Five Pillars of Islam Questions

1. Why is the pronouncement of the shahada central to a Muslim’s identity and
practice of the Islamic faith?


The pronouncement of shahada is cental to a Muslim’s identity and practice of the Islamic faith because it is the affirmation of the belief of one God and His prophet. Such as the National Anthem unifies spectators along with opposing teams during a sporting event, the pronouncement in one true God does the same.


2. How does the practice of the salat both mentally and physically help Muslims to
live in obedience to the will of Allah?


The pronouncement of salat is central to a Muslim's identity and practice of the Islamic faith because slat(prayer) unifies Muslims all over the world. For example, during the five times Muslims pray during the day, they are to face the holy city of Mecca. This unifies all that pronounce salat. God commanded the prophet Muhammad to pray five times a day thus making prayer a central practice because Islam is submission to the will of God. Prayer mentally rests Muslims.


3. In what ways does the practice of zakat influence Muslims as a community of faith? In other words, what does this practice say about the Muslim community and its commitment to the poor and marginalized?

The practice of zakat shows that Muslims are a people of giving. Muslims have made a commitment to helping their fellow human beings by donating 1/40 of their total income to the poor. This may seem small but with millions of Muslims doing this the whole world can benefit from their example.


4. How does the practice of sawm both mentally and physically help a Muslim to live in obedience to the will of Allah?


I must say that the pillar of sawm is my favorite pillar because it is the one that I am most intrigued by. Sawm is fasting. I find especially admirable that Muslims fast during Ramadan to personally experience what it feels like to be hungry. This is both a mental and physical way Muslims live in obedience to the will of Allah.


5. Why do you think that the hajj is a pillar of the Islamic faith? How is this practice similar and different from other world religions?

I believe that the hajj is a pillar of Islamic faith because Muhammad performed a hajj known as the hijra. Also, Muslims pry to the kabba in Mecca everyday therefore it is only fitting to visit the center of their faith. This practice is similar to other world religions because all religions have holy sites and all world religions have pilgrims. It is different from other world religions because unlike Christians going to St. Peter's Basilica and walking around, Muslims go to Mecca for many days with specific events for each day and all rituals must be done correctly.

6. What do you think are some of the challenges of practicing a life in relationship to the Five Pillars?

Some challenges to living a life in relationship to the five pillars would be finding time to practice salat. In such a busy world where we barely have enough time to ourselves I believe that it would be hard to find time to pray five times a day at specific times. Another challenge would be taking the hajj because it is very expensive to travel to Saudi Arabia.

Ninety-Nine Names of God

When looking at the ninety-nine names of God there are four that stick out to me that I think are used a lot when God is being mentioned. They are the Compassionate, the Vanquisher, Life-Taker, and Acceptor of Repentance. The Compassionate is one of God’s feminine names because for Him to be compassionate, he cares about us, through high and low situations that we put ourselves in. God cares even if we do not know it, like a mother with her child. Through everything we do or say that can go against God or what he plans for us to accomplish, he always forgives us and is filled with love for us even during the challenging times of our lives.

            A masculine name for God is Life- Taker because no matter how much control we think we have over ourselves it is God who truly rules over use. He already knows our past, present and future as well as knows our faults before they even happen. We, as humans, may think we take control of our lives so we can make it of what we want but ultimately, God is the one who has a real control over what will happen in our lives. God has everything under control, even though some people might not believe it He cares and loves us and we will always be under his protection because He will always be with us step by step in our lives.

             Another feminine name for God is Acceptor of Repentance because He wants us to forgive each other for what we have done. He know that no human is perfect and it’s for that reason that God wants us to repent because again He shows His care and love toward us as well as our faults. All of us sin because it’s natural and as I said before no human is perfect. Nonetheless, when we sin, God wants us to come and talk to him to ask for forgiveness because he wants us to be forgiven and to move on. He is called the Acceptor of Repentance a lot of times because he is open as well as understanding to the fact that we all make mistakes and sin; talking to God and asking for repentance is big because we are accepting our faults to him and he is giving us the chance to renew ourselves, like a mother forgiving their child when they have done something wrong.

            One last masculine name for God is the Vanquisher because even though God has created life he can destroy it just the same. Meaning that God can destroy man and destroy evil as well. He has the power to do so if he finds it necessary and because of that vanquish comes off to me as very masculine when referring to God. This is because I believe that God being the Vanquisher adds to the effect of how people are to fear him and not think that God is a push over just because he forgives all of our sins.

