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BY
ON
DECEMBER, 2013
AT
1
ABSTRACT
Islam and Buddhism are two major religions in the world with many followers. This
study relies on the available historical data analyzing and comparing the similarities and
differences between the two religions on the concept of God. The findings reveal that
the conceptual similarities established on the fact that in Islam, the Oneness of Allah in
Al-Samad, who is Self-Sufficient and is sought by all else. Likewise, in Buddhist,
Dharma is alone full all other Dharmas are empty. Additionally, both the religions
believe in the Ultimate Truth (Al-Haqq) who is also Absolutely One, and who is the
Absolute Reality, and the Source of Grace and Guidance to human beings.
Nevertheless, the two religions differed, this is because Buddhists introduced the
concept of God in the later doctrines, while Muslims believe in a God known as Allah,
and Buddhists believe that the actions of a person are dependent on his salvations, while
Islam does not believe in salvation. This study, therefore, hoped to establish a good
mutual understanding between the followers of two religions.
2
INTRODUCTION
Islam is the ultimate religion that provides man with all the guidance in his endeavors.
Muslims believed that it is a religion, which does not agree on associating a partner with
the Creator. In Islam, seeking assistance from any other than Allah is totally forbidden
and unacceptable. Thus, for a person to be a pious believer must maintain that and act
upon whatever Allah and His Messenger Muhammad (PBUH) commanded and
forbidden. On the other hand, in Buddhism, nobody can deny that the Buddha’s doctrine
is non-theistic: there is no Personal divinity playing the role of Creator, Revealer, and
Judge in Buddhism1. This research, therefore, outlines what the two major religions
shared and differed in a detailed manner. Moreover, the discussion is categorically on
the following headings:
Therefore, we will take one after the other and explain in details with clear examples.
Salafi scholars within Islam have classified Tawhid or Islamic monotheism into three
parts which are inferred from the clear and simple verses of the Qur’an. Classifying
Tawhid into three categories is based on induction after scholars studied the relevant
texts in the Qur’an and Sunnah. Let us discuss the classification below.
The word for God in Islam is Allah, which is not among the pantheon of pagan gods
like Zeus or Vishnu, but the name of the one true God and Absolute worshiped by
Jews and Christians and realized by the seers of the Upanishads as Brahman.
According to basic Islamic tenets, it is not for people to decide what the attributes of
God are but God Himself sends prophets to describe Him. Hence the essence and
3
Suaha al-Ikhlas, 112: 1-4
4
Surah al-Fatihah, 01:01
5
Surah al-Fatihah, 01: 2-3
6
Surah al-Fatihah, 01: 4
7
Surah al-Anbiya’ 21:25
4
attributes of God are not a matter of speculations for philosophers, but a subject of
Truth revealed to prophets by God Himself. To nullify the right of mental introspection
by men who are not guided by revelation Qur’an categorically proclaims “Have you
seen him who has taken his own caprice to be his God”8 In another verse, Almighty
Allah says “Who is more misguided than he who follows his own caprice without the
guidance from God.”9
Therefore, Allah is the only Absolute Being who does not depend on anything or
anybody for His existence. All except God are contingent beings dependent on Him for
their existence. The first sentence of the Islamic Shahadah is; there is no god but God. It
means that there is only a single truth and worthy object of worship, God. All other
objects of worship, adoration, and servitude are false. To worship anything else other
than the one true God is considered the sin of the highest order which is Shirk or
polytheism.
Lastly, Allah says “Say: I have only been commanded to worship God, and not
to associate anything with Him.”13 The grave falsity of shirk is clearly depicted
in Qur’an as it is the only unpardonable sin. Allah says “God forgives not that
any others should be associated with Him, but less than that, He forgives to
8
Surah al-Furqan, 25:43
9
Surah al-Qasas, 28:50
10
Surah al-Nisa’a, 4:36
11
Surah Luqman, 31:13
12
Surah al-An’am, 6:19
13
Surah ar-Ra’ad, 13:36
5
whomsoever He will.”14 Allah says in another place “If someone associates any
others with God, God will prohibit paradise to him.”15
In Islamic theology, the sense of Tawhid is considered innate in human nature and the
signs of God are clearly visible and perceivable throughout the cosmos which further
gets a strong impetus by the guidance of prophets and messengers sent by God
Almighty. One has to be fully aware consciously about the importance of the oneness of
God and the nature of associating partners with Him in order to be guilty of shirk.
