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Much has been written and a body of knowledge is available on relations between Arabian Peninsula and Indian Subcontinent, and the influence of Arabian culture as a result of the spread of Islam on one hand and the adaptation of Indian numerals, math and astronomy within Arab region. But very little is known about ties between these two neighbouring regions pre-Islam and therefore, I attempt to draw some interesting conclusions based on my limited research, observations, and intuition.
The Trade & Migration Connection
Arabian region & India have had trade relations pre-Islam. A text from Akkadian Kingdom (r. c. 2334-2284 BCE), mentions a shipping industry in Magan, in present-day Oman. Excavations in the cities of Ur and Kish and Bahrain and other locations along the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula have unearthed goods of Indian origin (including seals). Both indicate that the network of maritime trade was regular, bustling, and well-known as early as 3000 BC. They suggest that Bahrain and other sites along the Persian Gulf were popular docks which would welcome ships arriving from Iraq on their way to and from India.[1]
Similarly, Nabataean Kingdom (3rd century BC–106 AD) that spread around modern-day West-Saudia had ongoing and two-way trade ties with India as is evident with Nabataean pottery uncovered in India.
The excavations a few years back of 11 individuals in a Central Asian site called Shahr-i-Sokhta and Gonur had 25% genetic outlier samples. Later upon comparison with Rakhigarhi data from Haryana (another recent excavation), some of these outliers were a match to Rakhigarhi individuals. Hinting migration from Indus Valley Civilization to Central Asia some 4500 years ago. Further, the material culture that was found in Shahr-i-Sokhta and Gonur shows a lot of material resemblance to the Mehrgarh region of Naushahra, Balochistan. Using material culture, it was confirmed that this migration has taken place from Indus Valley Civilization to Central Asia & Iran and was also unidirectional. Thus, adding to evidence of established trade ties and migration from IVC to Central Asia. [2]
The Language Connection
In my recent visit to Indian and Pakistani Restaurants in Europe during summer, I observed the difference yet underlying similarity in how “lemon water” was sketched on the menu, where Indian restaurant wrote “nimbū-paani”, the Pakistani restaurant called it “limu-paani”. Interestingly, in Arabic, it’s pronounced “laymūn”. One cannot overlook the analogousness of the same substance having very similar sounding names from Sanskrit nimbū to Persian limu (adopted by Pakistan) to Arabic laymūn. Though Sanskrit, Farsi & Arabic are distant languages, having many millennia of trade ties between regions only provokes more inquisitiveness and the possibility of cognates in words.
While Sanskrit and Avestan (the pre-Farsi language of Iran) are closely related languages with similar grammatical principles and numerous cognates, similar to Italian and Spanish, what is investigated very little is the relation between Sanskrit/Pali and Arabic. Among the linguists, the prevailing view remains Arabic is a Semitic language much like Amharic (Ethiopian) or Hebrew (spoken among Jews). But it’s difficult to shut down cultural and language relations as more and more excavations and genetic research yield ties between Arabian Peninsula/Central Asia and India.
In Sanskrit, there is a famous shanti (peace) mantra
| Sanskrit | English |
| Asato ma sad gamaya Damaso ma jyotir gamaya Mrtyor ma amrtam gamaya |
Lead us from ignorance to knowledge Lead us from darkness to light Lead us from death to immortality |
Interestingly, Saad also means happiness in Arabic. And the Arabic equivalent of Sanskrit Damaso is Daamis (meaning Dark). And for Sanskrit mrtyor, the Arabic is Mawt. Further, in Arabic, you have Umr Taam (meaning Full Age) equivalent of Sanskrit Amrtam.
There are other words that show similar connectedness both in meaning and root. Such as:
The famous Sanskrit phrase “sarve sukhinah bhavantu”, meaning “May All Be Happy” has an equivalent in Arabic Sakiinah (meaning peace & tranquillity) and even in Hebrew Shekhinah.
An additional example is Sutra, Sanskrit/Pali word for scripture or chapter in a book. The equivalent in Arabic is Suurah. Intriguingly both Sutra & Suurah are usually wholesome chapters that should not and cannot be edited or amended.
Let’s look at some more such connected words:
The word Dharma in Sanskrit means “to uphold”, the equivalent in Pali is Dhamma. In Avestan, it is Daēnā which comes from the root Dhaia again meaning to sustain or hold. The Arabic equivalent is Diin, meaning custom or religion but used in the same context as Sanskrit Dharma.
Another word is Samadhi, Sanskrit for the highest state of awareness or consciousness. In Arabic, there is a connected word Saamid having a similar meaning – a state of awareness of the last day or judgement day.
More similar words are Shishya – Sheikh, meaning Disciple. Pramukh – Barmak, meaning Chief. Notice how the “P” sound doesn’t exist in Arabic and is changed to “Ba”, this is similar in the Indo-Dravidian language family.
The larger question therefore is, are these coincidences? Or knowing the above-discussed Arabic words such as Sakiinah, Saad, Daamis, Umr Taam, Diin, Saamid, etc are mentioned in Quran and therefore less likely that these words got into Arabic during the Arab invasion of Zoroastrian Iran who were given a choice to convert or be killed, with many opting for conversion and few choosing to migrate to India. The more reasonable deduction is, these words were part of ancient Arabic or got into Arabic much before the spread of Islam towards the East, alluding to the idea that ties between India and Arabian Peninsula extended over many millennia and perhaps deeper than appearing presently.
The Vertebrae Connection
World-over, most horses have 18 pairs or 36 ribs and only 10% of horses have 17 pairs of vertebrae or 34 ribs. Rigveda (world’s oldest scripture) verse I.162.18 as part of sacrificial ritual mentions native Vedic horses having 34 ribs, fascinatingly the Arabian horses also have 34 ribs. One less pair of ribs makes the horse stronger and can better support weight on its back.
