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We should celebrate the similarities in the Scriptures by practicing. Similarly we should reflect on the

similarities of Practises that are not sanctioned by these Great Teachings, but over time we have been

convinced to adopt it!

…Oh Lord, the Creator of All, seen and unseen with Power and Knowledge of

the seen , unseen, past, present and future, open all our Hearts to the Truth and Guide Us All to the Straight Path.

Amen

The series of Booklets that have been produced is to remove misconception on Islam, and see ways and means to find the similarities in the Great Masters Teachings, through the available Scriptures, and to prevent Mischief.

We hope you will enjoy reading them, and also find useful n Truthful Information that will help us as a Society to live in Peace, whatever our differences in Beliefs, Practices and Understanding.

Similarities In Scriptures: One GOD

BUDDHISM : There is,O monks, an unborn, unoriginated, . uncreated, unformed. Were there not, O monks, this unborn, *unoriginated, uncreated, unformed, there would be no escape from the world of the born, originated, created, formed. [12] Truth is above the power of death,it is omnipresent, eternal, and most glorious. [22] *notice the words identical in meaning

ISLAM Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him. in addition to the attributes All Powerful, All Knowledgeable, Most Merciful,… and many more including The Truth(Al Haqque)

CHRISTIANITY Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord Deu 6:4 “I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me [Isa46:9] Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.” Exodus 20:3-5]

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HINDUISM Ekam Evadvitiyam -He is one only without a second Chandogya Upanishad6;2v1 Nacasya kascij janita na cadhipah- Of Him theres neither parents nor Lord Scwetashvatara Upanishad 6:9,4:19 Na tasya pratima asti- There is no likeness oh Him 4:20 Na samdrse tisthati rupam asya, na caksusa pasyati kas canainam His form cannot be seen, no one sees Him with the eye Ghagwad Geeta 7:20 Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires worship demigods. 10:3 He who knows Me as the unborn, as the beginning, as the Supreme Lord of all the Worlds Vajurveda 32:3 Na tasya pratima asti- There is no image of Him. it further states 2 As He is unborn, He deserves our worship

But We D I F F E R!

The objective of this booklet is to

bring about better understanding of the various Religions, and respect each other.

Humans are miracle machines. We must strive hard to live as one Community, respecting and

assisting each other. All information in this booklet is solely for this.

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who recite the Veda.' 'God weighed in the scales the crime of killing a earned Brâhmana against the crime of charging interest; the slayer of the Brâhmana remained at the top, the charger of interest sank downwards.'Christianity: And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. (Luke 6:34-35) Jesus said, "If you have money, do not lend it at interest. Rather, give to someone from whom you will not get it back." (Gospel of Thomas 95) Ezekiel 18:13 Lends at interest, and takes profit; shall he then live? He shall not live. He has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon himself.

Deuteronomy 23:19 “You shall not charge interest on loans to your brother, interest on money, interest on food, interest on anything that is lent for interest. Ezekiel 22:12-13 In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take interest and profit and make gain of your neighbors by extortion; but me you have forgotten, declares the Lord God. “Behold, I strike my hand at the dishonest gain that you have made, and at the blood that has been in your midst.

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Islam O ye who believe! devour not usury doubled and multiplied; but fear Allah; that ye may prosper. 3: 130

Those who devour usury will not stand except as stands one whom the Evil One by his touch hath driven to madness. That is because they say: "Trade is like usury but Allah hath permitted trade and forbidden usury. Those who after receiving direction from their Lord desist shall be pardoned for the past; their case is for Allah (to judge); but those who repeat (the offence) are companions of the fire: they will abide therein (for ever). Qur'an 2: 275.

Oneness of God & Prohibition of Idol WorshipChristianity&Hinduism -Bhagavad Gita 7:20, Yajur Veda 32:3, 40:8-9; Rig Veda 1:164:46, 6:45:16; UPANISHAD: Khandogya: 6:2:1, Svetashvatara Upanishad 4:19,Shwetashvatara 6:9, 4:20; 10:3; Leviticus 26:1; Exodus 20:3-5] Colossians 2:18, John 4:23John 1:1 8

Islam&Buddhism-

Buddhists say they do not worship Buddha, as they do not believe in a God. Every Temple and major location having a statue is to remember and Honour such a Great Personality

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Consider Also:Gambling, Adultry,Fortune Telling?Again you will find all the Great Teachers wanted us to refrain

Consider Again: Liquor,Pork?Same Advice!

