Morality
Ninian Smart’s last trait includes the idea of morality in religion, where an individual is taught the values on how to live a moral life. Almost every religion in the world has perfect examples on how to live a life that is near to being perfect, in Christianity, Jesus Christ’s life is the perfect example of a moral life, in Islam, the Holy Prophet’s life, and in Hinduism, the individual Deity’s have set examples for people on how to successfully achieve Moksha. In Islam, one of the moral values expected of every Muslim is love and respect towards God, and His messengers, the Prophets. Expanding to this moral value, visual representations of God and His prophets are prohibited because the idea is that each individual might draw God or His messenger differently, and people might compare drawings to see which one is better. The idea of God and His messengers being perfect is lost when someone draws them, as different people perceive drawings differently. A Muslim is expected to think of God and his Prophets within his/her mind, and perceive them as being perfect by themselves. No one can show anybody God, or the way to the path of God, and it is one’s own duty to strive for salvation for themselves. It is reported that when asked Prophet Muhammad whether he saw Allah during the night of Miraj, he answered: He is veiled by Light, how could I see Him.’” (Narrated by Muslim, al-Eeman, 261). The idea is, that the Holy Prophet Himself, being the last Prophet of Allah, did not get to see Him, then Humans, who are way below Prophet’s Muhammad’s perfection should not be allowed to draw Him. The main reason for this is: Every individual should see Allah in the blessings He provides, the flowers, the sun, the water. These should be enough to remind an individual of the Creator and make him/her thank Him.
Completing this culminating has strengthened my understanding of the religion that I have chosen as it required me to do extensive research using the resources around me. By doing this extensive research, I got to look at the viewpoint of both the sides, the creators of the cartoons and Islam itself. Looking at both the viewpoints helped me develop the true understanding of value and freedom of speech at the same time. While Islam considers freedom of speech as a moral value, some extremists may not follow the religion fully, and violate these moral values in order to display their anger. I have learned about the importance of Freedom, expression, respect, and value by completing this CPT, and hope to incorporate them in my everyday life.
Completing this culminating has strengthened my understanding of the religion that I have chosen as it required me to do extensive research using the resources around me. By doing this extensive research, I got to look at the viewpoint of both the sides, the creators of the cartoons and Islam itself. Looking at both the viewpoints helped me develop the true understanding of value and freedom of speech at the same time. While Islam considers freedom of speech as a moral value, some extremists may not follow the religion fully, and violate these moral values in order to display their anger. I have learned about the importance of Freedom, expression, respect, and value by completing this CPT, and hope to incorporate them in my everyday life.
Sacred Symbols
The idea of depicting Muhammad just as a Christian might depict Jesus on the cross as a symbol is wholly disallowed. In fact, those who attempt to imitate Allah’s creation in any way will face “grievous torment from Allah on the Day of Resurrection” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim). As such, it makes sense that all Islamic symbolism is made up of calligraphy, and not of animate objects. Calligraphy is the equivalent of a sacred symbol in a different religion, but calligraphy arrives at the same goal of representing a holy figure without attempting to imitate Allah’s creation. It only makes sense then, that this law relates to and extends to depictions of the prophet-- who, out of respect, is not depicted as an animate figure, while oral and written representations are allowed (Bloom and Blair, 202)
Having researched depictions of the prophet the issues with vulgar cartoons of the prophet, I better understand the underlying reasoning behind the lack traditional symbolism in Islam, in the form of an animate object. I have found that calligraphy offers an equivalent depiction of the same figure, and that representing the prophet in this manner allows for one to show a greater respect to the prophet. If one were to attempt to draw the perfect prophet Muhammad (just as Jesus is the standard of morality in Christianity) in an imperfect manner (man-made drawing or painting)-- then it would be doing a disservice to the followers of the religion. Islamic law states that idolatry is a major sin (Kamoonpuri, 45), and one which should be avoided at all costs. This then further solidifies the idea that imitations of Allah’s creation, or that of a prophet be avoided-- so as to avoid idolatry as well.
