30 November 2013

Swami Vivekananda On Hazrat Muhammad, Islam And Quran

In this page we'll make a collection of Swami Vivekananda's quotes and comments on Hazrat Muhammad, Islam and Quran.

Spelling note: In most of the works of Swami Vivekananda, including the Complete Works, the spelling "Mohammed" has been used. In the article title, we have followed the standard spelling "Hazrat Muhammad" (see the spelling in the Wikipedia article, Encyclopædia Britannica article, AlIslam.org article, Pakistan's Prime Minsiter's website etc). Similarly we have used the spelling Quran in article title, and not Koran.
But in direct quotes of Vivekananda we'll follow the spelling used in the original text and/or Complete Works.

Swami Vivekananda's quotes and comments on Hazrat Muhammad
Hazrat Muhammad painting
Mohammed was the Prophet of equality,
of the brotherhood of man,
the brotherhood of all Mussulmans.
—Swami Vivekananda
 Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Swami Vivekananda told—
  • Mohammed by his life showed that amongst Mohammedans there should be perfect equality and brotherhood. There was no question of race, caste, creed, colour, or sex. The Sultan of Turkey may buy a Negro from the mart of Africa, and bring him in chains to Turkey; but should he become a Mohammedan and have sufficient merit and abilities, he might even marry the daughter of the Sultan. Compare this with the way in which the Negroes and the American Indians are treated in this country! And what do Hindus do? If one of your missionaries chance to touch the food of an orthodox person, he would throw it away. Notwithstanding our grand philosophy, you note our weakness in practice; but there You see the greatness of the Mohammedan beyond other races, showing itself in equality, perfect equality regardless of race or colour.[Source]
  • Mohammed— the Messenger of equality. You ask, "What good can there be in his religion?" If there was no good, how could it live? The good alone lives, that alone survives.[Source]
  • Mohammed was the Prophet of equality, of the brotherhood of man, the brotherhood of all Mussulmans.[Source]

☪ Swami Vivekananda on Islam ☪
In this section you'll find Swami Vivekananda's quotes, comments and views on Islam.
A young Muslim man praying
. . .they turn their faces towards the Caaba when they pray.
These things show that men at the
first stage of religious development
have to make use of something external. . .
—Swami Vivekananda
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Personality rights note: This image depicts one identifiable person, 
Use of such image is restricted in some countries. 
See this article for details.
  • Among Mohammedans the prophets and great and noble persons are worshipped, and they turn their faces towards the Caaba when they pray. These things show that men at the first stage of religious development have to make use of something external, and when the inner self becomes purified they turn to more abstract conceptions.[Source]
  • England has the sword, the material world, as our Mohammedan conquerors had before her. Yet Akbar the Great became practically a Hindu; educated Mohammedan, the Sufis, are hardly to be distinguished from the Hindus; they do not eat beef, and in other ways conform to our usages. Their thought has become permeated with ours.[Source]
  • For our own motherland a junction of the two great systems, Hinduism and Islam — Vedanta brain and Islam body — is the only hope. I see in my mind's eye the future perfect India rising out of this chaos and strife, glorious and invincible , with Vedanta brain and Islam body.[Source]
  • I am firmly persuaded that without the help of practical Islam, theories of Vedantism, however fine and wonderful they may be, are entirely valueless to the vast mass of mankind.[Source]
  • Islam makes its followers all equal — so, that, you see, is the peculiar excellence of Mohammedanism. In many places in the Koran you find very sensual ideas of life. Never mind. What Mohammedanism comes to preach to the world is this practical brotherhood of all belonging to their faith. That is the essential part of the Mohammedan religion; and all the other ideas about heaven and of life etc.. are not Mohammedanism. They are accretions.[Source]
  • It is a mistaken statement that has been made to us that the Mohammedans do not believe that women have souls. I am very sorry to say it is an old mistake among Christian people, and they seem to like the mistake. That is a peculiarity in human nature, that people want to say something very bad about others whom they do not like. By the by, you know I am not a Mohammedan, but yet I have had opportunity for studying this religion, and there is not one word in the Koran which says that women have no souls, but in fact it says they have.[Source]
  • The fact that all these old religions are living today proves that they must have kept that mission intact; in spite of all their mistakes, in spite of all difficulties, in spite of all quarrels, in spite of all the incrustation of forms and figures, the heart of every one of them is sound — it is a throbbing, beating, living heart. They have not lost, any one of them, the great mission they came for. And it is splendid to study that mission. Take Mohammedanism, for instance. Christian people hate no religion in the world so much as Mohammedanism. They think it is the very worst form of religion that ever existed. As soon as a man becomes a Mohammedan, the whole of Islam receives him as a brother with open arms, without making any distinction, which no other religion does. If one of your American Indians becomes a Mohammedan, the Sultan of Turkey would have no objection to dine with him. If he has brains, no position is barred to him. In this country, I have never yet seen a church where the white man and the negro can kneel side by side to pray. Just think of that: Islam makes its followers all equal — so, that, you see, is the peculiar excellence of Mohammedanism. In many places in the Koran you find very sensual ideas of life. Never mind. What Mohammedanism comes to preach to the world is this practical brotherhood of all belonging to their faith. That is the essential part of the Mohammedan religion; and all the other ideas about heaven and of life etc.. are not Mohammedanism. They are accretions.[Source]
  • This Vedantic spirit of religious liberality has very much affected Mohammedanism. Mohammedanism in India is quite a different thing from that in any other country. It is only when Mohammedans come from other countries and preach to their co-religionists in India about living with men who are not of their faith that a Mohammedan mob is aroused and fights.[Source]

