Quran: Book of Islam

Most of the people thinks that we pray because our forefathers have been praying and told us to pray. We pray because God has asked us to pray and therefore we tell our children to pray in a same way. But for many people who are sincerely searching for a more meaningful answer this may not be satisfactory. First of all, God has given us freedom of choice for everything including prayers. So we do not have to pray if we do not want to. In fact in propesperity most of us don't. Only when some personal tragedy strikes or when we reach old age that many of us start praying regularly. To understand this with example; consider a plane full of people about to crash and in this helpless situation where everyone realize that they are going to loose their lives they all start praying for God's mercy, forgiveness, His pleasure and personal salvation in the hereafter. But nevertheless, everyone will be trying his/her best to survive until the very end. This instinct of self-survival is inherent in every living being, including us. The traditional concept of praying has started long ago when humans find themselves helpless and defenseless against natural catastrophes. They supplicate to various natural objects that threatened or benefited their survival. But once human beings developed tools for self-defense and gradually advanced in science they tended to drift away from religion. They found security in science rather than prayer because science gave them control over the forces of nature. Priesthood considered this attitude as an attack on religion itself. This led to a continuous battle of religion with science. History bears ample testimony to this continuous struggle.

Before futher discussing this topic i like to have your input about the prayers, that who you guys take it and exercise in your daily lives?

Religion Islam

Many Muslims especially of influence in society think that the idea of unity of humankind is an unrealistic goal and therefore, should be abandoned. According to them, this may be a romantic or an exotic idea but it is an unattainable goal. They think that Muslims waste their time in talking about the unity of humankind when they themselves are badly divided.They catalog a long list of such divisions from Muslim history. Wars fought and continue to be fought amongst themselves and millions of Muslims killed by Muslims are given as proofs from past and present history to support their claim that Muslim unity is not possible,let alone the unity of humankind. How can then one talk about Muslim unity when their past history has been so divisive, they are quick to remind everyone. These are mostly the feelings of the secular liberal or progressive minded Muslims.This feeling gives them intellectual satisfaction and a sense of psychological security. The conservative minded Muslims are no different.In fact, they put a religious and a sacred twist to the differences among Muslims.From every religious pulpit they announce that the differences and divisions among Muslims are the blessings of Allah Almighty. Remember,the Quran does not support this chapter 3 verse 103.In fact, it warns Muslims not to create divisions chapter 30 verse 32.But religious leaders thrive and in fact exist on these differences. So, they perpetuate the existence of these differences and divisions by sanctifying them. This opens the door for any group to call itself Naji and therefore on the way to Heaven and the rest destined for hell. So,in the end, it turns out that, every group can and does claim that it is going to Heaven.In layman terms they want to have both ways: have the cake and eat it too! What can be more wonderful than this This gives individuals in each sect emotional satisfaction and a sense of self-righteousness. So, we see that Muslims in both camps secular as well as conservative feel satisfied with their respective positions – but for totally different reasons. Secular Muslims feel satisfied because of their intellectual analysis of Muslim history. Religious ones,on the other hand,feel satisfied based on clerical edicts and blind faith.Thus both groups in a way feel satisfied with the perpetual disunity of Muslims in the world.

There are many Muslims though who simply want to move with the times and leave Islam to the Mullahs. They believe in the adage: Do in Rome as the Romans do. But a vast majority of Muslims practice passive Islam that was passed on to them by their forefathers in the name of Islam and go about doing their daily businesses.They feel fed up with all the controversies created by the secular and conservative Muslims but at the same time they do not want to spend time and effort to find out the truth for themselves.They feel satisfied as they have been told by their parents that God will forgive all their sins simply because they were born in Muslim families and that the Muhammad peace be upon him will save them from hell fire no matter what. In other words, they feel satisfied by being ignorant about Islam.

By - Religion Islam
http://www.parvez-video.com

Hi Folks

Terrorism or Terrorists are not confined to Muslims alone. Terrorists come from every religion. But western media often uses the term Islamic terrorists or Islamic terrorism, implying terrorism is associated with Islam? Islam does not teach terrorism under any circumstances.

