Shri Rama and prophet muhammad
They are both considered as
the best exemplars of the teachings of their respective religions.
The majority of Muslims, like the majority of Hindus don’t actually study the theology or
philosophy of their respective religions but rather practice according to custom and usage, and use
the lives of role-models as the bench mark of good and pious practice. Most uninformed believers
have only a vague idea of their actual role-models or imagine them in modern global humanistic
terms — superimposing today’s humanistic values on them. The challenge is rather how do we use
ancient role-models to inform our practice in the vastly different moral and ethical landscape of
today.
Shri Rama
Rama the principle character of Valmiki’s Ramayana is said to be the maryada purushottam —
exemplar of the most perfect human being. Hindus consider
him as a human avatar of God, but when God incarnates into
His creation he becomes totally human and is temporarily
conditioned by material factors and limitations. It is not
Rama’s divinity which is considered but rather the perfect qualities which
considers him to be the best among men.
muhammad
The Qur’an represents Muhammad as the last in a long line of
prophets and His example, and his teachings
are to be adopted by all mankind as the most perfect — he is the
“uswa hasana” — the best exemplar accordinng to muslims .
Allah commands Muhammad to say:— “If I am astray, I only
stray to the loss of my own soul. (34:35)
Allah says:— “In the messenger of Allah ye have a good
example for him who looks unto Allah and the last day and
remembers Allah much. (33:21)
Allah also says that “he who obeys the Messenger
[Muhammad], obeys Allah” (4:80)
So if Muhammad is astray, his soul is by no means the only one at risk, with millions of Muslims
regarding him as the exemplary role model and the only one to emulate, then they too are all in
spiritual danger.
so it would be better to compare two best men according to their respective followers.
Missions of muhammad
Muhammad had 3 specific agendas:—
• to preach Allah's message of His unity (tawheed) to the pagans, Jews and Christians of the
Arabian peninsular and to establish the five daily prayers, charity, belief in Allah, angels and
the day of resurrection.
• to combat the worst of all sins in Islam — shirk — polytheism, trinitarianism and any other
form of theology that deviates from strict monotheism. (In Islam hell is specifically created
by Allah for the eternal torment of UNBELIEVERS! There is no other sin which would
merit eternal damnation.)
• to unite the disparate and fractious tribes of Arabia and to establish a theocratic political
system (khalifa) based upon Shariah law as revealed in the Qur’an and Sunnah. Islam is thus
a socio-political system clothed in religion.
Rama's missions:—
• Regime-change — overthrowing the despotic and tyrannical Emperor of Lanka (Ravana)
who was depredating and tormenting beings.
• Protection of the righteous and the granting of Grace to the devotees. (And the salvation of
all the demonic forces that were killed. Hinduism’s hell is temporary and is reserved for
criminals with the punishment suits the crime. There is no thought crime of disbelief!)
• Establishing Rama-rajya a perfect system of government to set an absolute standard for all
governments to measure up to — the emphasis of Rama-rajya is not on the actual political
structure and legal system like Islam but rather on the ethical and moral standards by which
governments should operate.
In comparing Muhammad and Rama as role models for their respective followers we focus on 2
aspects:—
1. Their personal demeanor as seen from their admirers based upon their interpersonal relationships
with the ones in their inner-circles.
2. Their transactional dealings with others in their social field.
Character of muhammad
A patriarchal simplicity pervaded his life. His custom was to do every thing for himself. If he gave
alms he would place it with his own hand in that of the petitioner. He aided his wives in their
household duties; he mended his own clothes; he tied up the goats; he even cobbled his sandals. His
ordinary dress consisted of plain white cotton stuff; but on high and festive occasions, he wore
garments of fine linen, striped or dyed in red. Mahomet, with his wives, lived in a row of low and
A remarkable feature was the urbanity and consideration with which Mahomet treated even the
most insignificant of his followers. Modesty and kindness, patience, self-denial, and generosity,
pervaded his conduct, and riveted the affections of all around him. He disliked to say No; if unable
to reply to a petitioner in the affirmative, he preferred to remain silent.
Character Analysis of Rama
many such things have been described about him but i would list only few of them
Valmiki Bala Khanda opens with a description of the 16 pre-eminent qualities of
Rama:—
• Highly qualified (gu?avan) — this opening adjective means he was possessed of
every good quality imaginable and free from all the negative ones.
• Heroic (viryavan) — Rama was highly motivated and courageous in every undertaking and never
hesitated in doing his duty.
6
• Grateful (Kritajña?) — When King Dasaratha wanted to perform the coronation ceremony of Sri
Rama and intimated this to his subjects, their joy knew no bounds. They praised His qualities to
no end. While talking about one of His qualities — kritajñata they exclaimed:—
“Sri Rama’s joy is unlimited when anyone deliberately or inadvertently renders even a
single help. He forgets even 'one hundred' acts of betrayal!” (2:1:12)
• Truthful (satya vakya?) — no matter what the outcome Rama always spoke the truth but even
unpleasant truths he spoke gently and with consideration for the feelings of the listener.