            All four of these names are only a few of the ninety-nine names that God is mentioned as. Each of them are linked to each other because they refer to the same God. He is everything, when we need something or want to talk to someone he is there. He is compassionate, a vanquisher, a life-taker and an acceptor of repentance. God is loving towards us as well as protective. He looks after us and wants us to always better ourselves in his name. He gave us everything on this Earth and even though he is to be loved, God should be feared just the same. He rules us and controls our lives and even though he gave us free will he knows what we will do before us. We are under his protection and guidance helping us to move forward. Nobody’s perfect so when we sin, we ask God for forgiveness. However sometimes, asking for forgiveness can be hard; but still he welcomes us to do so to show his love and care he has towards his creations.

Blog Post 24: Islam Webquest

Task #1:

1.     What is the highest estimate for the total number of Muslims that live in the world today? 2.1 billion

2. List 10 countries who have a Muslim population of 86% or greater. Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Gambia, Iran, Iraq
3. What country has the largest Muslim population? Morocco
4. How many Muslims are there in the Unites States? 2,595,000

Task #2:

5.     Summarize each key beliefs below in a complete sentence:

·      Belief in God:  Muslims believe in one unique God, who has no son or partner. No one shares his divinity.

·      Belief in Angels: Muslims believe in the existence of the angles and that they are honored creatures. The angles worship God alone.

·      Belief in God’s Revealed Books: Muslims believe that God revealed books to His messengers as proof for mankind as guidance for them.

·      Belief in the Prophets and Messengers of God: Muslims believe in messengers of God starting with Adam, including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and Jesus.

·      Belief in the Day of Judgment: Muslims believe in the Day of Judgment when all people will be resurrected for God’s judgment according to their beliefs and deeds.

·      Belief in Al-Qadar: Muslims believe in Al-Qadar, which is Divine Predestination, but his belief in Divine Predestination does not mean that human beings do not have freewill.

6.     Go to the following website and put 3 of Muhammad’s sayings in your own words:

·      “ Struggling is going against oneself and submitting themselves to Allah (God).”

·      “Honesty and staying pure while moving forward is the best way to live life and makes up the Divine words of wisdom.”

·      “Anger, dictatorship and being bias are sins, meaning going against God’s purpose.”

Task #3:

7.     What does the Quran provide? It deals with the subjects that concern human beings: wisdom, doctrine, worship, transactions, law etc.

8.     In what language(s) does the Quran exist? Why? Only Arabic because it was revealed in that language. But in English translation as well.

9.     During which month was the Quran sent down from Heaven? 9^th month

10. What did the angel Gabriel command Muhammad to do? What happened next? Commanded Muhammad to read and then he taught Muhammad some verses from the Quran, which Muhammad memorized.

Task #4:

11.  List and explain the 5 pillars of Faith:

·      Shahada (Testimony of faith): Most important pillar. One is required to say with conviction at least once in his or her life.

·      Salat (Prayer): Muslims pray 5 times a day- dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and night. Prayer often occurs in a mosque, but Muslims may pray anywhere.

·      Zakat (almsgiving): Charitable giving is a requirement of faith for all Muslims. Used to benefit the poor.

·      Slyam (Fasting): literally means any ritual fasting, but is generally understood to refer to ritual fasting during the month of Ramadan. From dusk to dawn for the entire month, Muslims must refrain from eating, drinking and engaging in sexual relations.

·      Hajj (Pilgrimage): During the last month of the Islamic calendar, about two million Muslims ascend to the city of Mecca for the Hajj.  Every able-bodied Muslim is required- if finances permit to make it at least once in their life.

Why are they important?:  Helps to strengthen their faith in and service to Allah.

Why is cheating on the 5 pillars impossible?: Because all Muslims strive to perform, regardless of anything.

Compare the 5 pillars with similar activities in other religions: In Christianity, we have times of lent where we do not eat meat. Asking God for forgiveness. The Quran is similar to the Bible in Christianity.

Task #5:

12. What is Ramadan? 9^th month of Islamic calendar

13. What restraints are placed on Muslims during Ramadan? Not allowed to eat or drink during the daylight hours. Smoking and sexual relations are also forbidden during fasting.

14. What can destroy the good acquired during Ramadan? Telling a lie, slander, denouncing someone behind his back, a false oath and greed or covetousness.

15. Why is the 27^th day of Ramadan significant? Muslims celebrate the Night of Power. It is believed that on this night Muhammad first received the revelation of the Holy Quran.

16. What happens when Ramadan ends? It is celebrated with one of two Islamic festivals.

17. What are 3 reasons Ramadan is important? Constitutes a period of atonement. The gates of Heaven are open. And the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained up in Hell.

18. Why is easier to do good during Ramadan? Good actions keep the devil away since he is chained in Hell.

Task #6:

19.  List 5 interesting facts you learned from the websites above:

·      Muslims account for one-fifth of the world’s population.