Moreover, caprice and reliance on self instead of the precepts of God is also considered
a kind of worship of other than God as seen in the verse stated earlier16.
Islamic monotheism is a way to free human beings from every kind of slavery except
the submission to the one true God. It is in the remembrance of God only that hearts feel
bliss and tranquility. “Surely hearts feel tranquil whenever God is mentioned17. It is the
oneness of God which brings order in creation. Like the concept of singularity in
theoretical physics, the metaphysical singularity of the oneness of God is the Ground of
existence in Islam18.
From the aforementioned discussion, one can understand that between the two religions
diverged radically, but this could not allude that there are any other aspects that they
have the common similarities. As we have seen that on the concept of God Islam is
based on monotheism which there is no any pantheism in it, and pantheism in reality
distinguished as a major sin. On the other hand Buddhism is based on non-theistic even
though there are different views on that, despite the fact that it is nontheistic this would
not negate that there are any any similarities, because Buddha do not absolutely deny
the existence of God as we can see when we come to the explanation of the similarities
between the two Religion.
14
Surah al-Nisa’I, 4:48
15
Surah al-Ma’idah, 5:72
16
Abid Mushtaq Wani, ‘’Concept of god in Islam’’, International Journal of Scientific and Research
publications, Vol. 3, issue no. 2, (February, 2013)
17
Surah ar-Ra’ad, 13:28
18
Ibid, Abid Mushtaq.
6
silent on the issue of God. He did not deny the existence of God. Buddha was once
asked by a disciple whether God exists? He refused to reply. When pressed, he said that
if you are suffering from a stomach ache would you concentrate on relieving the pain or
studying the prescription of the physician. "It is not my business or yours to find out
whether there is God – our business is to remove the sufferings of the world19".
Buddhism provided Dharma or the ‘impersonal law’ in place of God. However, this
could not satisfy the craving of human beings and the religion of self-help had to be
converted into a religion of promise and hope. The Hinayana sect could not hold out
any promise of external help to the people. The Mahayana sect taught that Buddha’s
watchful and compassionate eyes are all miserable beings, thus making a God out of
Buddha. Many scholars consider the evolution of God within Buddhism as an effect of
Hinduism20.
19
Zamir Naik, Concept of God http://www.irf.net accessed on May 28, 2013
20
Zakir Naik, See the same website
21
Nyanaponika Thera, Buddhism and the God-Idea, Retrieved from @2004,BuddhaNet.edition@1996-
2013
7
doing so, expect a favorable rebirth. He may possibly even be reborn in a heavenly
world that resembles his own conception of it, though it will not be of eternal duration
as he may have expected. If, however, fanaticism induces him to persecute those who
do not share his beliefs, this will have grave consequences for his future destiny. For
fanatical attitudes, intolerance, and violence against others create unwholesome karma
leading to moral degeneration and to an unhappy rebirth22.
As a result of all the aforementioned discussion, we can come to the concoction that, the
concept of God or gods in Buddhism can be hard to understand due to the different
divergent opinion of the religious scholars as well as the philosophers. It is understood
that Buddhism is based on a philosophical system and set of practices, rather than a
belief in God. But Buddha himself is considered to be an enlightened human rather than
a divine being.
Finally, Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of Lord Buddha (563 BCE
483 BCE), who was born as Siddhartha Gautama, a Shakya prince in Lumbini, Nepal.
The teachings preached by Lord Buddha subsequently turned into a religion, known as
Buddhism. The core of Buddhism lies in the purification of mind and soul by realizing
the truth and getting rid of the worldly desires. Basically, it was the principles of Karma
in the doctrine of Buddhism that made the religion one of the major ones in the world23
22
Nyanaponika Thera, Buddhism and the God-Idea,. Retrieved from @2004, BuddhaNet, edition@1996-
2013
23
http://www.buddha-tours.com/basic-information-about-buddha.html
8
mind the fundamental Buddhist belief that the Dharma, as such, is alone ‘full’, all other
dharmas are ‘empty’, empty that is, of ‘self-being’ (svabhāva). Indeed, one of the most
fundamental propositions common to all schools of Mahayana Buddhism is the
‘emptiness’ of all specific ‘dharmas’: ‘selfless are all dharmas, they have not the
character of living beings, they are without a soul, without a personality24.
