Prayer Rituals Of Islam Religion Essay

Prayer Rituals Of Islam Religion Essay There are many religions of the world, mostly all consisting of a ritual of prayer of some sort. Islam is the second largest religion of the world after Christianity. Like almost all religions, Islam also has rituals of prayer. These rituals consist of purifying oneself before prayers, the call for prayer, also known as the azaan, the salah or the prayer, and reciting the holy Quran. These prayer rituals are a part of the daily life of a Muslim. The salah starts right after the Azaan or the call for prayer. It is recited by the Muazzin who is the man who recites in Arabic, the call for prayer. This call is recited in Arabic. In English translation it means , I confess there is no God but God, I confess there is no God but God. I confess Muhammad (PBUH) is the apostle of God. The people listening to this reply the same. The Muazzin says, Come to prayer. The listeners reply I have no power or strength but from God most High and Great. The Muazzin says, Come to God. The listeners reply, What God wills will be; what He wills not will not be. Lastly, the first two claims are recited once again to end off the call for prayer to all Muslims. The Azaan is not only a call for prayer to Muslims, it is also a reminder to all the believers that there is no God but Allah and that the Prophet (PBUH) was his messenger. This claim is also the basis of the shahadah or the Islamic creed. The azaan thus serves a double purpose; it is an announ cement of the time of prayer and at the same time an announcement of the principles of Islam and the significance underlying them. It replaces the meaningless ringing of a bell or the blowing of a trumpet by the most effective propaganda of religion that can be thought of. (A Manual of Hadith) The azaan can be signified as the wakeup call for all believers, serving as a reminder of God. Then comes the actual ritual of praying, the salah. This prayer consists of physical movements of the body along with holy words and phrases in Arabic. Firstly, one must be clean and pure and be standing in clean place, facing the Kaaba, the House of God. The prayer starts out as one stands up straight with hands by the sides, making an intention to pray. I have purposed to offer up to God only, with a sincere heart, with my face towards Kaaba. Then, the hands are raised upto the ear lobes, reciting, Allahu Akbar meaning, Allah is the greatest. The hands are brought back down and the right hand is placed above the left hand. Both hands are placed below the navel for men and above the navel for women. The gaze is lowered towards the floor. In this position, recitations are made. I seek refuge near God from cursed Satan. In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Following this, the first chapter of the holy Quran is recited. After that, the person is to recite any part of th e Quran and as much as he/she wants to recite. Once that is said, the worshipper must once again recite Allahu Akbar, meaning, Allah is the greatest. Then, the worshipper is to bend down as to place the palms of the hands on the knees. In this position, the worshipper must recite I praise the holiness of my Lord, the Great three times and stand back up with hands by the sides. Now he/she is to recite, God hears Him who praises Him: O Lord, Thou art praised. After this, the worshipper goes down on the knees and places his forehead on the floor with the palms of the hands placed on the floor next to the head. The feet are to be resting upon the toes. In this position, the person is to recite I praise the holiness of my Lord, the Most High. Then, the person sits up, placing his/her hands above the knees and recites Allahu Akbar. In a few seconds, the person goes back down to the bow and recites the same phrase as the last prostration. This marks the end of the first rakat. (The faith o f Islm) Depending on the time of day and which prayer is being recited, the number of rakats varies. For example, for Fajr, the prayer before sunrise, and the third prayer, there are four rakats, for Dhurr, the afternoon prayer, there are 12 rakats. There are seven rakats for the evening prayer, Maghrib, and for the last prayer of the day, Isha, there are nine rakats. The same procedure follows for every prayer. This form of prayer is mandatory and required by all Muslims as it is one of the pillars of Islam. There is no substitute for this prayer. It is a must-do. This ritual is the most important as it provides the person to connect with God through communication. Muslims believe that through salah, they can get a chance to communicate with God directly. Among ritual worships, Salah occupies the key position for two reasons. Firstly, it is the distinctive mark of a believer. Secondly, it prevents an individual from all sorts of abominations and vices by providing him chances of direct communion with his Creator five times a day, wherein he renews his covenant with God and seeks His guidance again and againSalah is the first practical manifestation of faith and also the foremost of the basic conditions for the success of the believers. (Islam In Concept) Not only does the salah keep the individual on a spiritual path and connected with God, it also keeps the body in motion and physically ac tive, serving as a great health purpose. Being the key of all rituals of Islam, the salah serves to be the most connective and spiritual ritual of Islam. Another type of prayer ritual is reciting the Holy Quran. The Quran is the holy book of Islam as compared to the Bible of the Christians and the Torah of the Jews. Just like the Hindus recite their Bhagavad Gita and the Jews recite their Torah, Muslims also recite the Quran. In Islam, reciting the Quran is a form of prayer. Muslims claim that the Quran is the word of God. Therefore, it is considered a holy and prayer-like task to recite