Abstract This paper clearly explains the various aspects of the Islamic religion, culture and way of life. The writer contends that the Islamic religion is in some ways the most clear-cut and simple of all the religions. Muslims submit to the will of Allah and believe that there is no god but Allah and that Mohammed is his prophet. The Koran is a very important part of Islamic life, as it instructs them what to do on a daily basis. This paper details the five rules all Muslims must follow every day of their lives which include: Faith in Allah, prayer five times a day and pilgrimage to Mecca. This paper also delves into the ideology of Islam which consists of two key aspects: a set of beliefs i.e. the creed and a system of rules regulating man's actions emanating from that creed.
From the Paper "The Koran is a very important part of Islamic life. This is because it tells them what to do on a daily basis. It is made up of things that Mohammed said and his companions recorded by either memorization or on paper which were later gathered. In school, children study the Koran every day. Muslims believe all 114 of the Koran's suras, or chapters and study them. It discusses man's fate when he dies and gives clear direction for his behavior with his rewards and punishments for when he dies. The Koran states that a true believer must honor his parents, help the poor, protect orphans, be honorable and fair in all of his dealings, avoid strong drink, gambling, and pork, and be humble before Allah. All Muslims believe that the Koran is God's words spoken through Mohammed through the angel Gabriel. It also forbids lying, stealing, adultery, and murder. In the Koran, there are five basic rules that a Muslim must follow. They are referred to as the Five Pillars of Islam. The Five Pillars of Islam are: Belief in Allah, Prayer Five Times a Day, Almsgiving, Keeping the Fast of Ramadan, and Pilgrimage to Mecca. A Muslim must follow these five pillars every day of his life."
Abstract The paper defines the teachings and practices of the religion Islam and gives an overview of its history. The paper shows how the classic Islamic religion which preaches restraint from violent acts, is in contradiction to radical Islamic groups who commit terrorist acts in the name of Allah.
From the Paper "Take as an example Osama bin Laden's group, the Al Qaeda. They are Muslims in belief, but they do not understand fully the concepts and beliefs that were written in Islamic doctrines about the proper path and living that Muslims should commit themselves to. Instead, they had violated every possible moral and religious belief that Islam strictly adheres to. An example would be the terrorist attacks bin Laden and his group (Qaeda) had committed. These acts of violence and terrorism are a strong contradiction to the Muslim belief that Allah's follower should not inflict any physical harm to any living thing, whatever their worth is. Another prevailing example is the constant abuse that the Taliban government in Afghanistan and bin Laden's group has inflicted to the women and children of their nation. This is in direct violation to the doctrine of Qur?an that the women are to be treated with respect and reverence, and this also includes the children, future Muslims themselves."
A discussion of the religious beliefs of gods and philosophers, presented in the format of important guests to a 'dinner party' (such as Buddha, Zeus and Allah).
1,650 words (approx. 6.6 pages), 5 sources, 2002, $ 62.95
Abstract This paper will discuss a dinner party that reveals the nature of many visitors, such as Lao-Tzu and Buddha that are to attend. The debates that ensue around the table will give a good example of how gods would talk about the nature of Free Will in man, that is, the nature of God and Man's will to relate to each other. The Gods that are throwing the party include God, himself Allah, and Zeus to help make the debate more balanced in reflecting the relationship between gods and men.
An analysis of the use of poetry to exalt nature, with reference to poets Stevie Smith, Margaret Walker, Alexander Pope, 'Abd Allah ibn al-Simak and Pat Lowther.
Abstract This paper contends that poets vary in their views on nature. The paper discusses how Stevie Smith in the poem "Alone in the Woods" uses anger to convey man's destruction of nature and how Margaret Walker in her piece "My Mississippi Spring" conveys nature as if it were the most beautiful thing they have ever experienced or beyond carnal experience. The paper explains how other poets choose to personify it or give it some type of unimaginable quality or symbolic meaning. The poets discussed in the paper (Stevie Smith, Margaret Walker, Alexander Pope, 'Abd Allah ibn al-Simak and Pat Lowther) tend to all mean for the better of nature but all use different techniques. The paper explores how the poets use different themes such as anger and different techniques such as diction or personification, but all arrive at the main idea of exalting nature.
