By: Eram Fatima, Sub-Editor, ICN Group
NEW DELHI: Some days before my customarily blissful morning (which happens after a blissful night sleep) my mother broke news to me which jolted me to the core. “Dead bodies of 11 members found in a house hanging from a ceiling.” Queries in plentiful popped out in my mind. It all ensued due to ‘Salvation’. Constabularies got handwritten notes vis-à-vis ritual practices since they wanted to gain ‘Salvation’.
First of all the question stands out what is this word ‘Salvation’? And ought we really to follow it? What does it mean? May be those family members took it wide of the mark.
Now let’s shed light on the point. According to the Hindu scriptures, Salvation which is known as ‘self-realization’ or ‘MOKSHA’ is for all. Nonentity can’t be repudiated from it. Even one doesn’t rely on in God, the atheist and agnostic too can accomplish salvation. One need not be of any specific religion to attain it. It is based on the notion of re-embodiment (a stormily debated topic in scriptural circles).
In Hinduism, the theologies related to their antiquities (which lacks certain amount of value in itself) are strange in some ways. Actually Hindu scriptures just deteriorate the whole dogma of salvation, because, it’s not that god will come physically to save the person in any misfortune, or, if one puts oneself in a catastrophic situation hoping that god will come to save, then, its mere a futile thought.
Long before we have read in number of countless books, that, God helps those who help themselves, but not that by throwing oneself into some drastic predicament for religious practices hoping that god will come to save. That’s exactly was going on in the minds of those 11 peoples who killed themselves.
If we go through other religions for better understanding of the word ‘salvation’, I think it will help people clear the strange notions associated with it.
In Islam ‘salvation’ can be realized too, but, on the basis of good works alone. These works embrace doing honorable deeds plus keeping five requirements in mind. That is:
- Salat ( five times daily obligatory prayer )
- Sawm ( fasting of Ramadan)
- Hajj ( pilgrimage to Mecca)
- Zakat ( charity money)
- Shadah or Tauheed ( belief in oneness of God)
On the Day of Judgment, Allah will have a set of scales to weigh one’s good and bad works.
Salvation is achieved by having more good deeds than bad, thus hoping to earn Allah’s favor. Muslim’s salvation is never fail-safe. The individual Muslim must produce virtuous works besides hoping that on the Judgment Day will be granted favor. Nonetheless, Allah is under no coercion to save anybody, and, not such promises and assurances of salvation is set up in the Quran. Allah saves whom He will and punishes whom He will is what seems to be purely a capricious manner. It is purely based on the person’s deed. In Islam, salvation is achieved by praying to Allah and following the Sunnah of Muhammad (p.b.u.h). It’s as simple as that.
There’s nothing engraved of sort, that, if a person is hanging or damaging himself in any way, then God will come to save, or if the person practices any of Islamic rituals, he or she can meet directly to God. So, there’s no chance of death like this, at least.
On the other hand, salvation in Christianity is achieved on the basis of devotion alone in the expiation of Jesus’s death on the cross, and not just by doing righteous work. Good works do have a place in the life of Christians, but, only as substantiation of a pre-existing faith. It has no salvific value apart from faith.
According to the Christianity, Christian’s salvation is undisputable and poised. God’s promises are never broken and one can rely on its scriptures when it proclaims that faith in Jesus saves, and one can rest confidently in his assurance. So, in short, somewhere in Christianity also like that of Hinduism, there is this belief, that, one can meet god by practicing salvation, or, one can rely on god for saving the person when in difficulty.
On the other hand, in Hinduism, there is an immortal soul within the body called ‘Atman’ of every person. The immortal soul is a mirror image of god. On the other hand, Christianity doesn’t believe in immortal soul. But according to Hindus, god has articulated itself in many forms in many ways. That is the reason why Hindus have unequivocally no problem in worshipping thousands of gods, since they believe all gods are the manifestations of one and only god Brahman.
Hindu salvation is the process by which a person is merging in the god. The individual soul within the body is known as ‘Atman’. When the ‘Atman’ breaks loose of the Karmic debt, then it becomes one with ‘Parmathman’. That process by which ‘Atman’ becomes one with ‘Parmathman’ is known as ‘Salvation’.
Nonetheless, going through all these facts, I really don’t get numb details of Hindu scriptures which tell unbelievable things, because, if it’s believable than those 11 members would have attained salvation and not died. Contemplating on all the facts, Islam is the solitary religion came out justly with the defined meaning of Salvation with simple ways because Allah knew that He would not like to fool people like this in the name of performing some rituals to meet Him.
The stuff is very idiosyncratic and mere selected pages can’t vindicate the fact. It’s my responsibility to write and make people cognizant about the spot-on meaning of ‘Salvation’ instead of thoughtlessly following some rituals which cost their lives. God never asks for any person’s life just for the sake of meeting him. Furthermore, this is not a level headed way to meet the God.
