A Comparison between Khaje Abdullah Ansari and St. Benedict's Views on Asceticism and Forsaking Sins

This paper compares the commands of St. Benedict, a Christian monk, with that of Khaje Abdullah Ansari, concerning asceticism, aloofness from materialistic world and forsaking sins. In order to broaden the knowledge of Abrahamic religions, this study aims through using an analytical- descriptive method to highlight the similarities and differences between the views of these two figures. This comparison is based on "Manazel-al Sareen" by Khoja and "The Rules" by Benedict. It is concluded that in many cases, Benedict's idea conform with Khaje's ideas. The reason for the similarities between Benedict and Khaje’s behavioral commands is that the source of the knowledge of each of them is heavenly religions i.e. Christianity and Islam, both of which are based on a common human Fitrah (nature). The difference between the two schools of thought is ascribed to the fact that Khaje's mystical school is more advanced than that of Benedict.