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Can a Muslim attain moksha in the Hindu way?

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In fact Moksha = eternal birthless/ deathless state in Hinduism.

It’s equivalent in Islam, we can say, is life in Heaven. For a Muslim, life in Heaven is an eternal reward.

A ‘true Muslim’ is assured of the reward. Who is a true Muslim?

  • One who does all the right things that Koran dictates. (Having total faith in Allah, doing daily Namaz, ete etc)
  • One who does not do all the wrong things that Koran dictates (refraining from  worshiping any other God,  worshiping God with form or worshiping any human being; no drinking, no earning money through money-lending etc etc)

In Islam, there is no rebirth. This current life is just one. At the end of it, wait for the day of judgement in your grave. Allah would judge you based on your deeds during your lifetime and either you will end in heaven or in hell forever.

An Islamic heaven is a place of permanent enjoyment and merry making in the company of God. A Hindu’s heaven is not equivalent to Islam’s heaven. A Hindu’s heaven is not a moksha either. Hindu’s heaven is at the best a temporary stay of enjoyment of the fruits of good deeds till you exhaust them. It is said that there is no physical body for enjoyment, but only a subtle body (soul) where the enjoyment is only mental. You will have to return to earth afterwards. Coming and going will go on till you are freed of desires and wants and totally refine yourself— till you attain moksha. It is also believed that enjoyment in heaven is for extraordinary good deeds only. For not so great good deeds, the earth itself is the place of enjoyment (in the next birth).

An Islamic hell is a permanent and never ending place of suffering. There is no escape once one ends there. A Hindu’s hell is not equivalent to an Islam’s hell. It is just a temporary place of stay and suffering till you exhaust the effects of your evil karmas. Here again it is said that all the sufferings are mental only as there is no physical body. You then get a chance to take a rebirth in earth to refine yourself. Again, the punishment in hell is for any extraordinary acts of evil done in previous births. For other wrong doings, suffering comes in some way or other in the next birth. Any number of births may be there till you refine yourself completely and attain moksha.

A Hindu’s moksha is neither enjoyment equivalent to what you get in Heaven nor any suffering whatsoever. It is called Ananda — Bliss — total peace.

Is karma endowed with intelligence? How can karma judge if you deserve a bad reincarnation or a good reincarnation?

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The following is what Bhagwan Ramana Maharshi states to answer your question in his poetic work Upadesa Saram:

கன்மம் பலன் தரல் கர்த்தனது ஆணையால்
கன்மம் கடவுளோ உந்தீபற
கன்மம் சடமதாம் உந்தீபற

Kanmam palan tharal kartthanathu aaNaiyaal
Kanmam kadavuLO untheepaRa
Kanmam jadapathaam untheepaRa

Meaning: “Karma is just jata — insentient. Do you think it is God?! Karma’s fruits become effective only by the will of God.”

This concept had been endorsed in the distant past by both Shankaracharya and Ramanujacharya.

To understand more in detail on how Karma concept works, you may please read this —-> Understanding the concept of Karma & rebirth in Hinduism

How do you justify the concept of ‘prarabdha karma’ in Hinduism?

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We have no better explanation available than prarabdha karma for the skewed ways things happen in our lives, which do not seem to fit into any logical pattern. The oft repeated question “why good people suffer and evil ones seem to enjoy life and why life is so unfair ?” cannot be answered convincingly without bringing the concept of Karma and rebirth.

In fact, this question has not been tackled in Abrahamic religions. Only Hinduism (and its offshoots Buddhism and Jainism) Karma and rebirth theory has been evolved apparently out of very logical analysis and through the insights of rishis.

And Karma theory offers consolation and a fair degree of resignation to surrender and accept divine will. If I am suffering in my life currently for no apparent fault or mistake or blunders or evil acts that I ever committed in this life, then I can console myself “Okay! I must have done something really evil in my previous births; so, it is God’s wish that I suffer my prarabdha now. God knows when to end this this suffering. I can only pray to him to relieve me from this; let His will be done” Such a surrender brings in peace of mind considerably.

Also accepting karma theory helps a lot in being watchful of our actions. “If I am suffering now on account of my evil acts in previous births, it means I will definitely suffer for any evil acts that I commit now probably much later in this life when I least expect it or in my next births. Why create trouble for myself? Let me abstain from doing this”. We also tend to engage in good and unselfish acts because saints promise us that the punya we acquire this way can potentially lessen the impact of the evil karmas of the past.

Thus a faith in Karma and belief in God as a dispenser of Karma helps us in leading a more peaceful life.

Our Karma cycle will only end when all our actions are done without any expectation of fruits. That is Karma yoga. For a Jnyani, who has realized himself, there are no fetters of karma. But some scriptures say that even Jnyani will have to suffer because of his prarabdha (effects of karma done in previous births) since he has obtained this body basically to exhaust his prarabdha.

But Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi disputes this idea. he says that a Jnani is free from all the three karmas (Sanchita, prarabdha and agamya karmas) . A jnani is one who has annihilated his mind; he is free from the concept that he is the body. Any prarabdha can work on body-mind only and when the Jnani is free from association with them, where is the question of prarabdha working on him? Asks Ramana Maharshi.

So, the final answer is this: The purpose of human birth is to attain oneness with our Atman (or God). Once we succeed in it, we get freed from karma and rebirth. Till then, we are caught in the samsara and come back again and again in new bodies to enjoy and suffer our fruits of karma.