Are the Jedi more Buddhist or Islamic?

Buddhism outright outlaws violence. The violent regimes who have leaders that are Buddhist have consistently been secular when in charge.

The Jedi code's "peace" could be taken to be equal to the Jedi code's "ignorance" in the way that Type1 saaysthat to them if orance is an illusion and tbh this will link back to one.

 Clothing, societal organisation and attitudes to sex, gambling (without Jedi mind trick) and the Force are actually Islamic in direct ways from the Quran.

There is no Sith to Buddhists; there's only those who aren't enlightened yet. In Islam there's actual sinners and Heathens.

Buddhism outright outlaws violence. The violent regimes who have leaders that are Buddhist have consistently been secular when in charge.

The Jedi code's "peace" could be taken to be equal to the Jedi code's "ignorance" in the way that Type1 says that to them ignorance is an illusion and tbh this will link back to one.

Clothing, societal organisation and attitudes to sex, gambling (without Jedi mind trick) and the Force are actually Islamic in direct ways from the Qur'an.

There is no Sith to Buddhists; there's only those who aren't enlightened yet. In Islam there's actual sinners and Heathens.

Jedi use their abilities for defense only, just like Buddhist martial artists. Muslim warriors are much more aggressive than Jedi.

1. “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
   
2. “It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.”
   
3. “It is better to travel well than to arrive.”
   
4. “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”
   
5. “The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.” -
   

1. “The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.”
   
2. “There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.”
   

1. “Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”
   
2. “We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”
   
3. “What we think, we become.“
   

In his famous piece "The Case for the Empire,"Jonathan V. Last argues that "Everything you think you know about Star Wars is wrong:"

The truth is that from the beginning, Lucas confused the good guys with the bad. The deep lesson of Star Wars is that the Empire is good.

Make no mistake, as emperor, Palpatine is a dictator--but a relatively benign one, like Pinochet. It's a dictatorship people can do business with. They collect taxes and patrol the skies. They try to stop organized crime (in the form of the smuggling rings run by the Hutts).

The Decider flips the dominant narrative of Luke Skywalker as an awakening hero with a kindly mentor, calling Obi-Wan Kenobi "a religious fanatic with a history of looking for young boys to recruit and teach an extreme interpretation of the Force."

Luke didn’t become a space terrorist overnight, but he did exhibit signs that would make him a prime candidate for terrorist recruiters:Come from families where the father is absent (check)

Have difficulty forming relationships outside the home (check)

Be attracted to groups offering acceptance and comradeship (checkmate)

But Lyman Stone is appalled by this "Imperial apologism." The Empire is clearly evil and the Alliance's cause is a noble one. Just look at the destruction of Alderaan for God's sake!

"Somehow, over the last ten years, it’s become vogue for conservatives to advertise their affection for the Galactic Empire [when] the Death Star killed two billion almost entirely civilian Alderaanians."

Glorifying resistance efforts in film programs the audience to root for the underdog. A traditional cliché, but what happens when the underdog uses extreme tactics? What happens when the United States and its actions could be perceived as no different from the Galactic Empire of Star Wars fame? Making these connections brings to light hard truths. It could very well be that no matter what a regime does, the resistance will never completely be destroyed. It may disappear for a while, but it always comes back in another form, unless and until a mutually agreeable political solution can be found. The lessons from the greater Star Wars universe can teach the public a thing or two about properly dealing with and handling such groups, but may challenge some of the audience’s preconceived notions about good vs. evil in the process.

Take, for example, the recently released Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. What Rogue One does better than any of the other Star Wars films is it expands the Rebellion beyond a core group of characters, which allows the film to wrestle with some fundamental political questions: What does it mean to resist? What is more important: defeating an oppressive regime at all costs or maintaining some semblance of humanity? What actions can appropriately be called resistance—survival, providing support or intel, active engagement, or something else? Because various characters provide different answers to these questions by resisting in ways they deem proper, viewers are left to decide for themselves which form of resistance most deserves the name. However, their actions may have troubling similarities to ISIS, al Qaeda, and other real insurgencies, making viewers uncomfortable about who they are truly rooting for.

