Love, Virtues and Commandments: An Interfaith Perspective [Paperback]

Sajjad S. Haider (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0934905797 | ISBN-13: 978-0934905794 | Publication Date: August 1997

A wonderful textual comparison on moral issues from the Old and New Testament and the Quran along with sayings of Prophets, Messengers and Saints.

Editorial Reviews

Review

In a world torn by strife on all levels from the physical and economic to the intellectual and spiritual, any attempt to bring out the voice of the unanimous tradition of wisdom which shines within and through the diverse religions and wisdom traditions of the world is a most laudable task. The Quranic dictum, Verily to every people a messenger has been sent, is a clear scriptural confirmation of this truth that God has left no human collectivity without a truth of Divine Origin and this universal manifestation of the truth can still be found everywhere despite veils which have covered to various degrees the original pristine message in many climes. There is a universal doctrine of which various religions are so many confirmations, that doctrine being the Unity of the Divine Principle with all that such a doctrine implies metaphysically and practically. And it is only in the confirmation of this sacred truth, while respecting the particularities of each sacred world,! particularities which have issued from the Origin itself, that there is the possibility of veritable discourse and mutual understanding between various peoples. This dialogue means of course discourse between various forms of truth and not truth and error for the claims of truth cannot be compromised for any end even peace among men. The calling of the truth remains the highest call and it is only on the basis of truth that serious accord can be created. Without it all peace is a fake peace as the history of the modern world, so much of it based not on perennial truths but their negation, demonstrates so amply.

It is to the credit of this book to bring out some of these truths as they pertain to various aspects of human life by going back to the original sources of wisdom in various religions of the world. The references quoted by the author, with a few exceptions, are to those texts most revered by followers of various religions. By appealing to such sacred texts and inspired writings of figures revered as spiritual authorities in each religion, the author is able to move beyond theological and philosophical disputations to the bedrock of various faith systems wherein is to be found in a most evident way the universal truth spoken in different dialects of the Spirit.

Needless to say, there are religions which form a family and have closer affinities among themselves than they do with numbers of other families of religions. Examples could be given of Abrahamic, Indian, Iranian or Shamanic families of religions wherein one can find concrete examples of the principle just cited. Coming from an Islamic background, the author naturally pays greater attention to the Abrahamic family, consisting of Judaism, Christianity and Islam and provides detailed comparative parallels between the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Quran. But he does not confine his vision to this world. Coming as he does from the Indian subcontinent, he also provides textual testimony from Indian religions and even those of the Far East and demonstrates the global character of the teachings discussed in various chapters.

The suffering experienced by the author during his youth at the time of the partition of India is reflected through the pages of this book. It must be especially painful to him to see the state of Hindu Muslim relations in that land a half a century later. He therefore pleads for the putting aside of human differences in order to reach accord among people on the human level. It must be asserted, however, that religious accord is not possible in the human atmosphere but only in the Divine Atmosphere to quote Frithjof Schuon who has spoken so eloquently of the transcendent unity of religions. Nor can the human state with its imperfections be ignored or abolished as if it did not exist. But the reality of this transcendent unity can be brought out and an intellectual elite created who can understanding this harmony in the the Divine Stratosphere and contribute to creating better mutual understanding among peoples even if not everyone is capable of comprehending that un! ity which transcends all forms.

The present book is a valiant effort in this direction motivated by love and concern, even if at times the author allows sentimental elements to ignore difficult human realities which are nevertheless present and must be taken fully into consideration. It is our hope that this book will be read by those of good will who wish to gain greater understanding of other peoples and also want to realize more fully how the perennial wisdom embedded in various traditions concern and are applicable to our lives today as they were to the lives of those who lived yesterday and will live tomorrow. A work born of understanding and love cannot but affect the minds and hearts of those who earnestly seek understanding combined with that all pervading love and sympathy to which the Persian poet Rumi was alluding when he said, The Prophet came to bring forth mutual sympathy [in the original Latin sense of sym-pathia]. -- Seyyed Hossein Nasr

About the Author

The author received his Ph.D. in Education from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale IL in 1971. He taught at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, IL and served as a principal in the public schools in Minneapolis MN. He is presently a human development consultant. With the burning desire to see human beings united under the universal umbrella of Divine Love, he writes and lectures on this topic. His previous book published in Urdu in 1994 is about the eternal truth of peace, love and salvation in divine revelation.

Product Details

• Paperback: 170 pages
• Publisher: Library of Islom Ltd (August 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0934905797
• ISBN-13: 978-0934905794
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,019,915 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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