Author Chatha Akbar Ghulam believes God is universal. With love as his message, he shares a thought-provoking collection of essays, poems, and meditations illustrating how he has come to understand the concept of God and why he feels a loving heart is the only requirement needed to have faith in God. Chatha shares how as a youth he came to discard the traditional teachings of heredity and customs and eventually achieved inner peace and contentment by recognizing universal good and truth. As he offers his opinion on such subjects as God and war, life and death, wisdom versus ignorance, the yearnings of a soul, and heaven and hell, Chatha provides a fresh, impartial perspective on God's influence in today's world. By sharing his thoughts on the differences between the self-righteous and true believers through personal anecdotes and inspiration from Punjabi mystic poets, Chatha quietly encourages spiritual seekers of all faiths to look inward and focus on gratitude rather than desires. Faith, Not Religions offers one man's inspiring reflections regarding his faith in God, his opinions on organized religions, and his journey to seek his own spiritual path in life.
FAITH, NOT RELIGIONS
Essays by Chatha Akbar GhulamBy Chatha Akbar GhulamiUniverse, Inc.
Copyright © 2012 Chatha Akbar Ghulam
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4759-6460-8Contents
Foreword.......................................................xiAcknowledgments................................................xiiiIntroduction...................................................xvThe God........................................................1The Terrorism..................................................4The Universal Mysticism........................................7Traditions, Customs, and Homelands.............................10In Search of The God...........................................13Monism and My God..............................................16The God And Wars...............................................20The God's Reward and Punishment................................24The Creator of Time............................................28The God and Ceremonial Prayers.................................30The God and Moralities.........................................34The Protector..................................................37The Merciful...................................................39The God and Civilizations......................................41The God and Human Rights.......................................44The God of Humans..............................................48The God of Unity...............................................51The God and Human Wishes.......................................53The God and Deities............................................56The God and Justice............................................58Life and Death.................................................61Liberalism versus Fundamentalism...............................64The Changing World.............................................66The Necessities of Human Life..................................69Freedom........................................................72The Quest for Peace............................................74To Be a Human..................................................77Majority versus Minority.......................................80In the Name of God.............................................83The Day of Judgment............................................86The Christ You Believe.........................................90I Prayed to the God............................................92Wisdom versus Ignorance........................................93Humans and Animals.............................................95Why Priests, Monks, and Nuns Do Not Marry?.....................97Expecting Miracles.............................................99Is The God Unjust?.............................................101The God Is Just................................................103Faith versus Religions.........................................106Beauty versus Ugliness.........................................109Religion versus Religions......................................111The God and Attachments........................................114I Wish.........................................................116Lawful Vices...................................................118Morale Boosting................................................120The Give and Take of Sins......................................122"Thanks, God"..................................................124Collectiveness and Faith.......................................126The Retreating Religions and Traditions........................128Love versus Hatred.............................................132The God Given..................................................134Universal Harmonies............................................136To Myself......................................................139If I Were......................................................142The Charm of Obedience.........................................144Selfishness (An Explanation)...................................146An Outlaw Faces the Day of Judgment............................147So What?.......................................................150Yearnings of a Soul............................................152Does Not Recognize The God.....................................156Recognizes The God.............................................157The Creator of the Universe....................................158Ministers, Jinn, and Devils....................................160Let Us Say Love Prayers........................................163Depression.....................................................166Heaven and Hell................................................168Some Thoughts and Observations.................................170
Chapter One
THE GOD
Creator of the universe. Worthy of all praises. The mighty God is one and does not share powers with anyone; He is the only supreme. Only The God is to be believed; only The God is worthy of deserving our faith. The God of the universe is not God of any particular faith, race, or group of people, claiming any sort of superiority over others. These are the charges against The God that need to be vindicated, though The God is not affected because He is supreme.
The God created mankind of a nature most liked by Himself—a nature that is extremely good. There is no particular evil, no particular good, because The God created mankind of one nature only. The God likes to be praised but does not authorize anyone to force others to follow His way of prayers. We all know the manners of obedience; certainly prayers cannot be said by crawling. No one should say prayers in a language in which he or she is not fluent; feelings should be expressed in any language or silently.
