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