it. Not only does one have to recite the words of the Quran, it is also important to understand the meaning of them as well as it is written in Arabic. This is a form of worship and prayer. When you recite the Quran and contemplate its meanings, you take a positive step toward achieving happiness. Allah described the Quran as being guidance, light, and a cure for what is in the breasts of men. He also described it as being a Mercy. (Dont be sad) Reciting the Quran is a form or prayer because Allah Himself claims in it that it will bring blessings and happiness in life. It is described to be like a handbook for our lives that we must follow, so reciting and understanding the Quran go hand in hand to establish a prayer. It is very common for Muslims to recite the Quran or perform salah when a difficulty arises in life, whatever it may be as Quran and salah have been the source of guidance towards a righteous path. A righteous person once said: I felt a cloud of depression and anxiety was hanging over me. I picked up the Quran and I read it for a period of time. Then, by Allah, the depression and anxiety disappeared and happiness along with tranquility took their place. (dont be sad) Reciting the Quran is a way of remembering God and keeping in mind his rules and regulations of life that are outlined in it. Along with performing salah, daily recitations keep the thought of God active in ones mind. It is also a way of seeking refuge from Satan. The Prophet (PBUH) claims that Allah has ordained that any man who engages himself in the recitation of Quran so oftenly that he finds no time for supplication I shall provide him more without asking than those who ask. (Principles of Islam) From this, we can conclude that reciting the holy Quran is not only a way of seeking Gods guidance, it also a reminder for all believers of Gods mercy and power. Religions of all people provide rituals of prayer. Islam offers several rituals of prayer such as the sacred washing (wudhu), call for prayer or the azaan, performing the salah, and reciting the Quran. Whatever the ritual may be, they all provide ways of connecting with God. Al-Omar, Abdur Rahman. The Religion of Truth. Saudi Arabia: Maktaba Dar-Us-Salam, 51-52. Print.

Religious Revival of the 1950s Essay

After Americans endured two decades of continuous depression, war and crisis through the 1930’s and 40’s, they sought a return to normalcy and longed to focus on the more private details of existence. Instead of national objectives, the public concentrated on family, home, and career, while becoming increasingly absorbed in religion. As the 1950’s saw America in a state of national exhaustion, religion-in-general experienced a surge in popularity. Many critical views were silenced or ignored as people became more accepting of a wide variety of beliefs. While the revival was unexpected and unstructured, several events fueled the movement. World War II left the country weary and drained. During the four seemingly-endless years of conflict, almost all churches had rallied behind the war effort. Post-war America a burst in prosperity, and with this support, churches expanded. Church attendance soared while their purpose and goals shifted. As all denominations gained a more powerful voice, they used it to increase their role in society. In 1950, several of the oldest Protestant denominations formed the National Council of Churches in order to improve relations with the government, encourage interchurch connections, and promote projects such as Bible translation.1 This organization also helped to do away with the harsh attitudes and antagonism aimed at Catholicism after the war. Toleration and acceptance seemed to be the key to deepened communication between both church and state as well and Protestants and Catholics. Following World War II, an era known as the Cold War shook American faith in the possibility of a peaceful nation. A war with the Soviet Union looming overhead, the threat of a communist takeover, and the potential for nuclear disaster sent Americans rushing to churches in part to find a sense of stability and security. Survey data shows that Church attendance reached an all-time high 49% of the American population in the mid-1950’s2 while nearly 96% claimed ties to some religious affiliation or another.3 Religion helped them cope with the uncertainty of having to live one of two opposing ways of life; a poverty-stricken, war torn country, or a thriving, peaceful nation  with an economy to support their growing families. Beneath the surface of mainstream optimism due to the booming economy, America’s crises with other countries instilled a sense of urgency concerning salvation. Moral values became somewhat self-indulgent, and self-absorption became characteristic of the religious movement, explaining in part the lack of conflict due to varying beliefs. While foreign affairs helped to shape religion in the 1950’s, it was perhaps the more informal networks that anchored public interest and in turn became more influential. A small organization called the National Association of Evangelicals, founded in 1942, united several theological groups in an effort to spread the message of the gospels. They promoted such campaigns as that of Billy Graham, perhaps the most popular evangelist in American history. Graham both warned the nation of the peril they faced due to communism and failing American foreign policy, while also providing them an escape through salvation in Jesus Christ. His combination of religion and public concern set Protestants to action in the effort to â€Å"save† America. His rallies attracted crowds upwards of a half million in the mid-1950’s.4 Another man offered a much more relaxed message concerning one’s role in society in relationship to religion. Norman Vincent Peale, a minister from the Reformed Church of America who pastored a church in New York City, preached to large crowds using â€Å"psychological, therapeutic, and scriptural elements.