FINAL EXAM ESSAYS
Question 2
Introduction
It is always tough for prophets to triumph over the popularity test. In many cases, the prophets are seen as dangerous, and they are forced to suffer frequently. Some individuals think that prophet’s role is probably fortune tellers or rather people who predict the future. But, besides the prediction of the future, a prophet gives hope, fight for rights and seeks justice for the poor as well as challenge the religious and political establishment. In Christianity, Jesus can be considered as a prophet through pieces of evidence of his life, which was firmly placed in the prophetic tradition. Among the Muslims, Jesus was given a special message known as injil (gospel) to preach to all people; hence he is regarded as a prophet. Muslims believe that the first prophet of Allah and the founder of Islam is Mohammed (pbup). Martin Luther stood as an American prophet as he fought for civil rights in America. Unfortunately, he was murdered for his campaigns on civil rights. This essay will give an explanation as to why the three figures should be regarded as prophets as well as analyze their similarities.
Jesus led a prophetic movement that emphasized on the beliefs of God’s Kingdom rather than apocalyptic judgment emphasized by other Hebrew prophets. Jesus taught the people that the Kingdom of God had arrived and that it had to be celebrated through eating and drinking, primarily to those whose privilege had been denied. Prophet Isaiah would probably be referred to a prophet of hope and promises, while the prophet is seen as a prophet of judgment and doom. Jesus’ ethical teachings on ‘love your enemies’ that describe the Kingdom of God as a peaceful one; they profoundly differ from the savagery leadership of the Roman empire. During the mostly called ‘the cleansing of the temple’ (one of the prophetic acts of Jesus), he sent away the traders who had turned Jerusalem’s temple to a marketplace. During this incident, Jesus referred to prophet Jeremiah summons, where he said people had become God’s places of worship to ‘dens of robbers. It should not be forgotten that amongst the 1.2 billion Muslims across the globe, after prophet Mohammed, Jesus is referred to be the second-highest prophet.
Besides, numerous prophetic miracles performed by Jesus are recorded in the Holy book of Christians. Jesus’ miracles, such as the feeding of the hungry people, healing the sick, casting away evil spirits, and raising the dead, could never be accomplished if he wasn’t a prophet. Christians also believe that Jesus is divine; hence people should worship him like God. Christians also believe that Jesus’ death was a prophetic reunion between human beings and God.
Among the Muslims, Mohammed is a God’s messenger, as well as the greatest prophet. Before Mohammed became a prophet, he was known to be a truthful and honest person despite him living in an arrogant and corrupt society. His actions of honesty were referred to as the crucial signs of his prophecy. Mohammed was known to not lying to the people. But the question lies, why could Mohammed lie before God by claiming to be a prophet yet he wasn’t?
Secondly, Mohammed performed many miracles that exceeded the capabilities of a normal human being. The moon split for him, water would flow from his fingers, and also the food was always plenty in his hands. There many more miracles that happened and reported, and hence his prophecy can’t be denied.
Muslims and Christians believe that both Mohammed and Jesus were messengers of God. However, Muslims don’t believe that Jesus had divine power like Christians. The teachings of both Mohammed and Jesus seem to rhyme since both emphasized that people should live with harmony with their neighbors, respect one another, always seek justice, and also put God at the core center of all we do.
Setting aside the religious figures, there emerged a modern-day prophet known as Martin Luther, who brought hope to the African Americans. Martin used interpreted the Christian gospel by using the power of language in the Christian hope and black suffering context. Luther, as a vocal preacher, used to attend to human tragedies of those times by using his prophetic voice. Luther had qualities of sage, priesthood, and prophets, which were believed to be the best of the Africa American preaching. As depicted from his prophetic speeches, ‘I have a dream,’ Martin predicted that someday in America, all the white and black people would equally be treated. Indeed, today, black and white people are equally treated, which fulfills his prophecy. Both Mohammed and Jesus associated with the poor as well as fought for their justice. Luther, in the same case, he identified himself with the oppressed and courageously fought for their justice.
Conclusion
Jesus, Mohammed, and Luther’s way of prophecy might have differed in some ways. Luther never performed miracles like both Jesus and Mohammed. However, his message of hope, his fight for the right of the poor portrayed a sense of prophetic. Their prophetic missions were not only revolved around predicting the future but also, they gave hope and portrayed their concern for the oppressed in the society.
References: Class lecture, The Quran
Question 3
Fundamentals of the Islam religion
Introduction
The foundations of Muslim life are the fundamentals of the Muslim faith, whereby all the faithful Muslims are supposed to be loyal to such fundamental for them to have a harmonious relationship amongst themselves and with God. Generally, if a building is not held together by robust pillars, it may collapse due to a lack of stability.
