Three reasons for the misconceptions about Islam

Misconceptions about Islam

So many misconceptions are formulated against Islam. One of them is that it's a religion of bloodshed. And it is true that so many events corroborate with this miscoonception. The serries of terrorist attacks attributed to Muslims and the negative and unwelcoming news about Islamic countries reported by the mass media.. Why is that? How come that a religion of peace and tolerance comes to be viewed as a barbaric religion.

Reasons for these misconceptions

Three mistakes are made to judge Islam:

1. Well one of most the dangerous mistakes  that an observer may make is generalisation. Not all muslims are suuporters of violence. In fact many Muslims are themselves victims of violence.
2. Lack of credible unbiased information about islam. Few of those critics of the Islamic beliefs are not well informed about Islam. They may be even reading about Islam from unreliable sources. 
3. Another mistake is the amalgam of Islam versus Muslims. Islam doesn't equate Muslims. There may be quite a lot of Muslims who are criminals. This doesn't mean that they represent Islam. By the same token, not all non-Muslims are good peaceful citizens.

The same God

According to Islam Allah Almighty created all mankind with different races, mentality and beliefs. But they are all creations of the same creator, subject of the same rules of feelings of love and tolerance. We are all made to live in harmony, to building bridges so as we can live peacefully in the same world. This is our desitny. We must not fail it.

"O mankind! [this includes all races and all nations] We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other. Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well-acquainted. (The Noble Quran, 49:13)"

Muhammad The Prophet

Who is Muhammad?

Muhammad ibn Abdullāh  (also spelled Muhammed or Mohammed), who was born in 570/571 and died on June 8, 632, is considered by Muslims to be a messenger and prophet of Allah (God in Arabic), the last law-bearer in a series of Islamic prophets, and the last prophet of Islam as taught by the Qur'an. Muslims thus consider him the restorer of an uncorrupted original monotheistic faith (islām) of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and other prophets. He was also active as a diplomat, merchant, philosopher, orator, legislator, reformer, military general, and, according to Muslim belief, an agent of divine action.

His life

Born in 570 in the Arabian city of Mecca, he was orphaned at an early age and brought up under the care of his uncle Abu Talib. He later worked mostly as a merchant, as well as a shepherd, and was first married at the age of 25 to Khadijah bint Khuwaylid who was 40 years old at that time.
Muhammed retreated to the cave Hira near Mecca's surrounding mountains because he was discontented with life in Mecca. It was there, at age 40, in the month of Ramadan, where he received his first revelation from God. His wife khadija was the first one to know about these revelations. Three years after this event Muhammad started preaching these revelations publicly

• proclaiming that "God is One", that complete "surrender" to Him (lit. islām) is the only way (dīn)  acceptable to God, 
• and that he himself was a prophet and messenger of God, in the same vein as other Islamic prophets. 

At first there were only few followers. Many tribes responded to his preachings with hostility. Because he was persecuted, he first sent some of his followers to Abyssinia (Ethiopia)  and then he and the remaining  followers in Mecca migrated to Medina (then known as Yathrib) in the year 622. This event, the Hijra or emigration, marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar, which is also known as the Hijri Calendar.
In Medina, Muhammad united the conflicting tribes, and after eight years of fighting with the Meccan tribes, his followers, who by then had grown to 10,000, conquered Mecca. In 632, a few months after returning to Medina from his Farewell pilgrimage, Muhammad fell ill and died. By the time of his death, most of the Arabian Peninsula had converted to Islam; and he had united the tribes of Arabia into a single Muslim religious polity.

Revelation

The revelations (or Ayat, lit. "Signs of God") , which Muhammad reported receiving until his death, form the verses of the Qur'an, regarded by Muslims as the “Word of God” and around which the religion is based. Besides the Qur'an, Muhammad’s life (sira) and traditions (sunnah) are also upheld by Muslims. They discuss Muhammad and other prophets (Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and other prophets) of Islam with respect and reverence, adding the phrase peace be upon him whenever their names are mentioned.

Misconceptions

Not many of the Westerners understand the importance of the prophet Muhammad in Islam. They fail to acknowledge his true peaceful nature. This is mainly due to the grave events that Europeans and the Western world in general attribute to Islam and the miconcepitions that they have built in relation to this prophet.

More on Muhammad on Wikipedia

Ash Wednesday

What is Ash Wednesday?

