Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Revision

1.       What are the 2 books of the Bible? Outline what they are about.
The Christian Bible consists of the Old and New Testament. The Old being before Jesus was born and the New being his life and after he was born. The Old Testament was about what Abraham proclaims whilst the New Testament is about the word of God protested by Jesus
2.       What are the 10 Commandments? Briefly discuss 2 of them
o    You shall have no other Gods but me.
o    You shall not make for yourself any idol, nor bow down to it or worship it.
o    You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
o    You shall remember and keep the Sabbath day holy.
o    Respect your father and mother.
o    You must not kill.
o    You must not commit adultery.
o    You must not steal.
o    You must not give false evidence against your neighbour.
o    You must not be envious of your neighbour's goods. You shall not be envious of his house nor his wife, nor anything that belongs to your neighbour.
The first commandment, ‘You shall have no other Gods but me’, means that if you are Catholic, you should believe in no other God, other than God himself, Our Father
The sixth commandment, ‘You must not kill’, simply means that you shall not kill anyone or anything as it is a sin against God
3.       Who is Moses? Why is he so significant to the Jews in particular?
Moses is a prophet and is greatly respected by the Jews. He freed them from slavery in Egypt, and then parted and crossed the Red Sea
4.       Where do Jews come from? Name their homeland.
Israel, Jerusalem
5.       What language is the Qu’ran written in?
Arabic
6.       Name and describe the 5 Pillars
o    Salat – prayer, pray 5 times a day
o    Zakat – almsgiving, donating to the poor
o    Shahada – belief, to declare their faith to God
o    Hajj – pilgrimage, in one’s lifetime they must take the journey to Mecca
o    Ramadan – fasting, fast for the month of Ramadan between sunrise and sunset
7.       Outline key beliefs of each Abrahamic religion
Judaism
Christianity
Islam
o    The Old Testament (Torah)
o    Old and New Testament (Bible)
o    The Qu’ran
o    Jesus is only a prophet
o    Jesus is the son of God and God himself
o    Jesus is ‘devine’ but not God
o    Have 613 commandments, narrowed to 13
o    Follow the 10 commandments
o    Believe in the 5 Pillars

8.       Go over terms from the Mosque activity sheet

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Revision Questions - Judaism

  1. What is the Jewish day of rest called? The Sabbath/Shabbat
  2. What is a Jewish religious leader called? The Rabbi
  3. Describe Bat Mitzvah. The celebration in which teens around the age of 13 are entering adulthood and they have to recite part of the Torah.
  4. A Jewish place of worship? Synagogue
  5. Jewish dairy requirements? Kosher which means no animals products unless it is slaughtered properly and they are only allowed to eat certain parts of the animal. They are unable to have dairy and meat in the same meal. All vegetables are considered kosher.

Compare Islam with other Religions

1. How is Islam like Christianity and Judaism? In what ways are they different?They are all monotheistic, they all have a holy book, they all originated in the Middle East, they all have prophets. Differences include that they don’t believe that Jesus is the son of God, Muslims pray 5 times a day whilst others don’t, and they have different clothing requirements.
2. Do Islam and Christianity have different origins? No, both religions share the same origin. All religions; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; are revelations from God, the Creator, the one and only one. The three religions are called Abrahamic religions, relative to prophet Abraham. The three religions are according to God revelation to his prophets. Judaism religion is per God revelation of Torah to prophet Moses. Christianity religion is per God revelation of Bible to prophet Jesus, and Islam religion is per God revelation of Quran to prophet Muhammad
3. What does Islam teach about Jesus? How does this differ from the Christian belief in Jesus? The don’t believe that Jesus is the son of God but a holy divine figure that is one of their prophets. Their beliefs differ as Christians believe that Jesus is the son of God and that he died to save the human race.
4. What similarities and differences does Islam have with other religions? (origins, after life, prophets, commands / laws)
Prophets:
Adam, Noah and Abraham
After life: All believe in heaven and hell
Commands and laws: Jews and Christians follow the 10 commandments but Islam has its own
5. Are the Eastern religions of Hindu / Buddhism like the monotheistic religions? No as they are polytheistic religions with many gods

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Islam Rituals

Birth
Outline how children are welcomed into the Muslim faith?
The Muslim call to prayer or adhaan ("God is great, there is no God but Allah. Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. Come to prayer.") are the first words a newborn Muslim baby should hear. It is whispered into the right ear of a newborn baby by their father. Also, the first thing they taste must be sweet, so a parent my rub a date on their gums. They shave the child's hair off and make a charitable donation according to the weight of the child's hair.
What is Aqeeqah?
It is traditionally carried out after the seventh day and is a celebration in which involves the slaughter of sheep. They then give the sheep to everyone.

