Interfaith Dialogue

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan | Interfaith Dialogue | Al-Risala January 1988

Writing in the latter part of the nineteenth century, the renowned Hindu scholar, Swami Vivekananda, had this to say about Islam:

“For our own motherland a junction of the great two systems, Hinduism and Islam – Vedanta brain and Islam body – is the only hope. I see in my mind’s eye the future perfect India arising out of this chaos and strife, glorious and invincible, with Vedanta brain and Islam body.”

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan | Interfaith Dialogue | Al-Risala April, 1987

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan | Interfaith Dialogue

In ancient times, the whole system of life was riddled with superstitious beliefs. Many strange, unfounded ideas were gener­ally in vogue. Nicolson, in his Astronomy (1978) has recorded an interesting historical curiosity: “When an eclipse occurred, the Chinese thought that the Sun was swallowed by a huge dragon. The whole population joined in making as much noise as possible to scare it away. They always succeeded!”

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan I Interfaith Dialogue

A certain Jew lived near Shaykh Bayazid Bastami, the great Sufi saint. When this saint passed away, someone asked the Jew why it was that he had not accepted Islam. The Jew answered: “I see two Islams, neither of which can I accept. On the one hand there is the Islam of Shaykh Bayazid Bastami, which it is beyond my capacity to follow. Then there is the Islam of most Muslims, which I would be ashamed to make my own.”