There is no emotion, there is peace.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

Jabba's keeping of Princess Leia as a slave can be contrasted with the actual lives of slave girls in the Ottoman Empire, such as the life of Roxelana, slave and later free wife of Suleiman the Magnificent. Whereas Leia is chained up and silenced during her ordeal as Jabba's slave, Roxelana and other slave women were actually able to attain some level of power and prestige in the Ottoman imperial harem. The Orientalist fantasy of Jabba's court is further embellished via the trapdoor with which he disposes of disobedient slave girls and enemies. European gossip was that the Ottoman sultan disposed of harem women in a similar way, dumping them into a sack and then dropping them through a trapdoor into the Bosphorus.

Finally, one can also compare views of race in Star Wars and the Ottoman Empire. In the Ottoman Empire, the most prize slaves were the Circassian beauties, who were captured by slave raiders in the Northern Caucacus. In Star Wars the most prized race of slaves are Twi'leks, just as famous as the Circassians for their beauty. Furthermore, just as black and white eunuchs had specific roles in the Ottoman Empire, it seems that Bib Fortuna, a white Twi'lek, acts very much like a eunuch in Jabba’s Palace. In the Ottoman Empire, eunuchs would prevent entry to the sultan's harem and also obtain and discipline slave girls. Bib Fortuna seems to take on similar duties, in that he tries to prevent people from entering Jabba's throne room, procures slave girls such as the Twi'lek Oola for Jabba, and holds Leia in front of his master on the sail barge.

“We are at the core a Movement of Jedi; masters of Futuwwat (“the Way of the mystic-warrior”). We encourage adherents to train both physically AND spiritually, for their own personal edification and to enhance their knowledge and abilities in the STRUGGLE. The Real does not lie alone in contemplation, prayer and meditation; nor does it lie alone in action and revolution. Both of these are notions of “one or the other” and Allah is not “one or the other.” “Allah” literally means “the One[ness] which manifests from Nothing.” As we have stressed before, this “Nothing” is not the “lack” of all, but rather, it is Nothing in the sense of Totality of Being, which is symbolized by the numeral zero – this number itself originated with Sufis. Allah is neither the positive alone, nor the negative. Allah is the perfect balance between the two. The direct center of two polarities is always zero, Pure Nothing, from which the Totality, the Tawhid (Unity), the Oneness of ALL becomes manifest. For it is out of zero that all subsequent positive and negative numbers reel. That is Allah.”

Notice the Arabic term “al-Jeddi” (master of the mystic-warrior way) along with another Islamic term not mentioned, “Palawan” (similar to Lucas’ “Padwan” for Jedi apprentice) which were actual titles used by Muslim Knights!

The Force

“The Force” is the common thread between all six movies and is defined as an energy field, which binds all living things together  (i.e. Allah, God, a Supreme Being or Power that most religion’s adherents worship, follow and/or yearn to become a part of).  According to Star Wars mythology, the Jedi “are a noble order of protectors unified by their belief and observance of the Force.”

George Lucas, the creator of the Star Wars films, has attributed the origins of “The Force” to the film 21-87 (dir. Arthur Lipsett) which used samples from many sources.”One of the audio sources Lipsett sampled for 21-87 [a film that had a great influence on Lucas] was a conversation between artificial intelligence pioneer Warren S. McCulloch and Roman Kroitor , a cinematographer who went on to develop IMAX. In the face of McCulloch’s arguments that living beings are nothing but highly complex machines, Kroitor insists that there is something more: ‘Many people feel that in the contemplation of nature and in communication with other living things, they become aware of some kind of force, or something, behind this apparent mask which we see in front of us, and they call it God.”

In Islam, Allah has no image, body or form that humans can imagine or even comprehend.  Allah is a supreme being of positive energy and goodness which was there before time (in the understanding of human beings), and will be there at the end of time.  According to the teachings of Islam, Allah blows his spirit into all living things and thus, we humans are inherently good in nature.  Because human beings have free will to do good or bad, we have the potential to be a medium of positive energy and goodness, or we can succumb to our animal desires (“Nafs” in Arabic) and suppress this inherent goodness we all have inside of us, to do evil instead. This is similar to the description of the Force given by Yoda in “Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back”, where he says: “It’s [The Force] energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we…(Yoda pinches Luke’s shoulder)…not this crude matter [Flesh]. You must feel the Force around you. Here, between you…me…the tree…the rock…everywhere!”