·      Islamic art isn’t restricted to religious work, but includes all the artistic traditions in Muslim culture.

·      Islam means “submission” from a word meaning “peace”.

·      Islam and Judaism go back to the prophet and patriarch Abraham and their three prophets are directly descendents from his sons.

·      When pilgrims go to the Kaaba, they say, “At Thy service, O Lord” in response to Abraham’s summons.

Monastic Community Extra Credit

       The Buddha was the founder of the first Buddhist monastic community. It was a place for his followers to work to obtain nirvana as well as to spread the Buddha’s teachings. In monastic communities, monks and nuns work to expand themselves spirituality an as an addition they help newer members to the community to do the same. Monastic communities have rules that include celibacy as well as not taking the life of others. If these rules were to be broken, a member of that community would be ask to leave. In the community, monks and nuns participate in both individual and group in order to study and learn their faith. In that community, each person is assigned a specific duty to perform and to ensure that the community runs smoothly and problem free. For the lay people of their faith Buddhist monk and nuns serve as spiritual counselors.

       It may be slightly easier to practice Buddhism if a person is a monk or a nun because Buddhist monks and nuns live in special faith-centered communities. In these communities, they are surrounded by others who share the same faith and beliefs. Their companions are also in search of spiritual enrichment and enlightenment, and because they are living together as a group, the monks and nuns are able to support their peers who share a common goal.

       Theravada monks and nuns mostly focus on themselves and being able to better themselves to reach nirvana. Theravada monks and nuns spend basically all of their free time meditating. Tibetan monks focus primarily on the beauty of life as a way to reach nirvana. They work for countless hours to produce beautiful sand mandalas only to destroy them completely when they are done to show no attachments. It also teaches them about the impermanence of beauty and life.

       None of the rules that govern the lives of monks and nuns could be changed or taken away because these rules lead the simplistic lifestyle that the Buddhists live and expierence. If these rules were changed, the monks and nuns would be following the same rules as the lay people and they would not have anything that could set them apart and show uniqueness. Lastly, if these rules were changed or removed, the understanding of monastic life would not be the same.

 

Ancient Western Religions

1. It arose and flourished in ancient Iran, known today as Persia during the Persian empire of the 5th and 6th centuries.
2. Zoroastrianism spread beyond its origin after Persia conquered by the Greek and Alexander the Great in 328 BC which caused it to spread far
3. Zarathustra had the religious experience at age 30 of that an angle called good Thought appeared and brought him before Ahura Mazda who Zarathustra recognized as the one true god which drove him to spread the idea of monotheism.
4. The Sacred Text of Zoroastrianism is the Avesta and the oldest part is the Gathas, which are Zarathustra’s seventeen hymns
5. Ahura Mazda is eternal and universal goodness and controls the cosmos and the destiny of human beings
6. Ethical dualism is the belief in universal forces of good and evil
7. The Lie is the evil spirit. The Lie was chosen by the hostile spirit who was one of the Ahura Mazda’s twin children
8. Humans must choose between truth and the Lie, the beneficent spirit or the Hostile spirit
9. Zarathustra’s understanding of human destiny is that after death individuals undergo judgment. The good go to paradise and the bad to a dark abyss. Stress individual responsibility of a person in their passing of judgment.
10. The general ethical demands of the traditional Zoroastrian life and caring for livestock and fields lead by example, tell the truth, and avoid evil people.
11. The Parsis are today’s Zoroastrians that mostly live in India.
12. “The Bible” of the ancient Greeks was Homer’s The Illiad and the Odyssey.
13. “The gods of the Olympian pantheon are anthropomorphic” means that they have human attributes and none of them are all knowing but rather each has their own talents.
14. Aeschylus main contribution to the understanding of the gods was to focus on divine justice and have an emphasis on the characteristic strengths each god had rather than the humanistic ones. For example, he focused on Zeus’ power and strength.
15. An oracle is a sanctuary favored by a particular god who communicated to morals who were at the site. The most famous oracle was at Delphi where they sought the wisdom of Apollo.
16. The three basic aspects of the mystery religion are that individuals had to choose to become initiates and they went through some sort of initiation ritual, initiates experienced a personal encounter with deity, and initiates gained spiritual renewal through participation in the religion and hope for better afterlife.
17. The mystery religion that honored Demete, and Pesphore was that celebrated at Eleusis near Athens.
18. The god Dionysus is associated with fertility, vegetation and wine. He is often depicted in Greek art with vines and grapes.
19. The goal of the ascetic practices of the Orphics is to release the soul from the body and fully realize its divine nature.
20. Plato’s theory of knowledge is that we know things in life partially because we experienced them in a previous lifetime. This is known as recollection
21. Platonic dualism is how truth exists outside of any physical thing and is in ideas therefore perfect and eternal.
22. Jesus seemed to have much in common with Asclepius because they were both god and mortal at the same time, had the power to heal, and both encouraged a closer relationship between the worshipper and the worshipped.
23. Numina were supernatural powers that were in charge of specific functions. They were thought to inhabit homes, towns, fields, the countryside, streams, doorways, altars, shrines, and many other things.
24. The most powerful Roman deity was Jupiter
25. The six planets named after Roman deities are Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Neptune, Mercury, and Saturn.
26. Official worship practices were essential because it was believed such worshipping ensured the welfare of the Roman state
27. The mystery religions that were the major threats to Christianity were those from Egypt, Syria, Asia Minor, Palestine, and the Greeks.
28. The Egyptian myth of Isis and Oriris is that Orisis was killed and hacked into pieces by his brother. Isis, his wife, searched all over until finally finding Oriris’s body parts. She mummified him and he came back to life and was a god of the underworld.
29. The sort of emperor worship that was encouraged by Augustus was that he be worshipped as a god by the people he conquered.
30. Christians and Roman rulers clashed over emperor worship because Christians only believed in their one god and therefore refused to worship the emperor.

