Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the messenger of Allah (SWT) in the light of the Quran and in the light of the Sunnah.
This essay will be looking at Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the messenger of Allah (SWT) in the light of the Quran and in the light of the Sunnah. The Quran is the Holy Book, it is the message sent from Allah (SWT) to all humanity. The Quran was revealed to mankind from Allah (SWT) himself to the angel Gabriel whom then revealed it to Prophet Muhammad (PBUP). The Quran was revealed in parts to the Prophet over a period of time of about twenty-three years. The language which it was revealed in was Arabic but since then it has been translated into many other languages making it easier for others to understand. After the Quran the Sunnah is the second source of information for Muslims. The Sunnah represents the way Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) lived his life, therefore giving mankind a guide on how to live there's. The two basis of Islam, the Quran and the Sunnah are very similar to each other, yet again they must never be confused with each other. They have one main difference between them; the Quran is the direct word of Allah (SWT) to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) through the Angel Gabriel. Whereas the Sunnah has been inspired by Allah (SWT) but they are the wordings and the actions of the Prophet (PBUH), which has been interpreted by many different scholars. (Hasan, page 9,91) In order to be a Muslim a person must express his or her faith (Iman). Faith is the first pillar of Islam,
Explain Plato's concept of the soul and its relationship to the body.
Explain Plato's concept of the soul and its relationship to the body. A commonly studied topic in Philosophy is the study of the relationship between the internal and external body; that is to say, the distinction between the body and the soul. There are three basic 'Theories of the Self.' 'Self=internal,' 'self=unity of internal and external,' and 'self as a material body.' The first Theory of Self ('self = internal') is known as the dualist approach, the second ('self = unity of internal and external') is known as a psychosomatic or monist approach. Plato was a dualist. That is to say he believed that every human being is made up of two substances: The physical body that belongs to the material world. It is through this body that we are able to experience and sense things, and thus form opinions. And the mind, which is a far superior thing that belongs to the 'World of the Forms,' it is through the mind that we can achieve true knowledge, rather than from the basic opinions that our physical bodies produce. These two components belong to two different worlds: The World of Appearances and the World of the Forms. Since Plato thought less highly of the world of Appearances (as it symbolizes the limited world as described in his allegory of the cave), Plato believed that as the body was part of the World of Appearances, we should not be slaves to its urges. However, he
"Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness."
Terence Landman Monday 22 August 5pm Student Number: I.T.P. Essay. Term 3 605L2621 "Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness" In this academic essay there will be an in depth look at the words of Mill, in terms of actions and their labels of either right and wrong, and those connotations to happiness and, so to speak the reverse of happiness. There will be an attempt through various different channels, to illustrate the absurdity of utilitarianism, in the sense of its mere provisional assessment of promoting happiness. Furthermore this essay will also emphasize the fact that happiness is subjective and the ripple effects this would have on the utilitarian theory. Lastly this essay will deal with the complications utilitarianism might have on an individual's fundamental rights and the fact that though it is sometimes our duty, in terms of moral 'rights' to act in accordance to a utilitarian, this doesn't mean that we need adopt the principle or be forced to always adhere to its policies. In chapter two, 'What Utilitarianism is', Mill makes the statement and claim that morality is based on the foundations that the right thing to do on any occasion is that which aims to give the maximum happiness for all concerned: "... Actions are right in proportion, as they tend to
"Do you agree that Cathy O'Dowd and here fellow mountaineers had no choice but to leave Fran "to die"?"
"Don't leave me here to die" "Do you agree that Cathy O'Dowd and here fellow mountaineers had no choice but to leave Fran "to die"?" In the newspaper article Cathy O'Dowd clearly tries to make the reader believe that she did the right thing. She identifies this in the sub heading "she faced a brutal choice: to risk her own life in a doomed rescue", noticeably the word "doomed" shows there was a severe risk of danger in any rescue attempt. I believe that in a way writing this article has allowed Cathy O'Dowd to exorcise some of her guilt, Cathy wants to explain her experience in full and get the reader to empathise with her. Finally, it may also be possible that Cathy wants to show the story in a feminine perspective. The article does undoubtedly give many good reasons why not to attempt to save Fran. But I am not completely shore that they had "no choice but to leave Fran". The fact that there were nine people on the mountain and that together they couldn't even try to help rescue Fran is rather peculiar. I don't know what others would do, but I would at least try to help, rather than to just leave her "to die". Also, Cathy states that they had been with Fran "for nearly an hour" pondering over what to do, this completely wastes time and any chances of saving her. Cathy is in a moral dilemma, and I believe the moral thing to do would be to attempt a rescue. The three
Explain Plato's metaphor of shadows in the analogy of the cave.
The Analogy of the Cave Luke Hodgkinson a) Explain Plato's metaphor of shadows in the analogy of the cave. In the analogy of the cave Plato puts forward the theory that a group of men (representing the vast majority of mankind) are captured at birth and chained in a cave, so they can only look at a wall. Behind them, the captors build a fire and then walk in front of the fire on a road running perpendicular within the cave so that shadows are cast on that wall. The captives can only see the shadows on the wall, for their heads are fastened so that they cannot turn around. The captors carry by various birds, animals and objects, making noises whilst doing this, and the prisoners think the shadows are making these sounds, and start giving names to the different shadows, believing they are the real objects, for they know nothing of the real objects. The captives compete with one another, and try to remember the order in which the shadows will appear, These shadows represent the illusion of the particulars; they represent everyday life, and the way most people see it; at face value and not truly understanding the meaning of it, nor in fact trying to, the cave is the physical, changing world that we accept at face value everyday. A freed prisoner would be able to see beyond this illusion, after adjusting his eyes to the brighter light, as he can see the real objects being
In this essay I will be writing about the 4th pillar of Islam, Sawm (fasting).
