| It is clear
therefore that Mohammed does not represent the state of God-consciousness from birth that
Divine incarnations (avatars) are supposed to have from the standpoint of yogic
spirituality. Nor does he show an ongoing state of Samadhi in the yogic sense beginning at
any time in his life, which is experienced as an unbroken continuity of awareness of the
Supreme Self. He had mystical experiences but these
came at various intervals. Not surprisingly therefore orthodox Islam does not believe in
avatars or Self-realization, as Mohammed, their greatest Prophet, does not reflect such
awareness. Nor are prophet hood and avatar
hood the same thing as religious syncretists would have us believe. A prophet has a
special message from God that is said to be valid for all people and which establishes an
external code of belief that everyone is supposed to follow. An avatar is one whose
consciousness from birth is that of the Divine Itself and sets forth a path of
Self-realization based on yogic practices. Islam does not accept Divine incarnations and
this is one important difference it has always had with Christianity. It does not accept
the Christian concept of Jesus as the Son of God but only as a previous prophet. To try to
make Mohammed into an avatar in the Hindu sense shows neither an understanding of what a
prophet or an avatar is. |