Ash Wednesday is a Christian event that marks the first day of Lent in the Western Christian Church. Lent satrts with Ash Wednesday and ends on the day before Easter Sunday which is known as Holy Saturday. The exact date of Ash Wednesday is not fixed because it is dependent on Esater Day (a movable celebration.) It can occur as early as February 4 or as late as March 10.

Church Customs during Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of adherents as a sign of mourning and repentance to God. It also means that we will always have sin.

The priest, minister, or in some cases officiating layperson, marks the forehead of each participant with black ashes in the shape of a cross, which the worshipper traditionally retains until it wears off. The act echoes the ancient Near Eastern tradition of throwing ashes over one's head to signify repentance before God (as related in the Bible). The priest or minister says one of the following when applying the ashes:

Remember that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return.
—Genesis 3:19
Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.
—Mark 1:15

More on Ash Wednesday in Wikipedia

Lent

What is Lent?

Lent refers to the forty days before Easter Sunday. It is a period in the Christian Church which is devoted to fasting, abstinence, and penitence in commemoration of Christ's fasting in the wilderness. The period starts on the Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday.
During Lent Christians commemorate two events in the Christian faith:

• It commemorates the Israelites' forty years of wandering through the desert
• The temptation of Christ. After being baptized, Jesus fasted for forty days and nights in the desert. During this time, the devil appeared to Jesus and tempted him. Jesus having refused each temptation, the devil departed and angels came and brought nourishment to Jesus.

Easter Day

Easter Day is an important religious celebration in Christianity. This celebration is also called Easter Sunday, Resurrection Day or Resurrection Sunday. Christians believe that Jesus Christ rose from the death on the third day after his crucifixion. Christians celebrate this resurrection on Easter Sunday. The date of the celebration is not fixed in relation to the civil calendar. It is a moveable feast.

Origin of the Easter Day

Strange enough the name of celebration has its origin in two pagan traditions namely Ostara and Ishtar. Ostara was the Saxon goddess of dawn and spring. It is wothwile mentioning that the word for the "female hormone" estrogen derives from her name. Ishtar, however, was a Babylonian and Assyrian goddess of love and war.

Symbols

Ostara was a goddess of fertility who brought the end of winter, with the days brighter and growing longer after the vernal equinox. She had a passion for new life. The presence of Ostara was felt in the flowering of plants and the birth of animal and human babies. Because of all this , rabbits and eggs were used as symbols for rebirth and the resurection of Jesus by Christians.

The legend

There is a famous Anglo-Saxon legend associated with the goddess Ostara. The legend says that the goddess turned her pet bird, whom she saved when its wings had been frozen by the snow, into a rabbit (and a lover in some versions of the story). She also made the rabbit able to lay colorful eggs in order to entertain the children.

Easter Bunny and Egg Hunt

Because eggs and rabitts symobolize fertility, they xere used by Christians to celebrate Easter day. Two customs emerged from thse two symbols: Easter Bunny and Easter hunt.

• Esater Bunny is depicted as a creature who brings a basket full of colored eggs on the night before Easter and hides it somewhere in the house or garden for the children to find when they wake up in the morning.
• Egg Hunt is another custom associated with Easter Day. It is a game during which decorated eggs, real hard-boiled ones or artificial, filled with or made of chocolate candies, of various sizes, are hidden in various places for children to find. The game may be both indoors and outdoors.

The customs in the church

According to the traditions, Easter Sunday is celebrated by:

• Taking part in an Easter vigil, 
• Lighting a new fire outside the church early on Sunday morning, 
• Lighting the Paschal candle and decorating it with studs to celebrate Christ's wounds, 
• Chanting of the easter proclamation, 
• Reading the old testament, 
• Singing hymns and wishing happy Easter Day.

Judaism

What is Judaism?

Judaism refers to the religion, philosophy, and way of life of the Jewish people. Judaism derives its principles  from the Hebrew Bible (also known as the Tanakh) and explored in later texts such as the Talmud.

Jews consider Judaism as the expression of  the covenantal relationship God developed with the Children of Israel.Judaism is one of the oldest monotheistic religions. According to the religion God revealed His laws and commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai in the form of both the Written and Oral Torah.

The texts, traditions and values of Judaism have many things in common with later Abrahamic religions, including Christianity, Islam and the Baha'i Faith.

In 2007, the world Jewish population including those born jewish and those converted to Judaism was estimated at 13 million, of whom about 40% reside in Israel and 40% in the United States.


