Answer

Yes, in a broad sense, Jainism without ahiṁsā would lose its central identity.

Ahiṁsā is not just one ethical rule in Jain Dharma; it is the foundation of Jain conduct, spirituality, karma theory, vows, food discipline, compassion, and liberation-path practice.

However, the comparison should be made carefully:

• Christianity without Jesus removes the central person and savior of that tradition.
• Islam without the Qur’an removes the central revealed scripture of that tradition.
• Jainism without ahiṁsā removes the central ethical and spiritual principle of Jain life.

So the comparison is meaningful, but not exactly identical.

Explanation

In Jain Dharma, ahiṁsā means much more than “not killing.” It means avoiding harm through:

• mind — harmful thoughts, hatred, cruelty
• speech — harsh, false, or injurious words
• body — physical violence or careless action

Ahiṁsā is deeply connected with:

• samyag darśan — right faith
• samyag jñān — right knowledge
• samyag chāritra — right conduct
• karma-bandha — bondage of karma
• mokṣa — liberation

The famous Jain principle “ahiṁsā paramo dharmaḥ” expresses that non-violence is the highest religious duty. Without ahiṁsā, Jain vows such as truthfulness, non-stealing, celibacy, and non-possessiveness also lose their deeper moral basis.

Spiritual Understanding

For Jain Dharma, every living being has a soul, and every soul has the potential for liberation. Therefore, harming another being is spiritually harmful not only to the victim but also to the one who causes harm, because violence binds karma to the soul.

That is why ahiṁsā is not merely social morality; it is a direct path to purification of the soul.

Takeaway

A fair way to say it is:

Jainism without ahiṁsā would still have some names, stories, and rituals, but it would no longer be Jain Dharma in its true spiritual sense.