Qur’an and Advaita Vedanta

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A Comparative Exploration

During an interesting discussion on spirituality with ChatGPT, the AI observed that my views tended to be Qur'an centric. I suppose that was because we were discussing Qur'an related ideas.  Taken aback, I asked, what if I said my views were advaita vedantic? The AI replied that it stood to reason since both sources had many commonalities. Then it pointed out some of the commonalities.

We proceeded to examine similarities between the two sources. The correlation was startling. But, given the fact that all messages are from the same singular source, it is inevitable that they will all contain similar core content. Any perceived differences are likely to be due to the different filters through which they are viewed. 

These filters are generally historical in nature, from the very first condensation of a divine revelation into a limited human language, requiring the use of metaphor to carry esoteric content. Then we get the filter of interpretation, when scholars decipher the metaphors based on the knowledge available to them at that time in history. These interpretations are usually coloured by cultural norms and practices of that period. Finally we get the filter of translation into other languages and the limitation of finding equivalent word meanings. Seekers are urged to strive to understand the source material in the original language of revelation, exploring the metaphors by pondering upon them. The unravelling of metaphors will be guided by one's own degree of spiritual attainment. Each fresh reading can reveal new facets of meaning and add to the spiritual growth of the earnest seeker.

In the following concise comparison between the Qur’an and Advaita Vedanta. I chose to use the translation by Safi Kaskas to minimise filters introduced by the traditional viewpoint. Each element in the table links to a more detailed explanation in the companion Page. I was aided by ChatGPT in compiling this comparison.

Qur’an	Advaita Vedanta
Essence of Unity
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ “Say: He is God who is Uniquely Singular.” (112:1)	एकमेव अद्वितीयम् “The One, without a second.” (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.2.1) Read more
Guidance and Liberation
ذَٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ “This is the Book in which there is no doubt - a guide for those who are mindful of God.” (2:2)	सत्यं एव जयते नानृतम् “Truth alone triumphs, not falsehood.” (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 3.1.6) Read more
Human Purpose
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ “I did not create jinn and humans except to worship Me.” (51:56)	आत्मा वा अरे द्रष्टव्यः श्रोतव्यो मन्तव्यो निदिध्यासितव्यः “The Self, my dear, is to be realized - to be heard, reflected upon, and deeply meditated upon.” (Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 2.4.5) Read more
Diversity and Oneness
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا “O people, We created you from male and female and made you nations and tribes so that you may know one another.” (49:13)	एकं सत् विप्रा बहुधा वदन्ति “Truth is One - sages call it by many names.” (Rig Veda 1.164.46) Read more
The Inner Journey
وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّاهَا فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَاهَا “By the soul and the One who proportioned it, and inspired it with its wickedness and its righteousness.” (91:7–8)	नायमात्मा प्रवचनेन लभ्यो न मेधया न बहुना श्रुतेन “The Self is not attained through much learning, nor through intellect, nor through hearing many teachings. It is attained only by the one whom the Self chooses.” (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23) Read more
Transcendence of Ritual
لَن يَنَالَ اللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَاؤُهَا وَلَٰكِن يَنَالُهُ التَّقْوَىٰ مِنكُمْ “Neither their meat nor their blood reaches God, but your mindfulness reaches Him.” (22:37)	अन्धं तमः प्रविशन्ति येऽविद्यामुपासते “They enter into blinding darkness who worship ignorance (mere ritual). Into greater darkness go those who delight in knowledge alone.” (Īśa Upaniṣad 9) Read more
Justice and Dharma
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوِ الْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالْأَقْرَبِينَ “O you who believe, stand persistently firm in justice, as witnesses for God, even if against yourselves, your parents, or relatives.” (4:135)	यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत “Whenever there is a decline of dharma and a rise of adharma, O Arjuna, then I manifest Myself.” (Bhagavad Gītā 4.7) Read more
The End of Seeking
سَنُرِيهِمْ آيَاتِنَا فِي الْآفَاقِ وَفِي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ “We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that this is the Truth.” (41:53)	नान्तःप्रज्ञं न बहिःप्रज्ञं ... प्रपञ्चोपशमं शान्तं शिवम् अद्वैतं “It is not inwardly conscious, not outwardly conscious … It is the cessation of phenomena, peaceful, auspicious, non-dual.” (Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad 7) Read more
God Within
وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ وَنَعْلَمُ مَا تُوَسْوِسُ بِهِ نَفْسُهُ وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ “We created man, and We know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than his jugular vein.” (50:16)	य आत्मनि तिष्ठन् आत्मानः अन्तर “He who dwells in the Self, whom the Self does not know, whose body the Self is, who controls the Self from within - He is your Self, the inner controller, the immortal.” Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.7.3 Read more

The purpose of this Blog entry is simply to open channels of communication, to raise the possibility that positions once thought to be disparate can become aligned and draw closer together. Readers are urged to do their own research and discuss with fellow seekers to obtain clarity.