Mohsin Raza Khan is an Associate Professor at The School of International Affairs, Jindal Global University. He is a former Chevening Scholar and an FRM from GARP, NY. Religion is a complex and varied phenomenon that has played a significant role in human history. The history of religion is difficult to trace because it has evolved over time and varies greatly across different cultures and societies. Over time, organized religions with complex belief systems and hierarchies developed, including the major world religions of today such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and more. These religions have shaped the course of human history and continue to influence the way people live and think today.
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Birth Of Prophet Muhammad
“The story of Islam begins in the Pre Islamic Arabia. We don’t know when it happened, but it’s believed Prophet Muhammad was born around 570C.E. Prophet Muhammad was born near Mecca and Medina.”
“Unfortunately, his father passed away even before he was born. His mother passed when he was six years old. Then he stayed with his grandfather, who also passed away. Before the birth of the Prophet, people in that part of the world were believing in many gods. They had a God known as Hubal Serian God. They believed in some of the Egyptian Gods.”
Religions Across The World
“There were many tribes bordered by two large empires. One was the Iranians, which were Zoroastrians that occupied most of Iran and Iraq. On the other side was the Byzantine Empire, which was Orthodox Christianity that occupied the area of Syria and Palestine. In Yemen, there was some tribal group. There was a large community of Jews as well.”
Cyrus
“Cyrus was a Zoroastrian king and an amazing man. He did not use slave labor at all. He paid everyone. So many Jews settled around Mecca and Madina. They were good in agriculture and had good knowledge about weapons and handicrafts.”
“Every religion doesn’t have a scripture. Only more advanced religions have scriptures. The Jewish scriptures were written after Cyrus encouraged them. It was mostly oral translation before that.”
India And Its Connect With The West
“There was not much contact with India at that time. It was far from land and covered with the Himalayan ranges. There were some trades. India takes off with the arrival of Buddhism. Buddhism was more of a missionary, so the monks were sent out. Hindu is a more term, but the Vedic civilization had spread in Southeast Asia. Persia is a partner of our civilization.”
“Old Persia and old Sanskrit are almost similar. The Vedia civilization was more of a fire sacrifice and not much about the temples. The smoke of the sacrifices was believed to go to our ancestors and the Devas. Even Iran’s ancient religion was similar. So, they are actually like our brothers. Even the Mughals from Persia believed in astrology, which is not common in the Islamic world. It was because of the influence of Iran and India.”
The Aryan Theory
“The term Aryan has become unacceptable since Hitler abused it so much. Now we refer to it as Indo-European. There are a lot of studies where we get to know where the languages originate from and how they evolve. There was a certain mix of local linguistics as well.”
Origin Of Languages
“Proto Indo-European language emerged around the areas of Southern Russia and Turkey. What we believe is some groups went to the West from where Greek and Islamic languages emerged. The second group is the Indo-Persian group. The first written script in Sanskrit was found in Northern Syria.”
“All the local languages of India are all connected. It is the basic Sanskrit language mixed with others. That is the reason the people on the borders understand both languages. The Dravidian language, which is similar to Tamil, is spoken somewhere in Pakistan region.”
Indus Valley Civilization
“Indus Valley was an advanced civilization. But archeologists dig, and each layer of Earth tells you about a period of civilization. Once you dig up, you can find inorganic and organic matter and learn about civilization. We have learned that the civilizations in India disappeared after 1000 B.C.E. There is no proper evidence to find it.”
About World Religion
“Zarathustra was the first Prophet. Ahura Mazda is the God. It predicted the birth of a messianic leader born from the Virgin. The Christian myth is already there in what Zarathustra is saying. He talks about the good and the evil and how the light would win. He also talks about judgment day and heaven and hell. So he gave the basics of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.”
Judaism
“Judaism is complex, and the origin is not clear. It is a combination of Arabic, Hebrew, and Barbaric spoken in Morocco. They worshiped many idols, but at some point, the idea of one God took over.”
‘I was a curious kid. Maybe I can’t write papers as fast as people do, but I have a gifted memory.”
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