Swami Vivekananda on Quran
Quran
We want to lead mankind to the place
where there is neither the Vedas, nor the Bible, nor the Koran;
yet this has to be done by harmonising the Vedas,
the Bible and the Koran.
—Swami Vivekananda
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
  • Let the Vedas, the Koran, the Puranas, and all scriptural lumber rest now for some time — let there be worship of the visible God of Love and Compassion in the country. All idea of separation is bondage, that of non-differentiation is Mukti. Let not the words of people dead-drunk with worldliness terrify you. " — Be fearless" "Ignore the ordinary critics as worms!" Admit boys of all religions — Hindu, Mohammedan, Christian, or anything; but begin rather gently — I mean, see that they get their food and drink a little separately, and teach them only the universal side of religion.[Source]
  • Religion must become broad enough. Everything it claims must be judged from the standpoint of reason. Why religions should claim that they are not bound to abide by the standpoint of reason, no one knows. If one does not take the standard of reason, there cannot be any true judgement, even in the case of religions. One religion may ordain something very hideous. For instance, the Mohammedan religion allows Mohammedans to kill all who are not of their religion. It is clearly stated in the Koran, "Kill the infidels if they do not become Mohammedans." They must be put to fire and sword. Now if we tell a Mohammedan that this is wrong, he will naturally ask, "How do you know that? How do you know it is not good? My book says it is." If you say your book is older, there will come the Buddhist, and say, my book is much older still. Then will come the Hindu, and say, my books are the oldest of all. Therefore referring to books will not do. Where is the standard by which you can compare? You will say, look at the Sermon on the Mount, and the Mohammedan will reply, look at the Ethics of the Koran. The Mohammedan will say, who is the arbiter as to which is the better of the two? Neither the New Testament nor the Koran can be the arbiter in a quarrel between them. There must be some independent authority, and that cannot be any book, but something which is universal; and what is more universal than reason? It has been said that reason is not strong enough; it does not always help us to get at the Truth; many times it makes mistakes, and, therefore, the conclusion is that we must believe in the authority of a church! That was said to me by a Roman Catholic, but I could not see the logic of it. On the other hand I should say, if reason be so weak, a body of priests would be weaker, and I am not going to accept their verdict, but I will abide by my reason, because with all its weakness there is some chance of my getting at truth through it; while, by the other means, there is no such hope at all.[Source]
  • We want to lead mankind to the place where there is neither the Vedas, nor the Bible, nor the Koran; yet this has to be done by harmonising the Vedas, the Bible and the Koran. Mankind ought to be taught that religions are but the varied expressions of THE RELIGION, which is Oneness, so that each may choose that path that suits him best.[Source]






This page was last updated on: 15 May 2014, 10:50 am IST (UTC+5:30 hours)
Number of revisions in this page: 4

22 comments:

  1. Just another Indian Muslim19 May 2014 at 23:05

    Being a Bengali Muslim I have always been eager to know more and more about Swami Vivekananda. Surely, this may help to create a true Indian with "Vedanta brain and Islam body". I know Swamiji also wrote many things against prophet Muhammad but thanks to the Admin of this website for spreading the Love and brotherhood. Thanks so much!

