Exclusivist monotheist faiths teach that there is only one way to the heaven and, of course, it is theirs own. Exclusivists claim non-believers will get the “hell of fire” or will not be “saved.” Such intolerant teachings about other faiths create many problems in interfaith relationships.
Allah literally means god in the Arabic language. In that respect, yes, Allah can be the Father God as described by Christians, or Isvar as described by Hindus. However, recently in Malaysia, there were protests by Muslims against using the word Allah to describe the Christian God. Likewise, Reverend Franklin Graham recently clarified that “Muslims do not worship the same God the Father I worship.” Further, he stated: “I don’t believe that you can get to heaven through a Buddhist or Hindu. I think Muhammad only leads to the grave.” These intolerant statements from faith leaders clearly show that this fight is not about the literary meaning of the word “Allah,” but about the exclusivist thinking behind their dogma that only through their own version of the faith can one achieve salvation.
Where did this exclusivist thinking originate from? All three Abrahamic faiths (Christianity, Judaism and Islam) accept the teachings of the “Ten Commandments”. It states, “I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God punishing children for the inequity of parents, to the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.” Successive Abrahamic scriptures have tried to perfect this jealous God’s messages.
Christians believe that Jesus is the only son of God and that faith in Jesus is the only way to achieve salvation and to enter heaven. Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.” However, quite contrary to that belief, Koran teaches to have faith only in Allah. According to Koran: Jesus, the son of Mary, was no more than God’s apostle4:171. Allah forbids that He Himself should beget a son!19:34. Further, those who say: “the Lord of Mercy has begotten a son” preach a monstrous falsehood19:88. Unbelievers are those that say: “God is the Messiah, the son of Mary”5:70 and “God is one of three” 5:72. Unbelievers will get “Hell of Fire.” Further, Allah said: believers, take neither Jews nor the Christians for your friends.5:51
How come Mohammad, Jesus and other apostles interpreted THE GOD’s direct message differently? Alternatively, are Allah, the Father God and Isvar different Gods? For an exclusivist monotheist this is a very difficult question to address; a pluralist probably doesn’t care for it and an atheist may simply smile at this discussion.
The monotheist concept creates a major issue for an interfaith Abrahamic couple. Let’s take a Christian-Muslim couple, for example. As per the Shahadah (oath) to convert to Islam before the Nikaah (the Islamic wedding), one must accept and declare that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his apostle. Further, one acknowledges that associating others (like Jesus) with Allah is the greatest of all sins. Similarly, baptism before a church wedding means conversion to Christianity and a commitment to repudiate former practices (of Islam) and to live with Christ forever. There is no widely accepted middle ground for a Christian-Muslim couple.
A pluralist Hindu, who believes that all faiths can lead to Eternal Life, will not have a problem accepting Allah and the Father God as different names and forms of the One Supreme called “Isvar” by Hindus. However, a Christian-Muslim couple wishing to have a modicum of equality in their relationship may have major problem resolving the fundamental question: is Jesus the son of God and the Savior, or just an apostle?
Conflicting religious scriptures certainly create a major problem for an interfaith couple. The BBS (Baptism, Bris, or Shahadah/Sunat) religous labeling is the most fundamental core practices of believers of Abrahamic faiths. It help clerify significantly which camp one belongs to. In a monotheist intolerant concept, a clear decision has to be made: are you with us, or are you a non-believer? Like, is it black or white? A child of an interfaith couple can have only one of three choices: Sunat, Baptism or Bris circumcision. The all- inclusive polytheist thinking has no place in an Abrahamic’s life; i.e., you cannot have two of the BBS rituals, like SUN+BAP, or BRI+NAT ritual!!
Can a child be taught that Allah is the same as the Father God or Isvar? Most Abrahamics believe that a child cannot be raised in two faiths because the child will get confused and loose interest in both faiths. In a Hindu-Abrahamic marriage, can the couple take their child to a Hindu temple every Saturday for murti puja (idol worship?) of multiple Gods and Goddess and on Sunday to a monotheist Church? How will they manage such fundamental conflicting beliefs, and justify it to their Abrahamic family and church members? The issue posed here confronts mainly the monotheist Abrahamic partner, not the all-inclusive pluralist Hindu partner. Most Hindus are probably okay happily singing “Isvar Allah tero nam” meaning both Isvar and Allah are equally valid names of One God.
The monotheist concept that “my way is the only way” is an exclusivist, supremacist, fundamentalist interpretation of religious scriptures. Suhag Shukla have stated, “(Reverend Franklin) Graham fails to recognize the role that his brand of narrow-minded Christianity as well as other fundamentalist interpretations of the world’s religions have played in not only many of our nation’s problems but those of the world, including terrorism, wars, violation of civil rights, human rights, atrocities and annihilation of entire cultures and communities.”
Only when a pluralistic thinking that Allah, the Father God and Isvar are all equally valid names of One God, prevails in the world, can peace and harmony among different faiths and communities be established.