†5 Peale encouraged people to practice their faith and visualize how they wanted to live their lives in order to achieve their goals. This approach to religion caused many to call him â€Å"the rich man’s Billy Graham.†6 He wrote the book The Power of Positive Thinking, in 1952. â€Å"Positive thinking† eased the minds of Americans who remained uncertain about war with the Soviet Union and the permanence of economic expansion in the states. Catherine Wood Marshall also wrote a book offering realistic insight and moral inspiration. Women were contributing more directly to public life in  the 1950’s, and when her husband, minister Peter Marshall, died, she gathered his journals and sermons to publish A Man Called Peter. Not only were women writing religious books, but Post-war America saw women entering the ministry. Women had made up the majority of members in church congregations for centuries, but few denominations had recognized them as leaders before the 50’s. Conservative churches limited leadership to Bible studies and social programs, but many major denominations joined the Quakers and Pentecostals in ordaining them as ministers. With an endless reserve of new students and a thriving economy to fall back on, theological schools flourished. Seminaries and other Bible-based schools saw record enrollment. New faculty was added and new areas of study were introduced into the curriculum. Most of these schools became part of the evangelical enterprise, with traveling ministers or radio broadcasts, like those of the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. These schools sought to guide the church leaders of the future while also creating a positive public image for evangelism and religious education. With these new advancements in the Protestant and Catholic churches, also came the growth of other religions. A network called the â€Å"Beat Movement† connected young writers who demonstrated a care-free, often reckless approach to both literature and religion. They joined small religious communities called ashrams, where Eastern religions, including Hinduism, Daoism, and Zen Buddhism were explored. Meditation and yoga were widely practiced. Like other groups of their time, they used their religious beliefs as a social stance. Their opposition to government policy and their desire to separate themselves from mainstream social activity was somewhat evident in their religious preferences. These movements and individuals of the 1950’s have all altered the America in which we live today. One of the most obvious changes that is so often overlooked was the adjustment of the Pledge of Allegiance. In 1954, following a crusade led by the Knights of Columbus,(a Catholic mens’ society), Congress added the words â€Å"under God.† Their desire was for the  pledge to serve both as a patriotic oath and a public prayer.7 Politicians, however, argue to this day about the constitutionality of endorsing religion in the nation’s pledge. Many of these decisions were made before there was substantial concern surrounding the relationship between church and state, and how much each side should be involved in the other. At the same time in Washington, after President Eisenhower was elected, the prayer room and the prayer breakfast were established in the Capitol building. Then in 1955, with the support of the president, Congress added the words â€Å"In God We Trust† to all paper currency. One year later, the same phrase replaced â€Å"E Pluribus Unum† as the nations official motto. Legislators even began to submit Constitutional amendments that ordered Americans to obey â€Å"the authority and law of Jesus Christ.† The government directly fueled the revival in the 1950’s, and the American public fell deeper and deeper into their own interests all the while believing â€Å"what is good for one’s own private interest is good for all,†8 as was mentioned to the country by General Motors’ Charles E. Wilson. National needs began to fall by the wayside as personal improvement took over top priority in the American household. Still, spiritual rebirth was the topic of concern in the minds of the American people. Southern revivalism got a boost with the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. Thousands of black and white Americans alike took part in the movement for justice. The â€Å"Southern Christian Leadership Conference,† attended by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., sought to end racial segregation and was fueled by Christian ideals rather than political agenda. Dr. King, a Southern Baptist minister, lead the non-violent undertaking, which lead to a civil rights movement that extended well into the 60’s and 70’s. He urged Americans to â€Å"stand up for justice, stand up for truth.†9 Americans felt a sense of moral responsibility in the 1950’s. The revival of the decade, if nothing else, proved there was a civil religion in the nation. Most Americans at the time put faith in four basic points. First, the existence of God; second, a life to come; third, they would be rewarded  for the good and punished for their sinful actions; and lastly, that there was no room for religious intolerance if there was to be peace in the nation.10 A change in the religious tone of the country was perhaps most evident in Washington. Even the government and its leaders recognized a â€Å"higher law,† and evidence of their dedication to the fusion of religious principles and democratic ideals is evident still today. They believed that a nation with strong values and beliefs would lead to a responsible social system, a strong sense of patriotism and common ideals around which to base strong communities. Such beliefs created an atmosphere that encouraged religious pluralism and as a result the 1950’s saw some of the most rapid spiritual growth in American history to date.