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    1. When a man become pure he goes beyond formal religious things. So did swamiji. He was beyond all this. He only spoke truth. He admired hindus, muslims and christians and he critisized all of them too. But if he loved hindus, he also critissed hindues the most. All hindues, muslims and people of all the faiths should come forward to accept mistakes and wrong preachings of their own faith. Otherwise there is no hope.

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    2. I agree. completely.

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    3. Swami Vivekananda was a illiumined sage, and was beyond this idea of any religious boundaries. His was a standpoint which leads towards universalisation of all the different paths. He praised good and criticised the bad in every religion. Afterall religion is a belief and can be modified towards better definitions in accordance with the universal truth. He was love incarnate with practicality at its best.

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  • Looks like Vivekananda did not understand Quran well enough. He seemed to have applied superficial reasons and failed to go into depth of reasons while judging Quran. He should have gone to Muslim Scholars to understand Quranic verses than to just judge himself or ask common non-practicing Muslims. But ohh readers, don't make the same mistake. Seek "true" knowledge of Islam for your own benefit!!

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    1. Vivekananda understood Quran much better than your so called Islamic experts do. For example, Dr. Zakir Naik. Vivekannanda gave much better explanations than these Dr. Zakir Naik and others.

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  • This is completely bullshit! I don't believe Swami Vivekananda, Ramkrishna Paramhansa or Sai baba's view on Islam and his prophet! I think they are more of political in nature....! Or u can say that tried to unite Hindus and Muslims but failed miserably.Today entire world is researching on Islam, Quran and Hadith, sex life, wives, violence.... and is completely STUNNED! I think Indian saints completely failed or were afraid to tell the truth about prophet. Had these people born in Israel, it would have turned a Muslim country till now....! Today entire world is under the threat of Muslim terrorist organizations (including India).. How to tackle this situation should be the prime priority..!

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    1. Anonymous29 April 2015 at 04:40

      They simply are trying to create universal bonds between religions, I would not say they failed as they were quite successful nor would it be wise to insult the text.

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  • aljas8 April 2015 at 16:40

    vivekanda gee is open mind, thanks for quoted

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  • Jailani Basha14 September 2015 at 18:03

    An enlightened theologian, Swami Vivekananda, unfortunately had not fully understood the essence of quran.when u r attacked& when u r life is thretened , no harm to kill such persons. Needlessly taking one's life is a sin and amounts to killing humanity. Rewritten other religious scriptures& scriptures ofdoubtful nature too extol virgues of killing enemies under the garb of preserving dharma.

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    1. Anonymous2 January 2016 at 11:40

      The killing of infidels wasn't for self defense. It's for spreading of Islam. And a person of knowledge like swami Vivekanand wouldn't mess with this issue if it was self protection coz killing someone for self protection is a logical human behavior.

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  • Anonymous25 September 2015 at 20:21

    Eid Mubaraq to all my Muslim brothers and siters, and all my Christian brothers and sisters, and also my Hindu brothers and sisters. Eid Mubaraq.

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  • Anonymous14 November 2015 at 08:02

    The problem with Muslims seems that they cannot stand any criticism of their religion or what is said in the Quran.Without constructive criticism there cannnot be reform of any religion .Any scriptural text of any religion has two parts , the eternal and the temporal .The temporal needs Reformation and change to suit the needs of the age and the time we live in. But the eternal is true for all time. The Quran likewise has many Eternal Truths but also things which were acceptable in the 7 th century but not in the 21 st!! All these need to be reformed if there is any hope of Islam's reconciliation with the modern world and its way of life.

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