Abd al-Rahman, was a Muslim ruler of Andalucia from the Middle Ages. He was not a religious teacher, but had the same opinion on the ultimate aim in life as any other Muslim at his time and to the modern day. A primary goal in life for every Muslim is ibadah, or a worship of one and only God without any associations. "Submit to Allah That you have no God except Him" (Qur’an 7:59). Worship of God includes following his rules and conditions. God’s rules include a total surrender, submission, obedience, purity of heart and peace; and that is called Islam. A follower of Islam is called a Muslim. The answers on how to live a life the right way, a way that would please the creator can be found in the Holy Qur’an and in hadith. Muslims believe a Holy Qur’an to be a word of God, that was sent through Angel Gabriel to Prophet Muhammad. The word Qur’an itself means “recitation”, and was memorized by masses during Prophet Muhammad’s time. The Qur’an teaches about accepting God’s will over one’s own will, because that will lead to a pleasant afterlife. Hadith are the stories about Prophet Muhammad and his actions in common situations. Actions of the Prophet are in conjunction with the rules of God in the Holy Qur’an, but in addition are made more clear and show an applied example to a certain situation.
The belief in the afterlife is a major component of Islam and thus of an every day life of a Muslim. Islam teaches that this life is only a test or trial for the individual. This way God shows a person that it is only natural that one would accept death as not so much an ending to everything but more as a beginning of the final and lasting life in the Hereafter. So, material life does not matter; in fact, Islam encourages one to share the materialistic possessions with less fortunate people, because that would increase good deeds. Muslims believe that before the Afterlife, there will be the Day of Judgment, where God will make his decision about individuals’ further destination: Heaven or Hell. On the Day of Judgment, all of the dead bodies would be raised and united with the souls, to answer for their actions on Earth. Every person will be rewarded or punished according to their deeds, that include attitude, appreciation and efforts during this stay on earth. “And those who believe and do good deeds, they are dwellers of Paradise, they dwell therein forever” (Qur’an 2:82). A Heaven is believed to be a lovely place with "The parable of the Garden which the righteous are promised! Beneath it flow rivers. Perpetual is the fruits thereof and the shade therein. Such is the End of the Righteous; and the end of the unbelievers is the Fire, wherein a person dwells forever" (Qur’an13:35). The path to heaven includes confessing faith in one God, Allah, and that Muhammad is His Messenger; recitation of five prayers daily; giving alms; fasting throughout Ramadan, pilgrimage to Mecca and obeying God’s rules. Not doing so will result in an eternal damnation in Hell. Not doing all but believing in one Almighty God will also result in the Hell damnation, however, after sins are punished redemption will follow.
Belief in only one Almighty, Perfect God is important to Muslims, because it is the major focus of this life. A Muslim belief in God is not only based on faith, but it is also rationally reasoned. This world and the universe are astonishingly complex and everything fits in together perfectly, like the pieces of one grand puzzle. The human body, especially the brain alone is so amazing! Studying biology and other sciences just reminds one that there definitely had to be a superior designer for all that intricacy. Besides, the Holy Qur’an itself is a miracle, because it describes in such details some of the discoveries that have been made and observed not a long time ago, like the development of the human embryo or the formations of the mountains. The world itself is a beautiful wonder. “Do you not see that God has subjected for you all that is in the Heavens and all that is on the Earth, and has completed and perfected His Bounties upon you, apparent and hidden?” (Qur’an 31:20). The belief in God is important to the world view, because Muslims see God in everything, everywhere.
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