So who are they and why they are using Islam for exercising their own outlined dogma? Whether accept it or not but the truth is that it is in the interest of western powers to stigmatised this with the help of media power. But in reality Islam has nothing to do with those who commit acts of terrorism. Therefore, it is wise to differentiate Muslims (who are exercising this) and Islam. Just as acts of terrorism committed by Christians cannot be attributed to Christianity (like in bosnia & india), acts of terrorism committed by Muslims must not be attributed to Islam or its teachings.There is a popular feeling in the West and justifiably so, that Islam is a very oppressive and retrogressive religion. But this is based on a wrong perception of Islam!

The order of Islam is to provide an environment of peace and tranquility for all both muslims and non Muslims. Islam gurantess to protect everyone from external or internal threats and dangers. Since religious tolerance (and respect for other faiths) is among the basic teachings of Islam, it instructs Muslims to fight and to even give their lives, if required to protect places of worship of other faiths such as temples, churches and synagogues. If this is a teachings of islam then why is there such a frightening image of Islam in the West? The answer lies in one word "Jihad" and its mis-representation and mis-interpretation through the media. But Muslims are no less responsible for this frightening picture of jihad either. Tyrant Muslim regimesand terrorist organizations routinely invoke jihad or holy warto terrorize or kill innocent people to achieve their political agendas. The word "jihad" means struggle or exertion. There are many levels of jihad; struggling to remove poverty,fighting against material and moral corruption, struggling against social- politicaland economic injustices, struggling to restore basic human rights, fighting against tyranny and oppression, constantly exerting to advance human knowledge, fighting against environmental pollution & much more. And the Jihad as a war must be declared and must be for defensive purposes only.

No terrorist operations are allowed in Islam. Above all jihad must be done for the good of humanity which in Islam is referred to as fighting for the cause of God. Under no circumstances they allowed to exploit the weak and the vulnerable.

Regards
Nawaz
Religion Islam

Every tribe, people or race throughout the world celebrates a festival of one sort or another. Muslims also celebrate some festive occasions on some days of the year. But the festival of Eid is one that we are commanded to celebrate in festivity, joy and happiness by Allah Almighty Himself ! This in itself portrays its importance.

In Surah Yunus it is said: “O mankind! There has come to you indeed an admonition from your Lord and a healing for what is in the hearts; and a guidance and a mercy for the believers. Say: In the grace of Allah and in His mercy, in that they should rejoice. It is better than (all the worldly wealth) that they amass.” (10:57-58).

This is the occasion Muslims have been enjoined by Allah Almighty himself to celebrate with happiness and joy. By origin this occasion is called JASHN-E-NUZOOL-E-QURAN, which is known as EID.

Usually the festivals of jubilation and rejoicing are celebrated in the world for the change of the seasons or for establishing the monument of any person or for preserving any prominent event of history. But what Islam declares is this: The change of season takes place according to the Law of Allah; the human's monuments can perish and the world's events can be made to forget. But the message of Allah preserved in the Quran can never vanish - the charge of its preservation He got unto Himself; He who is alive and can never die; is so lasting that He has neither any decadence, nor is destined to decay. This rejoicing Festival of Eid is the monument of the revelation of The Quran, the living and lasting Book of Allah, the Allah who is the Living and the Everlasting. For this purpose preparations are made all over the month of Ramazan for the celebration of this festival (those preparations are, in deed, the integral part of this Festival, and the E'takaaf as well).

