Response to the Hindutva Contention: “Indian Muslims are the Descendants of the Hindus”

By Abrar Ahmed

As per the Indian Newspaper The Times of India: “Mr. Mohan Bhagwat (the Hindutva RSS chief) described Muslims of India as “descendants of Hindus and even Kshatriyas who were converted into a different faith”

Mr. Bhagwat keeps exhorting this fact that ancestors of Muslims were Hindus, but it seems that he thinks that this will create a moral high ground for reverse conversion or a sense of superiority. But I think this idea is grossly mistaken.

Firstly, Muslims believe that ancestors of all human being was a prophet named Aadam (Adam) (Alyhis Salaam) and Islam begun with that first person. So even if they look toward their past they see Islam at the GROUND ZERO OF GENESIS.

Secondly, Muslims believe the fact from Qur’an that every generation /nation was sent with a prophet in their own language and that they presented the same Islam but most of them turned away from true teaching of Islam. Another reason for Muslims to not take them as models.

Finally, there is no concept of nobility attached with ancestors as Islam began with condemning the ancestors at the first place in Makkah during struggle of prophet of Islam Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). “‘Baap dada ka deen” (i.e. religion of the forefathers) is in fact used in a derogatory sense in Islamic culture in the contrast that Deen is what is in Qur’an and Sunnah. Old is not always Gold in this view and in fact latest version is most updated.

So the idea that ancestors were always right is not the idea of Islam.
In fact Muslims celebrate the fact they chose Islam due to conviction and yaqeen. So these exhortations doesn’t make much sense.