Big Five trait theory Essay

A trait, this is a characteristic way in which an individual perceives, feels, believes or acts. We use trait to describe someone, whether he or she is an introvert, a petty nervous person, strongly attached to the family and whether they are very intelligent. Most psychologists, especially personologists are interested in finding what kind of traits that are broad and perhaps genetically based, as opposed to those that are peculiar and changes very easily. On the basis of psychoanalysis of personality theory, the big five personality traits are based on five broad dimensions of personality, and this has been discovered through empirical research, and they are categorized as; openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism (OCEAN). These are the descriptive model of a person’s personality (Barrick, & Mount, 1991). A number of theories do exist which attempts to describe the key traits of human being and one of the most common and earliest introduced is the theory that is concerned with the inborn, genetically determined traits known as temperaments; introduced by Sigmund Freud by the name of Carl Jung. However, this theory was further developed by Myers and Briggs C (Jung’s theory students) and developed a personality test based an Jung’s temperament which is now known as the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI), which has actually become one of the most famous personality test of all time (Bagby, Marshall, & Georgiades, 2005). Quite often traits are seen as opposites, and the first set of this is contrast between introversion and extraversion, the first refers to the tendency of one preferring the world inside oneself, like shyness, distaste for social functions, and love of privacy while the latter extraversion is the tendency to look to the outside world and in specific, for one’s pleasures. These are individuals who are normally outgoing and enjoy social activities, and they are uncomfortable when they are alone. Many extraverts’ people, this makes introverts most times feel a bit put upon. In fact in our current society is very pro-extravert, to the point of seeing introversion as abnormal and funnily seeing shy people to be in need of therapy! But some cultures see extraverts as the oddballs (Barrick, & Mount, 1991). But whether one is introvert or extravert, one is either born with or not and remain that way for the rest of his/her life. It is therefore up to the task of an introvert to behave more like an extravert or as an extravert learn to behave more like an introvert, although it is not easy to switch between the two. Either, being an introvert or extravert is determined by a single gene, and this is something that is pretty unusual for more physical differences. They are the major issues in personality, development, and mental health, although there is currently no evidence for this (McCrae, & Costa, 1990). Furthermore, there is a contrast between sensing and intuiting people; because in sensing, it means getting all their information about life from their senses they therefore tend to be realistic, down-to-earth people, but they often tend to see everything in overly simplistic concrete, black or in white terms. While intuiting people tend to get their information from intuition, they therefore tend to be a little bit out of touch with the more solid aspects of reality; that is to say they are a little flakey, however, they might see â€Å"the big picture† behind the details better. Most intuition people are often artistic and sometimes philosophical. And because majority of people are sensing, they normally make intuiters feel rather lonely and unappreciated, and considering that our society tends to be distrustful of dreamers, artists, and intellectuals, even though other societies may be more appreciating (De Fruyt, McCrae, Szirmak, & Nagy, 2004). Secondly, there is a contrast between thinkers and feelers, for thinking people most times make their decisions on the basis of thinking, that is to say reasoning, logic and step-by-step problem solving and it works very well for physical problems, although it leaves some desires when dealing with situations that are complex like people. And for feeling people, they make their decisions based on their feelings, and this is a kind of intuition that works very well when dealing with people (McCrae, & Costa, 1990). Logistically, half of people are thinkers while the other half, are feelers; however, this proportion differ when looking at gender, because majority of males are thinkers while most women are feelers and this matches with even the old stereotypes and the recent research however, there is no any good reason to value thinking over feeling since each has its strengths and weaknesses. The controversy between judging and perceiving; judging people in most times according to Freud’s anal retentive types are neat, orderly, hardworking, always on time, and schedules things