Understanding Islam (Thesis Sample)

Understanding Islam
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Understanding Islam
Christianity, Islam and Judaism
Religious beliefs, traditions of social behavior, governmental structures and laws of today discover their foundation in the progress of three major belief classifications - Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Even though, number of various spiritual movements has increased all over the years, these three belief classification have mad the most influence on development of the West. To better appreciate this influence, it is essential to draw the progress of Christianity, Islam and Judaism, and assess the correlations between them. Whereas, each belief category is distinctive, there are several similarities because of their common foundations. According to Smith, (1991), Christianity, Islam and Judaism are all referred to as Abrahamic religions because they all mention Abraham as their originator. As such, they have several general beliefs. Christians and Jews share some of the similar Holy Scriptures that is the first five books of the Old Testament in the bible. There are a not many common foundations and several common aspects of Christianity, Islam and Judaism –in what is referred to as Abrahamic spiritual heritage.
Similarities
The beliefs and practices of Christianity, Islam and Judaism most significantly starts with the originator of the Hebrews called Abraham ca 1800 B.C.E. Historically, these ideas were also pledged to by nomadic tribes, who settled in current Palestine, close to Mt. Sinai. The individuals of these tribes did not tag themselves same as Hebrews, and knew god of Abrahim as the supreme God (Peters, 2003). This merged as God assured Abraham a son, and in the development of the incidents hesitant that is old wife may well provide him a son, he was with Ishmael his maid, Hagar, and thereafter God's prophecy would be met with the delivery of Isaac, by his wife Sarah. Owing to their belief classification, the tribe propagated the belief that Isaac and his descendants were picked by God to continue Abraham's holy ancestry. Isaac became the father of what was to turn out to be the twelve tribes existed in Israel, while Ishmael and his lineage were to make up a different Semitic tribe and pursue Arabic practices. The following are major similarities among Christianity, Islam and Judaism:
Belief concerning God
Christianity, Islam and Judaism are monotheistic religious movements, because they believe that only one God exist. Jews and Muslims deeply emphasize the unity and oneness of God. The assertion by Christians about oneness of God is at times misunderstood, since Christians believe one God is the Holy Trinity (triune). However, this should not be taken as a denial of monotheism but a confirmation of the complication of the Divine Being. All these three religions believe God as the source and origin of everything that exists. God takes care of the whole creation and wish for the comfort of all. God is a just God who provides basic guidance for our lives in order to be good and righteous, in accordance to His intention. God is also kind; through God's grace we have more strength to be more similar to what we are supposed to be.
Prophets
As far as Muslims are concerned, Muhammad is regarded as ultimate Prophet of God. In contrast, Jews and Christians believe, Moses and Jesus respectively as their Prophets sent from God. All Islam and Muslims concur that Jesus and Moses were sent from God and were genuine Prophets (Rippin, 2005).
Abraham’s Children: Understanding humans
The three religious movements agree that human beings are the uppermost creatures on the earth surface. They also agree that we are the offspring of Abraham. God created human beings awash with mystery, which implies potential for permanent development, both as an individuals and species. Human is able of both good and wicked. When human being grow up in goodness, morality, and love they turn out to be more like God planned human goodness. When human abuse their own freedom and harm other people, themselves, and the surroundings it suggests that they are going astray as opposed to God's plans and turn into evil-doers. Every being is able, with God's help, to avert from wickedness, repent, and be righteous. We are indebted to God our loyalty, adoration, and obedience.
The Future
Regardless of how complex the past and present turn out to be, these three religions are optimistic concerning the future. Evil and misery cannot finally triumph. God has offered a state of being for which human three faiths have different titles but we concur on the word Paradise. This future will provide about God's recognized rule; absolute bliss for everyone who believe in God.
