World religions. Рахимбергенова М.Х. - 24 стр.

                              Sacred places and days                                                              Doctrines of the Qur’an
     The most sacred place for Muslims is the Ka’bah sanctuary at Mecca, the                                                   God
object of the annual pilgrimage. It is much more than a mosque; it is believed to          The doctrine about God in the Qur’an is rigorously monotheistic: God is one
be the place where the heavenly bliss and power touches the earth directly. Ac-      and unique; he has no partner and no equal. Trinitarianism, the Christian belief
cording to Muslim tradition, the Ka’bah was built by Abraham. The Prophet’s          that God is three persons in one substance, is vigorously repudiated. Muslims be-
mosque in Medina is the next in sanctity. Jerusalem follows in third place in        lieve that there are no intermediaries between God and the creation that he
sanctity as the first qiblah (i.e. direction in which the Muslims offered prayers    brought into being by his sheer command: “Be”. Although his presence is be-
at first, before the qiblah was changed to the Ka’bah) and as the place from         lieved to be everywhere, he does not inhere in anything. He is the sole Creator
where Muhammad, according to tradition, made his ascent to heaven. For the           and sustainer of the universe, wherein every creature bears witness to his unity
Shi’ah, Karbala’ in Iraq and Meshed in Iran (where Imam ‘Ali ar-Ria is buried)       and lordship. But he is also just and merciful: his justice ensures order in his
constitute places of special veneration where the Shi’ah make pilgrimages.           creation, in which nothing is believed to be out of place, and his mercy is un-
                                     The mosque                                      bounded and encompasses everything. His creating and ordering the universe is
     The general religious life of the Muslims is centered around the mosque,        viewed as the act of prime mercy for which all things sing his glories. The God
and in the days of the Prophet and early caliphs the mosque was, indeed, the         of the Qur’an, described as majestic and sovereign, is also a personal God; he is
center of all community life. Small mosques are usually supervised by the imam       viewed as being nearer to man than man’s jugular vein, and, whenever a person
(one who administers the prayer service) himself, although sometimes also a          in need or distress calls him, he responds. Above all, he is the God of guidance
muezzin is appointed. In larger mosques, where Friday prayers are offered, a         and shows everything, particularly man, the right way, “the straight path”.
khatib (one who gives the khutbah, or sermon) is appointed for Friday service.             This picture of God – wherein the attributes of power, justice, and mercy
Many large mosques also function as religious schools and colleges. Mosque           interpenetrate – is related to the Judeo-Christian tradition, whence it is derived
officials are appointed by the government in most countries. In some countries       with certain modifications, and also to the concepts of pagan Arabia, to which it
– e.g. Pakistan – most mosques are private and are run by the local community,       provided an effective answer. The pagan Arabs believed in a blind and inexora-
although some of the larger ones are being increasingly taken over by the gov-       ble fate over which man had no control. For this powerful but insensible fate
ernment departments of awqaf.                                                        the Qur’an substituted a powerful but provident and merciful God. The Qur’an
                                      Holy days                                      carried through its uncompromising monotheism by rejecting all forms of idola-
     The Muslim calendar (based on the lunar year) dates from the emigration         try and eliminating all gods and divinities that the Arabs worshipped in their
of the Prophet from Mecca to Medina in A.D. 622. The two festive days in the         sanctuaries, the most prominent of which was Ka’bah sanctuary in Mecca itself.
year are the ‘ids, Id al-Fitr celebrating the end of the month of Ramaan and the                                             Prophecy
other, ‘Id al-Aha (the feast of sacrifice), marking the end of the pilgrimage. Be-         Prophets are men specially elected by God to be his messengers. Prophet
cause of the crowds, ‘id prayers are offered either in very large mosques or on      hood is indivisible, and the Qur’an requires recognition of all prophets as such
specially consecrated grounds. Other sacred times include the “night of deter-       without discrimination. Yet they are not all equal, some of them being particu-
mination” (believed to be the night in which God makes decisions about the           larly outstanding in qualities of steadfastness and patience under trial. Abraham,
destiny of individuals and the world as a whole) and the night of the ascension      Noah, Moses, and Jesus were such great prophets. As vindication of the truth of
of the Prophet to heaven. The Shi’ah celebrate the 10th of Muharram (the first       their mission, God often vests them with miracles. Abraham was saved from
month of the Muslim year) to mark the day of the martyrdom of Husayn. The            fire, Noah from the deluge, and Moses from the Pharaoh. Not only was Jesus
Muslim masses also celebrate the death anniversaries of various saints in a          born from the Virgin Mary, but God also saved him from crucifixion at the
ceremony called ‘urs (literally, “nuptial ceremony”). The saints, far from dying,    hands of the Jews. The conviction that God’s messengers are ultimately vindi-
are believed to reach the zenith of their spiritual life on this occasion.           cated and saved is an integral part of the Qur’an doctrine.
                                                                                           All prophets are human and never part of divinity: they are simply recipi-
                                                                                     ents of revelation from God. God never speaks directly to a human: he either
                                                                                     sends an angel messenger to him or makes him hear a voice or inspires him.
                                                                                     Muhammad is accepted as the last prophet in this series and its greatest mem-
                                                                                     ber, for in him all the messages of earlier prophets were consummated. He had
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