Is Buddha Mentioned In The Quran?

By Naseer Ahmed, New Age Islam 21 August 2024 The Quran Taught Tolerance For The Religions Of The “People Of The Book,” Which Referred To Christianity And Judaism. When The Arabs Encountered Buddhism, Although Its Followers Were Not Strictly “People Of The Book,” They Were Granted The Same Status And Rights As The Christians And Jews Under Their Rule ----- The following is a copy-paste from whatever I could gather from the www. In the list of prophets specifically mentioned, specific names do not seem to belong to the prophets of Israel. Many commentators, therefore, are inclined to believe that they are non-Arab prophets included in the list just for the sake of representation of the outer world. For instance, Dhul-Kifl is one name in the list of prophets unheard of in Arab or Semitic references. Some scholars seem to have traced this name to Buddha, who was of Kapeel, the capital of a small state situated on the border of India and Nepal. Buddha not only belonged to Kapeel but was often referred to as ‘Of Kapeel’. This is precisely what is meant by the word ‘Dhul-Kifl’. Remember that the consonant ‘p’ is not present in Arabic, and the nearest one to it is ‘fa’. Hence, Kapeel is transliterated into Arabic and becomes Kifl. The mid-20th century scholar Hamid Abdul Qadir, in his Buddha the Great: His Life and Philosophy (Arabic: Budha al-Akbar HayatohwaFalsaftoh), postulates that the Prophet Dhu’l-Kifl, meaning “the one from Kifl,” mentioned twice in the Quran (Al-Anbiya 85 and Sad 48) as patient and good, refers to Shakyamuni Buddha. Although most scholars identify Dhu'l-Kifl with the Prophet Ezekiel, Qadir explains that “Kifl” is the Arabicized form of Kapila, short for Kapilavastu. He also proposes that the Qur’anic mention of the fig tree (At-Tin 1-5) also refers to Buddha, since he attained enlightenment at the foot of one. Some scholars accept this theory and, as support for this position, point out that the eleventh-century Persian Muslim scholar of Indian history, al-Biruni, referred to Buddha as a Prophet. The Quran taught tolerance for the religions of the “people of the Book,” which referred to Christianity and Judaism. When the Arabs encountered Buddhism, although its followers were not strictly “people of the Book,” they were granted the same status and rights as the Christians and Jews under their rule. They were allowed to follow their religion, provided the laypeople among them paid a poll tax. Thus, the legal concept of “people of the Book” seems to have been widened to include those who followed a set of ethical principles of higher authority. Wikipedia The Islamic prophet Dhu al-Kifl (Arabic: ذو الكفل) has been identified by some with Gautama Buddha. The supporters of this theory cite the first verses of the 95th chapter of the Qur'an, Surah At-Tin: By the fig and the olive, and mount sinai, and this secure city of mecca! It is mentioned in Buddhist sources that Buddha attained enlightenment under the fig tree. So, according to the theory, from the places mentioned in these verses, Sinai is where Moses received revelation; Mecca is where Muhammad received revelation; and the olive tree is where Jesus received revelation. In this case, the remaining fig tree is where Buddha received revelation. Some also take it a bit further and state that Muhammad himself was a Buddha, as Buddha means "enlightened one" Ahmadiyya Sect Mirza Tahir Ahmad, the fourth Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Community, in his book Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge & Truth, argues that Buddha was indeed a prophet of God who preached monotheism. He quotes from the inscriptions on Ashoka's stupas which mention "Is'ana" which means God. He quotes, "'Thus spakeDevanampiyaPiyadasi: "Wherefore from this very hour, I have caused religious discourses to be preached, I have appointed religious observances that mankind, having listened thereto, shall be brought to follow in the right path, and give glory to God* (Is'ana)." Ahmad also stated that Dhu al-Kifl may have been the Buddha in his book An Elementary Study of Islam. The first scholar to have propounded the theory that “The Fig” refers to Buddha appears to be an Egyptian physician Muḥammad TawfīqṢidqī (1881–1920). The Fig And The Buddha, According To Muḥammad TawfīqṢidqī There are many similarities and also significant differences between my explanation and that of Muhammad Tawfiq Sidqi. He was another maverick amateur who rejected the Ahadith to understand the Quran. Ṣidqī, an Egyptian physician, published a significant number of books and articles, including a plea to take the Qurʾān as the only source of Islam, to the exclusion of the Sunna or most of it, which was somewhat controversial. His explanation of “The Fig” follows: The Fig is the tree of Buddha, the founder of the Buddhist religion whose original truth was corrupted [Taḥarrafat] considerably because Buddha’s teachings were not written down in his times but transmitted in the form of oral traditions and only written down afterwards when the number of his adherents had increased. In my opinion, it is likely, nay, certain – if my interpretation of this verse is correct – that he was a true prophet. He was called Sakyāmūnī or Gawtāma. Initially, he went to a mighty Fig tree