Faith as a Comprehension of Nature and Reality - Essay Example

Task: Religion and Theology Question I practice Islam because my parents are Muslims. They introduced me to Islam at an early stage and I have grown up abiding to Islam ways. Since my extended family is of Muslim religion, I grew up learning Islamic ways from my relatives and eventually decided that Islam was the best path for me. Apparently, Islam is the second prevalent religion globally and comprises of over one billion followers. Furthermore, the 2001 census revealed that the total number of Muslims in America was 1591000 constituting three percent of the population. As Muslims, we believe in one God. Additionally, Islam in Arabic refers to submission to God and happens to be the youngest religion globally (Lewis & Buntzie, 40). Islam is a monotheistic religion that emanated from Prophet Muhammad teachings. From the start, Muhammad got absorbed in the religion. He could leave for Mt. Hira and spend days and nights meditating and praying. During one night while he was still praying, Angel Gabriel approached him and proclaimed him as Allah’s messenger to spread the faith among the Arabian people. Consequently, he openly announced to the people that he was Allah’s prophet commissioned divinely to guide the Arabians to a monotheistic faith. Muhammad condemned idol worshipping that was prevalent among the people but contrary to expectation, his own people turned against him and abused him. Some Arabs planned to kill him, prompting him to seek refuge in Medina. Surprisingly, he gathered more followers in Medina while he preached his religion. Apparently, Muslims believe in five pillars of Islam. The first statement is Allah is the only God and his messenger is Muhammad. Secondly, every person must pray five times each day while facing Mecca. The third is offering of alms and the fourth pillar is fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, which happens to be the ninth month in the Muslim year. The fifth pillar is making of the pilgrimage once in an individual’s lifetime (Lewis & Buntzie, 43). Muslims worship in a mosque and in every mosque, there is a place where individuals leave their shoes. However, the mosque has no furniture or statues because we believe that they are blasphemous. Women also go to worship in the mosque but sit separately from men as a sign of modesty and avoiding distraction, but mostly women pray at home. Moreover, Islam religion values and respects women highly. The Holy Quran depicts equality of both women and men before God. Consequently, Islam views a woman whether married or single as a person who must possess her own rights. According to Islam, the responsibilities of both women and men happen to be harmonizing and collaborative. This implies that responsibilities of both men and women are impartial and balanced in terms of totality. However, although Islam permits a man to marry four wives, there exist some restrictions. One of the restrictions is that the man must treat all the wives with equality in terms of love, respect and fairness. If the man is incapable of complying with the stated restriction, he should stick to marrying one wife only. Apparently, a major reason why Islam allows an individual to marry close to four wives is that it does not support divorce. Apparently, the Holy Quran contains Muhammad teachings. Some of his teachings are that idol worshipping is a curse and individuals must refrain from the practice. Another teaching is that all men are equivalent and any sort of distinction must not exist among prophet’s followers, implying that inferiority and superiority should not exist. Muhammad also affirmed that every Muslim must pray on every Friday at the mosque and give charity to the underprivileged. Muhammad favored kind treatment of slaves and women and strived to improve women superiority in Arabia. Muhammad favored kind treatment of women and slaves and strived to improve women superiority in Arabia. Additionally, ended female infanticide and ensured that women were on the same level with men in terms of legal processes. He also enforced some restrictions regarding women movement because he believed that their residences were best suited for them and should only move out when necessary (Lewis & Buntzie, 50). Question 2 My family is Muslim and played a major part towards my religion. My parents are staunch Muslims who ensured that I grew abiding to Islam ways and hence contributed largely to adoption of the religion. In essence, a child learns a lot from the family while growing up and the first learning place for every child is on the mother’s lap (Dickey & Vicky, 92). Additionally, the mother tells her child which religion to follow. In the society, a mother educated the child on God’s teachings and eventually the child learns that there is a supreme being. Consequently, children grow in accordance to the religion of their parents. In 2007, a research on religious identity revealed that a mother’s religion background has significant influence on a child’s religious identity as he or she transits to adulthood. Eventually, the adult child has a great likelihood of attending religious services and adopting the mother’s religious attitudes. Personally, my family background played a large role in adoption of Islam religion. The school that I attended strengthened my Islamic religion because it practically educated me on the Islamic teachings. I learned how to act and live in accordance to the Islamic rules and regulations. Furthermore, I got the chance to ask questions regarding Islamic religion and the responses I got enabled me to develop my personality in accordance to the religion. Question 3 Religion and individual development are indivisible. They have played a critical role establishing effective relations with my colleagues and other members of the society. Religion offers guidelines to the believers regarding life and after life. It offers the essential incentives for participating in industrious actions during lifetime (Graham, 42). Additionally, it discloses the unlimited dimensions of an individual life and emphasizes the significant goals and values that are components of human deeds. This realization validates human life and ethnic activity. It also offers models that are significant for development of individual human life. These models are beneficial in transition of individual growth in a mode that results to divinization of humans becoming like their creator. In the Islamic religion, I find supernatural involvement through prayer and rituals. Furthermore, these approaches strengthen the human spirit in its quest to liberate itself from the persistently threatening evil that tends to weaken the creative possibilities of humans (Graham, 44). Religion influences productivity using particular individual traits including ethics, honesty and thrift. Furthermore, these traits may prompt individuals to be either productive or not. According to various religions, hard work is the norm. The Quran reveals that work is a responsibility to God and urges individuals to direct diligent effort in their work. Muslims regard work as a mode of shunning away from an immoral life and glorifying God. Based on a religious view, an individual must evade idle conversation and fruitless recreation to have maximum time to perform his work. The believers regard individuals who are idle and unproductive as evil. Religion enhances personal development by endorsing a positive approach towards honesty because it emphasizes the idea of truth living. By doing so, it enables one to develop a sincere attitude in every interaction. Furthermore, it increases trust levels and minimizes corruption levels that are imperative in personal development. Besides, religion leads to improved health levels because it discourages sinful activities such as drug use, gambling and alcohol consumption. For example, Islam discourages alcohol and gambling, and this act promotes positive personal development (Graham, 48). Religion also influences personal development by promoting education levels. It encourages individuals to be literate. This gives them the capacity to read religious teachings. According to numerous faith systems, the prime definition of God is knowledge and intelligence. Therefore, Islamic religion expects Muslims to comprehend and reflect on the statement that exemplifies knowledge and intelligence thereby playing a significant part on personal development. Additionally, faith is a comprehension of nature and reality. It is an understanding of what exists as opposed to what appears to exist. It is the concrete reality beyond what individuals perceive using the mind ability. It is a blend of perceived information, disclosed information and unknown facts. Faith gives meaning on human existence and offers the purpose in a person’s life. This makes it an integral component in influencing personal development. Works Cited Dickey, Susan & Vicky, Bowden. Children and Their Families: The Continuum of Care. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2006. Print. Graham, William . Islamic and Comparative Religious Studies: Selected Writings. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate, 2010. Print. Lewis, Bernard & Buntzie, Churchill. Islam: The Religion and the People. Indianapolis: Wharton Press, 2009. Print. Read More