Sept 11, 2010
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Other articles written by InterfaithShaadi:
Bar Mitzvah for Hindus?,
Torah on Hindus?,
Koran on Hindus?,
Bible on Hindus?,
Hindus, Abrahamics and Intolerants,
Can Allah be the Father God?,
A Jealous and Angry God,
One God, Allah?,
Idol Worshippers: Who is and Who is Not,
Circumcision: Science or Superstition? ,
Saif and Kareena: Religion and Marriage,
Religious Conversion for Marriage,
Ten Points of Interfaith Dating ,
FAQ on Interfaith Marriage,
45% of Muslims Marry outside their faith,
38% of Hindus marry Abrahamics,
Interfaith Marriages: A Message to Dharmics,
Hindu-Muslim marriages,
Hindu girl/boy, Muslim girl/boy,
Hindu-Christian Marriage,
Hindu-Jew marriages,
Meera Verses Margaret,
Marriage laws,
Follow Jesus not the church
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No way Allah can be a father. Allah is the creator of everything that every came into existence. you call a priest father, can he raise the dead, a child calls his dad father, do allah have godfather, is Allah a gangster, no. Allah makes the sun rise east, Allah He makes set in the west. you better check mythology because thats where this tittle came from. It do not matter what part of the world you live in.
sataan has poison the minds of people around the world with the same deception but in a different language. Mythology is for dummies if you really think its abvout false god. the lacking in spiritual knowledge will keep you blind of satan. In every language around the world adam is known as the of human, has the story about how he created. satan deception and twisted the story, to keep you blind about his creation why he created, and what he was created from which is very important. Islam is the only way of life that explains about satan and his deception and his promise to allah. Religion belongs to satan. The way of life belongs to Allah.
I think Mehboob is right, and I warmly thank him for his comment. We should seek unity among our faiths rather than antagonism. We all want to get closer to God and we all think love and marriage is a big part of it. We just have different ways of trying reaching that unity with God.
I’m a devote muslim and I have friends of all faiths. I believe in the goodness of mankind and that we’re not so different.
If a couple deep down has the same spiritual goals and believes in one Almighty God – whether they call Him Allah, Yehova, Father God or Ishvara – then nothing should come in the way of their love and spiritual journey towards God through marriage.
Mehboob,
This article is about “exclusivism” verses “tolerance for other’s way” to reach the “One God” for an interfaith couple.
Can you share your views on interfaith marriages? Lets take a Jew-Muslim relationship. You have stated…”Shahadah is nothing but a pledge that you believe in one God. Quran says you can marry if he or she believes in One God and declares and believes in it.” Jews believe in One God and not any idols or image or photos. Does it mean the Jewish fiancee don’t have to take the Shahadah oaths to marry a Muslim? To their children, is it okay to have Bris instead of Sunat AKA Khitan because Jews believe in “One God?”
As you know, the Shahadah is not only about believing in One God, but is lots more than that. Shahadah is the declaration that there is no god but Allah and Prophet Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. Why the Jew fiancée above have to follow what the God told to Muhammad, especially when HE said not to be a friend with a Jew (Koran 5:51)!?!
There is “One God” but different names and different ways of praying HER or HIM. Why people can’t have freedom to pray the God the way they want it? Jews, Muslims, Christians and Hindus may want to call the God….. LORD God, Allah, the Father God and Isvar, respectively, ….so be it. If Muslims want to pray only in the direction of Kaaba, even the God is in all directions, let them. A Catholic may want to believe in trinity, why Koran (5:72) has problem with it? Instead of trinity (3 forms), a Hindu may want to pray to multiple forms of the One God, why you have problem with it? People need a focus point, let it be the Kaaba, Cross or gold-calf, as far as they could reach to the God. Further, if someone is an atheist or “unbeliever”, but is a good person, why is it a crime?
Mehboob, when you talk about One God, do you have Allah (not LORD God or Father God or Isvar), messages given to Muhammad (not to Son of God, Jesus), Shahadah and Islamic way of practicing religion in your mind? Are you an exclusivist (my way is the only way, rest will get “Hell of Fire”)?
How can allah be God when he (koran) says to not befriend Christians or Jews, to stalk them cut off opposing hands and feet and crucify them. When the Christian God say to love your neighbor as yourself and love your enemies. Doesn’t make sense to me.
Reverand Graham is a Christian. He says what he has to say.
But article is completely wrong about Abrahamic faiths. Islam is not one. Islam claims it is one. Other important thing is many Muslims or Islam says they recognize and respect Torah and Bible; but they do not.
Here is the trick: Koran says that Bible and Torah have been corrupted by Christians and Jews respectively. The present day versions of Torah and Bible, thus, are corrupted in Islamic theology; but it does not say where the corruption came.
So, actually, in Islamic view, they (Muslims) respect Torah and Bible which do not exist or have never existed in the past. Most importantly Islam abrogates all religions.
But it is true that all 3 are exclussivist. But Judaism and Christianity have been secularized where as in Islam it is impossible. No reform can ever happen.
Islam is more abrahamic faith then any religion. Abrahamic faith is a monothestic faith, christianity is not monothestic faith, judaism is a monothestic faith.
Abraham believed in one God alone, so did moses. If one was to research mythology you find chrisitanity is an offspring in its foundation is of polthesism faith. father, son, and holy ghost is three different deity in one. Abraham believed in one God, Muslim belives in one God. the torah of moses the muslim believes, and not the jewish torah,
muslim believes in the injeel of the messiah, and not the new testament of jesus christ. there are 72 or 66 pick one, books in the bible, there is not one author to any books in the bible. The holy Quran is the way of life. the bible is about stories that had to be vote, check council nicea where they voted and the bible was created.