Judaism and its movements

There are three major movements within Judaism:

• Orthodox Judaism, 
• Conservative Judaism 
• and Reform Judaism.

The major difference between them is their approach to Jewish law. Orthodox and Conservative Judaism maintain that Jewish law should be followed, with Conservative Judaism promoting a more "modern" interpretation of its requirements than Orthodox Judaism. Reform Judaism is generally more liberal than these other two movements, and its typical position is that Jewish law should be viewed as a set of general guidelines rather than as a list of restrictions whose literal observance is required of all Jews.

See more on Judaism in Wikipedia

Mansur al-Hallaj (Sufi and Poet)

I am the truth

Mansur al-Hallaj  who is one of the most famous Sufis,  is onsidered to be a great poet-saint. Al-Hallaj was born in the province of Fars, Persia (Iran). He later moved to what is now Iraq, where he took up religious studies, particularly the Sufi way.

Al-Hallaj was executed for blasphemy in his poetry particularly in a line in which he says:

"Ana 'l-Haqq," meaning I am the Truth 

Al-Hallaj reached  the mystical realization of unity with the Eternal in his Sufism. He was condemned by a council of theologians, imprisoned for nine years, and eventually put to death.

Nowadays, Al-Hallaj is considered as a martyr for truth by many Sufis and mystics.

Examples of his poetry

To Reach God

" For your sake, I hurry over land and water:

For your sake, I cross the desert and split the mountain in two,

And turn my face from all things,

Until the time I reach the place

Where I am alone with You."

Kill Me, My Faithful Friends

Kill me, my faithful friends,
For in my being killed is my life.

Love is that you remain standing
In front of your Beloved
When you are stripped of all your attributes;
Then His attributes become your qualities.

Between me and You, there is only me.
Take away the me, so only You remain

I am the One Whom I Love

I am the One whom I love, and the One whom I love is myself.
We are two souls incarnated in one body;
if you see me, you see Him,
if you see Him, you see us.

To believe or not to believe that is the question!

Religion is a failure

Some people think that religion is a natural human way to comprehend what they didn't understand, filling in the gaps of their knowledge until the discovered a rational scientific explanations for things. According to these people, in the developed world, religion is running out of gaps to fill and more and more peoiple are becoming atheist or agnostic.

Religion is the last resort

Other people, however, contend that one cannot study the universe and possibly conclude that there is no God. It is far too precise, interwoven, complex. Yet, men in their pride exalt their thinking to conclude that there is no God. Yet, God formed the mind of men. To think that mankind just "happened" shows no logical reasoning at all that there was not a divine order and creation to our universe.

Where I stand?

Between the two views there is an abyss that no one can account for. Religion relies more on faith while science relies more on observable facts. I think that the two views may coexist in a mutual respect and an everlasting quest for the ultimate truth.

The main religions of the world

Principal religions of the world
This is the top eight religions of the world arranged according to the numbers of followers.

Religion	Cultural tradition	Number of followers in millions	Regions
Christianity	Abrahamic religions	2,000 – 2,200	Predominant in the Western world (Europe, the Americas, Oceania), Sub-Saharan Africa, the Philippines, and South Korea. Minorities worldwide.
Islam	Abrahamic religions	1,570–1,650	Middle East, Northern Africa, Central Asia, South Asia, Western Africa, Malay Archipelago with large population centers existing in Eastern Africa, Balkan Peninsula, Russia and China.
Hinduism	Indian religions	828–1,000	South Asia, Bali, Mauritius, Fiji, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, and among the overseas Indian communities
Buddhism	Indian religions	400–1,500	South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and some regions of Russia.
Folk religions	Folk religions	600?	Africa, Asia, Americas
Chinese folk religions(including Taoism andConfucianism)	Chinese Religions	400?	East Asia, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia.
Shinto	Japanese Religions	27–65	Japan
Sikhism	Indian religions	24–28	Indian subcontinent, Australasia, Northern America, Southeast Asia, the United Kingdom and Western Europe.
Judaism	Abrahamic religions	14–18	srael and the worldwide Jewish diaspora (mostly North America, South America, Europe, and Asia).

Countries losing religion

Religion Extinction

Nine countries are predicted to lose religion according to a study using census data. The study claims that the extinction of religion will be a result of a steady rise in those claiming no religious affiliation. The team took census data stretching back as far as a century from countries in which the census queried religious affiliation: Australia, Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland.

What about other countries?

Professor Lineham says the study would have very different results if the study looked at other countries.

