MENTION OF THE HINDU RACE IN THE QURAN 

An allegation against the Qur’an: I have overheard a large number of sincere Hindus, who are greatly impressed by Islam and acknowledge greatness of the Qur’an,  complaining that though there is mention of other races in the Qur’an, there is no mention of the Hindu race. When we attempt to answer their complaints through various elusive explanations, aren’t we becoming unknowingly or unintentionally a party to the leveling of this allegation against the Qur’an? 

            I quote here from the book Masabihul Islam written in urdu by Shri Ganga Prashad Upadhyai: “At so many places in the Qur’an it has been stated that God had been sending different prophets to guide the different races but none of these has been mentioned in particular. The strange thing is that the most ancient races like Hindus and Chinese etc., whose civilization is thousands of years old, are not even hinted at, It seems as if this divine inspiration called the Qur’an  the Word of God has nothing to do with human races of the world in general. 

            Verily the first people spoken to the Qur’an  were Arabs. But if it is not merely a 1400 ear old book but a book that accounts for all the events and circumstances to come then how is it possible that it makes no mention of the oldest of all religious races which had been living in this world thousands of years before the Qur’an! was revealed and still continues to exist in a large number. It is an allegation against the Qur’an! Did we ever try to trace out the name or reference of the Hindu race in the Qur’an?  The Word ‘Hindu’ is nowhere in the Quran but is the word ‘Christian’ there? Shall we conclude, there by that there is no mention of Christians in the Qur’an. The Qur’an, on the other hand, uses the word Nasara  though, we know for certain that those people who call themselves Christians are phrased as Nasara by Quran. No Christian of the world calls himself Nasara  by Quran.  Like wise, the people who call themselves Hindus may have been mentioned by some other name in the Quran.

No  research has yet been done about the names of all the races mentioned in the Quran. There are a number of races mentioned in the Qur’an  whose identity is yet to be traced by its commentators. These are As’habur Rass  and Qaum-e-Tubb’a.  The Sabean in particular have been mentioned (in the Qur’an) at various places along with the jews and the Christians as if they are a big and one of the most prominent races of the world. For example; “Lo! of those who believe (in the Qur’an) and those who follow the Jewish (Scriptures) and the Christians and the Sabeans, whoever believe in God and the Last Day (the Day of Resurrection) and work righteousness shall have their reward with their Lord: up on them shall come no fear, nor shall they grieve.” (2:62)  

            In this verse the Sabeans have been mentioned along with the Muslims, the Jews and the Christians. Besides, wherever the Sabeans have been mentioned in the Qur’an,  it is along with these  big races. We have no still been able to trace out this most important race, whereas, like the Muslims, the Jews and the Christians, they must at present and for the times to come, be as one of the prominent religious communities of the world. If we concentrate we will know that the field of our research has extremely narrowed. How many prominent religious communities are still in the world besides the Muslims, the Jews and the Christians? The Sabeans verily should be one of them. let us look at it from a different angle. 

            Among the prophets of great stature the most important ones repeatedly referred to in the Qur’an  are Noah, Abraham, Moses, jesus, and lastly Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). See for example: 

i)                    “And remember we took from the prophets their covenant, as (We did from the (O’ Mohammed), from Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus the son of May. We took from them A solemn covenant”. (33:7). 

ii)                  ‘The same religion has He established for you as the one which He enjoined on Noah-That which we have sent by inspiration to thee—and that which we enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and Jesus…’ (42:13). 

We notice in these Qur’anic  verses that the big races mentioned together are the Muslims, the Christians, the Jews and the Sabeans. Similarly, the prophets of great stature mentioned here together and also at other places, are Mohammad, Jesus, Moses and Noah. Amongst these the Muslims regard Mohammad as their prophet, the Christians to Jesus, and Jews to Moses. But about the Sabeans? We do not know. Consider again: the people of Mohammad are called the Muslims, of Jesus the Christians, and of Moses the Jews. But what about the people of Noah? No one knows. Is it probable that the people of Noah have been called the Sabeans?