Islam: A Religion of Peace
Islam: A Religion of Peace
What is a Muslim? In what do the followers of Islam believe? In today's world, people should be asking these questions, if only to learn more about the world around them. In this paper, I will discuss how the basic ideas of Islam compare to the six bases of religion listed in our textbook. The six bases are: (1) deal in some way with peoples' relationship to the unseen world of spirits, ancestors, gods and demons; (2) developed a system of myths about the unseen world and rituals designed for communing with or propitiating the spirits; (3) developed a system of organized rituals, temples, priests and scriptures at some point in their history; (4) usually have some statement about life beyond death, either survival in some shadowy hades, in some version of heaven and hell, or through reincarnation; (5) usually have developed a code of conduct or moral order; and (6) generally have attracted a large following, either currently or at some time in the past. Also, I will discuss the influence Islam has over the people who follow it, and we will see how the basic teachings of Islam could improve our situation on earth.
The first of the six bases is that the religion deals in some way with peoples' relationship to the unseen world of spirits, ancestors, gods and demons.
Allah, Angels and the Jinn
Islam is not just a religion to the people of Islam, also known as "Muslims". It is a way of living according to one's faith. (Dodge-7). Muslims believe there is only one God, Allah. They worship only Him and reject any notion that He shares divinity with any other thing. (Dodge-4). Allah is not alone in Paradise; He is surrounded by angels and the Jinn. Angels are servants of God. It is through angels that humans are aware of God. Angels do not have free will; they do what God asks of them. The Jinn are either good or bad, because they have free will and can use it to decide to be either good or bad. Iblis is the leader of the Jinn. He
What is a Muslim? In what do the followers of Islam believe? In today's world, people should be asking these questions, if only to learn more about the world around them. In this paper, I will discuss how the basic ideas of Islam compare to the six bases of religion listed in our textbook. The six bases are: (1) deal in some way with peoples' relationship to the unseen world of spirits, ancestors, gods and demons; (2) developed a system of myths about the unseen world and rituals designed for communing with or propitiating the spirits; (3) developed a system of organized rituals, temples, priests and scriptures at some point in their history; (4) usually have some statement about life beyond death, either survival in some shadowy hades, in some version of heaven and hell, or through reincarnation; (5) usually have developed a code of conduct or moral order; and (6) generally have attracted a large following, either currently or at some time in the past. Also, I will discuss the influence Islam has over the people who follow it, and we will see how the basic teachings of Islam could improve our situation on earth.
The first of the six bases is that the religion deals in some way with peoples' relationship to the unseen world of spirits, ancestors, gods and demons.
Allah, Angels and the Jinn
Islam is not just a religion to the people of Islam, also known as "Muslims". It is a way of living according to one's faith. (Dodge-7). Muslims believe there is only one God, Allah. They worship only Him and reject any notion that He shares divinity with any other thing. (Dodge-4). Allah is not alone in Paradise; He is surrounded by angels and the Jinn. Angels are servants of God. It is through angels that humans are aware of God. Angels do not have free will; they do what God asks of them. The Jinn are either good or bad, because they have free will and can use it to decide to be either good or bad. Iblis is the leader of the Jinn. He
Cited: Maqsood, Ruqaiyyah Waris, Teach Yourself Islam,2003, Great Britain Dodge, Christine Huda, The Everything Understanding Islam Book, 2003 Adams Media Corporation Understanding Islam, www.understanding-islam.com, 10 Feb 2005