What is Judaism

1. The synagogue is a House of Assembly, House of Study, and House of Prayer. Jews use the synagogue as a place for meeting with other Jews. It is also used to study the Torah and other holy texts. The synagogue is also used to pray to God.


2. The Ark is located on the eastern wall of the synagogue. The ark is the repository for the Torah scrolls when they are not in use. It also serves as the focus for one's prayers. The Torah is handwritten by a trained scribe on parchment made from a kosher animal. The Torah has to be written with no mistakes; the letters must be clear, the writing must not be faded. If there is something wrong with the Torah it cannot be used until it is repaired by a scribe. The scrolls themselves are covered by cloth mantles, or covers, elaborately designed on the front. The Ten Commandments are kept



3. A rabbi is a teacher of the Torah. The requirements to become a rabbi are different from each sect of Judaism. For example, the entrance requirements for an Orthodox yeshiva include a strong background within Jewish law, liturgy, Talmudic study, and attendant languages such as Yiddish. In a nutshell, being a rabbi requires years of study and being able to know the Torah in and out. The rabbi differs from other clergymen because he has no power over the people. The role of the rabbi is to teach the people the meaning of the Torah.


4. Shabbat is the most important ritual observance in Judaism. It is the only ritual observance instituted in the Ten Commandments. It is also the most important special day. The Shabbat occurs on the day of rest from sundown Saturday to Sunday.


5. The Torah is the Jewish sacred book. It is the first five books of the bible that includes Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Numbers. The Talmud is known as the “Oral Torah” and this is how the stories of the Torah should be interpreted.

6. Sephardic, Ashkenazic, Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, Humanistic, and Zionist. Orthodox Jews follow Jewish law as laid down in the Torah . 5 million American Jews are Orthodox. Reform Judaism began after the Enlightenment. They believe that while the Torah is a valuable cultural and philosophical body of work, it was not delivered by God at one time, but developed over centuries. Reform says Judaism must continue to evolve. Conservative Judaism arose due to a break between Orthodox and Reform. Some Conservative synagogues are similar to Reform, while others are close to Orthodox. Finally, Theodore Herzl created the Zionist branch of Judaism. Historically, some Orthodox Jews had opposed Zionism because the Messiah had not appeared. But there were many religious Zionists as well.

7. Hebrew is a member of the Canaanite group of Semitic languages. Hebrew is the national language of Israel and it is said that the bible was written in Hebrew.



8. Yiddish was the primary language of Ashkenazic Jews in the shtetl, found throughout eastern and central Europe. One of the Germanic languages, Yiddish is written in Hebrew characters. It began between the 9th and 12th centuries in southwestern Germany as an adaptation of Middle High German dialects to the special needs of Jews.