The whole of mankind is born and dies. The God can do whatever He wants and certainly doesn't do injustice to anyone. The God will not hold responsible a person for his not having a particular faith, or for not believing in anyone except The God. To believe in The God is natural—nothing is more natural. A person is born in nature, not belonging to any area, race, or linguistic or ethnic group. One is often told by others to belong to such and such group, to adopt the likings and hatreds and selfishness that that group endorses. But the people having wisdom and intellect are exceptions. These are the people loved by God because they have pure faith. If you put a newborn baby in another community, he or she will adopt the likings and disliking of that community, even when feeling affection for the acting parents.
Death materially equalizes all, leaving behind affiliations contracted during life. We attempt in vain to make some difference by performing ceremonies as dictated by our clerics, by military parades, or by erecting monuments and tombs. Only God can and will make a difference, rewarding the good and punishing the evil.
The people of wisdom recognize the good and evil the world over, from the beginning of mankind to the present. God is there, and He created mankind to be good but allows it be exposed to evil. Therefore, there is a reward for those who remain good—and punishment for those who are lured by evil forces. A person in the wilderness who is very hungry and shares his piece of bread with another person is doing good. But why? This is because of a God- given good nature. If a person does well to his family, community, or any other in the name of God, God rewards him, though what extent, one doesn't know except God. A believer is the best and most steadfast do-gooder; he or she remains on the straight path in any condition or circumstance. A disbeliever may change his good intention in crises, but a believer would not.
Nothing is as compulsory as the belief in God, but when we know the attribution of something, a person or place to The God, we should have reverence for that. Only that which is attributed to God is holy, but it must not be mixed with belief in The God.
The God is The God of the universe, The God of mankind—not The God of religions, communities, or groups.
Mystic poet Bulleh Shah says, "Why quarrel over Raam (Hindu name for God) or Raheem (an Islamic name for God) when reality becomes clear".
No specific or religious names are necessary for the God Almighty.
THE GOD
The lord of the universe, The God is one,
The creator of the moon, stars, and sun.
He listens to us when we pray to Him,
But very few of us are thankful.
The God has blessed us with blessings so much
That we cannot count these as such.
He protects us from all evils day and night,
And only He is the Lord, The God of might.
The God is the most beneficent and merciful;
He even forgives those who are sinful.
The God rewards those who do good deeds
And help those who are sick, worried and in need.
The God loves mankind, the best in his universe,
But those who are wicked and cruel will face his curse.
THE TERRORISM
The claim of supremacy in religion, race, and language breeds terrorism. The God of the universe is The God of mankind and not The God of any ethical group. But the groups are much too self-righteous and believe that The God is on their side. Every group cherishes the belief that The God has given them special preference over others. The preferences claimed are in respect to holy personalities, saints, books, and the way and language in which they worship. They think that everything that belongs to their cult is superior, so the others should follow. Moreover, they feel that their cult will predominate in this world and will be rewarded in the everlasting world after death and re-creation. Such desires of supremacy and self-righteousness breed hatred and consequently terrorism.
It seems that the idea is, "Our rivals have been claiming superiority. Now we have gained power. Now we are superior and have our revered instead of theirs. They have been undermining our sermons and way of worship—now we do it to theirs. We have been suffering at their hands; now we shall punish them. They have been doing injustice to us, but we do justice because we are right and they are wrong!"
Each person has his self-righteousness with him; he is pleased when he hears the good qualities of everything that belongs to him, and he is angry when hearing negative remarks. The spiritual traits that are attributed to these personalities are held in the highest possible esteem, and this causes deep-rooted divisions. All praises are for The God and The God only, but most humans are not pleased to listen to this exclusively. As The God of whole mankind, He does not satisfy their self-righteousness. The self-righteousness can be identified and eliminated through wisdom. A true believer in The
God has this wisdom and is capable of upholding the best moral and human values in a situation or circumstance in which a nonbeliever can fail. Self-righteousness causes injustice, anger, revolt, hostilities, hate, and wars. These wars are not in the name of The God but only to satisfy rigid beliefs. There are cruelties and terrorism.
War is justified if it is to protect and help lawfulness, the wronged, and the oppressed. Self-protection if attacked is a basic right. Believers in The God understand better these justifications.
Hold a While
Don't kill me— this is inhuman;
To torture in such a way is un-Godly.
To pierce the flesh, to break the bones,
To insert the bullets, to cut the throat
Of anyone who hasn't done any harm to you,
Who neither attempted nor intended
To kill any of you, is sheer brutality.
Listen to me and hold a while.
I'm not who you take me for;
Believe me, I'm not your enemy.
Yes, I was born among those.
