To Be Absolute Is To Be Over-Assertive

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 2 March 2023 Sanatanis Have Begun To Claim That Hinduism Is The Absolute Faith That Has Always Existed And Will Continue To Exist Forever: Aadi Anantam Iti Dharmasya Sanatan (From Beginning To End, Only Sanatan Dharm Exists). ------ I fully agree with Mr Ghulam Mohiyuddin that absolute certainty should be avoided. Absolute certainty is to be avoided in all pursuits of life but it's a must in the sphere of religion. I'll come to it later. Maulana Rumi wrote in his Masnavi (volume 3) that there was a man in a small town whose wife was astoundingly beautiful. He thought that his wife was an epitome of beauty and the absolute barometer of feminine effulgence until he had a furtive glance of yet another very beautiful woman of a bigger town. He realized that there was no end to it. There's indeed no end to ' Spiralling Ascendancy of Quality ' (Marcel Proust's phrase). It's like perfection. You can only strive for it, but can never become perfect. One, therefore, needs to keep improving and evolving till the last breath. To be absolute is to close all doors to truth. I remember my Theology professor's words. He was an Arab. “No religion or ideology can claim to preach absolute truth. All religions and their moral codes are periodic and relative truths. What appears to be absolute today, may turn out to be dubious tomorrow." So, when someone insists that his/her scripture is the book of absolute truths, it blocks further enquiry and exploration. Today, Sanatanis are doing the same. They have begun to claim that Hinduism is the absolute faith that has always existed and will continue to exist forever: Aadi Anantam Iti Dharmasya Sanatan (from beginning to end, only Sanatan Dharm exists). Muslims have been doing the same for the last 1400 years. They think, Islam has existed forever and that Judaism and Christianity are false sectarian distortions of Islam. Both Judaism and Christianity have books replete with errors and interpolations. This is the general thinking of an average Muslim whose brain has been concussed by Allah, Quran and Islam. We must avoid this type of toxic absolutism not only in religion but in all activities, actions and acts. Remember, to be absolute is to be over-assertive. Bertrand Russell would often say, ' I avoid the word absolute because it smacks of despotic totalitarianism. It's a cul de sac and a dialectical dead-end. To be absolute is to pollute a healthy discussion and vitiate an intellectual debate.' The primary function of human brain is to evolve and shun absolutism. Once you're absolute, you're static for life. ------- 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/absolute-assertive/d/129226 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