Among all the religions practiced on earth, common observation suggests that differences outweigh similarities. It seems these differences can never be resolved. Throughout the ages, numerous sages, prophets, messengers, saints, sufis, and founders of faiths have come, offering guidance and teachings according to the demands and needs of their times. These teachings, religious doctrines, and the practices established for their observance are generally known as religion. When these religions were first proclaimed, their principal foundations were liberality, love for humanity, devotion to truth, and service to mankind. But over time, this foundation weakened, and ritual and ceremony became religion's primary component. The minor differences that arose between the ceremonial practices of various religions made people narrow-minded and sectarian about religious beliefs. In time, conflicts began between communities. These conflicts gradually transformed into hatred of humanity and ethnic animosity.
As the liberal foundation grew loose, believers of one religion began calling adherents of other faiths misguided and lost. Each declared his own religion the only supreme faith. From this monopolistic sense of so-called superiority arose religious wars, jihads, crusades—all essentially violence and bloodshed in religion's name. Such interpretations of religion spread that it seemed the existing religions had no fundamental similarity, only differences and foolproof arrangements for sending believers of other faiths to eternal damnation. The current state has reached such a point that ordinary people might think the world's religions are mutually contradictory, their purposes and ideals entirely different, and that difference lies beyond resolution.
The situation makes it appear that respecting, honoring, or acknowledging as good any religion other than one's own constitutes grave wrongdoing and betrayal of one's faith. But is this religion's final word? Is harmony between religions impossible under any circumstances? Cannot all the world's religions be simultaneously believed beneficial and wholesome? Without adopting any religion, cannot its essence and fundamental principles be embraced? Is it wrong to study other religions' philosophy and discuss them? If we slowly and open-mindedly seek deeper acquaintance with various religions, such harmony is certainly possible, provided there exists goodwill and sound judgment within.
However separate and contradictory we may consider one religion from another, a sweet harmony and pure, clear current flows deep beneath their surface. Among the fundamental teachings and ideals of each religion exists such consonance and idealistic unity in certain matters that one religion cannot be conceived as separate from another. Therefore, we must think carefully with conscience and reason: are the differences and divisions apparently visible between various religions actually religion's fundamental principles? Or are the deeper similarities and affinities among them religion's true foundation?
Differences abound, and they are so obvious and visible that it seems the question of religious harmony cannot even arise. Muslims do not worship idols, create no images for Allah's satisfaction, worship the formless divine, and their dietary practices are distinct. Christians accept Jesus as God's son, worshipping him like God himself; their dietary considerations are different, as are their worship methods. Hindus practice idol worship, believe in the doctrine that God assumes human form; according to them, all humans contain a part of God, and their dietary practices differ from Muslims and Christians. Outwardly, it appears these three religions' beliefs and paths are entirely separate, making unity and harmony completely impossible and unthinkable.
But examining the principal teachings of these three religions reveals no difference in their fundamental ideals and philosophy. All religions agree on three points:
First, each believes in God by various names. No religion supports atheism. God exists, He governs the universe, He alone possesses all power, He alone determines human good and evil, life and death—each believes this with heart and soul and believes in the necessity of divine worship with complete dedication. Without regular worship and prayer, gaining His presence is impossible. Paths are many, but the destination is the same: proximity to God or Allah. All faiths agree on this.
Second, though humans are created beings, they possess souls. That soul is imperishable, making humans immortal in one sense. Their essential being is indestructible; everything does not end with the body's demise. The soul flows on imperishably.
Third, service to life—no religion holds a different view on this. Service to life is a fundamental teaching of all religions. Regarding this service to life, there is no conflict or distance between humans or religions. To live as humans, one must serve life for the Creator's satisfaction. For whom does a Muslim pray? All his worship, all his spiritual practice is dedicated to Allah. Christians and Hindus also perform their worship, rituals, and devotions for that same purpose. The final offering of all worship is to God or Allah—religions differ not at all in this. Where there is no difference in fundamental purpose or destination, variations in path and method matter little. If different paths reach the same destination, where is the difficulty?