From the Paper "Stevie Smith in the poem Alone in the Woods personifies the woods "Nature has taught her creatures to hate" (line 3). By personifying the woods she can now illustrate anger or "bitter hostility with words using the woods as the one angry at the human race. "As the sap paints the trees a violent green so rises the wrath of Natures creatures At man" (lines 4, 5, & 6). Further along Smith continues fortifying the his technique and idea on lines eleven through eighteen "Nature is sick at man, Sick at his fuss and fume, Sick at his agonies, Sick at his gaudy mind, That drives his body, Ever more quickly, More and more, in the wrong direction" (lines 11-18). Smith uses short lines and repetition which reaffirms his angry view on mans destruction of nature. On the other hand poets like Alexander Pope in his work An Essay on Man (epistle 1) display or convey anger but not from nature, he puts comes out and openly and describes man. Pope gives the idea that man is very possessive, Pope uses six possessive pronouns such as "Tis for mine...for me"(Pope 1-10). "
Abstract In this discussion of "The Spider's House" the writer relates that the novel is set during the 1950s uprising period in Fez, Morocco. The writer focuses on the 15-year-old Moroccan boy Amar and his emotional, spiritual, and vocational development as well as the story's location in the religious, spiritual Islamic community of the area. The writer describes that Amar is contemplating the fact that he must return home and be beaten, even while he contemplates the beauty of the world around him and the greatness of the provisions of Allah in the natural world. The writer notes that although the narrative contains many poetical passages, the author's primary focus lies on the evolution and rumination that takes place within Amar. The writer concludes that the novel does not take a stand as to which power will be superior, morally or practically, in the end, but there is a suggestion that a new form of power, of economic power or perhaps even inner strength, must come into being within the young man's mind and soul.
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From the Paper "The reader learns that Amar has chosen to go to work instead of go to school. This goes against the principles of his religious and scholarly father. His father dislikes the idea that his son will not follow in his footsteps, but has been compassionate and understanding enough accept the boy's natural inclinations and thus did not oppose Amar's choice to go to work in a blanket factory instead of engaging in religious study. Amar's father is beloved amongst the members of the Moroccan Islamic community. Members of this community revere Amar's father and kiss his feet and garments. However, despite this tribute to his father's knowledge and wisdom, knowledge of the Koran pays few monetary dividends to Amar or his father. Unlike some of his friends, whose fathers own shops that cater to the French occupiers, for example, Amar is too poor to even own a bicycle."
An analysis of the Middle East according to two books entitled "The Modern Middle East: A History", one written by James Gelvin and the other by Sun Allah Ibrahim.
Abstract This paper discusses two books entitled "The Modern Middle East: A History," one written by James Gelvin and the other by Sun Allah Ibrahim. The paper discusses the differing views of the two authors on the same subject with Gelvin suggesting that the Middle East has remained tyrannical and economically stagnant, while Ibrahim suggests that Western ideology has penetrated the once supposedly pure nationalist governments of the Middle East.
From the Paper "The young man's choice, that of a doctor who is famous for his works of global outreach and philanthropy, shows that the apparently noxious ideology of globalization has already penetrated even his consciousness. The reason the doctor is seen as evil in the book is because he is an international figure, and globalization is deemed to be harmful. The committee is afraid that if the young man selects this doctor, the regime's true ideology will be revealed, and the Westernized control of the Middle East will make itself known to the general population. The ideology of the supposed diversification of interests of modern economic life masks the real, controlling presence of the West that is manifest even on the Carter buses that run through the streets. This demonstrates that the nation is in the grips of a consumption ideology that only results the people consuming things against their own true nation's interests. Rather than Coca-Cola, Ibrahim suggests, better to drink in the ideology of true anti-capitalist nationalism."
Abstract This paper provides an insight on the Islamic religion focusing on the fundamental beliefs of the religion that now provides a refuge for about 1/5 of the world's population. It reviews the doctrine individually from the belief that Allah is God and that he created the external world to the practices of the Hajj and Ramadan. It discusses Allah's instructions of what is right according to the Koran and provides a brief history of the religion and the life of Muhammad. It also examines the stereotypes placed on Muslims, especially after the occurrence of the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center.
From the Paper "Providing they have the means, all Muslims should make the journey to Mecca at least once (Smith 163). Those making this journey "circumambulate Ka"ba seven times in Mecca,? perform the Salat with two cycles, run seven times between Safa and Marwa, then go to Arafat, located fifteen miles away (Watt 84). On the way back from Mecca, those making the journey stop at Muzdalifa and Mina for ceremonies such as "stoning the devil" and the sacrifice of animals (85). Many of these ceremonies are Pagan ceremonies adapted for monotheism (85). The pilgrimage is important because it promotes human equality and increases international knowledge (Smith 163)."