to seek shelter, and under it, revelation came upon him, and God sent him as a messenger. The devil came to tempt him there but failed, just as it had happened to Christ at the beginning of his prophethood (see Lk. 4:1–13).41 This tree is very famous among the Buddhists; they call it “the holy Fig tree” (Al-Tīna Al-Muqaddasa) or in their language “Ajapala.” In this verse, God mentions the four greatest religions of mankind through which God revealed himself for men’s guidance and welfare in their religion and worldly affairs. [. . .] The adherents of these four religions are still the greatest communities on Earth, the most numerous and advanced. The sequence in which they are mentioned in the verse is according to the degree of authenticity retained or the degree to which it has remained uncorrupted. Thus, God begins the oath with Buddhism because it ranks lowest for its authenticity and is the one whose foundations have been most corrupted, just as people start their oaths with something small and then move upwards to something higher to strengthen [their statement]. Then comes Christianity, which has a lower degree of corruption, then Judaism, which is more authentic than Christianity, and then Islam, which is the most truthful of them all and furthest from corruption and alterations; actually, there was no change whatsoever in its foundational source, the Scripture and the Living Sunna. Another merit of this noble verse is that it first mentions the two religions of grace ( faḍl), Buddhism and Christianity. Then, the two religions of justice (ʿadl), Judaism and Islam, point to the wisdom of educating people through grace and forgiveness and then through sternness and justice. Likewise, Islam began with mildness and forgiveness and then came sternness and punishment. To scholars, the striking resemblance between Buddha and Jesus and their respective religions has not remained hidden, and likewise, the similarity between Moses and Muḥammad and their religions. Therefore, the first two were put together, followed by the other two. Buddhism is placed before Christianity because it emerged first, just as the Mosaic religion is placed before the Muḥammadan one for the same reason. Among the merits of the verse is also the symbolic allusion to the two religions of mercy (al-raḥma) by two types of fruit and to the two religions of justice by mountains and a hilly city, Mecca, which is meant by the “secure city.” One aspect of the beautiful interconnection between the words of the verse is that the fig and olive trees often grow on mountain slopes, such as on the Mount of Olives in Syria or on Mount Sinai, both famous for this. This verse swears by the first sites of revelation and the noblest places of divine manifestation to the four prophets whose religious laws are extant until this day; God sent them to guide men whom he created “in the fairest stature.” My explanation The following is from my article: Non-Abrahamic Religions Endorsed by the Quran People often question the universality of the Message of the Quran by saying that it is silent on Eastern religious traditions and focuses exclusively on religions that emanate from a tiny patch of land in the Middle East. They forget that every person living today also traces back his/her ancestry to the same mother who lived in East Africa an estimated seventy thousand years ago, and therefore, every religion also has a common origin, given that Allah has guided mankind throughout our history. The prominent prophets mentioned in the Quran who precede Abraham are Adam, Idris, Noah, Hud, and Saleh, who may be the precursors of every significant scripture-based religious tradition. Indeed, the Quran is mainly focused on a vertical slice of mankind’s religious history and tradition or on the Abrahamic religions, but that is because its immediate audience was the Arabs. However, the Quran does touch upon non-Abrahamic religious traditions and even endorses them. It does not deal with them in greater detail to avoid confusing its immediate audience with traditions that may differ from theirs. There is an interesting Surah on the theme of what elevates and what debases man, which begins with an adjuration to the places associated with the prominent prophets of Allah, who have founded four of the most influential religions. Surah 95 At-Tin / The Fig (1) By the Fig and the Olive, (2) And the Mount of Sinai, (3) And this City of security,- (4) We have indeed created man in the best of moulds, (5) Then do We abase him (to be) the lowest of the low,- (6) Except such as believe and do righteous deeds: For they shall have a reward unfailing. (7) Then what can, after this, contradict thee, as to the judgment (to come)? (8) Is not Allah the wisest of judges? In verses 95:1 to 95:3, Allah is swearing by certain places/things The Meaning of 95:2 (By Tur Sinin.) Tur means mountain and Tur Sinin is Mount Sinai associated with Moses which finds a mention in the following verses of the Quran: (19:52) And we called him from the right side of Mount (Sinai), and made him draw near to Us, for mystic (converse). (20:80) O ye Children of Israel! We delivered you from your enemy, and We made a Covenant with you on the right side of Mount (Sinai), and We sent down to you Manna and quails: Ka`b Al-Ahbar and several others have