"If they took any countries beyond the western countries they've named, they would actually have the opposite phenomenon of religion getting larger."

Which would be true for many middle eatern countries (and other countries) where religion is very deeply rooted among educated as well as uneducated people.

In addition, the same claim that religions would die out was announced in the 60s. Nothing has happened. People may give their back to religious beliefs at one time in their lives, but they may also turn back to their faith when they need it.

God in Christianity

Definition of God in Christianity

God in the Christian religion refers to

• an eternal being.
• This eternal being created and preserves the universe
• It is never refered to in an impersonal sense in the bilble.
• It os however referd to in a personal sense: the who is, who speaks, who sees, hears, acts, and loves...

One primordial feaure of God as believed by Christians and which is common in othetr religions too, is the fact that God has

• a will and personality 
• is an all powerful, divine 
• benevolent being. 
• primarily concerned with people and their salvation.

Characteristics of God

God is believed by most Christians to be :

• immanent (meaning that he is with and within all things), 
• transcendent (meaning that he is outside space and time, and therefore eternal and unable to be changed by forces within the universe), though God the Son was on earth during the Ministry of Jesus and will return to earth in the Second Coming of Christ.
• having the properties of holiness (separate from sin and incorruptible), justice (fair, right, and true in all his judgments), 
• omnipotence (all powerful), 
• omniscience (all-knowing), 
• omnibenevolence (all-loving), 
• omnipresence (everywhere present) 
• and immortality (eternal and everlasting).

Trinitarians

In Christianity, the doctrine of the Trinity states that God is one being who exists, simultaneously and eternally, as a mutual indwelling of three persons: the Father, the Son (incarnate as Jesus of Nazareth), and the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost).

Names of God in Islam

The Names of god in Islam

The Muslims refer to God as Allah. But in fact there are 99 names for God in Islam. According to Islamic tradition, Muhammad is said to have invoked God by a number of Names. There is, according to hadith, a special group of 99 names:

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: There are ninety-nine names of Allah; he who commits them to memory would get into Paradise. Verily, Allah is Odd (He is one, and it is an odd number) and He loves odd number. And in the narration of Ibn 'Umar (the words are): "He who enumerated them."
—Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj Nishapuri, Sahih Muslim

Here is the list with the Arabic transcript and the translation.