Divine Human Encounter
The three Abrahamic religious convictions trust that God and humans can and ought to communicate with one another. By revelation God speaks to individuals, amongst which the most significant are revelation via prophets. These revelations are evidenced in the Holy Books of every religious conviction. Whereas, the Holy Scriptures of these three faiths are not similar, however the younger two faiths admit God's truth as established in the past religions, and promote reverence to the Holy Scriptures. While all of the three religious movements does not just emphasize on one set of texts, the major Book of Judaism is known as Torah, the main Book of Christianity is the Bible, which comprises of the New Testament and the Old Testament, and the major Scripture of Islam is known as the Qur'an (Morgan, 2009). The responsibility of every individual is to read and listen to God's Holy teachings and to reply with praise, prayer, and with an proper approval of God's decrees in our existence.
God's Guidance
God has not left human beings with no principles for behavior. God provided humans with sound basic regulations to live by including a normal mind to practice when and how to use those rules to their daily lives. All these three religions, for instance, detest murder, the random killing of innocent individuals. Similarly, God requires us to tell the truth and not obtain forcefully properties that rightfully belong to them. Humans are to needed to value the dignity of every individual and help particularly people who are not able of helping themselves, for example the poor, orphans and widows. All three faiths adhere to the Golden Rule: doing to other people what we desire those do unto us. All three faiths promote moderation, honest and modesty work. All human are expected to commit themselves to the spirit of God. All these three religious convictions always closely relate morality and religion. Religion is to be marked by demonstrating concern for the welfare and self-respect of others, in service to other people, and in individual and social moral behavior.
Islam as a religion
Islam is a world faith and the individual who follow it are referred to as Muslims. Every Muslim shares the similar critical values, beliefs and God centered strategy to the world. Islam is put into practice by individuals from several diverse cultures. In Islam they referred God as Allah and think he last revealed himself via the Quran which in Muslim is equal to the bible that the Christians read. According (Lapidus, 2002), The Qur’an is the major foundation of Muslims’ practice and conviction, and the words have not been altered from the beginning when it originally recorded 14 centuries ago. The five cornerstone of Islam are the foundation of a life of a Muslim. They include:
* conviction that there exist only one supreme God and while Muhammad (pbuh) is His Messenger and Last Prophet;
* Belief in Prayers which are carried out five times everyday;
* Fasting and praying in the month of Ramadan;
* donations in which some percentage received is offered to the poor;
* Taking Pilgrimage better known as Hajj to Mecca, the holy city is necessary once in a lifetime if there is availability of means. Islamic dress could differ depending on an individual’s state of origin or birth. However, it ought to be dignified and modest for both men and women and is not supposed to focus the body.
Quran as the last book
The Qur’an is just like the Bible. The Islamic faithful believe it to the final moral power. Its fundamental ethical message is always to follow and believe in Allah regardless of what the problem and forever have belief in Allah. One case is the "we make no divergence between one another”. The Quran is a scripture that was sent to the entire race of Mankind as a way of Mercy and Guidance. It is the last revelation of the Scriptures from Allah (swt) and was revealed through the last Prophet, Muhammad. Islam is the humankind’s greatest growing faith with an approximated 1.3 billion Muslim faithful globally. When it was referred to as the "mankind”; it comprised of human beings coming up to resurrection day. It was, therefore, explicated that although the first state to whom the prophet spoke to first is his own country, but alongside it he is also the Messenger to every the humans who are to came behind him. For this reason the Quraan asserts: And alongside them, even to other individuals who am yet to join. It implies you are the Messenger to who will follow you (62:3).
This makes up nearly 20 percent of the humanity’s population and comes second after Christianity. Peters, (2005), states that, regardless of these figures Islam is most likely the worlds most misinterpreted religion with several in the west looking Muslims as extremists. This emerges from the rising publicity conferred to Islamic fundamentalists around September 11. The Quraan turned out to be the complex and complete Book of all the past Divine Scriptures. Therefore, this revelation Book, the Quraan, interactively included all the codes ...