«Incarnation of God: A General View»
«Incarnation of God: A General View»
Kutluturk, Cemil 16 May, 2017
* * avatara avatara
* incarno
* incarno
* hulûl
* hulûl
The Hindu View of Incarnation of God
In Hinduism the Sanskrit term “avatara” ( अवततार) is used in order to indicate the concept of incarnation of God.
The word avatara is used both in the sense of
“descent” as well as “one who has descended”.
Although an avatara is commonly considered as an appearance of any deity on earth, the term refers
particularly to descents of Vishnu
Even though some passages of earlier
Hindu scriptures deal with deities taking on various forms, the doctrine of avatara first seem clearly in Bhagavadgita, an
important sacred text of Hinduism.
«Whenever righteousness wanes and unrighteousness increases I send myself forth.
For the protection of the good and for the destruction of evil, and for the establishment of righteousness,
I come into being age after age.» (Bhagavadgita:4.7–8)
On the Christian side, the word “incarnation”
means “enfleshment” based on the statement in the Gospel according to John, as follows;
“the Word (Greek: logos) became flesh”(John, 1.14).
«Incarnation» derives from Latin caro (flesh), corresponding to the Greek sarx.
The Christian View of Incarnation of
God
In the early Christian era, especially during the first four centuries, there was considerable disagreement amongst Christians regarding the nature of Christ's Incarnation.
Eventually, The Council of Chalcedon (451 C.E.) synthesized the two dialectical emphases of the Alexandrian and Antiochene schools. It taught that in Christ there are two natures, divine and human, united in one person (hypostasis).
The basic understanding is that even though Christ the eternal
Word becomes flesh, that is, a human being, he still does not
lose his divinity (Jn 1.14-18).
The Islamic View of Incarnation of God
In Islamic tradition the term of hulûl is used in order to describe the issue of the incarnation of God. This term was applied both to the relationship of the soul the body and the idea that a divine spirit could enter in man. The second idea was rejected since dividing the divine essence.
In the Quran, there is no mention of the incarnation and no
use there of a later Islamic term “hulûl” for incarnation.
In the Quran many verses emphasize on that nothing is similar to Allah Almighty and there is absolutely nothing like Him in the whole Universe. It is mentioned in the Quran;
“Say: He is God the One and only; God, the Eternal, Absolute;
He begetteth not, nor is he begotten and there is none like unto
Him”. (al-Ikhlas 112/1-4)
God proclaims his being as both Hidden
and Manifest, the hidden aspect of God is theineffable, transcendent and unknowable God, that is His Essence (
dhāt ), his Manifest aspect is HisNames and Attributes which are manifested thus in the metaphysical and eternal Imam. The
imamhimself as noted above has a dual role also, similar to the
Hidden/Manifest reality which God himself possesses. The historical imam‟s hidden aspect (
namely his innermost reality which isrevealed only to those who are initiated by the imam) is equated with God‟s manifest aspect. At this level the manifested aspect of God and the hidden esoteric aspect of the Imam - both Imam andGod are One.
The ghulāt Rad, 31 / Sad, 72
The term ghulūww is commonly translated as
“extremism” or “ exaggeration” and denotes certainreligious and doctrinal views which could be classed as exceeding the bounds of „proper‟ belief with those holding these extreme views being called ghulāt (exaggerators
. The ghulāt tended to be associated with certain beliefs deemed „deviant‟ or „heretical‟
enough so thatthey were, in some cases, viewed as falling beyond the pale of Muslim orthodoxy and Islam
are commonly associated with ideas deemed as heretical or deviant, withbeliefs centring on such concepts as excessive veneration of and even deification of the Imams,associating them with God himself or believing that they existed as part of the divine godhead. Theattribution of divinity to certain individuals is known as ḥulūl (descent of the divine spirit intohuman form, or divine incarnation), whilst other doctrines include tashbīh
(anthropomorphismregarding God) and
tanāsukh(metempsychosis) to name but a few.
It is apparent that even many traditionally „orthodox‟ – if one can use that term
appropriately in the first instance given thatorthodoxy was still being defined Shī„i scholars in the early period of Islam were susceptible to holding beliefs which could now, following an evolution of these concepts and the concretization of Imāmī Shī„i orthodoxy, be
classified as ghulūw
Nizari İsmaili
The advent of Nizari Ismaili da’wa into the Indian subcontinent was associated with various pirs and sayyids who were sent to this area by Ismaili Imams residing in Iran to teach of Ismaili doctrines. Religious teachers, da’is, were active propagating the Ismaili faith in areas like Sindh, Gujarat, Punjab from the 10th to 15th century. They were
charged with becoming masters of the local language and learning as much as possible about the cultural and religious avenue in which they related. As part of their process of da’wa, they composed a number of religious hymns, Ginans, as a method to disseminate their religious thought. The hymns composed by these figures incorporated many Hindu themes and doctrines. These texts, furthermore, draw symbols directly from other
religious systems such as using of Hindu deities to describe the Imam and expressing their pirs as yogis, gurus or sadhus.