1 الرحمن Ar-Raḥmān The Exceedingly Compassionate, The Exceedingly Beneficent, The Exceedingly Gracious Beginning of every chapter except one, and in numerous other places. Name frequently used in surah 55, Ar-Rahman
2 الرحيم Ar-Raḥīm The Exceedingly Merciful Beginning of every chapter except one, and in numerous other places
3 الملك Al-Malik The King
4 القدوس Al-Quddūs The Holy, The Pure, The Perfect
5 السلام As-Salām The Peace, The Source of Peace and Safety
6 المؤمن Al-Mu'min The Guarantor, The Affirming
7 المهيمن Al-Muhaymin The Guardian
8 العزيز Al-‘Azīz The Almighty, The Invulnerable, The Honorable
9 الجبار Al-Jabbār The Irresistible, The Compeller, The Lofty
10 المتكبر Al-Mutakabbir The Majestic, The Supreme
11 الخالق Al-Khāliq The Creator
12 البارئ Al-Bāri' The Evolver, The Fashioner, The Designer
13 المصور Al-Muṣawwir The Fashioner of Forms
14 الغفار Al-Ghaffār The Repeatedly Forgiving
15 القهار Al-Qahhār The Subduer
16 الوهاب Al-Wahhāb The Bestower
17 الرزاق Ar-Razzāq The Provider
18 الفتاح Al-Fattāḥ The Opener, The Victory Giver
19 العليم Al-'Alīm The All Knowing, The Omniscient
20 القابض Al-Qābiḍ The Restrainer, The Straightener
21 الباسط Al-Bāsiṭ The Extender / Expander
22 الخافض Al-Khāfiḍ The Abaser
23 الرافع Ar-Rāfi' The Exalter
24 المعز Al-Mu'izz The Giver of Honour
25 المذل Al-Mudhill The Giver of Dishonour
26 السميع As-Samī' The All Hearing
27 البصير Al-Baṣīr The All Seeing
28 الحكم Al-Ḥakam The Judge, The Arbitrator
29 العدل Al-'Adl The Utterly Just
30 اللطيف Al-Laṭīf The Gentle, The Subtly Kind
31 الخبير Al-Khabīr The All Aware
32 الحليم Al-Ḥalīm The Forbearing, The Indulgent
33 العظيم Al-'Aẓīm The Magnificent
34 الغفور Al Ghafūr The Much-Forgiving
35 الشكور Ash-Shakūr The Grateful
36 العلي Al-'Alīy The Sublime
37 الكبير Al-Kabīr The Great
38 الحفيظ Al-Ḥafīẓ The Preserver
39 المقيت Al-Muqīt The Nourisher
40 الحسيب Al-Ḥasīb The Bringer of Judgment
41 الجليل Al-Jalīl The Majestic
42 الكريم Al-Karīm The Bountiful, The Generous
43 الرقيب Ar-Raqīb The Watchful
44 المجيب Al-Mujīb The Responsive, The Answer
45 الواسع Al-Wāsi' The Vast, The All-Embracing, The Omnipresent, The Boundless
46 الحكيم Al-Ḥakīm The Wise
47 الودود Al-Wadūd The Loving
48 المجيد Al-Majīd All-Glorious, The Majestic
49 الباعث Al-Bā'ith The Resurrecter
50 الشهيد Ash-Shahīd The Witness
51 الحق Al-Ḥaqq The Truth, The Real
52 الوكيل Al-Wakīl The Trustee, The Dependable, The Advocate
53 القوي Al-Qawwīy The Strong
54 المتين Al-Matīn The Firm, The Steadfast
55 الولي Al-Walīy The Friend, Patron and Helper
56 الحميد Al-Ḥamīd The All Praiseworthy
57 المحصي Al-Muḥṣīy The Accounter, The Numberer of All
58 المبدئ Al-Mubdi' The Originator, The Producer, The Initiator
59 المعيد Al-Mu'īd The Restorer, The Reinstater Who Brings Back All
60 المحيي Al-Muḥyīy The Giver of Life
61 المميت Al-Mumīt The Destroyer, The Bringer of Death
62 الحي Al-Ḥayy The Living
63 القيوم Al-Qayyūm The Subsisting, The Guardian
64 الواجد Al-Wājid The Perceiver, The Finder, The Unfailing
65 الماجد Al-Mājid The Illustrious, The Magnificent
66 الواحد Al-Wāḥid The One, The Unique
67 الاحد Al-'Aḥad The Unity, The Indivisible
68 الصمد Aṣ-Ṣamad The Eternal, The Absolute, The Self-Sufficient
69 القادر Al-Qādir The Omnipotent, The All Able
70 المقتدر Al-Muqtadir The Determiner, The Dominant
71 المقدم Al-Muqaddim The Expediter, He Who Brings Forward
72 المؤخر Al-Mu'akhkhir The Delayer, He Who Puts Far Away
73 الأول Al-'Awwal The First
74 الأخر Al-'Akhir The Last
75 الظاهر Aẓ-Ẓāhir The Manifest, The Evident, The Outer
76 الباطن Al-Bāṭin The Hidden, The Unmanifest, The Inner
77 الوالي Al-Wālīy The Patron, The Protecting Friend, The Friendly Lord
78 المتعالي Al-Muta'ālīy The Supremely Exalted, The Most High
79 البر Al-Barr The Good
80 التواب At-Tawwāb The Ever Returning, Ever Relenting
81 المنتقم Al-Muntaqim The Avenger
82 العفو Al-'Afūw The Pardoner, The Effacer, The Forgiver
83 الرؤوف Ar-Ra'ūf The Kind, The Pitying
84 مالك الملك Mālik-ul-Mulk The Owner of all Sovereignty
85 ذو الجلال والإكرام Dhū-l-Jalāliwa-l-'ikrām The Lord of Majesty and Generosity
86 المقسط Al-Muqsiţ The Equitable, The Requiter
87 الجامع Al-Jāmi' The Gatherer, The Unifier
88 الغني Al-Ghanīy The Rich, The Independent
89 المغني Al-Mughnīy The Enricher, The Emancipator
90 المانع Al-Māni' The Withholder, The Shielder, The Defender
91 الضار Aḍ-Ḍārr The Distressor, The Harmer, The Afflictor
92 النافع An-Nāfi' The Propitious, The Benefactor, The Source of Good
93 النور An-Nūr The Light
94 الهادي Al-Hādīy The Guide, The Way
95 البديع Al-Badī' The Incomparable, The Unattainable
96 الباقي Al-Bāqīy The Immutable, The Infinite, The Everlasting
97 الوارث Al-Wārith The Heir, The Inheritor of All
98 الرشيد Ar-Rashīd The Guide to the Right Path
99 الصبور Aṣ-Ṣabūr The Timeless, The Patient