Apprenticeship

The “Jedi” study and train under the apprentice-master relationship similar to how many religious students study under a priest or religious scholar until they have learned enough to teach and train the next generation of students. From a Muslim perspective, the similarities between the Jedi and the Islamic traditions of instruction are strikingly similar.  For example a Muslim scholar usually trains under a Sheikh for a number of years before they are given the right or permission (“Ijazah” in Arabic) to professionally teach others about Islam.  “In Islamic Sufism Sheikhs will have “silsilas” that list the chain of teachers going back to the Prophet Muhammad (S). A “silisia” indicates a Sheikh’s lineage of mystical learning from which he draws his spiritual authority.”

Similarly in the “Jedi” tradition of Star Wars, each “Padwan” (apprentice) is taught the same tradition and skills their Jedi masters were taught by their previous masters.  “Star Wars” fans know the lineage of Jedi instruction starting from “Yoda” to “Count Dooku” to “Qui-Gon Jinn” to “Obi Wan Kenobi” to “Anakin Skywalker.”

In the first Star Wars movie, “Episode IV: A New Hope,” Luke Skywalker, like his father, Anakin, live in the desert (The desert planet of “Tatooine” was actually filmed near the real desert town of “Tataouine” in Tunisia).  From among this remote desert area with no roots of a civilized urban society, a “Chosen One” (i.e. a Prophet) arises who brings a hope of peace and justice to their society.  Anakin is the “chosen one” in the latest Star Wars films, and Luke can be considered the “chosen one” from the original Star Wars trilogy.

Similarly, the Prophet of Islam, lived in the desert where there was no true rule of law or justice and people followed the tribal system of blood vengeance.  Prophet Muhammad (S) brought Islam to the Arabs, which completely changed their way of thinking and the way they lived their lives.  Instead of living for the present and for themselves, as Muslims they live for the hereafter and are taught to take care of the poor, orphans, those less fortunate than themselves and to fight for social justice and well being for the whole community.

Thus the Jedi too is taught to be selfless and not selfish like the “Sith” (An ancient order of Force-practitioners devoted to the dark side and determined to destroy the Jedi).  Just as “Yoda” taught young “padwans” not to give into fear and be tempted by the “Dark Side” (i.e. temptations of the devil or “Shaytaan” in Arabic), Muslims are taught not to be attached to the “Dunya” (life in this world) nor to fall prey to the diseases of the heart (jealousy, envy, fear, hatred, etc.) as they lead to evil and sin.

As well known American Muslim scholar Shaykh Hamza Yusuf states: “Every criminal, miser, abuser, scoffer, embezzler, and hateful person does what he or she does because of a diseased heart. If hearts were sound, these actions would no longer be a reality. So if you want to change our world, do not begin by rectifying the outward. Instead, change the condition of the inward. Everything we see happening outside of us is in reality coming from the unseen world within. It is from the unseen world that the phenomenal world emerges, and it is from the -unseen realm of our hearts that all actions spring.”

The Green One

There is an interesting connection between the Jedi master “Yoda” (a short, green skinned creature first seen in “Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back”) and Islamic traditions.  “Al-Khidr” means “the Green One” in Arabic. Qur’ânic commentators say that al-Khidr is one of the prophets; others refer to him simply as an angel who functions as a guide to those who seek God. And there are yet others who argue for his being a perfect wali meaning the one whom God has taken as a friend.

So in other words “Yoda” (which means “Wise One” in Hebrew) is like an angel or spiritual mentor who guides the young Jedi in the ways of the force and to be strong enough to resist the temptations and evil inclinations of the Sith and other Dark Forces.

In “Episode VI: Return of the Jedi”, the Emperor tries to influence Luke Skywalker to give into his feelings of Anger and Hatred (As we all know Luke’s father Anakin, did fall prey to the Emperor’s whispers and joined the Dark Side). Because the Jedi (as Muslim warriors) are taught that one’s intentions in battle must be pure and that it’s wrong to kill out of anger, even when is outwardly justified.

‘Ali (RA) the nephew of the Prophet Muhammad (S), was faced with this situation at the Battle of the Ditch, the noble Imam ‘Ali had knocked an enemy soldier to the ground and was raising his sword to kill him, when the unbeliever spat in his face. Imam ‘Ali at once stood still and refrained from killing his enemy. Hardly able to believe his own eyes, the unbeliever asked: “Why have you spared me, O gracious one?”