said, "It is the mountain upon which Allah spoke to Musa.'' The verse is therefore metaphorically referring to Prophet Moses, his people the Jews, and the religion Judaism The Meaning Of 95:3 (By This City Of Security.) (5:97) Allah made the Ka´ba, the Sacred House, an asylum of security for men… The City of Mecca was a place of pilgrimage and its precincts a sanctuary or place of security from the time of Abraham. The City of Security, therefore, means the city of Makkah. This city is associated with Prophet Muhammad, his followers the confessional Muslims and the religion Islam. There is no difference of opinion between the scholars about 95:2 and 95:3. The theme of the Surah is about mankind which has been created in the best of moulds. Some remain among the best by following the ideals of Allah’s Deen (belief and righteous deeds) while the rest by their rejection of belief and by their evil deeds descend to the lowest levels. Swearing by a Prophet/Religion is therefore in line with the Surah’s theme because it is by following Allah’s religion that man elevates himself to become the best of creatures and by rejecting Allah’s religion, he becomes the worst of creatures. What Then Is The Meaning Of (95:1) By The Fig And The Olive? Hasan Basri, Ikrimah, Ata bin Abi Rabah, Jabir bin Zaid, Mujahid and Ibrahim Nakhal say that the fig and the olive mean the fruit which we eat. In their opinion, therefore, Allah is swearing by these two fruits because of their health benefits and uses to mankind. Taking such a literal meaning is ridiculous when the following two verses are metaphorically referring to a Prophet/Religion through the place associated with him/it which sets the tone for the remaining Surah. Most scholars therefore agree that all three verses refer allegorically only to places associated with Allah’s prominent Messengers and not to anything else. Some scholars have taken “The Fig and The Olive” to imply Damascus and Jerusalem respectively. A view of Ibn Abbas has been cited by Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Marduyah to say that Fig implies the mosque of the Prophet Noah, which he built on Mt. Judi, and Olive implies Jerusalem. I reject this view because Noah preceded Abraham and according to verse (3:96) “The first House (of worship) appointed for men was that at Bakka” which is the Kaaba. “The Fig” cannot, therefore, mean the mosque built by Noah as the first mosque was built after him by Abraham. Moreover, if Noah was meant, why not a reference to the “Mount of Judi” which goes so well with the Mountain of Sinai? All the scholars agree that “The Olive” refers to Jerusalem and to the Prophet Jesus and some of them say that both “The Fig and the Olive” are referring to Jerusalem only. The Mount of Olives is frequently mentioned in the New Testament as the place where Jesus stood when he wept over Jerusalem (an event known as Flevit super illam in Latin). Again, the story of Jesus with his disciples on the Mount of Olives can be found in the Gnostic text Pistis Sophia, dated around the 3rd to 4th century CE. So, why swear by “The Fig and the Olive” and not by “The Mount of Olives” to go with the Mount of Sinai if by it is meant the place associated with Jesus alone? Very clearly, therefore, “The Fig” and “The Olive” refer to two different places and two different prophets. The association of “The Fig” with Prophet Noah is a tenuous one especially foregoing the choice of “Mount Judi” or “The Ark” by which Noah is better known. We must therefore look for an explanation of “The Fig” elsewhere. We know that the Bodhi Tree ("tree of awakening"), is a large sacred fig tree located in Bodh Gaya, under which Buddha received enlightenment. This explanation best fits “The Fig”. Probable Reasons for the Difference in Style Between Verse 95:1 And The Next Two The meaning of 95:1 would have been unclear for 95:2 and 3. Given the apparent meanings of 95:2 and 95:3, which find unanimous acceptance, I have given the best explanation for verse 95:1 after considering all the other explanations the scholars gave. Why is the reference to Buddhism not equally strong by saying “By the Fig Tree” and to Christianity by saying “By the Mount of Olives”? The reference to Islam and Judaism is stronger and unmistakable, but the reference to Christianity and Buddhism is weak and we wouldn't have guessed their meaning if these had appeared by themselves without the other two. The reason for the weak reference must be because Christianity diluted monotheism with their concept of trinity and Jesus as god. The relevant verses from the Quran are cited below: (5:72) They do blaspheme (Kafara) who say: "Allah is Christ the son of Mary." But said Christ: "O Children of Israel! worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord." Whoever joins other gods with Allah,- Allah will forbid him the garden, and the Fire will be his abode. There will for the wrong-doers be no one to help.