Having researched depictions of the prophet the issues with vulgar cartoons of the prophet, I better understand the underlying reasoning behind the lack traditional symbolism in Islam, in the form of an animate object. I have found that calligraphy offers an equivalent depiction of the same figure, and that representing the prophet in this manner allows for one to show a greater respect to the prophet. If one were to attempt to draw the perfect prophet Muhammad (just as Jesus is the standard of morality in Christianity) in an imperfect manner (man-made drawing or painting)-- then it would be doing a disservice to the followers of the religion. Islamic law states that idolatry is a major sin (Kamoonpuri, 45), and one which should be avoided at all costs. This then further solidifies the idea that imitations of Allah’s creation, or that of a prophet be avoided-- so as to avoid idolatry as well.
Religious Teaching and Doctrine
Ninian Smart’s first trait in his model of 6 traits is religious teaching and doctrine. Religious teaching or Doctrine are textual evidence and reference for the followers of a certain religion to refer to for their everyday life. Almost every religion in the world has sacred texts and teachings for individuals to have their questions answered and misconceptions cleared. In Islam, there are two types of texts that a Muslim can refer to. First, the direct Wahi or sayings by God to angel Gabriel which then became the text of the Holy Quran. Second, the sayings by the Holy Prophet, known as the Hadith, memorized and then later written by His companions. In the Quran, there is no specific prohibition against artwork that displays living objects. However, In His Hadiths, the Holy Prophet has shown dislike to drawings of living objects that might question God’s perfect creation. It is believed that only God has the power to create, sustain, and take away life, and that no human should try to draw or create living objects. In everyday life, many Muslim artists still practice the art of drawing living objects, however, understanding the value and morals of the teachings, many of these artists refrain from drawing any religious pictures.
Completing this culminating assignment has strengthened my understanding of this religion as I got to go through different sacred texts and factual evidence as I was researching. I got the chance to look through different Hadiths, and direct texts from the Holy Quran on the issue of depictions and visual art. I got to learn about the main reason behind Islam’s dislike on visual depictions that display living things. Coming across different Muslim groups who indulge in different rituals and hold different beliefs about depictions, I was able to make connections to the other major religions learned in this course, for example Christianity. I was educated in the individual beliefs of these groups, and whether or not they follow the Holy Quran completely. In addition, it was learned that Islam practices moderation, and that “you should not be extremists, but try to be near to perfection,” (Hadith No. 38) and that it is better to avoid something that seems haram-- “Both legal and illegal things are obvious...” (985, 3:267-O.B). Each individual has a personal relationship with Allah, and must use their own judgement in combination with the sacred texts to make decisions. By researching, I was able to clear not only my own concepts, but also see the main root of misunderstanding and differences in the world of today, causing violence and disturbance.
Completing this culminating assignment has strengthened my understanding of this religion as I got to go through different sacred texts and factual evidence as I was researching. I got the chance to look through different Hadiths, and direct texts from the Holy Quran on the issue of depictions and visual art. I got to learn about the main reason behind Islam’s dislike on visual depictions that display living things. Coming across different Muslim groups who indulge in different rituals and hold different beliefs about depictions, I was able to make connections to the other major religions learned in this course, for example Christianity. I was educated in the individual beliefs of these groups, and whether or not they follow the Holy Quran completely. In addition, it was learned that Islam practices moderation, and that “you should not be extremists, but try to be near to perfection,” (Hadith No. 38) and that it is better to avoid something that seems haram-- “Both legal and illegal things are obvious...” (985, 3:267-O.B). Each individual has a personal relationship with Allah, and must use their own judgement in combination with the sacred texts to make decisions. By researching, I was able to clear not only my own concepts, but also see the main root of misunderstanding and differences in the world of today, causing violence and disturbance.