In the same case, the relationship of a believer with Allah may lack the focus of one fails to observe the fundamentals and principles of Muslims. The principles form the basis and lay out a foundation of all good deeds and deeds of worship to God. This essay will mainly discuss five pillars or concepts of Islam’s authority.
Quran, the holy book, is the supreme authority in Islam religion. The Quran has all the Muslim’s commandments, codes of moral and social behavior, as well as the essential philosophies of religion. The Quran has compiled verbal revelations that were given to Mohammed in over twenty-three years. The Quran, which is written in Arabic, has 114 chapters known as Surahs’ in Arabic, whereby each chapter has verses varying in length. According to the Muslims, the Quran gives a complete guide to human beings, and also, they believe the word of God.
The ‘five pillars of Muslim’ is the second source of authority in Islam religion. The five pillars form the basis of the kind acts of God and human beings. The first pillar is the belief in only one God (Allah) as well as Mohammed, who is God’s messenger (pbup). The belief in the first pillar is known as Shahadah, which is a requirement for all the Muslims to adhere to. The concept says that the only reason for life is serving God, which is achieved through the following prophet Mohammed’s teachings. Salah, which means prayer is the second pillar. The Muslims must pray five times a day, which acts as a direct link between the worshippers and God. Muslims have no priest; hence their supplications to God are made by a wise person who is randomly picked and has a great knowledge of the Quran. These prayers are done in the morning, midday, afternoon, evening, and lastly, at night. Then supplications are said in the language of revelation, that is, Arabic. The prayers are also done in the mosque where the faithful face Mecca. However, personal prayers can be done anywhere or anytime in their language.
Zakah, also known as Charity, is the third pillar in Islam religion. The Muslims believe that God is the owner of everything and that all wealth they have is entrusted to them by God. They believe that a Muslim will get rich if he gives some of his possessions to the poor in society and that the act of charity should not be a way of showing off. The charity work also includes giving their finances. Fasting is the fourth pillar whereby they have a month of Ramathan in every year. The Muslims are supposed to fast from morning to evening by not eating food, drinks, or having sexual contact with their partners. Fasting helps the Muslim faithful to have a deeper connection with God by leaving all the world’s comforts. According to Allah, in his holy book, “oh unto you believers; fasting is good for you as it was good for those before you that you may learn to be self-reliant.” (Quran 2:183). Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) pillar is the fifth pillar of the Islamic religion. The pillar explains that the journey to Mecca is only for those capable financially and physically. Over 2000,000 million go to Mecca every year, where people from different nationalities are brought together. This yearly pilgrimage begins in the twelfth month of the Islamic lunar year. Those who go to Mecca wear unique clothes of a particular class so as each person is equal before Allah. They all stand before Allah for prayers to seek his mercies. The pilgrimage ends with a festival known as Eid Al Adha, which is marked with prayers of numerous giving to Muslim communities and celebrations.
The third significant concept is the Sharia law concept. The concept is considered in Islam’s law system, which is very comprehensive. Sharia law regulates the conduct of the public, private conducts, and individual beliefs, whereas other laws govern public behavior only. Sharia law prioritizes on punishment over rehabilitation and also emphasize capital and corporal punishment over-incarceration. Sharia law is considered to be stricter on women as compared to other law systems.
The Hadith concept is the fourth fundamental source of authority among Muslims. Hadith means story or news; they are the traditional sayings of prophet Mohammad. Hadith are considered to be second from the holy book, Quran since it is the origin of religious and moral codes. The authority of Hadith requires Muslims to obey Muhammad and all his judgments. The Hadith gives the order of salutations, the importance of kindness to the slaves and society as well as gives directs on religious obligations.
The concept of Sunnah is the fifth fundamental source in Islam religion. It is also spelled as Sunna, which consists of social traditions, custom laws, and traditional practices of Islam followers. Sunna is the way of living for Muslims and is vital for Muslims to follow the words and actions of Prophet Mohammed and guidelines in the holy book, Quran. Sunna is an additional source of law after the Quran and Hadith.
Conclusion
One of the most influential world religions today without any doubts is the Islam religion. There many fundamental sources of authority guiding the Muslims in their relationship with fellow human beings and God. In summary, the primary sources of authority in Islam religion are the Quran, the ‘five pillars of Islam,’ the Hadith, the Sharia law, and the Sunnah, as elaborated above.
Reference: Class lectures