I know you and they are each other's foes.
This is not my fault, The God, The God—
This is not my choice, no, absolutely.
Listen to me and hold a while.
Don't you have sisters and brothers?
Mothers, fathers, and children you love?
Friends and dears, those who will miss you much
And feel a great agony if any one of you
Is caught in such a situation as I?
Will they not wail and sigh
On such a death, if you are to die?
Listen to me and hold a while.
It seems that you don't want to heed.
You are bent to do what you intend.
Be not in haste; are you getting late?
Allow me a few moments to pray to The God,
The God of mankind, The God of Arabs and Jews,
The God of all—Christian, Muslims, Hindus.
Oh my God, only you are The God, The God.
THE UNIVERSAL MYSTICISM
The God of the universe, The God of mankind, is The God of love. Parents' love for their baby is natural: being the producers of that baby, they love the child. The God is the creator of mankind. The God loves His superior and beloved creation many times more than parents can love theirs. In rare cases the parents' love can waiver, but The God's love is eternal. The God wants humans to promote love among themselves; only for this cause should there be justice, liberty, and human rights.
Please look into this mysticism (love for The God). Sultan Bahoo says,
"I want to do away with eemaan [the faith of a Muslim], as everybody prays for the survival of eemaan in himself, I seek the survival of my ishq (profound love)."
"Ashiqs (lovers) say prayers of love, in which there is no word."
"Those who say pure prayer do not move or shiver their tongue (being silent)."
"Mind and thought have no place in love of The God. Also mullah (Muslim clerk), pundit, joshi (Hindu clerk) cannot reach there, even the recitation of The Koran (Muslim holy book) will not do."
"Ghous, qutab (higher ranks of Muslim saints) cannot reach that place where ashiqs can. The lovers can reach the destination where the ghouses cannot go around."
"Tummay (herbal unpalatable) cannot be turboose (watermelon), by taking them to Mecca (holiest place), as the black crows cannot be whitened."
Bulleh Shah, a fugitive of prevailing norms, says,
"Throw the prayers in a furnace, paste mud on fasts, and spray black over kalma (the first necessary words to be recited by a Muslim. Those who don't believe or recite are not Muslims)."
"Bulleh Shah, your beloved is within you (in your heart), mankind is strayed aimlessly."
"Shariah (Muslim code of manners and prayers) says, `Go to mullah and learn the manners. Ishq says, one word is sufficient ... leave all the books."
"Oh Bulleh, let us go to a place where all are blind, so that no one knows our caste and no one believes. (He was Syed, progeny of Muslim prophet, religiously esteemed caste.) He believes in equality of mankind.
"Demolish mender (Hindus' place of worship), demolish mosque. Do not demolish (break) human heart, herein The God resides."
Madho Lal Shah Hussain says, "Qazi (learned clergies) and mullahs advise us to adopt the way (religious manners). Ishq has nothing to do with ways. I love the beloved" (The God)."
Madho Lal (a Hindu by name) was a friend of Shah Hussain. Shah Hussain never asked Madho Lal to change his name or religion ceremonially. He loved his friend so much that he and Madho Lal joined names. Both were buried side by side, according to their will. Nowadays it is very difficult to bury a Madho Lal in a Muslim graveyard; even the army cannot do it. There will be a holy war to prevent this. People say that Madho Lal was actually a believer in his heart.
This is a short presentation from Punjabi mystic poets. I think these poets tried to speak the truth in defiance of prevailing hypocrisies. Some people might say, "This is nonsense." Others believe they were saints and provided a link between The God and humanity. People pray in the mosques adjacent to their tombs. I wonder how these mystics can be misinterpreted. I think their religion cannot be labeled, and to me there is much similarity of thought. I have not found any living person with whom I can claim this identity, because I cannot express my views publicly in the society where I live.
TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS, AND HOMELANDS
The God is universal, and I am preaching universalism. But by this I don't negate the identities regarding nations, languages, castes, regions, traditions, and customs. I insist that The God is one, the Almighty and universal justice and equality. This doesn't hurt anyone. Love is the message.
Once in my childhood, I was listening to a debate (though not a serious one) in my village regarding superiority of castes. One of my uncles said, "The God made two castes, including ours. Then the people said to The God, `Where do we stand? Shall we have no caste?' The God ordered the angels, `Go and give them also some names.' Our caste is made by The God and yours by the angels, so we stand superior." The men and the children, including me, having this superior caste were very pleased with these remarks. There was clapping and laughing, because we had won the debate.