(73) They do blaspheme (Kafara) who say: Allah is one of three in a Trinity: for there is no god except One Allah. If they desist not from their word (of blasphemy), verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them. The weak reference to Buddhism may also be because Buddha has become an object of worship. Worship in the Mahayana tradition takes the form of devotion to Buddha and Bodhisattvas. Worshippers face an image of Buddha and chant their mantras. Judaism and Islam have remained monotheistic. The important point to note is that the Quran appears to be swearing by these four religions which also means endorsing them albeit with some reservations based on latter-day developments in two of the religions. How Can The Quran Endorse An Agnostic Religion Like Buddhism? (49:14) The desert Arabs say, "We believe." Say, "Ye have no faith; but ye (only)say, ´We have submitted our wills to Allah,´ For not yet has Faith entered your hearts. But if ye obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not belittle aught of your deeds: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." The verse cited above underlies that practising Allah’s Deen or way of life or the moral code is important. The Quran does not require us to recite the Shahada or even that we believe or have faith. To believe or not to believe is not in our control. What is in our control is whether or not to follow Allah’s Deen or the moral code. Belief in God and in the Hereafter where we are rewarded or punished based on our deeds help in following the moral code which is not easy because often our self-interest lies in violating the code. The main purpose of Allah’s revelations is to make us follow His Deen or the moral way of living. Buddhism fulfils this requirement through its clear rule based or deontological moral code. There is no morality outside a comprehensive deontological moral code. Atheists are moral to the extent it pays to be moral and immoral when the gains of being immoral are high compared with the risks. Such behaviour is without any worth. About such people, the Quran says: (18:103) Say: "Shall we tell you of those who lose most in respect of their deeds?-(104) "Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life, while they thought that they were acquiring good by their works?"(105) They are those who deny the Signs of their Lord and the fact of their having to meet Him (in the Hereafter): vain will be their works, nor shall We, on the Day of Judgment, give them any weight.(106) That is their reward, Hell, because they rejected Faith, and took My Signs and My Messengers by way of jest. In my opinion, therefore, a religion such as Buddhism is necessary for those who find it difficult to believe in God and are agnostic. Such people, too, have the choice to follow strictly a rule-based deontological moral code, without which vain will be their work and their reward will be Hell. Non-Abrahamic Prophets Some of the prophets mentioned in the Quran who preceded Abraham are Idris, Noah, Hud, and Saleh. The Quran also endorses the Sabians' religion, which is “non-Abrahamic” and indeed “any who believe in God and the Last Day, and work righteousness”. (2:62) Those who believe (in the Qur´an), and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians,- any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. Also consider verse 5:48 “We have prescribed to each of you a law and a clear way. If God had desired, he could have made you a single community. Instead, he is testing you with regard to the revelations you received. So, compete in doing good. You will all return to God, and he will inform you then concerning those things about which you argued”. This suggests that non-Abrahamic traditions can be very different. It should not therefore shock or surprise us if Buddhism is also endorsed. Conclusion The Quran is very direct and explicit in telling us what to do and avoid, but it is subtle in other verses, such as 95:1. These verses are not meant to be understood by all, only by those who delve deep. These are for the leaders to help them develop a broad vision and avoid narrow bigotry. The masses are guided by their leaders, and if the leaders develop a broad vision, they can guide the people well. I do not usually add “Allah knows best”. Still, I must do so here because the verses discussed are in the category of the Mutashabihat (allegorical) about which the Quran says: (3:7) “He it is Who has sent down to thee the Book: In it are verses basic or fundamental (of established meaning); they are the foundation of the Book: others are allegorical. But those in whose hearts is perversity follow the part thereof that is allegorical, seeking discord and searching for its hidden meanings, but no one knows its hidden meanings except Allah. And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in the Book; the whole of it is from our Lord:" and none will grasp the Message except men of understanding.” This article is in the spirit of verse 3:7 and attempts to grasp the Message with the best possible explanation based on all the relevant known facts. The article also seeks to build bridges and not to seek discord and mischief. It is to help Muslims accept that there are paths different from theirs, which are also from Allah. ----- A frequent contributor to NewAgeIslam.com, Naseer Ahmed is an Engineering graduate from IIT Kanpur and is an independent IT consultant after having served in both the Public and Private sector in responsible positions for over three decades. He has spent years studying Quran in-depth and made seminal contributions to its interpretation. 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