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Kanyon Grantham December 6, 2009 World religions take home 3 PART ONE: SHORT ANSWERS Sharia Law: Sharia comes from the Arabic word meaning ‘the source’, “Islamically, it is used to refer to the matters of religion that God has legislated for His servants” (BBC par 1). Sharia guides everyday Muslim life, from daily routines to family and religious obligations. The original founding date actually came after the death of Muhammad and has become increasingly more popular as time carries on. The sharia law is a cultivated from a myriad of different sources, including the Qur’an and the Hadith (sayings and conducts of the prophet). According to the BBC website, “Many people, including Muslims, misunderstand Sharia. It's often associated with the amputation of limbs, death by stoning, lashes and other medieval punishment.” However, the larger part of Islamic followers believe the Sharia law in fact “nurtures humanity” Muhammad: Was born into the leading tribe of Mecca, the Koreish, in 570 A.D. According to Houston Smith, “his early life was cradled in tragedy” (pg 224). His father passed just days after his birth, and his mother when he was six. He was left to his grandfather; who raised the child until he was eight, after, his uncle took Muhammad. Known as “pure hearted” (pg 224) he was very well liked in his circle His first marriage was to a wealthy widow 15 years his senior, this would be the first of many marriages. he spent fifteen years preparing, and then he began his ministry. According to the BBC website, “he was a deeply spiritual man who spent a great deal of time in meditation, The traditional story of the Qur'an tells how one night in 610 he was meditating in a cave on the mountain when he was visited by the angel Jibreel who ordered him to recite.” From this point on Muhammad’s life belonged to God, and he would live to share his word. Although Muhammad had many followers, he also had many against him. It is important to note that Muhammad believed that to the Lord all people were created equal. To the Meccan leaders this was nothing short of blasphemy and they resorted to physical retaliation to express to Muhammad and his followers their dissatisfaction. Ramadan: Or the month of the Qur’an is known this way because it is said to be the night that the Qur’an was discovered by Muhammad. According to the BBC website, “Muslims believe that their good actions bring a greater reward during this month than at any other time of year, because this month has been blessed by Allah.” They understand this as the perfect time to do good, because the devils have been chained to hell. The majority of Muslims attempt to rid themselves of bad habits during this month, and they abstain from things such as eating from dusk to dawn, tobacco, and sex. Although it is important to understand the many sacrifices made my Muslims during this time of year, perhaps the most widely known understanding of Ramadan, and the most readily observed is the concept of fasting. Muslims do this throughout the year, but Ramadan is the only time where fasting is completely mandatory. The abstention from eating is practiced from sun up to sun down. Muslims will generally eat a large meal early in the morning, and then late in the evening. Frequent if not nightly visits are taken to Mosques for the Taraweeh prayers (long night prayers). During the standing sections of the prayers the Qur’an is read. The Qur’an is broken down into 30 sections. One section is read each night, to line up with the 30 days of Ramadan. PART THREE: ESSAY Arguably two of the most different religions conceptually are that of Islam and Taoism. The Islamic religion, native to Arab countries all over the Middle East shares a many ideas which differ greatly from Taoism, which makes its home in the Eastern part of Asia in China. It is very interesting to see the different influences each religion has had on its area, as well as the popularity of the religion. However, even in the most different of things there are common ideas and similarities that can be found in these religions. Taoism, is a complicated religion, founded by a man whose main goal was to deliver a society from the constant tyranny and warfare of his time. Taoism encompasses many concepts, beliefs, and practices perhaps the most important concept being that Tao is the first cause of the universe; the force which flows through all life. Like its Islamic counterpart, Taoism encourages its followers to be selfless, non materialistic individuals, People should develop virtue and seek compassion, moderation and humility. The hope of any religion is to live a good, decent life, one where giving is the importance, and putting others before yourself is a way of life. The most important concept of Taoism is that Tao is the first cause of the universe; the force which flows through all life, “the norm, the rhythm, the driving power in all nature, the ordering principle behind all life” (Smith pg 198). In Islam, they have similar views about God. For a Muslim there is no deity worthy of praise except Allah. The differences between Taoism and Islam are more clearly seen in the way a Taoist and an Islamic follower would live their daily lives. As mentioned before, the most important aspect is to live a good life, but for a Muslim, a good life is achieved with a little help from many rules and regulations. A Taoist takes a bit more of a passive attitude, they believe the world should go unobstructed, and that what is supposed to happen, will happen no matter how much you try to avoid or discourage it (Wu Wei). This is by far one of the more relaxed religions. Where as in the Islamic belief system a Muslim’s everyday life centers on their religion, they live their life to make a pilgrimage to Mecca, they fast, pray five times a day, live under the rule of the Sharia law. Muslims have great fear, and reverence for the concept of an afterlife. Their main goal is to end in heaven. The concept of hell is gruesome, and therefore leaves a Muslim petrified. Where as in Taoism a concept of an afterlife doesn’t really exist. For most Taoists, it’s a non-issue. I grew up Baptist, and therefore have a firm, untouchable belief in a higher being, but as I have gotten older, my faith in the church doesn’t seem to be as strong. My feeling is a strict set of rules which are left to open interpretation are causing our societies demise. God demanded kindness, and tolerance, a nonjudgmental society which accepted outsiders. After continuous disappointments over the hypocrisy of the church, and its followers I have realized what I want, and that is to help and be kind to as many humans as I possibly can, because that’s what God willed. For me the Taoist view of life seems more meaningful. This is not to say I agree with every aspect of their belief, but Lao Tzu was fixated with an equality amongst people. It is interesting to view their opinions on an afterlife, because I do believe there is a God, and ultimately a place for his followers in heaven. The Taoist view made me question mine a bit, because it seems to me that these people were more concerned with doing good on earth, but with little to no incentive, . “Because he has nothing to prove, people can trust his words” (Tao Te Ching). They yield no hidden agenda, they’re kind because they want to be, not because they have to be.