If we compare Hindu ideology with Islamic ideology, the 2 major differences are first, Idol Worship and Second, Polytheism.

Per Zakir Naik, Idol Worship and Polytheism are among 12 major sins. Unless the person sincerely repents, Allah will throw the person to hellfire on the day of Judgement.

In this we will cover the scientific aspects behind both based on the thoughts of Swami Vivekananda, Bhagavat Gita and Vaishnava philosophy.

During his address at the Parliament of Religions, Chicago, 1893, Swami Vivekananda explains the rationale behind the idol worship in Hinduism.

For any average human being, any thought or emotion or feeling is associated with some kind of object or form. Say you think about your friend who is not with you, the image of your friend will flash in your mind. If you think about a religion (say Islam), the image of Kabba or the image of the Holy Quran will come to your mind. In nutshell, an average human mind associates itself with some form or other. Islam prescribes believers to face towards Kabba while offering Salah. In that case, the image of Kabba must be going in the people’s minds while offering Namaz. During Hajj, Muslim pilgrims throw pebbles at three walls (formerly pillars), called jamarāt, in the city of Mina just east of Mecca. It is a symbolic reenactment of Ibrahim’s (or Abraham’s) hajj, where he stoned three pillars representing the temptation to disobey God. In nutshell, Islam and Muslims also associate themselves with some object or form during their spiritual endeavor (Kabba with Allah and jamarāt with devil).

Since, it is the natural tendency of any human to associate him/her to some form, Hindus worship many Gods and Goddesses.

For e.g. Maa Saraswati (Goddess of education) is shown as an old lady who imparts education to Children. Say a little girl who is stressed due to her study pressure, she worships Maa Saraswati and clams here mind. A young girl of marriageable age worships Lord Shiva for getting a loving husband. Or a Young boy of marriageable age worships Goddess Uma for getting a loving wife. Aghori Sanyasis stay in Cremation grounds. They are not allowed to stay in houses. They cook their food on the funeral pyre. They worship Maa Kali (the Ghastly form of Mother Goddess). If you look at it, Hindus worship different forms of the Lord depending on the situation or mentality (s)he lives in. A school girl won’t prefer to Worship Maa Kali (as she cannot associate herself with the Ghastly form of Mother), not can a Aghori Sanyasi, staying in cremation grounds associate with the romantic form of Mother i.e. Goddess Uma. A person worships Lord in different forms depending on situation. Army personnel worship Maa Durga i.e. the warrior form of Mother Goddess. During the student days a person may worship Lord Ganesha and during the later ages (s)he may worship Maa Laxmi (the Goddess of Wealth) and if he becomes a Aghori Sanyasi, (s)he may worship Maa Kali.

Bhagvad Gita has defined four different types of Bhaktas(devotees) depending on their motives to approach the Lord. They are as follows:-

  1. Arta (Distressed) : For e.g. Draupadi when she was being disrobed.
  2. Artharti (Devotees with certain wishes): For e.g. Sudama, who went to Lord to seek wealth as he was poor.
  3. Jigynasu (Knowledge Seeker): For e.g. Uddhava who took sermons from Lord.
  4. Gyani(Self Realised): For e.g. Swami Vivekananda.

On similar lines Vaishnava philosophy describes four Bhavas(relations) through which a Bhakta connects himself/herself with Lord.

  1. Dasya Bhaba: This category of devotees worship Lord as a servant. For e.g. Bidura.
  2. Sakhya bhava: This category of devotees worship Lord as a friend. For e.g. Arjuna or Sudama.
  3. Bastyala Bhava: this category of devotees worship Lord as parents or guardians. For e.g. Devaki, Jasoda or King Dasaratha.
  4. Madhurya Bhaba: This category of devotes just love the Lord ceaselessly. For e.g. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu or Meerabai.

Hinduism understands the various desires, emotions and mental states of Human being. Hence, Hindus worship Gods and Goddesses in Multiple forms.

Zakir Naik argues that it is written in Vedas that God has no form. He is correct. But, as per Swami Vivekananda, a normal/average person who is just starting to believe in the Lord needs a form to associate himself/herself with the Lord. Muslims do that with the Kabba.

As per Swami Vivekananda, as a person moves forward in his/her spiritual endeavor, he moves to “Mental Worship”.

What is "Mental Worship"?

Let me give an example. When Vasudeva was jailed and his wife Devaki gave birth to Lord Krishna, he donated a million Cows mentally. For normal person who want to do Dana (Donation), they do it physically. But with the spiritual level Vasudeva was at, mental donation served the same purpose. While doing mental worship, (s)he doesn’t need deities to worship. All the rituals are done mentally, even when (s)he is in toilet. In “Yoga Nidra” a person is in conjunction with the Lord even when (s)he is sleeping.

The next level of perfection is Sthitaprajna.

In Bhagavad Gita, sthitaprajna refers to a man of steady wisdom. The yogi is described in 2-55 as a sthitaprajna when (s)he “renounces completely all the desires of the mind, when he is fully satisfied with his/her mind fixed in Atman.” A person at this spiritual stage is grossly engaged giving his/her heart to Lord and hand to work.

As Swamiji says in his Chicago address, A Hindu moves from a lower level of truth to the higher. Idol worship is a lower level of truth, Mental worship is the next higher level of truth and Sthitaprajna(perfection) is the highest level of truth.

A little kid learns addition/subtraction on whole numbers, once (s)he goes to high school s(he) does addition of decimal numbers, and in higher classes (s)he does addition/subtraction on vectors . Addition of vectors is an advanced form of addition of the whole numbers. Hinduism therefore designs a “curriculum” for human beings at different stages of spiritual endeavor. Bhagavat Gita for e.g. says in 8-9 that the “supreme person is the oldest, who is the controller, who is smaller than the smallest….” Arjuna describes Lord in 11-19 as the “one having no origin, no middle, no end“. These verses speak about a formless form of the Lord. Again in 11-50 on Arjuna’s request, Lord shows him his Narayana form which is a bodily form of the Lord.

Hinduism therefore believes in God both having a form and also in a formless one depending in how the devotee wants to perceive the Lord.

Hence, coming to Islam, why do you say Idol worship a Sin even if you associate Allah with Kabba or devil with jamarāt? Christianity doesn’t allow idol worship, then why there are so many images/idols of Lord Jesus and other angels in churches? Since, it is natural for an average human brain to associate itself with some kind of form, it is impossible for a spiritually naïve person to dream/think of a “formless God”.

Per Zakir Naik if any one draws any picture of a living being or builds a sculpture of any living being, then Allah on the day of judgement will ask him/her to put life in it. And of course (s)he cannot put life to that image/sculpture and then Allah will throw him/her to hellfire.

Lets do a logical analysis of the above fact. Say when I utter the word “Dog” then the image a beautiful, tail wagging Labrador will flash in your mind. Or if I utter the word “Rock Python” then the image a ghastly, big snake will flash in your mind. If Lord has designed Human brain to draw images in mind, then why will Lord punish you if your hands draw the image on paper or build a sculpture? Hand is controlled by your Brain.

Hence, Summarizing,

  1. Hinduism believes in moving from a lower form of truth to a higher. Hence, it accepts idol worship as a means for spiritual emancipation.
  2. Since, an average human being is bound to have have different desires, Hinduism, in order to cater the mental, spiritual and psychological needs in accordance to desires, accepts polytheism.
  3. Hinduism, accepts Almighty in both “saguna” and “nirguna” forms. “saguna” form of worship is idol worship. “nirguna” form of worship is worshipping the infinite.

 

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