very carefully, and an example is a college professor, but perceiving people are more spontaneous for they prefer to do things as the spirit dictates them, they are perhaps more fun than judging but they tend not to get things done an example is college students (De Fruyt, McCrae, Szirmak, & Nagy, 2004). However in all the above discussions, it is also important at this point to look at neuroticism, where people tend to be very nervous, emotional sort of people. Although it does not necessary mean one is neurotic, it actually means that one is more likely to develop, problems that are associated with neuroticism such as phobias, obsessions, and compulsions, in fact these days low neuroticism is often known as emotional stability. And in relation to neuroticism is Psychoticism, and as the name itself suggests these are people with tendencies to psychosis, that is to say that they are more likely to have problems dealing with reality. Most often psychotic people have hallucinations and delusions like odd beliefs like these of being watered, perhaps by the CIA, or even by creatures on earth and other planets. Secondly, after extraversion-introversion, is emotional stability, and these are people who are not nervous and they are not emotional in short it is an opposite of the neuroticism. They don’t experience negative feelings like anxiety, anger or depression, although they are more likely to experience, one or tow of the emotions. These people are emotionally uncreative that is to say, they don’t respond emotionally to events that affect them and their reactions to most events are quite very normal. They are not more likely to interpret ordinary situations as threatening and also minor frustrations as hopelessly difficult. In addition, negative emotional reactions tend to persist for usually short periods of time, this means, they are often in a good mood. These problems in emotional regulations for these people diminish because of their ability to think clearly, decision making, and coping effectively with stress. In general these people tend to be calm, emotionally stable, and they are free from persistent of negative feelings (Barrick, & Mount, 1991). However, all the above five factors, and the latter two so far discussed show an influence from both hereditary and environment. During childhood and adolescent stages, a person’s ratings on these factor traits may change, with average levels of agreeableness and conscientiousness which typically increases while Extraversion neuroticism and openness decreases. But for most people after attaining 30 years stability rather than change becomes the general rule, there is remarkable stability during adulthood. But this does not mean that personality cannot change, given the altering circumstances in life or any efforts to do so, it actually means after attaining 30 all people generally do not change their personality very much. As regards to men and women they show remarkable differences in the above across cultures, women show good response to agreeableness and neuroticism domains, all the same, there is inmate gender differences in personality (McGhee, Ehrler, & Buckhalt, 2007). Conclusion This leaves the area of investigation to make a model of personality, because the big five personality traits are only empirical observations and not a theory; it therefore means that the observations of personality research still remains to be explained. And last but not least, is the downwards extension of the big five theory or the five factor model into childhood, because this will provide children’s social and emotional adjustments and also in academic achievement as they grow. This is because there are implications that, the structure of personality traits might be more differentiated in childhood than in adulthood (McGhee, Ehrler, & Buckhalt, 2007). References

The Is The Better Vacation Spot Universal Studios Or...

TESL 99 Which is the Better Vacation Spot? Universal Studios or Disneyland? Suppose the following situation. Spring Break is coming, you want to have some entertainment with lots of fun and good souvenirs. Besides, you do not want to return home in a hurry just for cooking dinner. Then you come up with the amusement park, which can fulfill all demands. The next problem is that there are so many amusement parks, which one is better? After excluding some options by factors such as distance, there are only two left, Universal Studios and Disneyland. However, you are facing a dilemma now. Which one will you going to choose? Price is always the first thing you would be concerned when comparing two amusement parks and making a decision. The ticket of Universal Studios is 85 dollars during Spring Break, and there is no difference between adults and children. Disneyland is a little more expensive, because the ticket costs 119 dollars to get a ticket for an adult, and 113 dollars for a child. 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