In this essay I will be writing about the 4th pillar of Islam, Sawm (fasting). I will define what fasting is, why Muslims fast, how and when they fast. I will also clarify the ritual and moral duties a Muslim must perform during this sacred month and what rewards are promised from Allah for fasting. I will furthermore go on to explain the difficulties Muslims face when fasting in non-Muslim countries. I will also explain that its not Muslims alone who are commanded to fast but Christians (lent) and Jews (Yom Kippur) also have been commanded to fast. I will end this essay by summarizing and giving my opinion on fasting. Fasting is another unique moral and spiritual characteristic of Islam. Literally defined, fasting means to abstain "completely" from foods, drinks, intimate intercourse and smoking, before the break of the dawn till sunset, during the entire month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic year. The Islamic calendar is Lunar, i.e. based on the moon so Ramadan falls eleven days shorter every year. Fasting is a test of control, to see if we can control our innermost desires for a certain period of time, which might include eating and sexual entertainment. While fasting a Muslim has to keep his emotions under control, no evil thought or wrong deed should be committed. If the emotions or the heart or behaviour of a Muslim are wrong then the fast looses its real
Outline the teleological argument for the existence of God.
The Teleological Argument Q: Outline the teleological argument for the existence of God. The Teleological argument is the oldest known and arguably most influential and widely accepted argument for the existence of God. The argument first appears in Plato's Timaeus, written over two thousand years ago and appears on numerous occasions in a number of different expositions up to the present day, the most famous of which being Thomas Aquinas' fifth way, and more recently, that of William Paley in his natural theology written in 1802. The Teleological Argument is an a posteriori argument, i.e. one based on knowledge of the phenomenal world (as opposed to an a priori argument, which is based independently of experience). Paley initiates his argument with the simple analogy of the watch. We are asked to imagine walking along and finding a watch in an isolated, deserted place. Paley claims that if we were to examine the watch we would notice its complicated and intricate workings, and from this would assert that some intelligent designer has designed it. The basic premise is that design (i.e. the watch) implies a designer (e.g. a human). This, Paley holds, is analogous to the world. The watch represents the world; its complex and intricate workings representing those of nature, for example the way that all animals are so well adapted to their surroundings. Just as the
Religion and Morality
Religion and Morality (a) Examine the reasons for the view that morality is based upon religion. Many people believe that morality is based upon religion and based on the rules written in the Bible and other holy books. Although, some say that religion is completely opposed to morality and it is wrong to mix the two. Dostoevsky argued that 'religion provides people with a reason to be moral because if there were no God everything would be permitted.' Meaning that there is no point to morality if God didn't set the moral values in the first place. But we could also say that we only behave morally because we are scared of God: 'responsibility and guilt point to God' which is not the right way to think about doing good. We shouldn't behave well in the hopes of a reward or because we are scared, we should do good things because we want to. The Divine Command Theory tells us that our morals are set by a divine power: God. This means everything that God tells us is moral and that we should not judge this as it is the word of God, and God's word is good. But surely, if we are just doing what God says, this takes away our free will, which God gave us, and it undermines the basis of Christianity, when God has said he wants us to choose him rather than to be forced to follow him. Plato's Euthyphro Dilemma also questions whether or not morality is dependent on religion. 'Is 'x' good
Sartre is a very strong proponent of strong determinism, that is, he does not merit any sort of determinism at all when considering human action.
Prompt: Sartre is a very strong proponent of strong determinism, that is, he does not merit any sort of determinism at all when considering human action. I present the case for a minimal determinism that involves restriction to choices between limited options, as determined by both the mental and physical worlds. We do not live our lives in despair, constantly worrying about what may happen unexpectedly. For many people, life does seem like something that we control handedly. Life seems to be something we can direct, or at least influence. Supposing there are circumstances beyond our control, they rarely seem to present us a problem; we live contently believing that we are at least partly responsible for our fates. Seldom do we question the truth in this, of whether or not we have some say in the direction of our lives. Some would argue this is not so. Some of these people would happen to look at a deity or hard sciences to lead us to a cogent determined purpose. The fact remains that whether or not purpose lies in causality, a chain of events full of causes and effects may be explained perfectly if we had the knowledge. Determinists would argue that our free will is simply an illusion and we are deluding ourselves if we believe we have control. Sartre would argue that even the most seemingly random of occurrences are in fact entirely our fault; no matter what we
'If one of the divisions in Judaism is right then the others must be wrong'
'If one of the divisions in Judaism is right then the others must be wrong' Discuss Within Judaism there are two major splits, the first is orthodox and the other is non orthodox. Even though they are both on the same branch of religion their belief of how such actions and laws are determined differently on how strict their society is. This does not mean the non orthodox are further from god it's just the idea they interpretation of the Torah, Talmud and laws are different to orthodox. Orthodox Judaism's main belief is that the Torah, including both the Written Law and the Oral Law, were given directly from God to Moses and can never be altered or rejected in any way. As a result, all Orthodox Jews are required to live in accordance with the Commandments and Jewish law. As well within the UK there are 80% of Orthodox Jews therefore it is open to interpretation that the Orthodox belief is primarily considered the right way to worship. Ways in which we can Orthodox abiding all of Gods laws is by keeping to the 613 commandments set down within the Torah, especially the first 10 for example 'thou shall not kill' an orthodox would defiantly not contemplate killing another leaving person even if they were in pain as it goes against the 6th commandment. As well as keeping the commandments the orthodox believe in the idea of physical being and the belief that the messiah is
