The HBO Documentary, Koran by Heart, directed by Greg Barker, further reiterates the importance of the Quran on the daily lives of Muslims. Though in the past, we have learned that the Quran is the holy text of Islam, making stark comparisons to the holy texts of other Monotheistic religions such as the Bible for the Christians and the Torah for the Jews, but in retrospect, the Quran delves into other matters beyond just religion. Dr. Salem Abdel-Galil, Deputy Minister of Egypt’s Ministry of Religious Affairs, says that the Koran for Muslims is not just a book of worship, but it serves as a guide for life. In other words, the Quran is not just a compilation of religious accounts; rather it holds information to further develop a follower’s interpersonal and communicative skills along with guidance on how to live a tolerant and peaceful life with others. Another takeaway from this film, and what I believe to be one of the central messages that director Greg Barker is trying to convey, is that the Quran is the ultimate source of unification for Muslims. This is apparent throughout the documentary, which initially starts with the description of the annual Quran reciting competition held in Cairo, Egypt. This competition brings together approximately 110 reciters, of all ages and both genders, from a total of 70 different countries. The majority of the participants are not native Arabic speakers, the language of the Quran, but yet they have all memorized the Quran in Arabic.
The basic tenets of belief in Islam surround the words Allah revealed to the Prophet Muhammad within the holy text the Koran (Qur'an in Arabic). Muslims do not believe that Muhammad was the originator of Islam, but that it was he who brought back the original monotheism of Abraham, Moses, Jesus of Nazareth, and other Prophets from the Christian and Judaic Old Testament. Islam holds that these Prophets were seminal instruments of God's word, but that both the Judaic and Christian traditions have misinterpreted the meaning of the word of God, altered the texts given to man by
The second theme I took away was that many Muslims are very proud of their country, even though it might not be something that as an American we would consider proud. According to Erford & Hays (2014) “Muslims view Islam as not merely their religion, but their guide for everyday life” (p. 253). Rheam herself stated that she is a Christian from Jordan, and she is represented by her country first. This is also an example of why it is important to process why a person behaves a certain way, and have certain beliefs, even if it is something we cannot understand.
Probably my favorite book that we read in BIFL this semester was Ali-Karamali’s “The Muslim Next Door”. Before reading this book, I had no clue what Islam was or what sort of traditions Muslims practiced (I have done an extremely poor job of being informed with the events and people of the world). Reading about a totally different religion than my own gave me the opportunity to question the religious practices that I participate in. Hajj seemed like such a silly thing when we first started reading about the 5 pillars of Islam, but once we watched the National Geographic video, something clicked for me. I began to realize how incredible it must feel to be surrounded with people from all over the globe that gather together to do the same religious-based activity. Further, I began to recognize just how beneficial the Qur’an was for women of that age. Ali-Karamali states that, “if Islam so greatly raised the status of women fourteen centuries ago, when women’s rights were inconceivable and implementation of them was a Herculean task, then the message of Islam itself must be feminist” (123). Here I am, a privileged, intelligent, white female trying to raise the bar for women all over the world like I was the first one to think of that. It’s incredible to think that religious texts were trying to do this work at a time it was unheard of!
First, this book will guide me to embrace the world as it is. It is written in English, so it may not be same as written by the each religion leaders. Although this book travels freely from Eastern to Western and forth and back to reflect various perspectives, it will help me to see different aspects of the world through others' eyes. Having this kind of view will expand my mind to new things and deepen the understanding the matters.
J.Cole just recently released his new album “K.O.D” which conveys his emotions through his real life experiences. In “Kevins Heart” he accurately paint pictures and makes the listeners feel his emotions by his natural play on words.
