Analyse how the individual is guided towards acheiving inner peace in TWO religious traditions. (18/20)Inner peace is defined as an internal quality of calmness and security which puts the mind at ease and fills the adherent with a sense of tranquility and assurance. For adherents to Christianity and Islam, inner peace is an inevitable and hugely rewarding consequence of genuine faith. It is developed rather than striven for, through a unique combination of personal, communal, scriptural and doctrinal means. Christians believe that inner peace is obtained by being in a close relationship with God. This involves accepting the gift of love from God and accepting that grace is given and not earned. Christianity teaches God lives in the …show more content…
Jihad is central to this life of submission. Greater Jihad is the concept relating to the ongoing struggle to make oneself and one’s community ‘perfectly’ Muslim. It embodies peace on a personal level, working through the individual and their role in the community.Inner peace is only possible when the Five Pillars are lived in faithful obedience to God’s will. Obligatory prayers, known as Salat, remind Muslims of Allah’s closeness to them. The Qur’an states: “Perform the prayer for my remembrance” (Qur’an 20:40). Attention is drawn repeatedly to Allah, marginalizing earthly distraction in order to devote more fully to the divine. Sawm or fasting, reminds participants of those who do not have enough to eat or difficulty living. In being reminded on these things, Muslims are reminded to place too much importance on material goods. They are reminded to place their trust in God for provision of food, which can help them to achieve inner peace. Hajj involves the spiritual, mental and physical journey from one’s normal place of living to Makkah. In the midst of a million pilgrims, the individual Muslim experiences the inner peace of the Ummah. Sufism is an Islamic theology that began to develop in the first century of Islam. Sufism stresses that the traveler on the spiritual path must first abandon himself or herself to the will of God and then only will God’s peace enter their heart. A frequent Sufi proclamation is: “There will be no peace until there is
To be a Muslim, one has to follow five religious duties: 1. Repeat a creed about Allah and Muhammad; 2. Recite certain prayers in Arabic five times a day; 3. Give to the needy; 4. One month each year, fast from food, drink, sex and smoking from sunrise to sunset; 5. Pilgrimage once in one's lifetime to worship at a shrine in Mecca (Adamson). These beliefs affect daily life from praying five times a day to financial giving. The interface between the divine and humanity is not only contact but a way of life.
Central to the Muslim belief is the importance of devotion and total submission to Allah. This is put into practice through the Five Pillars of Islam –the five obligatory duties that must be performed by all practising Muslims. These are the acts of faith, prayer, charity, fasting and pilgrimage. Carrying out these duties creates structure in a Muslim’s life, teaching them to devote their time to Allah and not get caught up in their own secular lives. The effect the Five Pillars of Islam has on not only the individual but the community as a whole is substantial. Constantly
Hajj is a once-in-a-life time obligation upon Islamic adherents whose health and means permit it. It is an essential part of Muslim faith and practice as it is the fifth pillar of faith, symbolises central concepts of Islam and commemorates the trials of the Prophet Ibrahim. Hajj provides individuals with the opportunity for spiritual rebirth through developing a closer relationship with Allah as well as fulfilling the five pillars of Islam. The global Islamic community are also united through submission to the will and communal worship of their “one God” Allah.
Furthermore, the following of Muhammad 's steps as an integral part of the Hajj acts as a guide for adherents to base their future lives upon. The Hajj traces around the Saudi Arabia region, highlighting key components of the Prophet 's life. This life is one that evidently reflects all core Islamic values and teachings, and serves as the materialism of Allah 's will on Earth. Prayer, such as rak 'ah, Zakat, seen in the shaving of the head, and Jihad, present in the physical struggle required, are all key values reflected in Muhammad 's life, while Umma, given through the unity of the
Analyse using sacred scripture and a variety of sources the principle teachings about peace in Judaism and Christianity and how these teachings impact on the life of each adherent’s tradition, as a means of achieving inner peace.
The bible, Quran and Hadith are respected texts and are regarded as the books of truth. Believers take these sacred texts as the revealed message from God – the truth. As such, they are used as a guide to life in the pursuit of peace between people and also between people and God. Jesus and Muhammad had a role in spreading the teaching of peace. To understand how the Muslims and Christians view peace it is imperative to first understand what peace means. Most people would refer to peace as freedom of war, disagreements, conflict and calmness of mind. To understand the roles of Christianity and Islam in the teaching of peace the concepts of inner peace, world and society peace has to be addressed, for both Christians and Muslims, inner peace refers to the state of calmness and tranquility experienced by the individual. It is often understood to be associated with the spiritual peace with God/Jesus for Christians and spiritual peace with Allah who desires peace for Muslims. Muslims believe that it is through complete submission to Allah also called the Greater Jihad that an individual may achieve inner peace. The Quran states clearly that in order to achieve world peace, all people must submit to Allah as they believe all people of the Muslim community around the world are one community. They believe that there can be no world/universal peace or the lesser Jihad without the greater Jihad which is misunderstood by many Islamic and non-Islamic people.
