margao. The audience from all sections of the society attended the talk. Dr. Hanif Shashtri began by quoting from the Vedas in Sanskrit and impressed the audience with his command over the language. Each recitation of the slokha brought along with it a round of applause. As the talk progressed, he gradually put forward the idea of “Civilizational Harmony in the Ved and Qur’ān”.
He questioned the audience if they had ever come across a copy of the Veda in their lifetime. He said it is unfortunate that close to 99% have never seen or read the Vedas. He said the concept of God in the Vedas and the Qur’ān has similarity. Quoting extensively from the Vedas and the Qur’ān, he impressed upon the guests that the source of the scriptures had common origins. He said thoughts, concepts, reasons and guidelines in both the Vedas and the Qur’ān shared common platforms.
Dr. Hanif confessed his desire to study Sanskrit and the Vedas was kindled during his student days when he came across the statements of the prophecy of the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) in the previous religious scriptures referred to in the Qur’ān. Since then he has been constantly working on the comparative understanding of the scriptures and this was followed by many books on the subject. He shed light on his book on the comparative study of Gayanthri Mantra and the Surah Al-Fathiha of the Qur’ān.
Maulana Mohammad Iqbal Mulla, the soft spoken JIH leader, began by thanking God the Almighty for the wonderful gift of life. He said the bounty and mercy of God was evident all across nature around us. He said that every design and element around us suggests that the Creator is a very intelligent being and for us mankind to suggest that this universe was the outcome of chance and evolution was a sign of our ignorance and inability to comprehend the world around us. He said the idea of unity and oneness of God was common in all faiths.
He asked the audience when the light of the sun, the beauty of the moon and rains in the monsoon do not discriminate on the basis of the religion but is universal then how can God of all of us be different. He said no sane man will claim that the God of a Muslim or a Hindu is different from the God of a Christian. He said God Is One and along with reason and intelligence bestowed upon mankind God also arranged to reveal His Guidance to Mankind through His Prophets.
He said the problem occurs when mankind deviated from this revealed guidance over the period of ages. He said all the revealed guidance over the ages had a central common theme that is Man is God’s best creation and his progress and development depends on his acknowledgement of the Creator as his Master and Sustainer. This life is a trial and test of his ability to be singularly devoted to God in obedience and submission.
The revealed guidance from the Creator is the only code of conduct for life, adherence to which helps him to save himself from going astray. That man is accountable for all the talents and material gifts of life. This life is temporary and a means to secure an eternal life in the hereafter, where all the desires of man would be fulfilled. That man is incapable of legislating for himself a code of conduct.
He said it was important then for each individual to take life seriously and not as mere idle sport to live and make merry but to contemplate over the creation of the universe and conclude to surrender in submission to the Creator. He said it was important for us to identify the truth and purpose of life instead of living in ignorance. He said knowledge of the scriptures was important to distinguish between truth and falsehood. He asked the audience live in Harmony with the Creator and His Guidance. He said mutual interaction and co-operation in solving human problems will bring communities together and rid misunderstandings of each other.
The next day both the speakers addressed the college students in Mapusa on the same topic and later in the evening they addressed the citizens of the capital city-Panjim. The last of the talk was held in Mapusa and this time it was for the general public at the Islamic Centre Goa. An FB page was created to promote the event. Sanskrit scholars and Sanskrit institutional heads along with religious leaders and civil society members attended in large numbers. The initiative by Jamaat-e-Islami Hind was greatly appreciated and suggestions for more such programmes were put forward.
[The writer is Media Secretary, Jamaat e Islami Hind, Goa Zone]