La Illaha illlah Mohammadur Rasullah - There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
Islam emphasizes the importance of compassion and kindness in a person's character and spirituality. The religion encourages its followers to be merciful and show empathy towards others, especially those who are less fortunate. This is demonstrated through the act of giving charity, helping those in need, and promoting peace and justice.
I hesitated cause wonder if I will get under fire for writing this, as I was born and raised as one, but now I found the religion... well... let's just say, un-inspirational. BUT, for this prompt, I will focus on the good thing about Islam that I still find valuable, even now, as a way of life.
Islam didn't use coffins, nor there were big ceremonies. The body is wrapped in simple cloth and buried in the ground only with a simple tombstone. It's a reminder that we came from earth and we came back to earth. From nothing to nothing, and everything we have in this world is temporary.
As a Christian my knowledge of Islam is academic and superficial at best. These are some of the things that I find inspirational.
Devout Muslims pray 5 times a day, at specific times. This simple act of making the time and showing the willingness of openly praying shows strength and commitment.
Islam is a religion of mercy and compassion, which encourages its followers to be kind and generous to one another. This is a beautiful concept, as it allows people to care for each other and form strong bonds of friendship and love. It also encourages people to be charitable and to help those in need. This compassion is one of the most inspirational aspects of Islam.
Love this idea for a challenge! I saw a poll recently that asked Americans whether they had a positive, negative, or neutral view of a religion based on the word alone (i.e. no additional context was given), and Islam did not fare well. In some ways, I get it. Most Americans don't know any muslims, and the media isn't exactly friendly in its portrayal of the religion.
Like all ideologies/philosophies/religions adopted by large groups of people, Islam encompasses "good" and "bad" points and isn't a monolith. That said-- I'm happy to highlight some of its qualities I find most inspirational, as a non-religious individual who comes from both Islamic and Christian family traditions and who loves looking for the wisdom in religion.
NB. My takes are probably more theological than sociological. That is-- most of the points listed here refer to scripture and religious doctrine vs. how the religion is practiced today.
I never really understood the Holy Trinity in Christianity (although, to be fair to me, the Holy Trinity is apparently one of the most difficult concepts to truly grasp). In Islam, the divine is not insinuated to be human and is declared to be beyond our understanding. In fact, muslims are encouraged not to spend too much time pondering the idea of god, because it's not productive.
To me, this is the first step in the process of "faith". We acknowledge that there are forces we cannot understand. I think there's something beautiful in this fundamental pillar.
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