Sayings from Islam

I am not Muslim — I hesitate to label my spiritual beliefs with any title — but reading Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad’s letter to Bush made me reflect on how universal so much of religion can be. For some reason it is the minor differences which people concentrate on, yet I am a firm believer that all paths can lead to truth.

This passage written by Mohandas Gandhi is appropriate in this context:

“We discussed in previous issues some books in the series The Wisdom of the East. The same writers have brought out a book on the subject noted above and have sent us a copy for review. It is hardly necessary to say that the book is in English. It is priced at one shilling only. It contains extracts from the holy Koran, and reproduces the sayings of Arab thinkers on different matters. For instance, with reference to nobility, it is said that, ‘He who disregards his own honour gets no good from an honourable lineage….Learning and high principles cover the shame of low origin.’ The book is full of rich thoughts having a bearing on our struggle for honour. The poet says: ‘Men see no fault in one who respects himself.’ Then again: ‘Be ashamed in your own sight more than in the sight of men.’ Once more: ‘He who respects not himself can have no respect of others.’ And elsewhere it is said: ‘Life has no worth and this world has no happinesss for a man who has lost his self-respect and abandoned himself to shamelessness.’ Under Character, we have: ‘A man is truly religious when he is truly good.’ Under Knowledge we have: ‘A man without education is like a brave man without arms.’ ‘Kings govern men and learned men govern kings.’ ‘A wise man is not he who considers how he may get out of evil, but he who sees to it that he does not fall into it.’ On Truthfulness, it is said: ‘No man’s religion can be right unless his heart becomes right, nor can his heart become right unless his tongue is right….The man is a hypocrite who prays and fasts, but is untruthful in what he says, false to his word, and unfaithful in discharging his trust.’ Such are the golden sayings in this little book. We advise everyone who can read English to buy this book.”

(From “Arab Wisdom”, Indian Opinion, 28 Dec. 1907)

Gandhi was Hindu, but he recognized that truth arises in many contexts under many forms and with many names. A rose by any name is still a rose; so, too, can universal wisdom be found in any path and in any language.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 12th, 2006 at 4:46 pm and is filed under Alternative Living, Freedom and Spiritualism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.