Islam Influence Part2

INFLUENCE OF ISLAM Moral and Ethical behaviour Hinduism encourages duty based philosophy. It shares similarity with Islam in enforcing moral and ethical standards on one’s behavior like abstain from alcoholic beverages. Rituals and Fasting Both religion encourages family system, having progeny, respect for elders. Orthodox Hindus and Islamic condemns homosexuality. Two religion also shares similarity when it comes with devotion to rituals (like five times Namaz in Islam and Naam Jap/ Prayers in Hindus).Muslims observe strict fast during Ramadan whereas Hindus on different days and occasions. Muslims encouraged to do charity (Zakat) during Ramadan whereas Hindus consider 3 1/2 days reserved for charity one like Akshay Tritiya and people are encouraged to do good work , donations on such days, this is another similarity. During the Muslim conquests, Islam gained many converts on the Indian sub-continent primarily from Hinduism or Buddhism; the two dominant local religions. Inter-marriage and immigration from other Islamic lands have helped in instilling this idea in the people of Greater India. Many of the new Muslim rulers looked down upon the idea Hinduism as having Iconodulistic religious practices and were to various degrees iconoclastic. Prominent examples of these are Mahmud of Ghazni and the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb on either end of the timeline for Islamic rulers. In addition, Muslims in India also developed a caste system that divided the Foreign-descended "Ashraf" Muslims and the "Ajlaf" converts, with the "Arzal" untouchables at the lowest rung.The term "Arzal" stands for "degraded" and the Arzal castes are further subdivided into Bhanar, Halalkhor, Hijra, Kasbi, Lalbegi, Maugta, Mehtar etc. In contrast there were also many Muslim kings who wished to live in harmony with the Hindus for interests of the Islamic empire. Akbar and Ibrahim Adil Shah II of Bijapur Adil Shah dynasty are notable examples. Akbar's court was home to intellectuals and saints both Hindu and Muslim, among them the great musician Tansen who converted to Islam, and he (Akbar) even went so far as to try and create a new religion (the din ilahi) to create a rapprochement of both creeds for creating a stable empire. 'Todar Mal' who was highly regarded Hindu minister (vizir) of Akbar. Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi, does not credit Akbar for saving the temple instead gives credit to the "infidels" for building their own temple by demolishing the mosque. Frustration in the sub-continent grew as a result of this leading to the gradual decline of the Muslim mughal empire replaced by the Sikhs, Marathas, the Vijayanagara kingdom and later the British. Quran and Science

The verses of Quran dealing with the nature of heavenly bodies, celestial organizations, the water cycles and the sea, the earth’s atmosphere, the origins of life, human reproduction, the animal and vegetable kingdom etc. are dispersed through out the book. The Quran and the sayings of prophet (called Hadith) would have been certainly the motivating factors behind the development and creation of science during the period. I quote here few verses from the holy Quran: Chapter 27, verse 61, Chapter 25, verse 53. The Quranic description of certain stages in the development of embryo corresponds exactly to what we know today. The following news appeared in various news papers in 1984 under the headings: “Ancient holy book 1300 years ahead of its time” the Citizen, Ottawa (Canada), Nov. 22, 1984 and “Koran scores over modern science”, the Times of India (New Delhi), Dec. 10, 1984. “A university of Toronto embryologist has made several trips to Saudi Arabia to help explain some of the verses from the Koran relating to human embryo development. Dr Keith Moore’s findings, corroborated by test tube baby pioneer Dr. Robert Edwards, reveal the verses contain an accurate description of the stage by stage development of the human embryo, something which was proposed by western experts only in 1940 and most of which has been proved only in the past decade and a half”[15]. The prophet of Islam inspired love and passion for learning among Muslims and called the mankind to develop its faculties and intellect. He was particularly concerned for arousing general interest in medicine and drugs as is clear from his sayings in this regard: “There is no ailment created by God for which He has not created a treatment” (Bukahri (a), vol. iv, p. 7). “There is medicine for every ailment, when it is taken for any ailment; it cures by the order of God” (Muslim, vol. ii, p. 225). These sayings encourage both the physicians and the patients; trigger a ray of hope and zeal for research in medicine in order to bring diseases under control.