In this paper I will be discussing what I learned about Christianity and Islamic faiths. How that even though these two religions have differences that they have core similarities and history that show that they have more in common than they do not have in common. I will discuss my interview at a Christian church and what I learned from it. Then I will discuss how much all the religions I have studied in this class have in common. Touching on their philosophies, beliefs, virtues and traditions and any areas that show areas they have in common.
The five pillars of Islam are the things the Muslims have to do to live a good and responsible life according to Islam. The Shahada is the pillar where every Muslim sincerely recites their faith. When a Muslim recites their faith, they claim that Allah is the only god, Muhammad is the prophet, and that they will obey all the commitments of Islam. Salat is the prayers that are to be performed five times a day. Muslims are to pray before sunrise, midday, late afternoon, after sunset, and between sunset and midnight. They believe that prayers set the rhythm of the day. Children are encouraged to start praying at age seven. Zakat is paying taxes that will benefit the poor or those who are less fortunate. Zakat as seen as a type of worship and self-purification. Sawm is the fasting during the month of Ramadan (ninth month if the Islamic calendar). During the Ramadan Muslims are to give up during the day; any food or drink, smoking, and any type of sexual activity. Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca. Once a year Muslims gather together at Mecca and praise to the Allah together. Mecca is the place that is holy for every Muslim, a non-Muslim cannot
First is Shahadah, when one devoutly and sincerely professes their Muslim faith. Next is Salat which is the act of performing the ritual prayers. These ritual prayers take place every day of the week, five times a day, being before dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset and evening. Then comesZakat, the giving money to the poor and needy in the form of charity. Following is Sawm, a term meaning the fasting period during the month of Ramadan. Lastly is the Hajj which is a pilgrimage to Mecca. This pilgrimage is an obligation of all able bodied and healthy Muslims to be completed at least once in their lifetime. 2
The bible also offers guidance on the importance of inner peace and how to achieve it. Jesus taught to seek reconciliation
The message of peace is a fundamental universal concern which is relevant throughout our world today. Peace is not merely the ‘absence of war’, but a state of mind in which a sense of tranquillity comes from actively working towards right relationships with individuals and God. To understand the way in which Muslims and Christians view peace it is imperative to understand the source of the teachings for each religion. The principles teachings of peace for Both Christianity and Islam are primarily found in the sacred texts of both religious traditions. Christianity looks to the bible and specifically the New Testament for teachings about peace, whereas Islam focuses’ on the Qur’an and Hadith to guide their beliefs of peace. These sacred
This Essay will unpack and argue the pilgrimages of Hajj in Islam and the World Youth Day pilgrimage. These pilgrims are seen as profound statements of faith. As the essay develops, the author will articulate sophisticated language, proving and validating that both pilgrimages are full of rich symbolism, ceremony and rituals, prayer and reflection. Additionally, the author will posit the important history of each pilgrimage and the significance of the pilgrim to their respective faith communities. Finally, valid and credible research is used throughout the argumentative essay.
Orthodox Islam emphasizes the absolute transcendence of God, but there is a sect of Islam called Sufism, which has placed a major emphasis on mystical experiences. To quote John Esposito: "The Sufi path is a way of purification, a discipline of mind and body whose goal is to directly experience the ultimate reality." Sufis seek to experience God directly, utilizing poverty, fasting, silence, celibacy, recitation of the Most Beautiful names of Allah, music, dance, and veneration of the saints. Sufism is a combination of worldly renunciation and meditation with "undying devotional love of God."
One of the Five Pillars keep the people from sinning and actually enforce that you do good for society. Other Pillars include rules such as fasting or praying. One of the Five Pillars is Shahadah, sincerely reciting the Muslim profession of faith. It is the same as how Christians get baptized. The person going through Shahadah will recite the profession of faith, which, in english, is, “There is no god but God and Muhammad is his messenger” (Muslim 1). When one says the Shahadah, he or she is stating that he or she believes the Allah is the only god, Allah never had a son, and that he is indivisible. Then there is the Hajj, another Pillar of Islam. Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca. The Hajj is an event held from the 8th to the 12th of the last month on the Islamic calendar which is Dhu al-Hijjah. It is considered mandatory for any Islamic adult who is financially stable to participate in the Hajj. If one fulfills those circumstances they are considered mustati. “During Hajj, pilgrims join processions of hundreds of thousands of people, who simultaneously converge on Mecca for the week of the Hajj, and perform a series of rituals such as: each person walks counter-clockwise seven times around
The Five Pillars of Faith are devotional practices that provide every Muslim with a practical framework to cultivate spiritual development. It put into practice a Muslims belief, as they all must fulfill these five obligations in order to live a respectable and responsible life according to Shari’ah (Islamic Law). The Five Pillars consist of the Shahadah (declaration of faith), Salat (daily prayer), Zakat (obligatory almsgiving), Sawm (Fasting) and Hajj (Pilgrimage). They aim to make Muslims conscious of God and bring peace and harmony between the physical and spiritual desires of a human being.