The following synonyms for the Dharma, given by D.T. Suzuki in his comparison of
terms used to designate God or ultimate Reality in different religious traditions, might
be of use in our reflections: Prajna (‘pure consciousness’), Tathatā (‘suchness’), Bodhi
(‘enlightenment’), Buddha (‘enlightened one’)25. Similarly, in relation to Dharma-kāya,
Ananda Coomaraswamy gives these synonyms: Ādi-Buddha (‘primordial’ or
‘Absolute’ Buddha), also identified with Vairocana; Svabhāvakāya (‘own-nature
body’); Tattva (‘essentiality’); Shūnya (‘the Void’); Nirvāna (‘extinction bliss’);
Samādhikāya (‘rapture-body’); Bodhi (‘wisdom’); Prajnā (‘pure consciousness’)26.
According to the above explanation, it is understood that there are similarities between
Buddhism and Islam on the basis of Oneness of God Essence. Therefore, the similarities
are not only on this, there are many similarities; in order to summarize the discussion,
we can only mention the very important similarities between the two religions based on
the following:
(1) The belief in the Ultimate Truth (Al-Haqq) who is also Absolutely One, and who is
Absolute Reality, and the Source of Grace and Guidance to human beings.
(2) The belief that each soul is accountable to a principle of justice in the Hereafter, and
that this principle is rooted in the very nature of Absolute Reality.
(3) The belief in the categorical moral imperative of exercising compassion and mercy
to all, if not in the central cosmogonic and eschatological functions of mercy (by this we
mean the idea that the world was created through Mercy, and that through Mercy we are
saved and delivered).
(4) The belief that human beings are capable of supra-rational knowledge, the source
both of salvation in the Hereafter and enlightenment in the here-below.
(5) The belief in the possibility of a sanctified state for human beings, and the
conviction that all should aspire to this state of sanctity.
24
Diamond Sutra, cited in E.Conze, Buddhist Wisdom Books (London: George
Allen & Unwin, 1958), p. 59.
25
D.T. Suzuki, ‘The Buddhist Conception of Reality’, in Frederick Franck, ed., The Buddhist Eye
(Bloomington: World Wisdom, 2004), p. 85.
26
Ananda Coomaraswamy, Buddha and the Gospel of Buddhism (New Jersey: Citadel Press, 1988) p.
239.
9
(6) The belief in the efficacy and necessity of spiritual practice: whether this takes the
form of fervent prayer, contemplative meditation, or methodic invocation.
(7) The belief in the necessity of detachment from the world, from the ego and its
passion, desires27.
The above-mentioned similarities between Buddhism and Islam comprised most of the
important similarities between the two religions, but there are many similarities as said
earlier, but the above were the main important.
Buddhism only introduced the concept of God in the later doctrines, while Muslims
believe in a God known as Allah. Buddhists also believe that the actions of a person are
dependent on his salvation ‘“while Islam does not believe in salvation28.
Buddhism does not focus too much on good and evil ‘“while Islam considers Allah to
be the creator of the universe, as well as being the source of all that is good and evil.
Finally, karma is something that Buddhists believe in when you talk about eternal life
“while Islam’s view on it is that eternal life depends on the works of a person in his or
her present life while following the Islamic path29
Buddhism on the basis of views afterlife: Is Cycle rebirth and death, different levels of
hell for sinners; different abodes of celestial beings, etc. However, attainment of
ultimate Nirvana is the essence of Buddhism. Islam on the other hand, eternal life is in
Paradise and Hell30.
27
Reza Shah-Kazemi, Common Ground Between Islam and Buddhism (Jordan: The Royal Aal-Bayt
Institute for Islamic Thought, 2010), 3
28
See Islam vs Buddhism. Retrieved from, www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/difference-
betweenIslam and Buddhism, accessed on May 28, 2013
29
See Islam vs Buddhism
30
See Buddhism vs Islam Comparison chart. Accessed on May 27, 2013
10
Buddhism, the eightfold path is viewed as the principle or practice more than as law. It
leads to Nirvana. While Islam, Shari ’a law given by the Creator (Allah) and the
commands of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W)31
On the basis of their principles, Buddhism: This life is suffering, and the only way to
escape from this suffering is to dispel one’s cravings and ignorance by practicing the
Eightfold Path. While in Islam is based on the saying of God: Say, ‘’He is Allah, (who
is) One, Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, Nor is there to Him
any equivalent’’ Surah al-Ikhlas
Islam is centered on Quran, which is regarded as the holy book. Literally, Islam means
submission to Allah. In effect, a Muslim is an individual who fully submits to Allah.
