Lost In A Whirlpool Of Gods, Religions, Beliefs, Customs, Rituals, Doctrines, Rules, Nations And Isms, We Never Reach Our Destination

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 16 November 2022 When Pitted Against Love And Compassion, Your Islam, Hinduism Or Any Damn Faith Will Pale In Comparison ---- The devil went for a walk with a friend. They saw a man ahead of them stoop down and pick up something from the ground. " What did that man find? " asked the friend. " A piece of Truth, " said the devil. " Doesn't that disturb you? " asked the friend. " No, " said the devil, " I shall let him make a belief out of it." A religious belief is a signpost, pointing the way to Truth. When you cling to the signpost, you're prevented from moving towards the Truth because you think, you've it already. When Truth descends into a belief; It remains forever there, unlike a dry leaf Urdu poet Bashir Badr put it so succinctly, Jab Se Main Chala Hoon Meri Manzil Pe Nazar Hai Aankhon Ne Kabhi Meel Ka Patthar Nahin Dekha (Ever since I embarked upon a journey, my aim has been to reach the destination/I never bothered about the milestones). Our beliefs are our milestones, nay millstones, hanging around our necks like a dead albatross. Lost in a whirlpool of gods, religions, beliefs, customs, rituals, doctrines, rules, nations and isms, we never reach our destination: The Ultimate Self-Evolution (Marqatif according to Jami). Alas, we can't see the forest for the trees. When someone argues that humans are (biological) offspring of Adam and Eve or further obfuscates and glosses over it by declaring that Adam and Eve were mankind's spiritual parents, I pity for such devolved morons. We don't need this garbage or religious crap, spread by any religion, not just by Islam. Instead, we need to develop: Compassion, sensitivity, empathy and love. Had parents inculcated compassion in young Aftab, he wouldn't have cut his live-in partner's body into 35 pieces. I'm referring to the case that has benumbed the whole country. Had love and compassion been realized in their truest sense and connotations, a healer-couple in Kerala with their Muslim mastermind would never have butchered two unsuspecting women and cut their bodies into pieces. Maya Angelou once said, " If there's any creator up there, though chances are remote, and he or she has enough time to speak to you, that entity will not be bothered how many times you went to the Church and how many people were made Christians by you. Instead, that entity will just ask you: Did you develop compassion and sensitivity in your own heart and drill the same into the hearts of others? " Point to ponder. When pitted against love and compassion, your Islam, Hinduism or any damn faith will pale in comparison. Shed all labels and leave all signposts and be a spreader of noble human instincts. ----- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/gods-religions-beliefs-customs-rituals-doctrines-/d/128411 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism