Islamic studies

Assignment # 1

Group member

Usmaan Khan (9398)

Taruj Tariq (9395)

HareemShoukat (9389)

Submitted to: Dr. AnwarullahTayyabi

Introduction:

Many attempts have been made to describe the religion but every theory has its own limitation. Many people focus on a very narrow definition that matches the individual's own religion, but few others. Many definitions focus too narrowly on only a few aspects of religion; they tend to exclude those religions that do not fit well. Religions have various different aspects.

The word religion is derived from Latin "religio" (what attaches or retains, moral bond, anxiety of self-consciousness, scruple) used by the Romans, before Jesus Christ, to indicate the worship of the demons .The origin of "religio" is debated since antiquity. Cicero said it comes from "relegere" (to read again, to re-examine carefully, to gather) in the meaning "to carefully consider the things related to the worship of gods".

According to various defilations we can conclude that religion is the set of beliefs, feelings, and practices that define the relations between human being and sacred or divinity. The majority of religions have developed starting from a revelation based on the exemplary history of a nation, of a prophet or a wise man who taught an ideal of life.

Views on Religion:

Religion can be understood through some idea’s. The ideas are as follows:

1. Religion and nature: Religion has its own origins’ in and power from the encounter of the natural world. Which provokes fears and threaten order in response, religion develops as an attempt to appease natural forces that are beyond human control.

2. Religion and Divinity: Religion marks the human encounter with God or Gods. Scriptures, rituals, ethics and faith are built around the meeting between divine and human kind

3. Religion and the sacred: Religion is the human response to the sacred that which is separated from the everyday. The sacred have particular value because its remind humanity of its origins and its contact with a power that is beyond this world.

4. Religion and social: Religion binds community together through various forms of beliefs and practices. It is an institute that connect people through important idea’s

So we can sum up that religion is a particular system of faith , belief and worship of superhuman controlling power especially a personal God or Gods.

`Why Aspect of Religion :

To understand what religion is and what is its role in the life of men, we should first of all know its definition.

Religion may briefly be defined as under:

Religion (din) is an all-round movement in the light of faith in Allah and a sense of responsibility for the formation of thought and belief, for the promotion of high principles of human morality for the establishment of good relations among members of the society and the elimination of every sort of discrimination.

. To be a little more elaborate, it may be said that we require religion for the following reasons:

1. Sanction for the Principles of Morality

2. Power to Endure Adversities of Life

3. Encounter with Ideological Vacuum

4. An Aid to the Progress of Science and Knowledge

The reason that we need religion is that it gives us something to believe in. People need to believe that there is a reason for what they are doing and that there is a reason for life. Religion provides this for them. This is what gives people the desire to go out and work every day and to try to make the world a better place.

Basic Functions of Religion:

Both from individual and social point of view religion perform the following functions:

1. Religion provides mental peace:

Human life is uncertain. He struggles for his survival amidst the uncertainties, insecurities and dangers, Some-times he feels helplessness. It is the religion which consoles and encourages him in

all such time of crisis. Religion gives right shelter to him. He gets mental peace and emotional support. It encourages him to face his life and problems.

2. Religion explains individual suffering

Man does not live by knowledge alone. He is an emotional creature. Religion serves to the emotions of man in times of his sufferings and disappointment. On God religion puts faith and entertains the belief that some unseen power moves in mysterious ways to make even his loss meaningful. In this way religion gives release from sorrow and release from fear. It helps man to bear his frustration and integrate his personality.

3. It inculcates social virtues:

Religion promotes the major social virtues like truth, honesty, non-violence, service, love, discipline etc. A follower of the religions internalizes these virtues and becomes disciplined citizen of the society.

4. Religion promotes social solidarity:

Religion gives rise to the spirit of brotherhood. Durkheim viewed that religion strengthens social solidarity. It is true that common belief, common sentiment, common worship, participation in

common rituals etc. are the significant cementing factors which strength the unity and solidarity.

5. Religion is an agent of socialization and social control:

Religion provides a model for living. It upholds certain ideals and values. The believer imbibes these ideals and values in his life. Religion can help youth generation to become moral, disciplined and socialized citizens of society. Organization like temples, mosques, church, Gurudwaras etc. also control the behavior of the individuals at different level.

6. Religion promotes welfare:

Religion teaches to the people to serve the masses and promote their welfare. It gives message that "the service to humanity is service to God". For this reason, people spend money to feed poor and needy. Great religions like Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity etc. put emphasis on aim-giving to the poor and beggars. With the influence of religious belief different religious organizations engage themselves in various welfare activities. Like spreading of education and opening up many charitable institutions like hospitals, rest houses, temples and to help the poor.

Conclusion:

Religion has always been with us. Throughout history, it has expressed the deepest questions human beings can ask, and it has taken a central place in the lives of virtually all civilizations and cultures. As we think all the way back to the dawn of human consciousness, we find religion everywhere we turn.

Why does religion continue to thrive? Because we find religion everywhere, on television, in film, in popular music, in our towns and neighborhoods. We discover religion at the center of global issues and cultural conflict. We see religion in the lives of the people we know and love, and in ourselves, as we live out and wrestle with our own religious faith. And there are many reasons, but one thing is certain: religious traditions are adaptable in important ways. For many, contemporary religion even has room for skepticism, science, and the secular, which allows it to keep going strong in our rapidly changing world.

Overall, religion is powerful and persistent, and it shows no signs of disappearing. It provokes heartfelt commitment, eloquent expression,

forthright action, and intense debate. For both practitioners and observers—for everyone who wants to be informed about the world around them—religion is an intensely curious phenomenon that calls out for better understanding.

References:

http://studyreligion.org/why/index.html

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/religion

http://atheisme.free.fr/Religion/What-is-religion-1.htm

http://www.religioustolerance.org/rel_defn1.htm