While dwelling upon the hate-syndrome prevailing in the Indian
sub-continent, I sometimes wonder whether we are not unfortunate in not
having been born in an uncivilised stone-age society but in a so-called
civilised, enlightened, cultured and educated society which is full of all
sorts of prejudices and hatred of every description, specially in religious
and sectarian spheres. We are often stupid enough to hate a person for his
religious beliefs and for his views on the life after death --- without
realising the basic reality with regard to our religious faiths and
convictions. This basic reality is that our following a particular religion
is just due to the chance that we are born to the parents following the said
religion. And our parents --- poor things --- were following the said
religion because their parents were, in turn, following it. Very few
persons, perhaps even less than one in a million, make a comparative study
of various religions with an unbiased and open mind and then decide whether
they should continue to follow the religion they are born into or change it
for some other religion ( or for none at all ).
If modern-day conversion cases are studied, it will come to light that
people get converted not because of their changed convictions but for
ulterior motives like marriage or financial considerations and prospects. I
am Muslim by religion but I would as well have been a staunch Hindu had I
been born in a Hindu family and, given the right surroundings and
doctronisation, I would have been a staunch follower of Bal Thackrey. What
credit any one can claim for following any particular religion and on what
authority, save of utter ignorance, can anyone say that his religion is
better than any other religion ? No one has known since the day of creation
and no one shall know till doomsday as to what happens to man after death
and whether he would go to paradise or hell, according to his deeds, or
would come back in this world through re-incarnation or would just be
annihilated and destroyed, just like his body, and pass into nothingness.
And yet, fools as we are, we believe, or at any rate most of us believe,
that what our religion says in this regard is the ultimate truth although
none of us can bring even an iota of evidence in support of any particular
belief.
And yet we hate those who follow a religion other than ours. And what is
still more pitiable is that we do not hesitate to inflict physical and
mental pain and agony, and even death, on others for such silly notions. And
this is going on since the day of creation and it appears that it shall go
on till God knows when. Perhaps more persons, including even infants and
children, have been killed since the recorded history in the name of God and
religion than in the name of any other cause and it is difficult to say
whether the concept of God and the advent of the prophets and spread of
religions has , in the last analysis, proved to be a blessing or a curse.
What a pity! What a pity that how imperfect is man from intellectual point
of view. We should rather be humble with regard to our religious convictions
and, whatever religion we follow, we should pray to God in terms something
like this: "O God! I have been born in so and so religion and am persuaded
to believe that it is the right path but my knowledge is imperfect and I
have no proof that my religious convictions are correct.
However, in all sincerity I consider them to be correct. Give me light and
guide me to the right path if I am already not following it. O God! Give me
strength of character and an open mind and the ability to realize that those
who are following other religions are also honest persons who equally
sincerely believe that they are following the right path, and as chance
would have it, they may as well be right. Make me capable to love and
sympathise with them and keep my heart free from hate towards them." Even if
it is conceded, for the sake of argument, that our religious beliefs and our
concept of life after death are correct and all other religious beliefs and
concept of life after death are wrong and without any basis, even then why
should we bear ill-will or hatred towards the followers of other religious
beliefs and believers in other concepts of life after death ? What harm they
will cause to us ? At the most, according to our belief, they will go to
hell. So it is they who shall suffer, not us. In a way, it will be good for
us if more and more people hold wrong beliefs and follow a false religion.
In that case, less people will go to paradise. There will be no congestion
there and we shall have more room to ourselves. So, even from a purely
selfish point of view, it is not a bad thing if other people hold wrong
beliefs and follow a false religion. We should rather encourage them to
continue to grope in the dark. We should love them for this. Why should we
hate them --- our benefactors ? May God in his infinite mercy purge us of
the beastliness and hate which has tarnished and debased our mind and soul
and make us capable of loving and understanding our fellow beings and give
us courage and foresight to attempt to leave this world in a better shape,
and its inhabitants more happy and prosperous, than we had found them on our
birth.