This paper is a collection of answers to five questions based on the classic book, "A Concise History of the Middle East" (6th edition) by Arthur Goldschmidt, Jr..
Abstract This paper answers five questions based on Goldschmidt's history of the Middle East. The author, for example, when asked --- "How do you square the Muslim notion that they are governed by God (Allah), not man, with the military nature of virtually all of the Middle Eastern states"" --- answered that many Muslims believe Allah endorses their self-preservation at all costs; thus, their warlike nature is endorsed by their religious beliefs, and by necessity, and they continue in fighting today. The author concludes that as long as the Arab nations cannot accept one another and cannot accept the influence of other nations, Muslim or not, there will be continued strife in the area.
From the Paper "Attempted reforms from the west were unsuccessful in the Ottoman and Persian empires for a variety of reasons. In the Ottoman Empire, reformers such as Russia were not the best choices to choose as allies. Russia had fought the Ottomans often, and when the Empire turned to Russia as a European protector, the Russian motives were certainly not in the Ottoman interests. The Ottoman pact with Russia also alienated other European countries that might have been better influences on Ottoman reforms. As the author notes, "Unfortunately, Britain's insistence on upholding Ottoman territorial integrity was on a collision course with Russia's attempt to win more influence in the Balkans. The crash was the Crimean War of 1853-1856" (Goldschmidt 152). There also was another vital influence from the European powers which doomed western reform. A proclamation was issued which guaranteed all Ottoman subjects equality; the Muslims did not want the Jews and Christians to share the same rights and status, and so the Muslims revolted. The reforms of the Ottoman Empire failed mostly because they chose the wrong ally, and the Europeans did not understand the culture and beliefs of the Muslim race, and so they tried to issue reforms that could not survive in the Muslim culture. "
Tags: war, self-preservation, russia, ottoman, persia
Abstract The paper relates that Muhammad was a monotheist who preached against the polytheism of the Meccan religion. This aroused the hostility of the merchant leaders of his native city who derived their wealth from pilgrimages to Mecca and its surrounding cities. The author points out that the early Muslim community and its Prophet Muhammad believed that the people of the early Muslim community could trace their contract with Allah (Jehovah) back to the Jewish Patriarch Abraham; however, the Muslims believed that God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Ishmael instead of Isaac. The paper relates that it may not be an accident that the Qur'an has two distinct voices because, in Mecca, Muhammad was a rebel but in Medina he was head of state; the early Meccan verses, which were those recited while his new religion was being formed, are concern mainly religious dogma; while as, in the Medina verses, Allah took a surprisingly detailed interest in the day-to-day problems of Muhammad's community.
From the Paper "Few other religions sanction a man's beating a disobedient wife, as does the Qur'an. But other rules, such as his ban on a woman's being "inherited" as chattel by her late husband's eldest son, were decidedly progressive for the era and remained so relative to the West until the twentieth century. While Allah in his revelations to Muhammad limited to four the number of wives a man could take -- excluding God's Messenger, of course, who was permitted to marry for reasons of state and had at least nine wives (at least one of them a converted Jew) and a Christian concubine when he died -- he did not restrict the number of a man's concubines or slaves. (Slavery in Saudi Arabia was abolished de jure only in 1962). But Allah required that men treat their wives equally, that women retain their own wealth, and that they be permitted under certain conditions to ask a judge to order their husbands to divorce them (men could end marriages at will) -- all progressive measures compared to the practices of pre-Islmaic society, the jahiliyya."
Abstract This paper explains that, as an historical figure, Muhammad stands out as one of the greatest religious leaders of all time, comparable to Jesus Christ, Buddha and Zoroaster. The author points out that, as an historical figure and a human being, Muhammad was not some unearthly spirit from another domain; he was simply a man who wished to help his people by spreading the message of Allah. The paper concludes that the prophet Muhammad is the quintessential Middle Eastern religious leader because of his position as the interpreter of the Holy Quran and his ability to transform an entire culture from one of pagan worship to the adoration of one God, the all-loving Allah.
From the Paper "And since the angle Gabriel is seen as the conduit for the words of Allah as they are found in the Holy Quran, Muhammad firmly believed that angels were "spiritual beings whose entire role is to serve Allah." For Muhammad, it was clear that all of man's knowledge could not be limited to what can be perceived with the human senses, meaning that "there are things that we cannot know through the senses, the very idea expressed by Muhammad in the Holy Quran.""
Abstract This paper examines the Nation of Islam as a social movement and tests whether its traditions and roots are really found in traditional Islam.