How about Racism!Again it is the same too!!

Purdah & Evil lustful thoughts Same Advice

Judgement Day

Matthew 24:36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.

Qur'an 33: 63 Men ask you of the Hour. Say the knowledge of it is with God only. What can convey to you that may be the Hour is near.

Angels have no Freewill . Psalm 103:20-21 Praise the LORD, you his angels,you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.

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Quran 66:6 ….. over which are (appointed) stern angels(and) severe, who flinch not (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allah, but do (precisely) what they are commanded.

Repentance Quran: 2:222) Truly, Allah loves those who turn unto him in repentance."Luke 15:7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Interest Buddhism : Majjhima Nikaya Suttra 117 “Buddha forbids "rapacity for gain upon gain" One discerns wrong livelihood as wrong livelihood, and right livelihood as right livelihood. And what is wrong livelihood? Scheming, persuading, hinting, belittling, and charging interest. This is wrong livelihood."

Hinduism : Vasishtha, The Sacred Laws of the Aryas, Part II, Chptr 2, vs 40-42 A Brâhmana and a Kshatriya shall not lend anything at interest... 'He who acquiring property cheap, gives it for a high price, is called a usurer and blamed among those 06

Muslims do not have any Statues of God, nor do they worship any such Diety. However some non muslims think they worship the Kaaba as all pray towards it.The difference from other Religions is that here they are asked to pray towards the Kaaba, in the Quran. It is only a direction and a form of unity. They do not have a Kaaba statue or picture in Mosques or homes to worship. Further during the first few of years of Islam there were hundreds of idols within the Kaaba, still the Muslims still prayed towards it. Those days .people used to climb on top of it and say the call of prayer (AZAN)

Note in other Religions it is prohibited, and in the case of Buddhism it was not the practice during that timeAll Prophets are righteous by definition- David. Thus any dishonouring statements in any of the Holy Books can only be said that it got there only by ADDITION , as they are Messengers of God refer:1 Chronicles 18:14 So David reigned over all Israel, and he administered justice and equity to all his people. Jeremiah 23:5 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

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Psalm 31:1-24 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name's sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.

Birthdays : Interestingly it has crept into Religion and Culture from Pagan Sources!

Christmas:… http://www.bib-arch.org/e-features/christmas.asp Origen of Alexandria (c. 165–264) goes so far as to mock Roman celebrations of birth anniversaries, dismissing them as “pagan” practices—a strong indication that Jesus' birth was not marked with similar festivities at that place and time. As far as we can tell, Christmas was not celebrated at all at this point.Further they believe the birth would have been in march,april or may. From the mid-fourth century on, we do find Christians deliberately adapting and Christianizing pagan festivals. A famous proponent of this practice was Pope Gregory the Great, who, in a letter written in 601 C.E. to a Christian missionary in Britain, recommended that local pagan temples not be destroyed but be converted08

into churches, and that pagan festivals be celebrated as feasts of Christian martyrs. At this late point, Christmas may well have acquired some pagan trappings. Andrew McGowan , Warden and President of Trinity College at the University of Melbourne, Australia,

Vesak; Buddha's birthday was Not celebrated during his time, or for many centuries. Yet it has come to stay in Religious Practices

Meelad un Nabi: Prophet Muhammad birthday too was never celebrated during his lifetime or many years after his death. Yet it has come to stay in Religious or Cultural Practices, in some Countries, probably adopting such celebrations from others.

ENLIGHTMENT from GREAT TEACHINGS:

Buddhism: 1.During the last 45 years of my life, I have not withheld nothing of my teachings. There is no secret teaching, no hidden meanings; Everything has been taught openly and clearly. 2.I am not the first Buddha who came upon this Earth, nor shall I be the last.

