Islam and Jainism

Jainism and Islam have different theological premises,[1] and their interaction has been mixed ranging from religious persecution to mutual acceptance.

[8] Mahmud Ghazni (1001), Mohammad Ghori (1175) and Ala-ud-din Muhammed Shah Khalji (1298) had an interesting relation the Jain community.

[citation needed] Founders and rulers of Delhi Sultanate such as Mohammad Ghori (1175) and Alauddin Khalji (1298) had a known relation with the Jain community.

[3] Jinaprabha Suri (d.1333) writes in his "Vividhatirthakalpa" ("Guide to Various Pilgrimage Places") of his relationship with Muhammad bin Tughluq (r.1325-1351), Sultan of Delhi.

In two chapters that discuss his relationship with the Sultan (one of which was actually written by his disciple), Jinaprabha travels to Delhi to recover an image that had been taken from a temple.

He accompanies the Sultan on his military campaigns and upon his return is awarded a quarter of town in Tughluqabad for the Jain community, including a hall for Jinaprabha to teach in.

Amid great fanfare and celebration the Jain community is declared by our author as prosperous and "just as when the Hindus ruled and times were not so bad, the glorious Jinaprabhasuri taught all those who come to him, even those of other faiths, and all rush to serve him.

While temples were desecrated, Jinaprabha speaks of these incidents as due to the power of the Dark Age (Kali Yuga) in which such things are going to happen.

[13] As bankers and financiers, the Jains had significant impact on Muslim rulers, but they rarely were able to enter into a political discourse which was framed in Islamic categories.

[15] Akbar also declared "Amari Ghosana" banning the killing of animals during Jain festival of Paryushana and Mahavir Janma Kalyanak.

[18] Aurangzeb then caused the desecration of the noses of all carved figures in the temple, and then converted the place into a mosque called Quvval-ul-Islam ("the Might of Islam").

Jainism believed that an individual soul will attain moksha with intense meditation, self discipline and sacrifice of even food and water to attain Moksa which is state of free from cycle of birth and karma, that soul will merge with nature and ultimate peace and eternity against time and space.

They believe only karma can help a person [24][25][26] Jainism accepts numerous deities (gods and goddesses) that are a part of the cycles of rebirth,[23] while Islam is strictly monotheistic.

[32] In contrast, the reincarnation (rebirth) doctrine, along with its theories of Saṃsāra and Karma, are central to Jain theological foundations, as evidenced by the extensive literature on it in the major sects of Jainism, and their ideas on these topics from the earliest times of the Jaina tradition.

[46] However, adds Esposito, modern thinkers have argued against execution as penalty for apostasy from Islam by invoking Quranic verse 2:257.