From the Paper "The presence of God (Allah) is another and maybe the most critical difference between the Nation of Islam and traditional Muslims. The Nation of Islam was founded in the 1930's by a man named W. Fard Muhammad. Fard Muhammad believed he was sent to wake ?the black nation to the full range of the black man's possibilities in a world temporarily dominated by the blue eyed devils.?(5) It is the Nation of Islam who has since said, ? We Believe that Allah appeared in the Person of Master W. Fard Muhammad, July, 1930; the long awaited "Messiah" of the Christians and the "Mahdi" of the Muslims.?(6) Fard Muhammad taught that the African American culture was unique and separate from that of ?the Caucasian devils.?(7)
Abstract This paper shows how the biography of Malcolm X by author Alex Haley helped the author understand the true derivation of racism.
From the Paper " The constant references to racism by Malcolm X made me curious about the concept of race. I discovered that almost 200 years ago, Johann Friedrick Blumenbach, a German naturalist and the founder of Anthropology, decided to use differences in head shape and skin color to classify mankind into five different races. Although there has never been any scientific evidence to support "racial inheritance" by blood type, mankind has clung to Blumenbach's concept of people being of different races."
This paper describes how cleanliness and purity are very important in both Muslim and Zoroastrian cleansing rituals and it shows water has considered a vital part of theses cleansing rituals.
1,100 words (approx. 4.4 pages), 2 sources, 2001, $ 38.95
Abstract This paper describes how cleanliness and purity are very important in both Muslim and Zoroastrian cleansing rituals and it shows water has considered a vital part of theses cleansing rituals.
From the paper:
"Islam takes cleanliness and purification very seriously. An article by Dr. Abdul karim, Naik states, ?"Cleanliness is half of faith" - This terse statement by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) underlines the importance of purity and purification in the Islamic tradition (Shariah). A state of purity is a precondition for worship (?ubudiyah). Every act of worship is an encounter with God, and the purification ritual is a form of preparation for this event. In fact, the purification ritual in Islam is one of numerous means by which sins and infractions are forgiven.? He also states that purification rituals of the body culminate in spiritual purity as acts of worship, and that both the discipline of the ritual acts and their aesthetic dimensions contribute to the deepening of the purification process at the spiritual level and prepare for the journey that finally leads to closeness to Allah."
Abstract This paper is a detailed discussion of Islamic criminal law, its sources, its application, and its conflict with international law and human rights. The author examines both primary and secondary sources of Islamic law, and describes Hudud, Tazir and Qesas crime and punishment. The paper also focuses on the historical background of Muslim law.
From the paper:
?Islam means "submission" or "surrender" to the will of Allah. For the more than one billion Muslims of the world, this means submission to a comprehensive code of law governing every arena of life: social, political, economic, and religious. In Islam there is no separation of church and state, no distinction between religion and politics; Government, law, and religion are unified. Some would argue that Islamic law is not fully practiced in any part of the Islamic world. While this may be true, twenty-three nations have either declared Islam to be the state religion or declared the religious writings of Islam to be the principal source of law.?
Abstract This paper examines the work and enduring contributions of this 10th- and 11th-century Iranian Islamic philosopher and physician, Abu Ali al-Husayn ibn Abd Allah ibn Sina (Avicenna). It details his medical career and examines his work "The Canon of Medicine," used in the Middle East and in Europe as a medical textbook as it is a systematic classification and summary of medical and pharmaceutical knowledge up to and including Avicenna's time. It also details Avicenna's best-known philosophical work "Kitab ash-Shifa" or "The Book of Healing" and looks at some of the same issues as does the Canon, although from a metaphysical as opposed to more purely physical perspective. Avicenna was a great man who helped to create a spirit of enterprise and innovation within the practice of medicine at the heart of modern Western medical philosophy.
From the Paper "Although his name is relatively unknown in the West, Avicenna ? or Abu Ali al-Husayn ibn Abd Allah ibn Sina to give him his Arabic name ? made substantial contributions to medicine, many of which would find their way into Western practice and remain influential well through the Renaissance and into the first years of the modernist world. This paper examines the work and enduring contributions of this 10th- and 11th-century Iranian Islamic philosopher and physician.
Born near Bukhoro (now in Uzbekistan) as the son of a government official, Avicenna studied medicine and philosophy in his natal town. Because his parents? house was a meeting place for intellectuals, he was able to profit from the teachings of (and conversations with) masters in many different disciplines. He was surrounded from birth with the learning and the questions of his age, and so his later accomplishments should not be entirely surprising."
