Shared Wisdom: Similarities Between Hinduism and Islamism
Shared Wisdom: Similarities Between Hinduism and Islamism begins with the profound observation that while our time is consumed by politics, entertainment, and media, we often remain distant from the deepest teachings of our religions and understanding of God. This article explores rich parallels between Hinduism and Islam, drawing proof from the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gītā, Qur’ān and Hadith, to inspire deeper spiritual engagement.
1. Monotheism and Divine Unity
Shared Wisdom: Similarities Between Hinduism and Islamism first reveals a shared belief in one supreme reality. Islam’s core principle—Tawḥīd—is succinctly stated in Qur’ān 112:1: “Say: He is Allah, the One and Only.” Hindu Upanishads likewise affirm: “Ekam evadvitiyam Brahma” — “There is only one without a second” Just Human Podcast2completefactsonline.com2thehinduportal.com2. The Rig Veda even declares: “Truth is one, the wise call it by many names” (Rig Veda 1.164.46) LinkedIn1reflections.live1. Thus, beneath diverse names and forms, both traditions point to a singular Divine source.
🔸 Islam (Qur’an – Surah Al-Ikhlas 112:1–4)
قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌۚ، ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ، لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ، وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌۢ
“Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; and there is none like unto Him.”
🔸 Hinduism (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.2.1)
“Ekam evadvitiyam Brahma”
“There is only One without a second.”
This reflects Advaita Vedanta’s monistic theology, remarkably close to Tawḥīd in Islam.
🔸 Rig Veda 1.164.46
“Ekam sat viprāḥ bahudhā vadanti”
“Truth is One, the sages call it by various names.”
This verse acknowledges the unity of the Divine through multiple names—parallel to Islam’s 99 Names of Allah.Murti Puja in the Vedas and Upanishads (Hindu Scriptures)
🔹 1. Vedas – Strong Emphasis on the Formless Brahman
✅ Yajur Veda 32.3
“Na tasya pratima asti”
“There is no image (pratima) of Him.”
This verse explicitly denies any likeness or idol for the Supreme Being.✅ Atharva Veda 10.8.1
“He is neither short nor long, neither black nor white… He has no hands or legs, yet moves and acts.”
The description suggests an abstract, formless nature.2. Upanishads – Philosophical Monism (Brahman is Nirguna)
✅ Shvetāshvatara Upanishad 4.19
“Na tasya pratima asti” (same as Veda)
“There is no likeness of Him.”✅ Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 3.8.8
“He is unseen, ungraspable, without origin, without features…”
This reflects the Nirguna Brahman concept—formless, without qualities, and hence not representable by murti or statue.
Murti Worship in Puranas – A Later Development
While Vedas and Upanishads reject idol worship, the Puranas (written ~500 BCE to 500 CE) promote Murti Puja, introducing temple rituals and devotional icons.
✅ Bhagavata Purana 11.27.12
“One should worship Me in the deity form by offering incense, lamps, and food with devotion…”
This shows shift from formless Brahman to Saguna Brahman (God with form) in bhakti traditions, especially Vaishnavism and Shaivism.
❗Contradiction within Hindu tradition:
- Shruti (Vedas/Upanishads) → Deny form/idol.
- Smriti (Puranas) → Permit/encourage murti puja.
This suggests idol worship is not Vedic, but a later devotional practice—not a core tenet of early Hindu monotheism.
What the Scriptures Say
Scripture Source Position on Murti Puja Vedas ❌ Deny image worship (Na tasya pratima asti) Upanishads ❌ Advocate formless Brahman Puranas ✅ Permit idol worship (contextual, devotional) Qur’an ❌ Strictly forbids any image or idol worship Hadith ❌ Harsh warnings against image-making
2. Scriptures and Spiritual Authority
Both religions revere texts seen as revelations: the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gītā, and Puranas in Hinduism, and the Qur’ān and Hadith in Islam. Each serves as a spiritual guide offering ethical, philosophical, and devotional wisdom. Islamic teachings (Hadith) highlight moral character, while Hindu texts emphasize dharma and devotion (Bhakti). Both stress divine messages conveyed through enlightened seers or prophets believerspray.com3LinkedIn3reflections.live3.
🔸 Islam (Qur’an 2:2)
“This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah.”
Referring to the Qur’ān as divine revelation guiding humanity.
🔸 Bhagavad Gītā 4.1–2
“I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvān, and Vivasvān instructed it to Manu… thus the saintly kings knew it in this way.”
Hinduism also acknowledges divine knowledge revealed to righteous individuals through ages, similar to prophets in Islam.
3. Ethical and Moral Parallels
Hinduism’s concept of dharma (righteous duty) aligns closely with Islamic ideals of justice (‘adl), compassion (raḥmah), and truthfulness (ṣidq). Islam teaches righteousness in Qur’ān 2:177, emphasizing belief in God, charity, and justice. Hinduism advocates nonviolence (ahimsa), truth (Satya), self-discipline and duty per Gītā 16:1–3 believerspray.com2LinkedIn2reflections.live2. Charity—Zakat in Islam, Dāna or Seva in Hinduism—is central to both traditions and viewed as spiritual purification (Rigveda 10:117, Bhagavad Gītā) islamawareness.net1reflections.live1.
🔸 Islam (Qur’an 89:27–30)
“O tranquil soul, return to your Lord—pleased and pleasing. So enter among My servants, and enter My Paradise.”
🔸 Mundaka Upaniṣad 3.2.9
“The self-realized soul, free from sin, reaches the Supreme Abode of Truth and becomes immortal.”