Ancient Egypt gods and goddesses

Gods and Goddesses from Egypt

The Egyptian religion has a long history. Egyptians refered to some deities as the creators of the cosmos. These include Atum, Ra, Amun (Amen) and Ptah amongst others. These gods and godesses were often represented as animals or forces of nature. It's also worthwhile mentioning that the pharaoh was deified after death, and bore the title of "the good god". Also, the title, "servant of god" was used for the priesthood.

The list of gods and goddesses

• Aken – ferryman to the underworld
• Aker - deification of the horizon
• Am-heh - minor underworld god
• Ammit – crocodile-headed devourer in Duat, not a true deity
• Amun or Amen – "the hidden one", a local creator deity later married to Mut after rising in importance
• Amunet – female aspect of the primordial concept of air in the Ogdoad cosmogony; depicted as a cobra snake or a snake-headed woman
• Andjety - god thought to be a precursor to Osiris
• Anhur - god of war
• Ankt - a minor war goddess
• Anput - female aspect of Anubis
• Anti - god of ferrymen
• Anubis or Yinepu – dog or jackal God of embalming and tomb-caretaker who watches over the dead
• Anuket - gazelle-headed goddess of the Nile River, the child of Satis and among the Elephantine triad of deities
• Apep or Apophis – evil serpent of the Underworld and enemy of Ra; formed from a length of Neith's spit during her creation of the world
• Apis – bull deity worshipped in the Memphis region
• Ash - god of oases and the vineyards of the western Nile Delta
• The Aten – sun god worshipped primarily during the period of Atenism in the eighteenth dynasty when Pharaoh Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) introduced monotheistic worship
• Atum – a creator deity, and the setting sun
• Babi - baboon god associated with death and virility
• Banebdjedet - ram god of fertility
• Ba-Pef - minor underworld god
• Bastet – protector of the pharaoh and solar goddess, depicted as a lioness, house cat, cat-bodied or cat-headed woman
• Bat – cow goddess who gave authority to the king; her cult originated in Hu and persisted widely until absorbed as an aspect of Hathor after the eleventh dynasty
• Bata - bull god
• Bes – dwarfed demigod associated with protection of the household, particularly childbirth, and entertainment
• Chenti-cheti - crocodile god
• Geb –god of the Earth, first ruler of Egypt and husband of Nut
• Ha - god of the western deserts
• Hapi or Hapy – deification of the annual flooding of the Nile, associated with fertility
• Hathor or Hethert – cow or cow-goddess of the sky, fertility, love, beauty and music
• Hatmehit - fish goddess, originally a deification of the Nile River
• Hedetet - scorpion goddess, later incorporated into Isis
• Heka - deification of magic
• Hemen - falcon god
• Heqet – frog or a frog-headed goddess of childbirth and fertility
• Hemsut - goddess of fate and protection
• Heryshaf - ram god
• Horus or Heru – falcon-headed god of the sky, pharaohs, war and protection
• The four sons of Horus - personifications of the four canopic jars
• Hu - deification of the first word
• Huh - deification of eternity
• Iabet - goddess of the east, consort of Min and cleanser of Ra
• Iah - god of the moon
• Iat - minor goddess of milk and, by association, of nurturing and childbirth
• Imentet - goddess of the necropoleis west of the Nile
• Isis or Aset – goddess of magic, motherhood and fertility and consort of Osiris; represented as the throne
• Iusaaset – a primal goddess described as "the grandmother of all of the deities"
• Kebechet - deification of embalming liquid
• Khepri – the scarab beetle or scarab-headed god of rebirth and the sunrise
• Kneph - a creator deity
