World Religions_second week_en_removed (1).pdf

Abrahmic Religion Qurʾān 3:84 "We believe in God, and in the revelation sent down to us, and in the law sent down to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants, and we do not distinguish between prophets, but believe in God alone." Abraham: The eponymous “Father” of Judaism. In Christian...

Abrahmic Religion Qurʾān 3:84 "We believe in God, and in the revelation sent down to us, and in the law sent down to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants, and we do not distinguish between prophets, but believe in God alone." Abraham: The eponymous “Father” of Judaism. In Christianity, referred to as "Abraham, the father of faith." Theory of Religious Degradation Claiming that both Judaism and Christianity have strayed from the original teachings God gave to Abraham and the many prophets who followed. The Jewish people became overly ethnocentric and thought they had a monopoly on God. Christianity distorts belief in the one God, Allah, by promoting Trinitarianism, which places Jesus and the Holy Spirit in the same position and service as God. The Five Pillars of Islam The five pillars – the declaration of faith (shahada), prayer (salah), alms-giving (zakat), fasting (sawm) and pilgrimage (hajj) – constitute the basic norms of Islamic practice. Profession of Faith (shahada). The belief that "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God" is central to Islam. This phrase, written in Arabic, is often prominently featured in architecture and a range of objects, including the Qur'an, Islam's holy book of divine revelations. One becomes a Muslim by reciting this phrase with conviction. Prayer (salat) Muslims pray facing Mecca five times a day: at dawn, noon, midafternoon, sunset, and after dark. Prayer includes a recitation of the opening chapter (sura) of the Qur'an, and is sometimes performed on a small rug or mat used expressly for this purpose. Muslims can pray individually at any location or together in a mosque, where a leader in prayer (imam) guides the congregation. Men gather in the mosque for the noonday prayer on Friday; women are welcome but not obliged to participate. After the prayer, a sermon focuses on a passage from the Qur'an, followed by prayers by the imam and a discussion of a particular religious topic.