9. Mazal Tov means Congratulations, Shalom means Hello,Peace,Goodbye, and Mitzvah means party


10. Birth includes the ceremony of circumcision, by which a boy enters the Covenant of Israel on his eighth day of life, goes back to Abraham, who was commanded by God to circumcise himself. Following the circumcision, the child's Hebrew name is announced. Bar/Bat Mitzvah- Every Jew becomes a Bar Mitzvah automatically. It is a change of legal status; it has nothing to do with how much an individual knows or has learned. No ceremony, certificate, or special service is required. However, it is a change of status that affects the entire community, since now there is an additional member to count in the minyan, and thus it has been customary to celebrate this milestone since the 1300's, though celebrations have always been small and modest until this century. The centerpiece of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebration is the child's first aliyah: the first time the child is permitted to recite the scriptures from the Torah. Wedding- In Jewish tradition, a marriage is termed Kiddushin which connotes that the husband and wife are sanctified to one another and enjoy an exclusive relationship. This relationship also has legal ramifications. The actual marriage ceremony is originally kinyan, one of acquisition, modeled on the transfer of property in the ancient world. In the case of marriage, the woman accepts a ring from the man, and thereby accepts the terms of the marriage. A ketubah is read during the ceremony. Witnesses are required not required for the signing of the ketubah but they are required for the kinyan ceremony. In the United States, when a rabbi officiated at a wedding, it is a legal wedding by the law of the United States. Go Jews!



11. Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first and second days of Tishri. In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means, literally, "first of the year." Rosh Hashanah is commonly known as the Jewish New Year. Yom Kippur- The name "Yom Kippur" means "Day of Atonement," and that pretty much explains what the holiday is. Jews don’t go to work and some fast. A fun fact is that on Yom Kippur, the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. is closed. Jews may also go to the synagogue to pray. First off, Hanukkah is not a very important religious holiday in Judaism. Hanukkah is the celebration of the menorah staying lit for eight days. There was only enough oil to burn for one day, yet miraculously, it burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the menorah. An eight day festival was declared to commemorate this miracle. Passover is the most observed Jewish holiday even by secular Jews, so it can be interpreted as Christmas for Atheists. The day before Passover is the Fast of the Firstborn, a minor fast for all firstborn males, commemorating the fact that the firstborn Jewish males in Egypt were not killed during the final plague. In a nutshell, Passover celebrates God freeing his people from slavery in Egypt.


12. Before this assignment, I knew what the Torah and the Talmud were. Jews take very special care in their scripture. Also that at age 13 the jewish boy becomes a man.



13. The most surprising thing I found was the rigorous amount of work and significance of a bar mitzvah.




14. Passover is a Jewish tradition similar to mine because during Holy Week in the Catholic church, this very story is the Old Testament reading.




15. One aspect of Jewish life that is different from mine is the language. Hebrew and Yiddish are Jewish languages but I guess this isn’t very different from my religion because Latin is the main religion of Christianity.

Buddhism Questions

1. His name is Siddhartha Gautama
2. He sees an old man, an ascetic, a corpse, and a diseased man. All four of these sites were sufferings that happen to everyone in life and this was the first time Siddhartha had seen them.
3. The Doctrine of the Middle Way was developed by Gautama to teach others that finding true self is in the middle of total asceticism and indulgences.
4. Gautama attained enlightenment when he overcame the distraction of Mara.
5. The Sangha is the first Buddhist monastic community that consisted of men and women.
6. Buddha, Dharma, Sangha
7. Both believe in samsara, the wheel of rebirth, this make Buddhism and Hinduism both believe in a cyclical system.
8. Buddha disagreed with Hinduism's structure. He didn't agree with the fact that only Brahmin men were allowed to do rituals.
9. Anatta, Anicca, Dukkha. They are interrelated because all help discover change.
10. Anatta is the doctrine that the same self is reborn. This relates to Hinduism's belief of Atman because both involve inner self.
11. In Buddhist doctrine energy is transfered during rebirth. Karma affects the status one is reborn to.
12. Do not take life, do not take what is not given, do not engage in sensuous misconduct, do not use false speech, do not drink intoxicants. For monks and nuns: Do not eat after noon, do not watch dancing or shows, do not use garlands, do not use a high or soft bed, do not accept gold or silver.
13. It means suffering. Dukkha means to be without comfort in life and feeling out of place.
14. Tanha is desire. It is related to dukkha because both are unavoidable.
15. The steps of the Eightfold Path are right views, right intentions, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right meditation.
16. The Buddha is different from all others who have been enlightened because he became enlightened while still alive.
17. Arhat is translated as "worthy one" and it is a title used to describe the living enlightened. Arhats are compassionate.
18. Nirvana literally means total censation and this helps us understand nirvana by giving a sense of what it feels like.
19. They are Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana
20. Theravada focuses on the teachings of the Buddha
21. Mahayana means the Great Vehicle. This name implies that they focus on the Buddha themselves.
22. Vajrayana Buddhism fights fire with fire.
23. The Dalai Lama is the head of the hierarchy of Buddhism. Each Dalai Lama is chosen by people who search for his reincarnation.
24. Theravada- Sri Lanka, Mahayana- India, Vajrayana- China