The story pleased me, and I wished it were true. Now, I am ashamed of myself for having developed that wish. Mankind goes on with such wishes. With the passage of time, these wishes are intermixed with beliefs and gain solid ground. When we say, "In those golden times," it takes us into an imaginary world. In fact, there aren't any golden times or bad times; there is good and evil in all times. Excluding such wishes, all traditions and customs are good. All nations, all languages, all castes, and all races are good, and there is no harm in their maintaining their own identities in The God's universe.
I belong to a native Punjabi landowner's caste. My caste is a part of my name, and this is a symbol of identity, not a symbol of pride or differentiation from others. I want to learn all languages of the world to easily communicate with all kinds of people, but it is not possible. I want to be among the different civilizations of the world, but this is difficult for me. I want to freely roam about in mosques, churches, mandars, gurdwaras, and temples, but the community does not allow it.
Bulleh Shah, a Punjabi mystic poet, said, "Forsake the enmities, and make no noise. These Turks (Mughals, Muslim nobles) and Hindus are not separate. He (The God) possesses all.",
I don't need any reference books for authority or material. I only want to express my inner self, my heart and mind. The love of homeland is very natural. I also love my homeland, local music, language, customs, and traditions, which are not against human values. For example, I don't like the sectarian march in Ireland, which reminds others that they were defeated and thereby hurts their feelings. Even the animals love their homes and the areas where they live. I observed horses and dogs unwilling to leave their previous dwellings unless they were forced to leave. I love the weather, trees, birds, and everything of my homeland. I shall not feel happy even to change the area of my dwelling within the country. But, people do migrate to other regions for the sake of safety, livelihood, and better prospects. If I find anyone having similarity of thoughts, I shall love him or her above all the affiliations I have. To promote this thought is my sincere desire, and for this cause, affiliations don't matter.
Your God
What? You have your supreme God,
And will not believe in mine?
Yours is the true God, and mine is not?
Not you, but I have to believe in thine?
Does your God hate me and love you?
Do you belong to Him and He to you?
And you will not let me pray, if I want to?
But in solitude I shall definitely break through.
I shall say I haven't done if you are angry.
What? My prayers qualify not the standard glory?
I am alone, and it requires a group or company?
Oh yes, God is yours, and to pray, I am a silly.
Oh Lord, I have to offer you a sincere heart.
Though broken by your people's stabbing taunts,
I shall pray to you all times in all my life,
No matter if not allowed in worship spots.
IN SEARCH OF THE GOD
I believe that The God created the universe and everything. The God gave mankind the sensibility to discern between good and evil, and therefore man is liable to reward and punishment. This is only the base of my belief and nothing more.
Bulleh Shah (a Punjabi mystic poet) says, "Oh Bulleh, you are the ashiq (profound lover) of The God, therefore millions of condemnations for you (by the people). They call you `kafir, kafir' (nonbeliever). You say, `Yes, yes,' (I am)."
In the holy books of Jews, Christians, and Muslims there are personalities, places, and stories alike and not alike. These things do not matter—the main purpose is to guide mankind, and I think there are many misrepresentations. Hindus have their many deities sharing powers. This is against my belief. I believe in the Almighty One God. However, there isn't any harm if they continue telling stories, as the Greeks and Italians do. Every nation or region has its own traditions and customs. These are not objectionable if they are not against the basic human rights or do not harm others' feelings. The high human values are much appreciated, liked, and rewarded by The God.
A few centuries ago, Australia, the Americas, and several other parts of the world were unknown to the people of the world. The natives of these regions didn't know and couldn't know about religions that were practiced in the rest of the world. Were they to be blamed for that? That The God did not give them the opportunity to join one of the "best" religions? Is The God so unfair and unjust? No, I do not believe in such a God, sending messengers to one part of the world and not to another, depriving them of the knowledge.
The people should have been given guidance by The God. We cannot name them or the reasons of doing so, because we don't know why it was so. Anyone seeking the truth or searching for The God is sure to find out. Is not The God omnipresent? Yes, The God is, and He asks humans, "If there is anybody who wants to search for me, I am much closer to you than anyone else can be." Of course, sincerity is a prerequisite for receiving his teaching.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from FAITH, NOT RELIGIONSby Chatha Akbar Ghulam Copyright © 2012 by Chatha Akbar Ghulam. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse, Inc.. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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