Religion & Belief (Alor Pothay) > Islam & Science
Islamic Stories-II
Anisur Rahman:
The 'Five Pillars' of Islam are the foundation of Muslim life:
1.Faith or belief in the Oneness of God and the finality of the prophethood of Muhammad.
2.Establishment of the daily prayers;
3.Concern for and almsgiving to the needy;
4.Self-purification through fasting; and
5. The pilgrimage to Makkah for those who are able.
Anisur Rahman:
CATEGORIZATION OF MAJOR WORLD RELIGIONS
by Dr Zakir Naik
Religions of the world can be broadly categorized into Semitic religions and non-Semitic religions. Non-Semitic religions can be divided into Aryan religions and non-Aryan religions.
Semitic religions
Semitic religions are religions that originated among the Semites. According to the Bible, Prophet Noah (pbuh) had a son called Shem.
The descendents of Shem are known as Semites. Therefore, Semitic religions are the religions that originated among the Jews, Arabs, Assyrians, Phoenicians, etc. Major Semitic religions are Judaism, Christianity and Islam. All these religions are Prophetic religions that believe in Divine Guidance sent through prophets of God.
Non-Semitic religions
The non-Semitic religions are further subdivided into Aryan and non-Aryan religions:
Aryan Religions
Aryan religions are the religions that originated among the Aryans, a powerful group of Indo-European speaking people that spread through Iran and Northern India in the first half of the second Millenium BC (2000 to 1500 BC).
The Aryan Religions are further subdivided into Vedic and non-Vedic religions.
The Vedic Religion is given the misnomer of Hinduism or Brahminism. The non-Vedic Religions are Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, etc.
Almost all Aryan religions are non-Prophetic religions.
Zoroastrianism is an Aryan, non-Vedic religion, which is not associated with Hinduism. It claims to be a prophetic religion.
Non-Aryan Religions
The non-Aryan religions have diverse origins. Confucianism and Taoism are of Chinese origin while Shintoism is of Japanese origin.
Many of these non-Aryan religions do not have a concept of God. They are better referred to as ethical systems rather than as religions.
Reference:http://www.irf.net/irf/comparativereligion/index.htm
nusrat-diu:
Thanks Anis sir for your contribution in this thread.
Again an Islamic story which is collected from IslamCan.com:
Not Afraid of Losing the Job
When Mufti Muhammad Shafee' (rahmatullahi alayh) came to Pakistan (from India), he was appointed as a member of the Islamic Education Board by the Government. This Board was one of the sections of the Government. Once the Government decided to take an action, which was contrary to Islamic Laws. Mufti Shafee' was prompt to oppose it and explained that due to it's being against the teachings of Islaam, it should not be adopted. His remarks, however, prompted a debate between the Government officers, many of whom began to criticise the respected Mufti for having said what he did, as he was a member of the Board and part of the Government.
Seeing this, Mufti Shafee' bluntly addressed the gathering and said that he had agreed to become a Member of the Board only for the sake of Islaam, and therefore, it was his duty to object to what was unislamic, regardless of whether his objection was in agreement with the line of the Government or not. He clarified that he was not a Government servant and unlike them was not worried about losing his job. He said, "I have my resignation letter in my pocket and my expenses do not exceed a few rupees, so I am not dependent on salary and allowances like you. I can earn that much money by hard labour too, while you cannot because your suit alone costs two hundred rupees, so, you might fear losing your job."
nusrat-diu:
He Cannot Catch Up
Ubaidullah bin Umar Qawariri said," I never missed the evening congregational prayer (prayer with Jamath). But once a guest came to my house and I remained in his company until late. I went out, looking for any mosque in Basra at which I could catch the evening prayer, but to no avail. The people had all prayed and gone home. I returned to my house,saying to myself,'It is reported in tradition that congregational prayer is twenty-seven times more excellent than individual prayer.' So I prayed the evening prayer twenty-seven times over and slept. I saw in a dream that I was with a group of people who were racing on horses, and I was also racing with them on my horse but my horse was falling behind. I kicked my horse to catch up with them but I could not. One of the riders turned to me and said,"Do not urge your horse, for you will not be able to catch up with us." I said,"Why not?" He replied,"We prayed evening in congregation and you prayed it alone!" Therefore, I learned a lesson and was deeply grieved."
Source: The Major Sins Al-Kaba'r By Muhammad bin 'Uthman Adh-Dhahabi, rendered into English by Mohammad Moinuddin Siddiqui.
nusrat-diu:
Removing the Obstacle
A qualified medical worker from India emigrated to Canada to live a better life. This Muslim brother had a beard. He applied to many different places for a job and was called for interviews. Though he was highly qualified for the jobs, the interviewers hesitated to hire him because of his beard. One by one, he was rejected from all the companies. One interviewer actually mentioned to him indirectly that his beard was an obstacle to getting the job. Truly, it was a big test for him from Allah. Hopeless and exhausted, the brother decided to remove the obstacle, which was to shave off his beard. Then he returned to that company and requested for another interview. When the interviewer saw him without a beard this time, he refused to give him the job again. The brother became confused and asked to know the reason. The interviewer said "If you are not faithful to your God, how will you be faithful to us?"
This true incident was narrated to us by a friend who personally knows this brother, however, his identity will remain private. In reality, obeying the commandments of Allah does not bring failure. In the beginning, we may face various problems, but the end results will be very sweet. Prophet of Allah (SAW) also faced many problems in the beginning, but in the end, he saw how hundreds and thousands of people turned towards Allah for his steadfastness. Ibn 'Umar, may God be pleased with him, said: "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and give him peace, ordered us to trim closely the mustache and leave the beard as it is (that is grow the beard)." (Reported in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.)
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