Both faiths promise spiritual liberation and eternal union with the Divine for the righteous.
4. Rituals: Prayer, Fasting, Pilgrimage
Both faiths emphasize disciplined worship. Muslims pray five times daily (salāh) with ablution (wudu), while Hindus perform puja, chant mantras, and purify before temple rituals. Fasting is spiritual discipline—Ramadān in Islam, Ekādaśī, Navarātri, Mahāśivaratri in Hinduism—intended to control desires and deepen devotion timeslife.com. Pilgrimages also play parallel roles: Hajj to Mecca, and Hindu pilgrimages to Varanasi or Kumbh Mela lead devotees toward spiritual renewal completefactsonline.com.
🔸 Islam (Sahih Bukhari, Book 4, Hadith 137)
“When a Muslim performs ablution and then offers his prayer, his past minor sins will be forgiven.”
🔸 Manusmṛti 2.5–2.6
“Water is purifying. He who, with a pure mind, bathes and worships after ablution becomes free from sin.”
Hindus perform Snān (ritual bathing) before puja, just as Muslims perform Wudu before Salāh.
🔸 Islam (Qur’an 2:183)
“O you who believe! Fasting has been prescribed upon you as it was prescribed upon those before you, that you may attain piety (taqwa).”
🔸 Bhagavad Gītā 6.16–17
“There is no possibility of one becoming a yogi, O Arjuna, if one eats too much or eats too little, sleeps too much or does not sleep enough… Yoga is for those who are balanced in eating, sleeping, working and recreation.”
Fasting during Ekādaśī, Navratri, etc., in Hinduism is also seen as a way to purify mind and body.
5. Inner Purification and Mystical Paths
Islam values Tazkiyah—inner purification—and Sufi mysticism emphasizing love and direct connection with Allah. Similarly, Hinduism’s Bhakti movement and Yoga traditions emphasize love, self-realization, and union with Brahman. Sufi practices in India interacted deeply with Bhakti traditions—shared devotional songs, mysticism, and theology created convergence across communities reflections.live1en.wikipedia.org1.
🔸 Islam (Qur’an 2:177)
“…It is righteousness to believe in Allah… and to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask…”
🔸 Rig Veda 10.117.5
“The one who eats without sharing with others is a sinner. He who gives food to the hungry truly performs a great Yajña.”
In both traditions, charity (Zakat / Dāna) is not optional but an essential act of piety.
6. Afterlife and Divine Justice
Islam teaches resurrection, judgment, heaven (Jannah), and hell (Jahannam). Hinduism presents the cycle of Karma and rebirth, ultimately leading to Moksha (liberation). Although pathologies differ—judgment versus reincarnation—both underscore moral accountability and eternal consequences for human behavior timeslife.comcompletefactsonline.com.
🔸 Islam (Qur’an 3:185)
“Every soul shall taste death. And only on the Day of Resurrection will you be paid your dues in full.”
🔸 Bhagavad Gītā 2.13 & 2.22
“As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death.”
“As a person sheds worn-out garments and wears new ones, likewise, the soul discards the worn-out body and enters a new one.”
Though resurrection and reincarnation are different models, both traditions emphasize consequences for actions in the afterlife.
7. Symbolism and Shared Cultural Threads
Symbolic resonances exist. For example, the crescent moon is significant in Islam; Shiva is also associated with the crescent—Chandrashekhara—in Hindu iconography. The use of beads—Japamala in Hinduism and 99‑bead tasbīḥ in Islam—for repeating divine names shows shared practices francoisgautier.com. The mention of Mecca in ancient Hindu texts as sacred reflects ancient intercultural spiritual connections francoisgautier.com.
🔸 Islam (Qur’an 7:180)
“And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them.”
Muslims believe in the Asma al-Husna – 99 beautiful names of Allah.
🔸 Vishnu Sahasranāma (Mahābhārata – Anushāsanaparva)
A list of 1000 names of Lord Vishnu, each reflecting divine attributes like compassion, justice, omniscience.
8. Shared Cultural & Social Traditions
In South Asia, Sufi shrines (dargahs) are visited by Hindus and Muslims alike—symbolizing syncretic harmony. The Bhakti and Sufi traditions often merged devotional poetry and spirituality, reinforcing interfaith empathy and shared ethical focus en.wikipedia.org.
🔸 Islam (Sahih Muslim 2564)
“None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”
🔸 Mahābhārata, Shānti Parva 262.17
“Ahimsa paramo dharmaḥ”
“Nonviolence is the highest form of dharma (righteousness).”
Both faiths place deep emphasis on compassion, equality, and human dignity.
Why This Matters
We live in a world rich with content—but we often neglect studying our souls. Recognizing Shared Wisdom: Similarities Between Hinduism and Islamism invites us to rediscover the spiritual core we share: devotion, moral duty, compassion, humility, and service. It reminds us that beneath ritual differences lies a shared path toward divine love, liberation, and justice.
Conclusion
Shared Wisdom: Similarities Between Hinduism and Islamism reveals that both faiths offer universal spiritual truths: belief in one supreme reality, reverence of sacred scripture, practice of prayer, fasting, charity, and a deep moral framework. These shared teachings can heal divides and foster mutual respect. Instead of focusing only on news, politics, or entertainment, investing time in understanding our religions and God—with sincerity and research—can transform our inner and communal life.
It is time to pause our scrolls and dive into teachings that truly matter: shared spiritual values that build faith in God, unity among humanity, and peace on earth.