The natural question arising is how deep were the connection between Vedic India and pagan Arabia.
The Pagan Connection
It is common knowledge that pre-Islam Arabia was pagan, but pagan is a slur word much like kufr used by Abrahamic religions against their people initially who chose not to accept Christianity or Islam. With that clarified, I in no way use the word “pagan” with the same prejudice rather to distinguish Islamic Arabia from its pre-Islamic past.
Hajj is a significant and sacred journey in Islamic tradition. And though formally codified by Prophet Muhammed in 632AD the significance of Hajj predates the time of Muhammad, as the rituals and practices of Hajj have their origins in the time of Abraham and his son Ismail. The Kaaba, the central focal point of Hajj, is believed to have been originally built by Abraham and Ismail as the first house of worship.
When performing Hajj in Mecca, there are certain guidelines and practices to follow regarding dressing, eating, drinking, and worshipping. And some of the rituals make for intriguing observation, such as –
- Men are required to wear the Ihram, which consists of two white, seamless sheets of cloth. It should cover the body from the waist down to the ankles, and another piece should drape over the upper body. Likewise, women are also advised to wear white and modest dresses. The key here is – wearing white and most importantly unstitched cloth, for a needle is seen as an object of violence. This extreme emphasis on both internal & external non-violence in Mecca is fascinatingly similar to how Jain monks live. Jainism lay extreme stress on ahimsa (non-violence) and monks go to great extents avoiding even minute violence by walking barefoot, using a light brush to move insects from the pathway to not injure or kill them and interestingly enough wearing white unstitched cloth, for even a pointy needle, should not birth a wave of violence within the mind.
- The slaughter of animals within the boundaries of the Al-Haram (the sacred area in Mecca that encompasses the Grand Mosque and its surroundings) is not permitted. The Haram is considered a sanctuary where certain activities, including the slaughtering of animals, are prohibited. Again, the emphasis is on non-violence much like Jains and monks. Though Islam doesn’t ascribe sin to consuming meat but the slaughter of animals and acts of violence for the defence of Islam is permitted in every place on earth except within the boundaries of Al Haram. Fascinating!
- The circumambulation (Tawaf) in Mecca is performed around the Kaaba, which is a cubic structure located in the centre of the Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque). During the Tawaf, pilgrims walk around the Kaaba in a counterclockwise direction seven times. This again is fascinating (coincidence?) because Hindus perform circumambulations in Temples too but, unlike Muslims, they perform it clockwise while only Jains circumambulate Mount Kailash (Abode of Shiva for Hindus and seen as a place of enlightenment for the founder of Jainism – Rishabhanatha) counterclockwise (!). Interestingly in Shaiva traditions, circumambulation is done max 7 times much like in Hajj.
- Fasting (Ramadan) though similar in most religions and with many easy-to-hard variations except for the fact that no other traditions abjure water intake during the fast except for Jains and Muslims.
- The removal or trimming of the moustache is considered commendable while leaving it to grow long without trimming is discouraged. Though the practice is not obligatory yet is encouraged as a recommended practice among Muslims. The reference being this is a matter of personal hygiene. I find this alluring because Jain monks trim or pluck moustaches more frequently (in comparison to other body hair) as a matter of personal hygiene because they eat directly out of hands thus avoiding the chance of swallowing moustache hair with their meal. 600AD Arabia certainly didn’t have cups, plates and forks for meals – so is the practice of removing moustache a continuation of pagan Arabia with an uncanny resemblance to Jaina monks!
Geographically Middle East stood as an intersection point between East and West. From imbibing Hindu numerals to translating the Bijaganita of Bhaskara as Algebra and spreading widely to Europe, the Middle East has served as a connection point between civilizations of East & West. The influence of East & West can similarly be seen in Islamic customs and traditions, though unique, some have been inspired and borrowed from other religions prevailing in the local areas, such as practice of circumcision and prohibition of consuming pork is found in Judaism and pre-dates Islam. Almsgiving or zakat though practiced in most religions Judaism (Tzedakah) lays special emphasis on it like Islam. Similarly, ritual purification before entering a religious place, pilgrimage, etc is very common among all religions. However, the five points discussed above are exclusive to Jainism and Islam, which makes it all the more intriguing given the distance between the regions and the lack of in-depth research or knowledge of the pagan past of Arabia.
Further similarities can be seen in pre-Islamic Arabia, where polytheism and idol worship was prevalent, with numerous Gods and Goddesses revered. Among them, the most prominent figure was Al-Lat, the Goddess associated with war, peace, combat, and prosperity. Al-Lat held a significant position as the chief Goddess of the Banu Thaqif tribe [3]. The iconography, symbolism, including presence of lion and the concept of a trinity involving Al-Lat, alongside Goddess Manat and Al-Uzza, bear striking resemblances to the troika of Hindu Goddesses Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. Like Al-Lat, Goddess Durga is also venerated for her attributes of courage, strength, and prowess in combat.
As we see newer evidence of trade ties and the migration of people thanks to archaeology and genetics, I hope linguistics, iconographers and theologian would equally pay attention to how the past continues to remain present in our customs without our knowledge of its origin. This is similar to evolutionary traits that has persisted within us since our journey from marine to human species and despite passage of many millennia, one such trait – the wrinkling effect, can still be observed as we soak our fingers & toes in water. Apparently, wrinkly fingers serve the purpose of enhancing our grip when submerged, an evolutionary habit that our bodies developed even before the existence of the Homo habilis form.
As my learned father often states, the history of mankind is the history of migration. I hope researchers pay attention to underlying genetics, cultural & linguistics similitudes especially between the Middle East & India, and in the process help discover the underlying commonality between regions, culture and people.
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