Bridging The Gulf Between the Two Communities

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 6 May 2025 This pertains to the heart-warming news, "Muslim Pandit, Pandit Mustafa Arif, Bridges Faiths by Translating Gita into Simple Hindi, " published in TOI. The role and contributions of individuals like Pandit Mustafa Arif must get widespread traction. Some Muslims, like M Abdul Salaam, have given discourses on the Ramayana and the Gita, showcasing a willingness to engage with Hindu scriptures. Dara Shikoh, a Mughal prince and scholar, translated the Gita and Upanishads into Persian, evincing a historical interest in Hindu scriptures among some Muslims. Read Dara's Persian translation of Upanishads, that he named 'Sirr-e-Akbar' or 'The Great Secret' that he completed in September 1657. Dara Shikoh's translation and other works, like "Majma-ul-Bahrain," explored the mystical and philosophical affinities between Sufism and Vedanta, further promoting interfaith understanding. Even before Dara Shikoh, Akbar showed great interest in uniting Hindus and Muslims and his intention was completely apolitical and genuine, though today's Sanatanis might say otherwise to the extent of removing all Mughals (and also all Muslim Dynasties) from the NCERT text books. Hindus also studied the Quran and Hadees and wrote erudite treatises on them. Kali Das Gupta Raza is acclaimed as an authority on Mirza Ghalib. But his work on Azadari traditions remains less known or forgotten. Even Marsiyas composed by him are not easily available despite its publication under the title ’Shaoor-e-Gham”. Born in 1925, Kalidas Gupta was a great devotee of Imam Raza (Rida). Out of his sheer love for 8th Imam, he chose Raza as his pen name and worked ceaselessly in exploring Marsiya writing by Hindus on the tragic events of Karbala. He immersed himself so deeply in unearthing Hindu Marsiya writers to become an authority on the history of Deccan also. He traced the origin of Marsiya writing from the period of Qutb Shahi dynasty of Golconda. Madan Mohan Malviya got to know about Maulvi Mahesh Prasad, a renowned scholar of Arabic, Urdu and Persian. He was a professor at Lahore Arabic College. On Malaviya’s invitation, Maulvi Mahesh Prasad joined the department of Urdu at BHU in mid-1920 and took over as the head of the department of Urdu. Maulvi Mahesh Prasad served the department as HoD till his retirement in June 1951. Urdu poet Kunwar Mohinder Singh Bedi 'Sahar' wrote in praise of Muhammad. An 18-year-old Hindu girl Pooja Kushwaha has been teaching the Quran to Muslim children in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Medieval poets Raskhan, Rasleen and Rahim (3Rs) were Muslims but wrote extensively in praise of Hindu-Muslim unity and deity. All three knew Sanskrit and Braj dialect. Raskhan and Rasleen wrote poetry on Krishna. A Muslim teacher, Shah Mohammad Saeed, has been teaching the Bhagavad Gita to Hindu children in Surat, showcasing cultural and social harmony. Academy of Sharia and Advanced Studies (ASAS) in Kerala includes the Bhagavad Gita and Sanskrit studies in its curriculum, demonstrating a commitment to interfaith understanding and knowledge. Instead of dwelling upon all the lumpen elements regardless of their faiths, the aforementioned people and institutes, committed to religious harmony, must be highlighted. ---- 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://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/bridging-gulf-communities/d/135440 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