• Khnum – ram-headed creator god of the flooding of the Nile River
• Khonsu – god of youth and the moon
• Kuk –frog-headed personification of darkness, whose consort or female form was the snake-headed Kauket
• Maahes – lion-headed god of war, weather.
• Ma'at – goddess who personified concept of truth, balance, justice and order
• Mafdet – goddess who protected against snakes and scorpions
• Mehen - protective snake god which coils around the sun god Ra during his journey through the night
• Menhit – goddess of war, associated with Sekhmet
• Meret - goddess associated with rejoicing, singing and dancing
• Meretseger – cobra-goddess of tomb builders and protector of royal tombs
• Meskhenet – goddess of childbirth and the creator of each person's Ka, a part of their soul, which she breathed into them at the moment of birth
• Min – god of fertility and lettuce, often represented as a man with an erect penis
• Mnevis – the sacred bull of Heliopolis
• Monthu - falcon god of war
• Mut – mother goddess, associated with the waters from which everything was born
• Nefertem - god of healing and beauty
• Nehebkau - guardian of the entrance to the underworld
• Neith – goddess of creation, weaving, war and the dead
• Nekhbet – vulture goddess; patron of pharaohs and Upper Egypt
• Neper - androgynous deification of grain
• Nephthys or Nebthet – goddess of death, night and lamentation; the nursing mother of Horus and the pharaohs
• Nu – deification of the primordial watery abyss
• Nut – goddess of the sky and heavens
• Osiris or Wesir – merciful judge of the dead in the afterlife and consort of Isis
• Pakhet – a synthesis of Sekhmet and Bast
• Petbe - god of revenge
• Ptah – creator deity, also a god of craft
• Qebui – god of the north wind
• Ra – the sun, also a creator deity, whose chief cult centre was based in Heliopolis
• Rem - fish god who fertilises the land with his tears
• Renenutet - deification of the act of giving a true name during birth
• Saa or Sia - deification of perception
• Satet – goddess of war, hunting, fertility and the flooding of the Nile River
• Sekhmet – lioness goddess of destruction, pestilence and war; fierce protector of the pharaoh, and later as an aspect of Hathor
• Seker or Sokar - falcon god of the Memphite necropolis
• Serket – scorpion goddess of healing stings and bites
• Seshat – Goddess of writing, astronomy, astrology, architecture, and mathematics; depicted as a scribe
• Set or Seth – god of the desert, storms and foreigners; later god of chaos
• Shai - deification of the concept of fate
• Shed - savior deity
• Shezmu - god of execution, slaughter, blood, oil and wine
• Shu - personification of air
• Sobek – crocodile God of the Nile; patron of the military
• Sobkou - messenger god
• Sopdet - deification of the star Sothis (Sirius)
• Sopdu - personification of the scorching heat of the sun
• Ta-Bitjet - scorpion goddess identified as the consort of Horus
• Tatenen - god of the primordial mound
• Taweret – hippopotamus goddess of pregnant women and protector during childbirth
• Tefnut – goddess of moisture, moist air, dew and rain.
• Tenenet - goddess of beer
• Thoth or Djehuty – ibis-headed god of the moon, drawing, writing, geometry, wisdom, medicine, music, astronomy and magic
• Unut - snake goddess
• Wadjet – snake goddess and protector of Lower Egypt
• Wadj-wer – fertility God and personification of the Mediterranean Sea or lakes of the Nile Delta
• Weneg - plant god supporting the heavens
• Werethekau - personification of supernatural powers
• Wepwawet – jackal god of warfare and hunting
• Wosret – a localized guardian Goddess, protector of the young God Horus; an early consort of Amun, later superseded by Mut