To this, the noble ‘Ali replied: “Your property and your life have become sacrosanct to me. I am not authorized to slay you. I can receive permission to kill only in holy combat, in fighting commanded by Allah. Just a few moments ago, I had overcome you in battle, knocked you to the ground and was on the point of slaying you. But when you spat in my face, my selfish anger was aroused against you. If I had killed you, I would have slain you not for Allah’s sake but for my own selfish reason; they would then have called me not a champion warrior, but a murderer. When you spat in my face, my selfish passion threatened to overwhelm me, so instead of striking you with the sword for my own sake I struck my passion for the sake of Allah, Exalted is He. There you have the reason for your escape.” The unbeliever was of course in awe by Ali’s noble character, and immediately accepted Islam and became Muslim.

Muh-Jedi-Deen

The Jedi could be considered “Holy Warriors” (or “Mujahideen” in Arabic) as they fight for truth, justice and peace.  They meditate (i.e. “Dhikr” – remembrance of Allah) as much as they can, to become “one with the force”, even in the midst of battle.  Just as in “Episode I: The Phantom Menace”, the Jedi master, Qui-Gon Jinn (The term “Jinn” in Islam is one of the forces of the “unseen”) begins to meditate in the middle of his battle with “Darth Maul”, while he waits for a force field to go down.

Islamic History is filled with stories of Muslim Warriors who also stop in the heat of the moment of battle to give their prayers to Allah.  Hussein (RA) the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (S) stopped to do his Asr (mid-day prayers) at Karbala.  There is even an account of ‘Ali (RA), known as the “Sword of Light” (light-saber?),  who completed his “Salat” (Arabic for prayers) while he had an arrow stuck in his leg or foot!

“The lack of fear for death exhibited by Jedi Knights Obi Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, Luke Skywalker (particularly in Episode VI: “Return of the Jedi”) resembles the Muslim warrior’s creed that states that the Muslim loves death more than the un-believer loves life.”

Just as Jedi’s who fight and die in battle are still alive in spirit form, as evidenced with Obi Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: A New Hope and the Phantom Menace, respectively, Muslim warriors who become Shaheed (Martyrs) are not considered dead.  As stated in the Holy Quran:

“And say not of those who are slain in the way of Allah: ‘They are dead.’  Nay, they are living, though ye perceive (it) not.  (The Noble Quran, 2:154)”

There are even accounts in Islamic history where noble and pious Muslims, speak to the living from the grave, similar to how Obi Wan Kenobi guides Luke Skywalker from the spirit world after his death.

Hafiz Ibn Kathir writes:

“Zaid ibn Kharjah was one of the pious that talked after his death. When he died and was placed in his coffin, he started to talk and said: ‘I bear witness that Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah and his name Ahmad was mentioned in the previous scriptures (Old Testament and New Testament); and Abu Bakr and ‘Umar were two caliphs and now it is Usman’s Government. Four years have passed and there are two years to go and conflicts will come and Muslims will become weak.’ A lot of scholars verify this narration including Imam Bukhari and Imam al-Bayhaqi.3

There is another saying in Islam, which is “Life in this world is Paradise for the Un-believer and a Prison for the Believer.”  Some reasoning behind this saying is that if one puts all their faith in this world (the “Dunya”), then it is very easy to fall off the straight path and be tempted by Satan (i.e. fall prey to the “Dark Side”).

This is shown very clearly in “Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,” which is all about the Chosen One’s (Anakin) fall into the dark side.  Lucas, himself stated in an interview that the he chose the final battle between Anakin and Obi-Wan to be on a planet with flowing molten lava and fire, which represents the fires of Hell.  The ultimate showdown between good and evil.

Anakin falls victim to the dark side because he loves power and the Dunya (as he wanted to have the power to live forever and save his loved ones from death – i.e. his wife from dying during childbirth).  He has excessive anger and arrogance (as he felt he was the most powerful Jedi and no other Jedi was better or stronger than him) and distrust for those who are his righteous guides (as he felt Obi-Wan was jealous of him and thought the Jedi Council was against him, which lead him to follow other sinister forces for guidance).  Lastly he had hatred in his heart (he admitted to hating the “sand people”)!9 Everything that Islam teaches the Muslim to avoid!

The Star Wars film series revolves around the Jedi that learn the The Force from their teachers, Jedi Knights who have mastered the ways of The Force. They learn to detach themselves from worldly desires and discipline themselves to master self-control. They stand for justice and truth, warning against the evils of the Dark Side.

