Islam Religion: Rituals and Beliefs Essay

Submitted By bfranzone
Words: 1563
Pages: 7

Islam Religion Culminating
Human condition:
If you are a Muslim it is very important that you do good deeds. Islam calls for humans not to sin. It is believed that all of the sins you commit as well as the good deeds that you do follow you until the time of judgment. Many religions including Islam have this eternal punishment if they do wrong which motivates the followers to seek good throughout their life. You must keep in mind your mistakes or sins can be forgotten if you do enough good deeds.

Salvation:
Muslims believe in the Day of Judgment. There is a set day for the Day of Judgment therefore, when you die you do not immediately go to heaven or hell. Until the Day of Judgment, deceased people remain in their graves, however they will feel a sense of their destiny and what is yet to come. As a Muslim you live your entire life trying to do good to enter the gates of “paradise” on the Day of Judgment. There are many exceptions, for example: if the good you do outweighs the sins you have made then you will be accepted into paradise.
To be considered good to enter paradise you must have faith, do righteous deeds, join in mutual teaching of the truth, be patient and consistent. Paradise is the ideal destination because you will enjoy spiritual and physical pleasures for eternity. On the other end of the spectrum, Hell is the ultimate tortuous destination, as you will suffer spiritually and physically. Muslims do not believe in incarnation or a second life, they only believe in the afterlife.

Destiny:
Like Christians, Muslims believe in a heaven or hell, there is no in between. What is unique about Islam is that they believe in a Divine Destiny. Divine Destiny can translate to Qadar, which refers to the six articles of faith. How we follow the six articles of faith directly affects our destiny. The Allah knows what we will do before we act and also knows the outcome of everything we do. In other words, one’s destiny is set in stone and there isn’t much that can be done to control it. If something unfortunate happens to you, you must understand that this is what is meant to happen. You must not mourn or get frustrated but be patient and accepting.

Right and Wrong:
Muslims have many ethical teachings and many rules and morals. A major one is the fact that they can only eat halal products and not haram. Haram products include pork, alcohol, and anything relating to the pig. They also participate in what they call Ramadan, which is the act of fasting from sunrise to sunset during the ninth month. They see it as a time to purify the soul and focus their attention on their God. It is very important to them to practice self-sacrifice. These sacrifices are what differs Islam from other religions and they see it as devotion to their God, Allah.
Women and men who are Muslim must dress a specific way.
For women, once they reach puberty no body parts can be shown except their hands and face. They also cannot wear any clothing that is too revealing of the shape of the body or form fitting. As for Muslim men, they must be covered from the navel to the knees. Similar to women, men also cannot wear tight or fitting clothes. An optional article of clothing that many Muslim women wear is a hijab or a “head scarf”, but some choose not to wear it because of their occupation. This hijab cannot be taken off in front of non-Muslim women but you can remove it in front of women who are Muslim.

Cosmology:
Muslims believe that their God, Allah, is the creator of all things and is the sustainer of the universe.u They also believe that the earth was created in six days and not seven like Christians believe. They don’t believe that there’s one heaven but that there’s seven. They are strong believers in angels as well as the angel Gabriel spoke to Muhammad and gave him faith and strength. Angels are very important figures in Islam.

Ultimate Reality:
Muslims worship their creator who is Allah. To them, Allah is the one