The doctrine of incarnation of god as a savior of true religion and its all devoted members explicitly found in an important Ginan entitled Dasa
Avatara, which has been recorded in three separate versions attributed to Pir Shams al-Din, Pir Sadr al-Din and Imam Shah (Khakee 1972: 286). This Ginan with strong Hindu influences presents the imam as the long awaited savior
within a Vaishnava framework concerning the dasa avatara (ten descents) of the Hindu deity Vishnu through the yugas (ages). Dasa Avatara, often hailed as a Khoja classic, created an ostensible equivalence between the Vaishnava
Hindu concept of avatara and the Ismaili concept of Imam
God (devata) in his tenth manifestation (avatar), assumed a form (rupa) and
became visible. The Supreme first manifested in the form of a fish (Matsya); He was the support for the seer Mugdala. In his form as tortoise (Kurma), he churned the ocean; The fourteen jewels were thus recovered. He became visible to the aid of King Ambarisa; Thus the King reached the other shore…
In this fourth age (kaliyuga), he has become manifest; He is 'Ali, mighty comrade of Muhammad. Whoever worships and respects him determinedly, that man or woman will be rescued (Racit Ginanono Sangraha 28.52-64).
The avatar of this fourth age is Nakalanka; know that he is a Muslim; He who was wrathful with the infidels (kafir),
indeed, he has come
In Comparison to Christianity
While the concept of incarnation of God is one of the main doctrines of Hinduism and
Christianity, Islam dos not accept such a
doctrine. Therefore, when the doctrines of
incarnation and avatara are compared some
similarities can be found as well as differences
between each other.
Main Similarities
1. Firstly, both doctrines are not bound by the laws of nature as human beings are.
2. They reveal God’s personal love and
concern, and emphasize loving devotion (bhakti).
3. Both conceptions give importance to the world and justify selfless involvement in the world, rather than renunciation of the world.
New Testament (Jn 5.17; Mt 20.28 [Mk 10.45]), Jesus is concerned
not only about the next world but also about establishing a
kingdom of justice, peace, and love in this world. He declares that
the poor are blessed (Lk 6.20). He heals outcasts, including lepers
(Lk 7.22). This aspect of incarnation is similar to doctrine of
avatara. Namely, In the Bhagavadgita (3.19-25) Krishna exhorts
the individuals not only to be detached but to be involved in the
world and perform their duties for the welfare of people .
4. In both cases, the descent of God allows for human beings to ascend to God. By the way of incarnation and avatara, human beings are raised to a higher dignity.
5. Jesus is the Son of God made man in order to
save “his people from their sins” (Mt 1:21). This
aspect of Jesus is similar to Kalki avatara, which
means the Lord’s incarnation as destroyer of sin of
mankind. ( Bhagavad Purana, 2.7.38; Vişnu Purana, 4.24.98 )
Main Distinctions
There are some distinctions, on the other hand,
between these two religions. Yet, it must be
known that the concept of incarnation and
avatara are not so antithetical. Besides this the
variations are not always so clear.
1. According to Hinduism there are many and repeated avataras, while Christ comes only once. Indeed, this is related to the respective cyclic and linear worldviews of the two religions
In Hinduism there are cycles of evolution and dissolution,
and so in this worldview it makes sense that avataras come
again and again in different yugas. The number, line and
name of avataras differ according to Hindu texts. (For
instance, the ten major avatara from the Garuda Purana
(1.86.10-11); lists of twenty-two and twenty-three avataras
in the Bhagavata Purana (1.3; 2.7).
According to Hindu tradition the ten avataras of Vishnu are the most popular. Standard list of ten avataras includes the Fish, the Tortoise, the Boar, the Man-Lion, the Dwarf, Parasurama,
Rama, Krishna, Buddha and Kalki.
In Christianity, however, the world is created only once,
and it moves in a linear fashion toward a final goal, and so
it makes sense that the incarnation takes place once and for
all.
2. Another difference is that in Hinduism avataras are real and perfect, while in Christianity Christ is also real, yet imperfect; that is he has human imperfections, except sin .
According to mainstream of Hindu religion avataras do not have any
flaws, since it is impossible for God to be imperfect. The forms or
bodies of the avataras are made up of «suddha-sattva». Since
avataras consist of this "pure matter«, they are perfect. Christ, on the
other hand, is subject to hunger, thirst, suffering, and so forth, since
he has not only the divine nature but also the imperfect human
nature. In fact, it is remarkable that, in Christianity, Christ brings
redemption not merely through his incarnation but also through his
suffering and death, and, of course, through his resurrection.
3. While Christ has never been thought of as a partial incarnation, in Hinduism there are partial (amsa) and full (purna) avataras.
4. The other difference is that while the purpose of
Christ is primarily ultimate salvation, not every
avatara grants ultimate liberation, some of them
come only to save a devotee from a specific
predicament.
In Comparison to Islam
Hinduism asserts that God comes to earth in a human or animal form and he takes birth through family. God as an avatara experiences of worldly actions and performs human deeds. Islam does not acknowledge such a description and assumption of God because according to Islam God is neither begets nor is begotten. Such an understanding has any human form or incarnations, means to stigmatize of God and it is considered as one of the great sin in Islam.
According to Hinduism avataras give revelations of God. They are
regarded as special revelations which are both divine teaching and
the self- manifestation of the divine to human persons. On the other
hand, Islam says that “the Quran” is the last and final revelation to
mankind from Allah.
Who then was Jesus? While the identity of Jesus as the Son of God is rejected, the Qur’an testifies to the uniqueness and importance of Jesus by the recognition of his birth to the Virgin Mary (Al-Imran 3/47), his working of miracles (by God’s leave), and his mysterious ascension to God in heaven (Al-Imran 3/55; an- Nisa’ 4/158).
