Basics of Religious Education — Page 3
3 3 3 3 3 B ASICS OF R ELIGIOUS E DUCATION - F IFTH E DITION A ll praise belongs to Allah, Who enabled us to become Ahmadi Muslims. We believe, like all other Muslims, in the Holy Prophet Hadrat Muhammad sa , who founded the great religion of Islam under guidance from Allah. We are, however, fortunate to have accepted the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, the Reformer of the present age, as instructed by the Holy Prophet Hadrat Muhammad sa. He had foretold the appearance of this grand Reformer (named Messiah and Mahdi ) for the revival of Islam in the latter days. In 1889, Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as of Qadian, the Promised Messiah as , under Divine guidance, founded the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama`at. Its main objective is to re-establish the original purity and beauty of Islam. The experi- ence of being members of the Jama`at has brought about a wholesome change in our characters and strengthened our faith in Islam. Before we discuss the religion of Islam and the mission of the Promised Messiah as , let us try to understand what is meant by ‘religion’ and why there are different religions in the world. Besides the religion of Islam, many other religions exist in the world such as Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and others. Most of them have existed for a very long time. In fact, as we learn from history, the world has never been without religions. All the well-established religions of the world have the following features in common: ♦ They were founded by the Messengers of Allah and their teachings were based on the revelations from Allah. ♦ They define a purpose of human life: to achieve nearness to Allah and to understand one’s duty towards one’s fellow-beings. ♦ To attain this purpose, they present a set of beliefs, acts of worship and rules of conduct governing social and moral behaviour. We may conclude, therefore, that: Religion is a divine system of beliefs, acts of worship, and rules of conduct that enable human beings to achieve nearness to Allah and lead a peaceful life. Who we are What is religion? Intr Intr Intr Intr Introduction to Islam oduction to Islam oduction to Islam oduction to Islam oduction to Islam 1. 1 1. 1 1. 1 1. 1 1. 1 I I I I I SLAM SLAM SLAM SLAM SLAM — I — I — I — I — I N T R O D U C T I O N N T R O D U C T I O N N T R O D U C T I O N N T R O D U C T I O N N T R O D U C T I O N T O T O T O T O T O I I I I I SLAM SLAM SLAM SLAM SLAM