What does religion mean?

Religious people
Religion is for some people a concept which they integrate in their daily lives. Religious beliefs are part and parcel of their lives. Nothing can be concieved without recourse to religion. Still, religion is a term that needs clear definition to avoid any ambiguities.
What is religion?
Religion is a belief of some superhuman power or powers, in particular a god or gods, which usually involve obedience, reverence, and worship; and as part of a system which defines a code of living, especially as a way of achieving spiritual or material improvement.

Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to explain the origin of life or the universe. They tend to derive morality, ethics, religious laws or a preferred lifestyle from their ideas about the cosmos and human nature.
Features pertaining to religion

• The word religion may also be called faith or belief system.
• Religion differs from private belief in that it has a public aspect. 
• Most religions have organized behaviors, including clerical hierarchies, a definition of what constitutes adherence or membership, congregations of laity, regular meetings or services for the purposes of veneration of a deity or for prayer, holy places (either natural or architectural), and/or scriptures. 
• The practice of a religion may also include sermons, commemoration of the activities of a god or gods, sacrifices, festivals, feasts, trance, initiations, funerary services, matrimonial services, meditation, music, art, dance, public service, or other aspects of human culture.

Different religions
Religion have taken different forms in different cultures.

• Some religions place an emphasis on belief, while others emphasize practice. 
• Some religions focus on the subjective experience of the religious individual, while others consider the activities of the religious community to be most important. 
• Some religions claim to be universal, believing their laws and cosmology to be binding for everyone, while others are intended to be practiced only by a closely defined or localized group. 
• In many places religion has been associated with public institutions such as education, hospitals, the family, government, and political hierarchies.

Source: Wikipedia

Are all religions the same?

Are all religions the same?

What are some common grounds between religions? Are they they the same or different? Do they amount to the same principles? The same God? The same goals?
Watch this video!

Common grounds between religions

What are some grounds between religions?

We live in a world where religious beliefs can lead to intolerance, or worse to terror. What some believe is true must apply to all, regardless of the differences that may exist. For differences surely exist and we must manage our difference in order not to reach the point at which tension becomes a clash - either us or them! things are not absolutely either white or black. A shade of grey may exist. Our beliefs may overlap and common grounds may be detected.

Truth

All religions and civilizations are seeking the truth. Regardless of the further content of any given religion, it says to humanity: there is a reality that extends beyond our everyday world, it is possible to speak either truth or falsehood concerning this reality, and it makes a difference whether one lives by the truth or not.

Spirituality

All religions without exceptions adhere to a spiritual dimension in the life of individuals. The belief in the existance of a creator, a God sheds a spiritual aspect on religious people. Even though there are incredible differences between religions, we share a common heritage of witnessing to a divine reality.

Moral values

Religions bring with them a sense of moral duty. Religions distinguish between what is good and what is evil. In a sense religion is an excellent source of moral obligations. Such obligations are imposed on us by God however conceived. This implies that memebers of different religions must find what moral values they have in common and put it to work in behalf of society.

The devil is in the details

These are some common grounds. You may find others. I have put them forward without going into details for  fear of getting entanglaed in the diffrences. For as you know the devil is in thge details. Truth for members of a religious group is represented in a written form, revealed by a god to prohets. For others truth is sought in the a llife long quest for self-development.

True Muslims

Being a true Muslim

I've been asked so many times about being a true Muslim. Well an easy answer seems to be a true muslim is one who has utered the Shahada ("I testify that there is none who deserves to be worshipped but Allah. I testify that Mohammed is the messenger of Allah".) Well this seems to be just part of being a Muslim. A muslim adhers to Islam in many more aspects.

• Muslims adhere to a religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness. 
• True Muslims condmen the extremely grave events which have come to be associated with their faith.
• The word 'Muslim' means one who has submitted oneself to Allah, the Omnipotent Creator. 
• A true Muslim is one who has disciplined his life in accordance with the instructions conveyed by Allah through His messengers. 
• A person becomes a Muslim not by birth alone, but by his faith and deeds which must go in accordance with each other.

The word Muslim means one who has submitted his self to the will of Allah, and for the same reason a true Muslim cannot live without the love for Allah, His prophets and humanity. The ultimate goal is to be good and to forsake the evil.

Khadija bint Khuwaylid

A woman who had an impact on Islam

Khadijah bint Khuwaylid was the first wife of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Khadijah successfully managed her father's business interests and preserved the family's fortune. It is said that when the Quraysh's trade caravans gathered to embark upon their lengthy and arduous journey either to Syria during the summer or to Yemen during the winter, Khadijah's caravan equalled the caravans of all other traders of the Quraish put together. She is important in Islam as Muhammad's first wife, and one of the "mothers of the believers". Khadija and Muhammed had six children. They were given two boys, Qasim and 'Abdullah, but neither survived infancy. They were also given four daughters, Zainab, Ruqaiyyah, Umm Kulthum, and Fatima.

Contributions of Khadija

• She was the first believer. When the prophet was given revelation through the angel Michael, he was terrified and on his return from Mount Hira, Kahdija was there to comfort him.
• She also was a good wife to the prophet. Durinfg their married life, Mohammed loved her and she supported him. She consoled him when no bobody else would. She remained the only wife of Muhammed until her death at the age of 65.
• When the prophet Muhammed proclaimed his mission as the messenger of Allah, and told the Arabs not to worship idols, he was persecuted everywhere he went and felt very sad. The polytheists made many attempts to stifle his voice forever. In those times of stress and distress, Khadija was a bastion of strength for him. She and his uncle, Abu Talib protected and supported him. Thanks to them the polytheists could not disrupt the prophet Muhammed's work of preaching and propagating Islam. Khadija made thus the most important contribution to the survival and propagation of Islam.

More on Khadija on Wikipedia