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harm any creatures that might get in the creases of their garments. The
Digambara sect, one of the oldest in Jainism, is particularly strict in this

regard. The word means “heaven garment” and they wear no clothes
at all. This means that they have to stay clear of all material things.
These practices still continue and such Jains hardly ever leave their
monasteries or temples. They cannot own property or marry. Jain
monks believe that they should not even own clothing. This means that
Jain priests’ lives are spent in absolute destitution and hunger. They re-
frain from anything that is entertaining, comforting, pleasant or plea-
surable, because their belief dictates the destruction of all their desires,
to severe all ties with this life in a schizophrenic manner and simply to
live a sad life. Jains believe that the more they suffer and the more they
live in hunger and destitution, the quicker they will “free their souls”.

This however is not freedom, it is self inflicted torture. Such practices
cannot free people but serve only to enslave them within an oppressive
system. The claim that Jainism destroys all human desires is in reality
a guise of a cruel and oppressive system.
Islam is wholly different to such superstitious beliefs. Allah has
created the things in this life for people to benefit from them, to enjoy
them and to be grateful for them. The beauty in nature, foods of differ-
ent tastes and scents, fruits and vegetables are the gifts of Allah. A be-
liever enjoys nice clothing or a tasty fruit and he is grateful to Allah for
it. Allah reveals His gifts to mankind as follows:
And He created livestock. There is warmth for you in them, and var-
ious uses and some you eat. And there is beauty in them for you in
the evening when you bring them home and in the morning when
you drive them out to graze. They carry your loads to lands you
would never reach except with great difficulty. Your Lord is All-
Gentle, Most Merciful. And horses, mules and donkeys both to ride
and for adornment. And He creates other things you do not know.

Islam And Far Eastern Religions