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3.Do not believe in anything simply because you heard it. Do not believe in tradition just because it has been handed over for many generations. Do not believe brcause in anything because it is spoken and rumoured by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is wrotten in your religious books.Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. But after observations and analysis when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it, and live up to it. 4 Not by birth does one become an outcast, not by birth does one become a Brahman; by deeds one becomes an outcast, by deeds one becomes a Brahman 5.All Buddhas teach the same Truth.

Hinduism: 1Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, worship demi gods.Bhagwad Geetha7:20 2 There is no image of HIM. HE is UNBORN. .HE deserves our worship. Vajurveda 32:3

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Christianity:1. I can on my own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgement is just; because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me John5:30 . 2 Think not I have come to abolish the Lawand the way of the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfil them.For, I say to you, till the heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Mat5:17-18

3.Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'Mat. 7:19:23 4. 'How can you say, “We are wise, for we have the law of the LORD,” when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely? Jeremiah 8:7-9

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Islam:1 There is no compulsion in Religion. Truth stands out clear from error Quran 2:256 2. O ye who believe! stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for Allah can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest ye swerve, and if ye distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well- acquainted with all that ye do. Quran4:135 3. This is the Book; in it is guidance sure, without doubt, to those who fear Allah. Quran2:2 4. Koran, wherein there is no crookedness; haply they will be godfearing. Quran 39:28 5. On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people. ..Quran5:32

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History of Religious BooksHow it came into Existence

Hinduism hinduwebsite.com/vedicsection/aboutvedas.aspThe Veda is the oldest Scripture of Hinduism. . Even today many scholars tend to define a person as a Hindu only if he or she accepts the authority of the Vedas. Most of the hymns in the Vedas do not make sense today because of the changes that took place in the Vedic religion in the last 3000 years. We have no idea how much of the Vedas were compromised and how much of it was kept intact. We know for sure that many of the ancient gods were sacrificed to keep the tradition alive and the priests in power. Whatever might be the truth, the Vedas constitute the base as well as the hub of the Hindu tradition

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Buddhismhttp://dharmastudy.org/essays/the-pali-canon/ No one knows what language the Buddha actually used to deliver his teachings. It's almost certain that the discourses recorded in the Pali Canon are not verbatim transcripts of the Buddha's words. First, there is the sheer size of the canon; the Sutta Pitaka itself is considerably larger than the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Koran combined. Considered simply as a treasure trove, full of wonderful stories and thought-provoking lessons, the Pali Canon contains a lot of treasure.Sri Lanka adopted the Buddha's Dharma eagerly, and it was in that island kingdom, under the sponsorship of King Vattagamani, that the Fourth Buddhist Council was held, in about 200BCE, with the express purpose of committing the teachings to writing. Once again, the council heard the recitation of the entire body of teachings; by this time, with various accretions, the whole thing took over six months to recite, and it had become virtually impossible for a single bhikkhu to memorize in its entirety. So, in order that the teachings would not be lost, the bhikkhus of the Fourth Council undertook to write the whole thing down.

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Christianityhttp://www.allabouttruth.org/origin-of-the-bible.htm http://www.bible-r e s e a r c h e r . c o m / r s v p r e f a c e . h t m lThe King James Version has with good reason been termed "the noblest monument of English prose." …..Yet the King James Version has grave defects. By the middle of the nineteenth century, the development of Biblical studies and the discovery of many manuscripts more ancient than those upon which the King James Version was based, made it manifest that these defects are so many and so serious as to call for revision of the English translation. http://www.premiercommunity.org.uk/group/unbelievable/forum/topics/1-y e a r - l a t e r - b - s t r o n g -is?page=2&commentId=2060181%3AComment%3A1104359&x=1#2060181Comment1104359Vincint Bulgiosi (the famed prosecutor who prosecuted the notorious “killer” Charles Manson) states in his new book: Divinity of Doubt; The God Question (in chapter 2)“Christian writings would be inadmissible “in court” because they all constitute hearsay and are not properly authenticated. Since a jury would not be allowed to consider such documents, these historic texts must also be denied admission in the courtroom of the mind of the seeker.” World expert Dr. Bart Ehrman bolsters that shocking statement with his own shocking confession: “we don't even have a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy, etc, etc, etc, of any original book of the New Testament!”

