Popular World Religions: Islam Vs. Hinduism

Islam and Hinduism are both very large, popular world religions. Although the two religions have some common ground, there are many distinct differences between the two religions. Many of the differences are centered around two major beliefs. The two major beliefs are the means of salvation and the number of Gods the followers of the religions worship and believe in. Religions often answer questions about spiritual life. One question that is often asked is where do I go after I die? Many people seek the answer to this question through religion. Islam and Hinduism both believe in an afterlife. Although the two religions believe that salvation is possible, the means by which they believe salvation occurs is very different. The Islamic religion
teaches that the purpose of life is to live to please their one and only God, Allah (“Salvation”). The ultimate goal of life is to gain admission to Paradise (“Salvation”). They teach that true repentance of sins will result in Allah’s forgiveness and entrance into Paradise (“Salvation”). The Quran emphasizes that faith in Allah and good works while you are still on earth are necessary to gain salvation (“Salvation”).
Hinduism believes in a much different means of salvation. A central belief in Hinduism is reincarnation (Ten Questions). Reincarnation means the soul of the dead body remains and is born again as another new creature (Ten Questions). This can be a human or another living thing such as an animal (Ten Questions). Karma from the previous life follows the soul into the new life, whether it be good or bad karma (Ten Questions). The cycle of birth, death, and reincarnation continues until salvation is reached (Ten Questions). Salvation is reached when the soul becomes full of knowledge which is called self-realization (Viswanathan). You realize that you are more than your earthly body and you are actually immortal (Viswanathan). There are four methods to reaching salvation in the Hindu religion (Viswanathan). They are Janana Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Raja Yoga (Viswanathan). The Janana Yoga is the path of knowledge that follows the six Darshanas (Viswanathan). The Karma Yoga follows the unmotivated actions and words (Viswanathan). The Bhakti Yoga follows a total surrender of your will to God (Viswanathan). The Raja Yoga follows an eradication of thoughts (Viswanathan).
The difference between the salvation of Hinduism and Islam is the means by which a person is saved. Islam has one concrete path to salvation which is faith in Allah and good works, whereas Hinduism has four different paths that could lead to salvation. A similarity between them is both religions recognize the need to be saved and that there is an afterlife. The means by which you reach salvation would have a profound effect on the followers of the religion. The followers of Islam might have more certainty of their salvation because it can happen much quicker than in Hinduism. Once Islamists do good works and have faith in Allah they can be certain that their sins are forgiven and that they will be granted entrance to Paradise. Hinduists might have more uncertainty about their salvation because it can be gained by four different ways, not just one. The Hinduists also may become more frustrated than Islamists because the path to salvation can take several cycles of reincarnation depending on how quickly you reach self-realization.
It would be very interesting to have dialogue with someone from the Islamic religion and Hinduism about salvation. The insight about Islamic salvation that seemed very valuable was the road to salvation is a very clear and easy to understand path. The insight about Hinduism salvation that seemed very valuable was there are many ways to reach salvation so it is more likely that more people will be saved, which is a true blessing. A question came to my mind when thinking about Islam and Hinduism’s path to salvation versus my faith of Christianity’s salvation. I would ask why they do not believe Jesus is the way to salvation. The number of gods a religion worships is a very central belief in a religion.
Although Islam and Hinduism both believe in a higher power, they do not agree on how many gods there are. Islam teaches that there is only one God named Allah (Squires). Since Islam believes there is only one God, they worship the same God as Christians do (Squires). However, Islam rejects the Christian belief system (Squires). On the other hand, Hinduism believes in 33 million Gods (Dasa). They believe that the Krishna, the Supreme One, created demigods to run and rule over certain aspects of the universe (Dasa). For example, there is a demigod that is in charge of the sun (Dasa). They believe that their gods eventually die and are replaced by new gods
(Dasa).
There is a remarkable difference between the amount of gods Islam serves and the amount Hinduism serves.
Islam serves one god that they believe will live forever, but Hindus serve 33 million Gods that they believe eventually die and are replaced. The number of gods a religion serves has a significant effect on the lives of the believers. The Islamic belief in one God can create stability in the lives of believers. They would be able to have one God to pray to about everything. This would cause the believer to have a much stronger relationship with their God. The Hinduism belief in 33 million gods would create diversity in the lives of believers. Believers would have the opportunity to form relationships with many gods and recognize them in many things such as animals and plants. Believers could become very confused as far as which god to pray to for certain requests. The believers also would not form as strong of a relationship with each individual god as they would if there was only one god to serve. The number of gods a religion believes is the center of the religious faith. The insight I found valuable about the Islamic faith is the fact that they serve one God, which is the same God that I have always served in my Christian faith. If I was to participate in dialogue with a Muslim, I would ask them why they do not believe in the Christian beliefs even though they worship the same God. Specifically, I would ask why they do not believe in Jesus Christ as their personal
savior. The insight that I found valuable about Hinduism is the recognition of God in things such as the sun, plants, and animals. I can appreciate this because in my own religion I recognize that God created the earth and everything on earth. I would ask them to further explain the benefits of having 33 million gods and how they can possibly understand and communicate with all of them. Islam and Hinduism have some similarities, and many differences in beliefs. Both religions believe that there is life after dead, but the means of reaching salvation are very different for each religion. Islam teaches a one-way path involving good works and belief in Allah, whereas Hinduism teaches that there are many paths one can take to reach salvation. The belief of a higher power is shared by both religions, but the number of gods that exist is a debatable topic. Islam believes in one God, Allah. Hinduism believes in 33 million gods, with one Supreme God creating the other demigods. The two religions have some common roots, but have very different specific beliefs.