Thus we see that external differences concern only rituals, dietary practices, and worship methods. But everyone's fundamental goal is the same.
Not one of the above three aspects can be abandoned. If abandoned, no one can remain within any religion. But regarding rituals, ceremonies, methods, and paths, there are no such strict rules. In daily life, we Hindus, Muslims, and Christians often abandon many ritual practices, change them when necessary, sometimes even neglect them, yet we all accept the above three matters as unchangeable principles and believe with heart and soul that abandoning those three will deprive us of the Creator's grace and make us apostates. We do not call those who disbelieve in rituals animals; rather, we compare those lacking compassion for God's creatures to beasts.
Therefore the question arises: if various religions have no fundamental differences, why cannot religious harmony be achieved? What common people consider profound differences prove neither profound nor fundamental, but rather, when judged honestly from an impartial perspective, utterly insignificant. Many Muslims do not pray regularly; many Christians do not attend church regularly; many Hindus show little enthusiasm for worship and festivals. Yet no one drags them from religion's fold for this reason. This is because, however much external quarreling occurs over ritual practices, people understand in their hearts that these are not essential—fundamental principles are religion's real substance. Moreover, religious observance is each person's private matter. Humans go to hell for not practicing religion themselves; others' non-practice should not hinder one's path to heaven.
Therefore we can firmly say that achieving harmony between various religions while remaining firm in religion's fundamental principles is not impossible. One thing must be noted: when we speak of religious harmony, we do not mean everyone should suddenly abandon their respective religions to adopt one single faith. Rather, harmony means that while remaining believers in their respective religions, people should unite in such a way that differences cause no hostile feelings between humans, so that everyone learns to view others liberally. Due to this liberality and gradual evolution, over time people will become so intimately connected that all will seem servants of the same religion, supporters of the same ideals, and travelers of the same path. This will create such unity among servants of various religions, such consonance will emerge, that all humanity will seem to belong to one great religion. Propaganda about one's religion's superiority and other religions' worthlessness will then cease. Human identity will not be Muslim-ness, Hindu-ness, Buddhism, or Christianity, but simply humanity.
Those who view religion with liberal eyes always seek to establish unity on the foundation of universal humanity. For this unity's establishment, they strive tirelessly. Every scripture acknowledges that all religions are fundamentally and practically one, arising from the same cause and center. Islam declares that Allah sends prophets or religious teachers for every land. The religion these prophets preach is called Islam (or peace). Not only the religion preached by Prophet Muhammad is Islam. Any religion in any land, preached by great souls sent by God, is also Islam. By this measure, Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Sikhism, Jainism—all are Islam; meaning according to Islam's fundamental philosophy, there is no opportunity for intolerance toward different religious beliefs and believers.
The Quran speaks to this matter: "For every nation We have sent a guide and counselor." (13:7) Elsewhere, Allah declares, "There was no people to whom We did not send a prophet or bearer of truth." (35:24) He further says, "Surely We sent prophets before you—some We have told you about, and some We have not." (40:78) Another teaching of Islam is that one must believe in all prophets sent by Allah. Muslims must hold faith in this principle: that the great souls sent by the Creator to any land are bearers and carriers of Islam. The same holds for other religions—they too support universal religion and acknowledge and believe the fundamental ideals of all faiths to be true and authentic. If one penetrates through the outer veils of ritual, practice, and external form to enter the inner sanctum of religion, it becomes clear that, like the subterranean Phalgু river, a current of unity and harmony flows freely through all.
Recognizing that the fundamental teachings of Hinduism and Islam are one and identical, attempts at synthesis between both communities were made long ago in undivided India. When Muslims first came to the Indian subcontinent, observing Hindu customs and practices, they thought this external observance was all there was to Hinduism—nothing beyond it. (When judging from the outside based on superficial knowledge, such impressions are natural; this happens to everyone.) But gradually, as they mastered Indian languages, learning, and culture, they realized that the essence of Hinduism lay not in ritual observances or external trappings, but that deep beneath the surface existed an ideal not very different from Islam. The great Al-Biruni and other Muslim scholars began researching Hindu philosophy and religion, accomplishing what seemed nearly impossible. Then the fundamental principles of Hindu religion and culture and their inherent unity were revealed to Muslims.