Interestingly enough, Islam also teaches the same principles and contains similar concepts. Ultimately, whether you’re a Muslim attempting to perfect and strengthen your character and relationship with God or a ‘padawan learner’ attempting to master the force, the two seek not only to utilize their physical capacity to defend the defenseless, but also seek inner peace and tranquility.

Growing up as a Muslim and a fan of Star Wars, it never occurred to me that the two would somehow connect. Yet when I discovered some of the scenes from the original trilogy were filmed in Tunisia, where my family is from, I couldn’t help but notice that perhaps George Lucas may have possibly been influenced by Arab culture as well as Islamic teachings to an extent.

As some may say, the Jedi masters resemble teachers of Sufi orders, a more mystic understanding of Islam. In any case, regardless of the school of thought one may follow, all Islamic students of knowledge learn from a teacher who has mastered the Islamic sciences and learned from their previous teachers and so on.

Throughout the journey of Islamic theological study one will find great wisdom hidden in scholarly work, centuries old dating as far back as the eighth century. Likewise, throughout the Star Wars film series one will encounter morals and lessons of great wisdom as the young padawan train with Jedi masters. With deep understanding comes a wise implementation of various morals, lessons, and teachings. Essentially, one will be able to navigate through life and its adversities and thus obtain a healthy spiritual uplifting.

Apart from the obvious, as previously mentioned, I also noticed some deeper connections as well. At its core, the film series goes beyond light sabers, battle ships, Jedi knights and Sith Lords. Essentially it is a tale of the forces of oppression and tyranny attempting to subjugate the forces of good under their control.

Luke Skywalker’s home planet Tatooine, named after the Tunisian city ‘Tataouine,’ is a harsh environment much like the ancient city of Mecca. Luke would look out in to the wilderness and ponder over his purpose much like the Prophet Muhammad did in the 7th century. With many injustices consuming Meccan society, Prophet Muhammad grew frustrated and sought to bring about positive change.

The Muslims of the 7th century were severely persecuted in Mecca during the first thirteen years of divine revelation. Essentially, the Prophet was subjected to severe oppression and pressured by the chiefs of Quraysh, the ruling tribe of Mecca at the time. After the migration to Madinah, the Prophet had finally established a safe oasis for his followers to live without persecution and were eventually victorious against the aggressive policies of the Quraysh. As Luke Skywalker trained with Yoda in the swamp cave, he prepared for a rebellion against the empire and sought justice for the republic and brought peace and stability to the galaxy and beyond.

Despite the epic story line and galactic adventures, one of the most notable and introspective aspects of the film series that I also noticed is the dark path Anakin Skywalker embarked upon. Some may compare Anakin Skywalker and the dark side to the chiefs of Quraysh, yet I tend to see something different. I see the dark side and Anakin’s negative path as a misguided understanding of the force, much like that of Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi and ISIS and their misunderstanding of Islam.

The force is in its true essence meant to be used for a good cause, to protect the galaxy, and to bring about guardians of peace. On the other hand, we see ISIS misusing and misunderstanding integral aspects of Islam such as the Caliphate, the Shariah, and Jihad. Their misunderstanding and uncontrollable zeal has essentially led them down a dark path as well.

The radicalization of Anakin is something that some Muslim youth unfortunately struggle with today. As master Yoda once said,

“Yes, a Jedi’s strength flows from the Force. But beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan’s apprentice”

Hence, it is our responsibility as Muslims to fully understand Islamic teachings and the positivity they bring, and as a community, to advise and guide those who seem to be lost, frustrated, and confused just as the Jedi did with the padawan.

Although many Muslims may feel disheartened by the afflictions facing the Muslim world, that is no justification to tread down a path of misguidance and indiscriminante violence. We must see the light that lies within Islamic principles and utilize them as a means of inspiration allowing us to emancipate ourselves as well as others from any and all injustices.

Although some may find it strange, to me the parallels between Islam and Star Wars are quite staggering. The spiritual connectivity to the human soul in the struggle to find inner peace and bring peace to societies, or galaxies in this case, is something I find relevant to the troubling times we live in today.

So as long as we seek to build a healthy understanding of spirituality and faith, we can work to utilize the correct understanding of Islam that we possess to prevent the dark side from over taking us. May Allah and the Force be with us all.