The Quran had served as the cornerstone of the Islamic society. They spread the message of
The region of the Middle East and its inhabitants have always been a wonder to the Europeans, dating back to the years before the advent of Islam and the years following the Arab conquest. Today, the Islamic world spreads from the corners of the Philippines to the far edges of Spain and Central Africa. Various cultures have adopted the Islamic faith, and this blending of many different cultures has strengthened the universal Islamic culture. The religion of Islam has provided a new meaning to the lives of many people around the world. In the Islamic world, the religion defines and enriches culture and as a result the culture gives meaning to the individual. Islam is not only a religion, it is in its own way a culture. It may be this very
The Qur’an is believe to the ultimate source of God by many Muslim believers. It contains 114 suras for the believers as the core practices of the Islamic religion and Muslims throughout the world recites its verses (Chang, Lecture. 1/21/14). They believed the prophet of Allah was Muhammad, who received the words of Allah through Angel Gabriel, and was passed on with the Qur’an during Ramadan. Angel Gabriel one night came to Muhammad “in clear human form” (“Scripture and Tradition in Islam- The Qur’an and Hadith” 104), and gave the messages from Allah to him. From the establishment of the Qur’an, Muslims have viewed the book as the last revelation of their god Allah, and thus are the true words from God for their ways of life and in
Our religion and where we are raised is a major ingredient to formulating our identity. It is also why one person may perceive, as ‘kissing in public’ to being extremely wrong, where as one may not even notice it. Within the Iranian and Middle-Eastern culture, numerous perceive situations through the rights and wrongs of the Holy Quran. Research also claims that many of the passages within the Holy Quran “…are meant for human perception and comprehension…” (Berrada 45). This statement illustrates that our
The Quran is a religious manuscript with a unique effect on the legal, social, and political organizations of the numerous societies of Muslims since ancient times until today. Apparently, in the majority of Muslim states, their constitutions are usually canonized by the Islamic regimens. Consequently, the Quran is the foundation of the legal principles in such nations. The basis of numerous lawful codes in ancient Muslim kingdoms was primarily outlined in the Quran and was vastly referred by jurists especially in court proceedings. Additionally, the set of rules marks an integral position in the religious lives of Muslims. It encompasses the five prayers that are typically recited daily, and they entail the
The lives of Muhammad by Kecia Ali is a modern book that describes the way the life of the prophet has been told by past authors. It looks at the manner in which he lived his life and some of the decisions that he made. However, many other authors who have written about the life of Prophet Muhammad but Kecia Ali bring out the unspoken perspective that many people hardly notice. She shies away from describing the truth spoken by anti-Muslims and Muslims alike. On the contrary, she analyses both factions of the narrations and tells the story of Muhammad in a new light.
This paper examines the role of the Holy Quran and its role for human beings in leading a successful life. Holy Quran has great importance in the lives of Muslim. This paper examines what are lessons explained in the Holy Quran? How can we say Holy Quran is guidance for leading a successful life? And is there any significant relationship between Science and Holy Quran? This paper is limited to the Muslims.
The holy Quran is a collection of the divinely inspired utterances and discourses (Ahmed, 16). It is composed of some 300 pages which are divided into 114 Surahs (chapters). The general tone of the holy Quran is sombre and meditative. It is a dialogue between God and humanity. At the core is a moral earnestness (Ahmed, 16). The Quran also teaches that humanity is created by God and therefore God understands its weaknesses and in Allah humans find the source of peace. Islam’s appeal lay – and – lies in the simplicity: one God, one Book, one Prophet (Ahmed, 17). Islam is a religion of balance, equilibrium, and compassion. The Islamic virtues are courage, generosity, cleanliness, and piety: and in his life the Prophet exemplifies them (Ahmed, 17).
Islam is a religion based on the interpretation and application of fundamental scriptures geared towards the need of a growing, modernizing religious community. The Qur’an and the Prophet Mohammed’s Sunnah and hadith serve as the main sources for attaining religious knowledge. Scholars of Islam, Ulema, delegated a mechanism in which they can gain knowledge after they have consulted the Quran and Sunnah through ijtihad and qiyas. The flexibility with which they can use reason, ijtihad, and analogies, qiyas, to answer questions of the time created doctrines that shed light onto the growing concerns within the Muslim community. This methodology has served to provide a path in which religious scholars can apply Islam to the changing dynamics of gender roles. The modernizing world provided the framework for female scholars to enter the field of religious study and interpret Islam on their own. Drawing on their reasoning and their ability to make analogies to stories within Islam helped women develop sound arguments within Islam that codified women’s rights. Muslim feminist used the religion of Islam as the backbone of their movement by highlighting their rights and freedoms within Islamic scripture. They opened the gates of ijtihad to reevaluate scripture pertaining to their rights in a marriage free from the nuisances of male scholars. Religious tools in extracting knowledge within the folds of Islam allowed women to challenge existing marriage norms and gender roles based in
Although Islam is the second largest religion in the world with a following of 1.8 billion followers, no other religion has faced more scrutiny and hardship in the past decades. This has been caused by media and governments labeling Islam as a whole with their extremist groups like Al Queda and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. I even thought that the principals held by these extremist group were more common in Islam than they are. After studying Islam and gaining more information I came to respect this religion more than any other we studied this semester because of its seriousness and unity. The Quran and Hadith provide concrete details and instructions to follow in the faith of Islam. No texts from any other religion are as upfront with their beliefs than these. Muhammad was and continues to be a powerful and understanding leader that has led it to becoming the world’s fastest growing religion. I enjoyed studying the powerfulness of Muhammad and the direct voice of God in the Quran that is sets Islam apart from Judaism and Christianity.