Based on Islamic teachings, there are 5 main duties that Muslims required to practice in
their communities. Buddhism is centered on the utterances that Buddha uttered to his
people. It is simply more than a religion, as it is regarded as a philosophy that
encompasses several traditions, beliefs, and practices. While Muslims follow the 5
Islam pillars, Buddhists only believe in two Buddhism branches, which are Mahayana
and Theravada32.
CONCLUSION
The aforementioned discussions played an important role in providing us a detail
explanation on the positions of great two religions of the world, that is to say, Islam and
Buddhism. It is understood that the two religions have strictly differed on the concept of
God because Islam is all based on Monotheism while Buddhism is non-theistic, but
Buddha does not deny the idea of the Essence of God. It is also understood that both
religions have common Similarities and Differences.
Similarly, it is understood that on the basis of the oneness of God the two religions
share common similarities. For example, In Islam the idea of Al-Samad who is eternally
Self-sufficient, He needs not any assistance from any of his creatures, therefore, on this
point one can understand that Buddhism, believed that Dharma is full alone and other
Dharma’s are empty meaning that Dharma is only alone full and the other are
emptiness. Also, this is one of the most fundamental propositions common to all school
31
See www.diffen,com/difference/Category:Buddhism accessed on may 28, 2013
32
www.djfferenceSBetween.com. Accessed on May 28, 2013
11
of Mahayana Buddhism that emptiness of all specific Dharmas: Selfless are all
Dharmas.
Moreover, no doubt that Buddhism and Islam have differences on many aspects as we
have mentioned. For example, Buddhism belief that afterlife is cycled rebirth and death,
the different level for sinners; different abodes of celestial beings. Islam belief eternal
life is in Paradise and Hell. So also, on the basis of Law or principles, Buddhism viewed
eightfold as principle while Islam belief in the Shari’a given by Allah and His
Messenger (S.A.W). As the Buddhist belief that this life is all about suffering, so the
only way to escape from this suffering is by practicing the eightfold. While in Islam the
God is the Eternal refuge. He neither begets nor is born.
However, in Buddhism, in order to know the idea of something or being something one
needs to follow the following five factors.
1. Matter 2. Consciousness
3. Succession 4. Perception
4. Mental Formation
The aforementioned are the five factors that one needs to follow in order to reach the
highest knowledge of something or being something.
REFERENCES
Abid Mushtaq Wani, ‘’Concept of god in Islam’’, International Journal of Scientific
and Research publications, Vol. 3, issue no. 2, (February 2013)
Arnold, Thomas W. (2002). The Preaching of Islam. New Delhi: Adam Publishers &
Distributors
Ananda Coomaraswamy. (1988). Buddha and the Gospel of Buddhism (New Jersey:
Citadel Press
Conze, E., & I.B. Horner, D. (1954). Snelgrove, A. Waley, eds. Buddhist Texts
Through the Ages. Oxford: Bruno Cassirer, 1954.
Diamond Sutra, cited in E.Conze. (1958). Buddhist Wisdom Books London: George
12
Allen & Unwin
Source from:http://www.buddha-tours.com/basic-information-about-buddha.html
Islam for Mankind, Concept, Meaning and Effects of Taqwa, Retrieved from:
http://www.teachislam.com/dmdocuments/163/Concept%20,Meaning%
20and%20Effects%20of%20Taqwa.pdf
Nyanaponika Thera, Buddhism and the God-Idea. Retrieved from @2004, BuddhaNet,
edition@1996-2013
Reza Shah-Kazemi. (2010) Common Ground Between Islam and Buddhism ,Jordan:
The Royal Aal-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought
Suzuki, D.T. (2004). ‘The Buddhist Conception of Reality’, in Frederick Franck, ed.,
The Buddhist Eye. Bloomington: World Wisdom,
Woodward, F.L. (1925). (tr.). Some Sayings of the Buddha According to the Pali
Canon. London: Oxford University Press
13