Fast facts
- Began
- Ancient; Mahavira, the 24th and last tirthankara, taught in the 6th–5th century BCE
- Founder / origin
- No founder in Jain understanding — a succession of 24 tirthankaras, the last being Mahavira
- Followers
- About 4.5 million, overwhelmingly in India
- Figure from
- Census of India (2011)
- Where
- Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Karnataka in India; diasporas in Britain, the United States and East Africa
- Scriptures
- The Agamas, preserved differently by the two main orders
- View of God
- No creator God. The universe is eternal and uncreated; liberated souls are revered but did not make the world
Core beliefs
- Ahimsa: non-violence towards every living being, including insects and, in strict practice, plants and micro-organisms
- Karma understood as a subtle physical substance that clings to the soul and must be shed
- The soul (jiva) is eternal and can achieve liberation by shedding karma entirely
- Anekantavada: reality has many sides, so no single view captures the whole truth
- Aparigraha: non-possession and detachment from property
- Five vows for laypeople, kept absolutely by monks and nuns
Two orders
Digambara monks renounce clothing entirely; Svetambara monks wear white and permit women to attain liberation in this life. Both orders sweep the ground before walking and often wear a cloth over the mouth to avoid harming tiny creatures.
Jain lay life is strictly vegetarian, usually avoiding root vegetables, and Jains are prominent in business precisely because trades involving killing are excluded.
The Islamic view
Where it meets Islam, and where it differs
Common ground
- Mercy to animals and a horror of needless killing. The Prophet warned of punishment for a woman who confined a cat until it died, and taught that there is reward in tending to any living creature.
- Detachment from wealth, simplicity and restraint of appetite.
- Fasting as serious spiritual discipline — Jain fasting is among the most demanding in the world.
- Honesty in trade, for which Jain merchants are historically known.
Where Islam differs
- Islam begins with a Creator; Jainism holds the universe to be uncreated and eternal.
- Karma as a physical substance shed by austerity, rather than deeds weighed by a just God who forgives.
- Extreme asceticism is not the Islamic model. The Prophet rejected celibacy and permanent fasting, and taught balance.
- Islam permits lawful slaughter for food with mercy and God's name; Jainism does not.
Talking points
- Mercy is the door. Speak about the Prophet's (SAW) teachings on animals — they are specific, and Jains find them unexpected and moving.
- Ask what accounts for the moral law they follow so scrupulously, if there is no lawgiver behind it.
- Ask about the burden of shedding karma by one's own effort alone, and speak about God's mercy exceeding His justice.
Avoid
- Do not be flippant about vegetarianism or about their food restrictions; hospitality matters enormously here.
- Do not open on animal slaughter. If it comes up, explain the conditions and the mercy required, and do not be defensive.
Sources
- Census of India (2011)
- Jain Agamas; Tattvartha Sutra
- Sahih al-Bukhari 3318 and Sahih Muslim 2242, on the woman punished over a cat; Sahih al-Bukhari 2466, on reward for watering a thirsty animal
- Qur'an 6:38
This overview describes the tradition as its own followers describe it. The Islamic view is kept in its own section above so the description stays honest.
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