Basics of Religious Education — Page 4
4 4 4 4 4 B ASICS OF R ELIGIOUS E DUCATION - F IFTH E DITION Why teachings of various religions differ? Need of a Universal Religion If all the religions are from the same God, then why do their teachings dif- fer so much from one another? There can be two sources of differences between various religions: a. After Noah’s time, it seems likely that people dispersed to different parts of the world, which were far apart. The means of communication were so poor that a prophet in one part could not communicate his message to the rest. Also, the development of the human mind varied from one area to the other. The All-Wise God, therefore, sent a Prophet to each nation with a teaching best suited to the needs of that nation. b. As time passed, the teachings of various religions could not remain in their original form. In some cases, the followers of these religions themselves introduced changes in their originally revealed books. As time passed, the human race began to advance. More and more coun- tries began to be inhabited and means of communication between them be- gan to improve. Through mutual contact, people of different countries began to appreciate the need for a universal religion. Also, as noted above, the adulteration of original teachings caused the need for fresh guidance from God Almighty, who is the Original Source. God Almighty responded to the need of a universal religion by sending His final and perfect message to mankind through the Holy Prophet, Hadrat Muhammad sa. Thus, the final great religion, named Islam, was founded as a Universal religion, about six hundred years after Jesus Christ as. (Adapted from 'Introduction to the Commentary of the Holy Qur'an by Hadrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad,Khalifatul Masih II ra ) Islam is an Arabic word which means: Obedience and Peace. Islam thus means complete submission to the will of God and to be at peace with all the creatures of God. In other words, the fundamental purpose of Islam is to bring back mankind to its Creator and to improve the quality of human relationships. It follows, therefore, that: Islam is the only religion whose very name tells its believers what to do and how to do it. Islam provides a complete code of life. Its teachings explain in detail how to coordinate beneficiently all the human faculties and the bounties provided by Allah, our Creator. The main sources of Islamic teachings are the Holy Qur’an and the Traditions (Ahadith) of the Holy Prophet of Islam sa. What is Islam? I I I I I S L A M S L A M S L A M S L A M S L A M — 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 S L A M S L A M S L A M S L A M S L A M 1. 1 1. 1 1. 1 1. 1 1. 1