Islam is the name of obedience to the Divine Laws - not the obedience by compulsion but the obedience from the core of the heart. It is the accomplishment of the Laws in such a way that a true subordinate to these Laws can not even touch a thing, unlawful and unrecognized. It is s/he, in whose hands, no illegitimate loss can be rendered to the property, life, honor and chastity of any human. For the consolidation of this very passion of obedience, it has been ordered that in compliance to this Law, even the thing lawful and pleasing be left for some time so that there be never any casting of the eye to the thing unlawful and unrecognized. They, the Muslims, are made habitual in the month of Ramzan to bear the intense pangs of hunger and thirst all the day over so that they are addicted to pass smilingly and steadfastly through the extremely difficult stages of their life struggle. This month of Ramzan is, as if, an Annual Training Camp in which provisions are made to revitalize the new inspirations in life. It is a refresher course, a memoria technica, to reinvigorate the memorandum, - that in which the direct link between Allah and man is refreshed to consolidate the Law of Requital and, of course, the development of the personality. It is stock taking through which we have to evaluate the sum total of our deeds and consequences spread over the whole year to oversee as to what extent we have marched ahead on this scale in one year. It is the process for inculcating growth in the tender feelings of heart, the development of vision in eyes, the sharpening of minds and the invigoration of psyche during the obedience to Allah's Laws in the program of a complete month with the labor of hard work. When this month elapses, they are ordered to assemble at a place to sit jointly and to contemplate as to what they have to do to achieve and regulate the life at par with the characteristic features of those who follow the Laws of Allah. They are made to manifest the contracts enfolded in the Quran vividly glistening, like the true diamonds. As a result of this contemplation they may develop such a program, which their selected leader (Imam) may announce in his address. After that, their representatives with this decisive program may start going to the concrete capital of the Islamic Ummah (i.e. the House of Allah at Mecca) where, in the light of these various local programs, a common system is devised for the all Ummah.

It is these - the various integers of this mirthful festival and the brief outline of its integral parts. This is the EID-UL-FITR.

Keep these in view. And then reflect how have these very festivals, which were to make the living hopes bounce on every facet of its vastness, and to fresh the thrilling invigoration of the human psyche, have gradually transformed into the icons of rituals? Allama Iqbal (R) has very rightly mourned over this sad state of affairs:

That Blood no longer remain in thy veins
That heart, that craving no more in thy life
Thou hast the prayer, the fasting, the sacrifice, the Hajj:
All in rituals alive in thee
But thou hast lost thyself.

Are we prepared to accept it and act accordingly?

Regards
Allama Parvez
Religion Islam

In this universe, men is the only creature who is given choice and discretion. They may obey the laws of Allah Almighty (God) or may not; this discretion isn't given to any other creature. Men decides to disobey Allah Almighty's laws when its feelings and emotions overpower him. These emotions instigate him for personal gains as against universal good. He bypasses the laws of Allah Almighty and starts following his own emotions. At this stage his intellect manipulates him the ways and means to achieve these objects. These emotions or feelings and the intellect which guides such feelings to achieve the objectives are given the name of Iblis (Devil) by the Quran. Because of Devil rebellious nature it was said that he was born out of fire (7:12 The Quran) and since feelings of human beings remain hidden, Iblis/Shaitan was also called a Jinn (18:50, The Holy Quran) and Jinn means one who is hidden.

The Quran has termed Iblis and Shaitan as the two faces of the same to the foreground. These are termed as projection, repression, fantasy, denial of reality, rationalization, intellectualization and reaction formation. All these varieties of adjustive mechanisms have the underlying roots in disappointment. And a feeling of rebellion or aggression closely follows this. In this way there is clearly a direct and deep-rooted connection between the feelings of rebellion and disappointment experienced by a person. This is also exemplified as "Iblis and Shaitan relationship".

The Quran supports the above deliberations that frustration leads to aggressiveness. When a person feels that he cannot achieve what he desires, he gets angry. If he gives vent to his anger against his own self, it results in worry, tension or depression; the last stage of which is suicide. When he uses this anger against anyone else, which/ who in his opinion is responsible for this, it is called revenge. But if he is incapable of taking revenge from the person concerned, then at times he gives vent to his feelings against unconcerned thing, and it is madness. One can see the direct and deep contact between disappointment and rebellion. And this is the relationship of Iblis and Satan.

By - Religion Islam