After Al-Biruni, many Hindu and Muslim scholars engaged in extensive discussion and effort toward synthesizing these two religions. Many of us think that Akbar was the first to turn his attention to this synthesis through his founded and propagated Din-i-Ilahi, or Religion of God. But long before him, many had followed the path indicated by Al-Biruni. After Akbar, the noble Dara Shikoh attempted this religious synthesis with complete sincerity, dedicating his heart and soul to the cause. For this very reason, he had to sacrifice himself at the altar of religious fanaticism. He had many Sanskrit texts translated into Persian and personally translated several himself. His Persian translation of the Upanishads, the source of Hindu philosophy, remains his immortal achievement. Not content with this alone, he wrote a valuable work comparing Hinduism and Islam. The very title of this book reveals that even in that era he openly contemplated religious synthesis. His work was titled "Majma-ul-Bahrain," meaning "The Meeting Place of Two Oceans." In this work, he analyzed certain ideals of Hindu and Islamic religions, demonstrating that despite countless differences, they are fundamentally one. But the assassin forever thwarted Dara Shikoh's sacred mission.
Such discursive writings could not have brought about synthesis overnight, but they would have removed the narrow-mindedness, pettiness, and religious bigotry from people's hearts, and gradually they would have understood that all is fundamentally one. Then greater opportunities for mutual interaction would have emerged. In this way, one day the true meeting or synthesis of two oceans would indeed have come to pass. But various obstacles arose to block the path.
Though these obstacles persist today, they will not last much longer—so it seems. Synthesis will come one day; its arrival is now time's demand. The work that Dara Shikoh, Rammohun, Ramakrishna, Syed Ahmad, and Keshab Chandra began—I cannot say how long it will take to complete, but the work has not stopped; it continues, and though at a slow pace, one day this work will be finished. On that day, instead of hatred between people, there will be love.
Again I say, religious synthesis does not mean abandoning religion. Standing upon the fundamental ideals of religion on a liberal foundation, the state that emerges from mutual harmony, unity, and solidarity—this I call religious synthesis. To bring about this state, rather than dwelling on religion's external trappings, rituals and ceremonies, and various hair-splitting analyses and dissections, we must emphasize the fundamental truth and fundamental ideals upon which all religions are established. Absolute faith in the Creator and service to living beings will be everyone's primary vow. With this vow, all will advance toward the same goal, work in the same manner, move at the same pace. Each religious doctrine must be viewed with a liberal perspective; aggressive comments, writings, or discussions about religion must be completely avoided. For the sake of peace, we must abandon the policy of forcibly converting others to one's own religion through physical force, fear, temptation, or pressure. Good books based on religious and cultural unity must be written and widely disseminated, and common people's attention must be drawn to this matter. Just as different children of the same family may hold different views on politics and economics, similarly, if people follow different opinions and paths regarding religion, they should not be obstructed in any way. They should not be told they are on the wrong path, that their entire life will be wasted unless they follow a particular path.
Religion must be separated from all kinds of state affairs; religious observance and practice should be purely personal matters (and in civilized society, this is how it should be). No kind of interference should be permitted in this. Greater emphasis must be placed on moral foundations rather than rituals and ceremonies. One must live in peace by allowing others to live in peace. If different communities proceed in this manner, religious synthesis will easily become possible, and as a result, no religion will perish—rather, it will become brighter and brighter day by day. Instead of pursuing each other, everyone will focus on practicing their own religion; consequently, there will be no communal animosity or controversy. Through unity, goodwill, harmony, and cooperation, a wonderful religious synthesis will emerge. Religion will then be completely liberated from the attacks of materialism, atheism (not in the sense of absence of 'external religious practice' or rituals), skepticism, materialism, and irreligion, and the human soul too will find liberation.