Marriage
Outline the basic elements of an Islamic wedding ceremony?
It is a mutually agreed wedding. The marriage-gift (Mahr) is a divine injunction. The giving of mahr to the bride by the groom is an essential part of the contract. Mahr is a token commitment of the husband's responsibility and may be paid in cash, property or movable objects to the bride herself. The amount of mahr is not legally specified, however, moderation according to the existing social norm is recommended. The mahr may be paid immediately to the bride at the time of marriage, or deferred to a later date, or a combination of both. The deferred mahr however, falls due in case of death or divorce.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

The Qur'an

1. What does the word Quran translate to in English?
Recitation
2. What is the purpose of the message sent to Mohammad why was it sent again?
Gods own message to the world to remind people of the message already received by the Jews and Christians –Gods guidance for human kind
3. How is the message sent to Mohammad different to the messages already sent to the Christians and the Jews? It is in Arabic
4. Is the message in the Quran the same message as in the Bible?Yes
5. Name two other prophets mentioned in the Quran.
Abraham and Jesus
6. How was the message passed on to others in the beginning?
It was an oral / aural transmission
7. Why was the original message not written down by Mohammad?
He was not literate in Arabic
8. What language is used for the Quran?
Arabic
9. Which city did Islam originate?
Mecca
10. What dose ‘Muslim’ mean?
Those who submit to God
11. How does the Quran differ from the Bible in the story of the death of Jesus?Belief says that Jesus was not crucified but lifted to God and that another man who looked like him was crucified
12. What does the Quran say about warfare?
Muslims may defend themselves only when there is a threat. They should be merciful to those they capture – as Muhammad was when he took over Mecca

Additional Information:
Suras - chapters of the Qur'an, there are 114 chapters, each one is shorter than the one before it. The Qur'an is thought to be the completed message that began with Judaism and Christianity.

Symbols of Islam

The Star and CrescentThey are the accepted symbols of Islam since the 18th century; they appear on several flags of Islamic nations. Even before the time of Muhammad they were found on the Ka’aba and it is said that Muhammad allowed these symbols to remain intact when he ordered the removal of the idols in the Ka’aba.

No symbols of Allah
Islam has always insisted that there should be no idols and no images of Allah. An Islamic mosque is devoid of all statues and all paintings this is in contrast to Christian Churches. Islamic artists have compensated for this restricted by developing beautiful work and calligraphy.

Bismillah (in the name of Allah)
One of the most prominent symbolic designs is the motif with the words Bismillah (in the name of Allah). All the Suras of the Qur'an except one beginning with the words 'In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate....' so the first word of these Suras has been taken and variously depicted in extremely ornate styles.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Five Pillars of Islam videos

Pillar #1: Shahada (Faith)
• What is the meaning of the declaration of faith?  It is fundamental to a Muslim spiritual life, the meaning of this “there is nothing which has the right to be worshiped except Allah and Muhammad who is his messenger”
• Why do you think that this statement is a significant part of being a Muslim?This means that Muslims choose to only worship one God, their beliefs lie with the faith and their leader, it gives them reassurance that they are doing the right thing in their opinion

Pillar #2: Salat (Prayer)
• Describe the process that Muslims go through to prepare to pray.
They wash themselves to make sure they feel clean for the lord
• Describe the process of praying in Islam. How many times each day, and when, do Muslims pray?
5 times a day, dawn, before sunrise, noon, sunset and night time
• What do the prayers sound like?  What do the movements look like? 
They speak in Arabic, and make movements that correspond to the prayer
• In which direction do Muslims pray? Why do they face this way? They pray facing towards Mecca which is in Saudi Arabia, as it is the holy land
• What are some of the things Muslims say during prayer?  “God is greater” which reminds them that everything else is smaller than Allah
• Why do Muslims pray?Reminds them who they are and to show respect to their God

Pillar #3: Zakaat (Almsgiving)
• What is Zakaat?  What is emphasized in Zakaat? When anyone who is employed give a partial amount of their savings to charity and poor. Giving and helping is emphasized
• Why do Muslims make donations?  How much money is a person expected to give to charitable causes? 
To get more and more blessings, when calculated, you are expected to give 2.5% of total earnings
• What is the relationship between prayer and money?Establishes prayer and money, mentioned 82 times in the Quran, prayer and giving, taking care of others as God takes care of you
• How is zakaat different from ordinary charity that Muslims might give?It is compulsory, gift from almighty, a portion of it belongs to the poor, the poor has a right to your money

Pillar #4: Ramadan (Fasting)
• As part of the Muslim religion, what does it mean to fast? 
If you don’t fast you are not a complete Muslim
• Why do Muslims fast? 
Spiritual benefits, can give to the needy, purify the soul
• What and when is Ramadan?   What is Eid al-Fitr?  Dawn till dusk, Eid al-Fitr is the time when you dress well and cook the nice meals and give gifts

Pillar #5: Hajj (Pilgrimage)
• How often must Muslims participate in Hajj?  At least once in their lifetime
• Where do Muslims go during Hajj?  To the Kaaba in Mecca, spiritual home of Islam
• What and where is the Kaaba?  Describe this place. In Mecca, was built by God according to the Quran
• How many Muslims participate in Hajj? Millions
• What is the goal of Hajj?  To worship God
• What does it mean to enter spiritual purity? What is the purpose of the special garments?
Before you walk around the Kaaba, you must enter spiritual purity. For woman it is a conscience, for men there is also a special garment. Its purpose is to equalize everybody
• How does Mubarek describe his experiences as a pilgrim?Became so focused in worship, block out everything else
• What is the significance of Abraham to pilgrims?Abraham drove Satan away with stones