An Experience ‘For Hindus Only’

An Experience ‘For Hindus Only

1989 1 January 13-14 An Experience ‘For Hindus Only?’(563) In an article published in the Times of India of July 12, 1987, Shobha De, a Hindu lady, recounts a discouraging experience she had on attempting to enter the famous Jagannath temple at Puri. When she reached the gate, a pujari gave her a stern look and stopped her from going in. Not understanding what was the matter, she again made as if to go in, saying, “Excuse me,” to the pujari. But uttering a phrase in English only seemed to make matters worse, for the pujari promptly responded in broken English, “No enter for you!” She remained at the door in bewilderment, and when she asked why she was not being allowed to go inside, she was told it was “only for Hindus.” Seeing that she was bent on entering, the pujari went inside and brought back with him a panda, who said to her, “Bahenji, why do you not understand?” But when he saw how enraged she was at this, he finally motioned to her to enter.

Shortly afterwards, a temple attendant told her that she did not look like a Hindu. The reason he gave was that she was not wearing a bindi. Then he asked her name, which, in some consternation, she gave him. Then an ‘expert’ was called. After some thought, he said, “It is a Hindu name, but it is also a western name.” Commenting in her article on this experience, she said that what had shocked her was that she had been confronted with prejudice and narrow-mindedness instead of the famous Hindu tolerance.” The whole sham game was reinforcing all my prejudices against the fraud of organised religion.” She rounds off her article with “1 suddenly felt ashamed of having been born a Hindu.”

Essentially, religion is the name of a relationship between God and man. It has been the mission of all of the Prophets to show man the true nature of this relationship. “What is God?” and “What is man?” and “how can a relationship be formed between God and man?” are questions to which the Prophets have given clear answers. In this respect, none of the Prophets was ever remiss in carrying out his mission.

But a great difference between Islam and other religions soon became evident, for all other religions besides Islam took the form of organised religion. The generations who succeeded the Prophets formed religious structure of their own, and, holding them to be sacred, insisted upon adherence to them. Since the original teachings of these religions had not been preserved, there existed no criteria by which the rights and wrongs of these structures could be judged.

In this respect, Islam differs fundamentally from other religions: despite many subsequent additions, the actual book of Islam and its original teachings have been fully preserved in their pristine form. This being so, it is possible to appreciate what has come from God and the Prophet, and what has been added later.

It is thanks to this difference between Islam and other religions that in Islam nothing stands between God and man. In every other religion additions and interpolations have made it possible for the priesthood (or some other such group) to come between man and his Maker. Today, what is called ‘organized’ religion is actually just an adulterated form of religion. In this respect, Islam stands alone in not being an organised religion.