• Reliable in his promises (dh??ha vrata?) — he promised Keikeyi that he would follow her
instruction and go to the forest for 14 years for the sake of Bharata, but even when Bharata
relinquished the throne and abrogated what his mother had commanded — still Rama did not
flinch from his vow. Whenever he promised something he’d always follow through.
• Ethical in his behaviour (caritravan) — he never hesitated to do the right thing, even though it
was to his own detriment.
• Dedicated to the welfare of all beings (sarva bhuteshu hita?) — he was always concerned for the
welfare of all beings, not only the citizens but also the aboriginal tribes in the forest as well as all
the creatures that dwelt there.
marriage and family of shri Ram
Rama was a prince of the Royal dynasty of the Suryavamshi Kshatriyas and only had
one wife — Sita, who was won through a competition arranged by her father king
Janaka when she came of age. Rama along with many other suitors attempted to raise
and string a massive bow — only Rama succeed and was chosen by Sita as her
husband (svayamvara).
Rama never even looked with lust upon another woman and was totally
devoted to Sita alone. She was abducted by Ravana the King of Lanka and spent some time as his
captive — trying to coax her to sleep with him but she refused. Rama waged a war against Ravana and won back
Sita.
During the year of separation from Sita, Rama remained celibate.
Although his father Dasaratha had 3 wives, Rama and his brothers all had only one wife. Sita was
the single love of Rama’s life. The entire Ramayana is centered around this ideal of monogamy.
The outcome is that although the Hindu Law books do allow polygamy, the ideal set by the
Ramayana and followed by the multitude of Hindus today is monogamy – which is even enshrined
in modern Indian law for all Hindus.
Example set:— Monogamy and sexual restraint.
marriage and family of muhammad.
According to multiple sources, Muhammad had many wives and sex-slaves (milkel
yamin), and was known as a "womanizer". Muhammad consummated his
marriages with thirteen women and divorced another six. He also used to visit all his wives in one night.
The following is rough list of Muhammad’s wives, according to various Islamic sources. It is
possible that this number may still fall short of the actual number of wives he had.
1. Khadija/Khadijah
2. Sauda bint Zam'a
3. 'A’isha
4. ‘Umm Salama
5. Hafsa
6. Zainab bint Jahsh (wife of the prophet’s ‘adopted’ son Zaid)
7. Juwairiya
8. Umm Habiba
9. Safiya
10. Maimuna bint Harith
11. Fatima
12. Hind
13. Sana bint Asma’ / al-Nashat
14. Zainab bint Khuzaima
15. Habla
16. Divorced Asma’ bint Noman
17. Divorced Mulaykah bint Dawud
18. Divorced al-Shanba’ bint ‘Amr
19. Divorced al-‘Aliyyah
20. Divorced ‘Amrah bint Yazid
21. Divorced an Unnamed Woman
22. Qutaylah bint Qays
23. Sana bint Sufyan
24. Sharaf bint Khalifah
Some of his named concubines/sex-slaves are:—
25. Mary/Mariya the Copt/Christian
26. Rayhana bint Zaid
27. Umm Sharik / Ghaziyyah bint Jabir
28. Maimuna
29. Zainab
30. Khawlah bint al-Hudayl.
Example set:—
• Polygamy is a legitimate and desirable ideal (4 wives being sanctioned by modern Sharia Law.)
• Child marriage is permissible
• Wives should be kept veiled in niqabs
• Sex-slaves or concubines are permitted – as many as one may like.
muhammad and his treatment with women.
He gave men the right to beat their wives who
persistently disobeyed them.
Sura 4:34 "As those you fear may be rebellious admonish, banish them to their
couches, and beat them."
Muhammad said that women are generally so evil, that they will make up the majority of people in
to hell.
Bukhara Vol. 1, #301: "O women! Give alms, as I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of
Hell-fire were you (women). They [women] asked, "Why is it so, O Allah's Apostle?" He replied,
"You curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands."
Muhammad also declared that women are less intelligent than men:
Bukhari, Volume 1, #301: "...Then he (Muhammad) passed by the women and said, "O women,
give alms as I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-fire were you (women)." they
asked, "Why is it so O Allah's messenger?" He replied, "You curse frequently and are ungrateful to
your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you. A
cautious sensible man could be led astray by some of you." The women asked, "O Allah's
messenger, what is deficient in our intelligence and religion?" He said, "Is not the evidence of two
women equal to the witness of one man?" They replied in the affirmative. He said, "This is the
deficiency in her intelligence....."
Muhammad also allowed newly captured
female slaves to be used for sex.
From the Hadith of Sahih Muslim vol. 2, #3371
Abu Sirma said to Abu Said al Khudri: "O Abu Said, did you hear Allah's messenger mentioning
about al-azl (coitus interruptus)?" He said, "Yes", and added: "We went out with Allah's messenger
on the expedition to the Mustaliq and took captive some excellent Arab women; and we desired
them for we were suffering from the absence of our wives, (but at the same time) we also desired
ransom for them. So we decided to have sexual intercourse with them but by observing
azl" (withdrawing before emission of semen to avoid conception).
