A Sincere Reflection on Monotheism and the Misconceptions of Rebirth

Assalamu alaikum, dear brothers and sisters. A while back, I came across a question from a Hindu brother who wondered why he should read the Quran if he already believes in One God. When some of us tried to explain, he pointed to the Upanishads as pure scriptures that reject idol worship. That’s a fair point, but those texts also carry the idea of rebirth, which is a flawed belief. See, simply worshiping One God and doing good deeds, but thinking you can climb to a higher status through those deeds and eventually reach Nirvana-that, to me, is even more troubling than sinning and then repenting. Repentance means we surrender to Allah Almighty, knowing that forgiveness comes only from Him. But the other mindset assumes good deeds can make you god-like. That is the essence of shirk, a major sin. I was born into a Hindu-Brahmin family, and I embraced Islam years ago during my college studies. I often hear educated Hindus say they truly believe in monotheism, while idol worship is just for the “less educated.” They claim all paths are fine and they only worship One God. My response is: you’re halfway there, but if you hold onto rebirth and the idea that your soul can become one with Brahman, that’s a huge error. No human can ever compare to the Creator, the One, the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful. I’d challenge even the holiest person in India to create a simple fly. They can’t-and they know they can’t. So they should fear the fire of Judgment Day. Your good deeds should be for pleasing Allah alone, not for chasing a higher rebirth. We have only one life, not infinite ones, and we will all be judged by Allah. Every atom’s weight of good will be seen, and every atom’s weight of evil will be seen. And by the way, you can’t truly believe in rebirth without accepting a caste system. Islam’s message is clear: Allah created us to know one another, and the noblest among us is the one with the most taqwa-righteousness and piety. It has nothing to do with birth.