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Islam http://www.quran.net/quran/PreservationOfTheQuran.htmThe Quran was revealed over a period of twenty-three years and was written down in its entirety during the Prophet's lifetime.It has been established, the Prophet always arranged for each passage of the Qur'an to be recorded in writing as soon as it was revealed. This kitabat (writing down on paper) was so meticulous a procedure.. It was customary for the Prophet to ask the transcriber to read out the verses after writing them down. According to Zayd ibn Thabit, if any part was missed out in the writing, he would correct it and only after this written work was fully completed would the Prophet allow the propagation of those verses (Majmauz Zawaid, vol.I, p. 60). The number of transcribers who worked at different times is put at forty-two. According to Ibn Abdul Bar, Hanzala ibn Rabi was the chief transcriber. He was asked to remain in the company of the Prophet at all times (Aqd Al-Farid, v. 4, p. 114), a foolproof arrangement whereby a number of the companions possessed passages of the Qur'an in written form by the time of the Prophet's death. A sizeable number, four of whom are worth mentioning: Abu Darda, Muaz ibn Jabal, Zayd ibn Thabit and Abu Zayd even possessed the complete Qur'an in its present arrangement. 16

How do you accompolish Peace with Understanding?Generally the problem arises when we see other People with colored lens. Further when we see the obvious superiority of one's self over the others in many things we jump to conclusions. This arrogance will be on check if you take trouble to understand the following mathematical wonder

CHECKMATE!Claude Shannon, the information theorist, calculated that there were more possible chess moves than there are atoms in the universe. This with just 16 Chess pieces on each sideIMAGINE the probability!If that is the case, can we judge others without giving a chance to explain as a basic minimum ?It is time to be Humble, accept the possibility that there could be more explanations than our understanding.If we are in doubt we should always ask someone more knowledgeable and who will respond with responsibility. Yes there is more similarity than one can imagine as most have got lost in Time, and rewritten by lying scribes (as per Bible)Perhaps misinterpretation of Teachings too.

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Additional References

Liquor /Gambling /Adultry Ephesians 5:18 ,Proverbs 20:1 ,23:31 Isaiah 5:11 Hebrews 13:4 Exodus 20:14, 1 Timothy 6:10 Hebrews 13:5 Matthew 5:28, Job 31:1 EMatthew 5:28 Manu Smriti: 7:50,9:235, 11:55; Rig Veda: 8:2:12, 8:21:14; Quran5:90

Purdah 1 Peter 3:3 1 Timothy 2:9-10

1 Corinthians 11:5-6 Mark 7:21 Quran: 33:59. Rig Veda: 8:33:19;

Fortune Telling Jeremiah 27:9 Micah 5:12 Exodus 22:18

Racism Galatians 3:28 Romans 10:12 Mat 7:12

Pork Prohibition Leviticus 11:7-8;Deuteronomy 14:8. Vishnu Sutra 5:49)

Permission for Non-Vegetarian Food:- Ramayana: 2:20:29; Manu Smriti: 5:30, 39-40; Mahabharata: 13:88. Prohibition of Usury (Interest on Money/Loan/Credit):- Manu Smriti: 11:62, 8:152; Leviticus 25:36-37; Ezekiel 18:13, 22:12; Psalms 15:5. Buddhism Ch 94 "Star-gazing and astrology, forecasting lucky or unfortunate events by signs, prognosticating good or evil, all these are things forbidden. [15]

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Acquiring Knowledge - Good

Informing others - V. Good

Applying it

Preventing Mischief - Noble

- Excellent

yes@vr-one.org

VR Ordinary Muslims trying to explain toOrdinary Non Muslims.

Authors Note:

Hope you found this little booklet Truthful and informative. You will wonder why a basic Muslim takes this much of trouble? The answer is very simple. We want to follow the Basic Principles of Islam. This can never be done without understanding the Character and Practices of the Final Prophet. Read his Last Sermon to Understand better( we are asked to inform others even if we know even one thing!).

If you think this information in the Booklet will be useful, please download and Print at the corner store and distribute to friends and Family, as it is done in a way to print easily. You may also go to the website for other articles of Social Value. GOD Bless

It is not possible to get these details.THANK YOU ALL good Souls

who have made their work freely available.

18http://www.vr-one.org