But we said: "We are doing an
act whereas Allah's messenger is amongst us; why not ask him?" So we asked Allah's messenger
and he said: "It does not matter if you do not do it, for every soul that is to be born up to the Day of
Resurrection will be born".
Example set:—
• Women are not the equal of men they are less intelligent and less religious.
• Women are goods and chattels and can be beaten or even sold.
• Women can be kept as sex slaves and used at will.
Treatment of women by Shri Rama
Rama as a principle treated all women with respect and honor. There were a few
exception. The sage Vishvamitra and the other meditators were being tormented and
harassed by rakshasas in the forest and among them was a female shape-shifter
Tataka.
When Vishvamitra asked Rama to kill her, he refused saying that women
should never be harmed. Vishvamitra then recounted all her wicked deeds, oppression and heartless
cruelty to the inhabitants of the forest, and with persuasive arguments convinced him for the benefit
of all the forest dwellers to dispatch her forthwith.
Surpanakha was another shape-shifter, the sister of Ravana who used to wander around the forest
tormenting the ascetics living there. One day she chanced upon Rama, Sita and Lakshmana sitting
out side their hut and was smitten with lust for Rama. Taking the form of a beautiful woman, she
approached Rama and offered herself to him. He declined saying that he was married, monogamous
and accompanied by the love of his life –Sita.
The Valmiki Ramayana in the final section — Uttara Kanda — tells the story of the rejection of
Sita by Rama. Rama one day requested his ministers to report to him the citizens thought of him
and what they were saying about him. The ministers reported that people where gossiping about the
innocence and chastity of Sita while in the captivity of Ravana.
They were censuring Rama for
having taken her back. Rama, much distressed consulted with his brothers and affirmed that he was
totally convinced of Sita’s purity and innocence, but for the sake of his illustrious family’s name
and the honor and dignity of the position of King, he had taken the painful decision to divorce the
pregnant Sita and sent her to the Ashrama of Valmiki.
Example set:—
• Women are to be respected and honored.
Slavery and Shri Rama
Rama owned no slaves, no sanction is given in any of the Hindu scriptures for the
trading in other human beings. A frequently used term is DASA which can mean
either a servant or a slave. All devotees of the Lord are regarded as his dasas, and the
name Ram-das — ’servant of Rama’ is common, but the actual practice of selling captives into
slavery has never been sanctioned by Hindu law( dharma shastras).
There have been cases of impoverished peasants
“giving” themselves and their families to their landlords in order to discharge heavy debts, but such
bonded laborers cannot be sold to any one else or mistreated. Thus we see that forcibly enslaving
people, and trading in slaves, are strictly against Hindu teachings.
Slavery and Prophet muhammad
Muhammad was a slaver. He owned and sold many slaves, both male and female.
He said Allah allowed him and his Muslim followers to have sex with their
female slaves when the men wanted to.
Reference the Quran, Sura (chapters)
33:50, 52, 23:5, and 70:30. Slaves are considered "booty" for Muslims when
taken in raids, thus they are Muslim's property (milk el yameen). Muhammad felt
proud and conceited enough to enslave thousands of people.
The great Islamic historian Tabari wrote regarding Muhammad's sexual intercourse with his slave
Mariyah; "he had intercourse with her by virtue of her being his property." [Tabari, Volume 39, page
194].
Muhammad made slaves out of the people he raided and fought against. Most notable were the
women and children survivors of Muhammad's massacre of the 900 males (young teens and up) of
the Jewish Banu Qurayza, Sura 33:26. The Sirat Rasulallah - the earliest biography of Muhammad,
gives much more detail on pages 461 and on.
Shri Rama and war
Rama followed the standard Vedic fourfold prescription for conflict resolution:— (1)
sama = discussion, (2) dana = negotiation, (3) bheda = separation or disassociation if
possible, (4) danda = resolution through punitive action.
He sent Hanuman as his diplomat to enter into discussion and negotiation with Ravana for the
return of Sita — after repeated attempts at an amicable resolution all failed, Rama resorted to
warfare as the only option. After Vibhishana the younger brother of Ravana had changed sides
Rama expressed the wish that Ravana had recanted and surrendered Sita and thus prevented war.
The war was then conducted in an ethical manner even though the enemy Ravana and his sons used
all sorts of devious and and deceptive means.
After the war all the women, the combatants and citizens were treated with respect and consoled
according to the orders of Rama.
Vibhishana declined to perform the cremation ceremony of his
brother because of his wickedness. Rama disagreed and declared that Ravana had the right to a
proper funeral and encouraged Vibhishana to do the right thing. Ravana was then cremated with all
ceremony and honour. Vibhishana was then officially installed on the throne.
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