I saw most of threads in this section are just arguing emotionally. Mostly about weather God exist or not; flaws in such holy book; or bad things or good things comes with the rule; Christian's faults; Islam wars; etc.

All is just because we prefer take our own opinions in debates without listening them first.

So, I like to start this thread for us to describe our each religion concepts in any aspect. Just questions and answers. Calm down and open minded. You don't have to tell your disagreement. Just dig info, and use it as reference in other emotional debates or start another thread.

I don't want to hear such "No, you fool, you basturd!" here. We better say such as "What your religion says about...", and explanations about it. Or "My religion explains that...". Or "I like to ask to Muslim / Christian / Hindu / Buddha / Atheist about...".

Let start about your religion's concept of God(s), human genesis, purpose of life, creation of universe, and some basic rules.

Any religions are welcome, including atheism.
Please start...

<i>Let start about your religion's concept of God(s), human genesis, purpose of life, creation of universe, and some basic rules. </i>

_Gods_
None, the universe was created in a way I do not know and everything simply is.

_human genesis_
I assume you mean how <i>homo sapien</i> came into being. The best theory now is of course evolution, and I will trust it until a better explanation comes into existance.

_purpose of life_
There is none. We are here to reproduce, so maybe you could call that a purpose. My personal vision of what life should be is a sort of mutually-facilitating growth of life, where the entire universe is at one point in the future alive and able to think. But thats just me, I can't speak for all Athiests.

_creation of universe_
Again there are only theories, and the most trustworthy one is currently the Big Bang theory.

_some basic rules_
There are no basic rules of Athiesm, other than a general lack of rules (if that makes sense), and a disbelief in supernatural being.
There are no pillars of belief as there are in religions, because Athiesm is a lack of beliefs; thus, there is no need for dogma to reinforce it.

I would personally love to see Athiesm and rational thought spread. I hope that one day an intercultural encouragment of scientific thought and rationalism will one day replace religions. There would be much less suffering in the world.

Can you hear some more from other religions please??

Thanks.

The basics of Avatarism
(a part of my life's phylosophy)
(I plan to write a small .doc about my life's phlosophy:p)

_Gods_
no supernatural creatures, but not denying tht humans can become like gods through evolution or genetical or technical improvement.

_after death_
not sure, but there is no heaven , no hell, no judgement-> reincarnation is my 1st choice:)
if by any really unforunate means it is proved to be wrong, well then there is death and nothing more to say by it. you become non-existent.

_human genesis_
basically evolution tht could be interfered by extraterrestrial experiments in ancient history.

_purpose of life_
while existing we create our purpose

_creation of universe_
same as Tetra. Noone knows which theory is the true one. at the moment it seems tht Big_Bang theory is the most likable

_some basic rules_
Avatarism asks->
>to calculate forth everything you do
>do what makes you enjoy your life
>never fully reject a anything if you have no evidence against
(absence of evidence is not evidence of absence)
>be logical and rational
>always try to improve myself in every way possible


!AVATARISM RULZ!:D

good to see you back Tetra:)!
(I thought my followers bashed you away [remember tht thread?:D])

God:

God is the creator of the universe, and the definition of good. He is an eternal being outside of the universe, who desires people to be faithful and to love Him. He came down to earth as a man to understand us and restore the relationship with humanity and Himself.

human genesis:

God created the first people, who were given an unlimited supply of good choices in the garden, and one bad choice. The woman was tricked and the man openly disobeyed God, which broke humanity's relationship with Him.

purpose of life:

To live life abundantly, which God gives when we accept His Son. And to learn more about God through the Bible and through the study of the universe He created.

creation of the universe:

The universe was created by God in six days, but the poetic creation story in Genesis has been held as a mystery over the centuries by Hebrew scholars. The only thing that is universally agreed upon among Christians is that the universe began at some point in the past and was created by God.

some basic rules:

To love God with all your heart, all your mind, and all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. You show God your love by keeping His commandments, which include the Ten Commandments, and others in the Bible. (some have been superceeded like the command for vegetarianism to Adam and Eve, and the command for circumcision given to Abraham) Showing your neighbor love was illustrated by the parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37 (the Samaritans were thought of as lowly by the Jews, so it was partially against their racism)

dan1123, (or other Christians)
I want to ask you 2 things:

1) I like to know the concept about trinity. This is the thing I can't understand. How's your view, is Jesus a prophet or Son of God. And holy spirit, is it an angel or something else?

2) What is major difference in Christian and Catholic? They're using the same bible, but they seems difference. Why? (some history please). :bugeye:


Jews
I've never heard about Judaism from their point of view. So, is there a Jews here? Please... :confused:


Markx, (or other Muslim)
I think you can explain about Islam better than I do. I saw your posts. And I saw some people misundersood with this. Please, go on. ;)

The trinity is a sort of helper for Christians developed after the Bible. The trinity is the three aspects of God Himself. It's sort of kept as a mystery in the Bible. Jesus says "whoever has seen me has seen the Father". The Holy Spirit was given to Christians when Jesus breathed on the apostles. Any miracle done by a Christian in the early church was attributed to the Holy Spirit working through them. In the Bible, the Holy Spirit is defined as a person, and holds attributes of God.

Catholics and other Christians differ from the Reformation. Basically, the Protestant movement holds three things: By grace alone, by faith alone, through Christ alone. The idea is that you trusting Jesus that you are saved is enough to restore your relationship with God. Catholics hold that you have to believe in Jesus, but also a bunch of other things that have been added in their tradition and their hierarchy. So there is some more complexity with Catholicism.

Ismu, what is it you're interested in knowing about Judaism?

Originally posted by Tyler
Ismu, what is it you're interested in knowing about Judaism?

Anything, but just like the others, start on concept of God(s), human genesis, purpose of life, creation of universe, and some basic rules.

Perhaps I'll ask some explanition based on your post or something else pops up in my mind.

"Anything, but just like the others, start on concept of God(s), human genesis, purpose of life, creation of universe, and some basic rules."

M, okay.

Let start about your religion's concept of God(s),

One God, Yahweh or Jehovah. Aren't supposed to say His name, though.

human genesis,

Adam and Eve, but there was 'another woman' - Lillith. Lillith was kicked out of the Garden for not being subservient to Adam.

(And no, Adamski you prevert, 'subserviant'
did not involve leather - I anticipate some smart-arse comment from you though)

"purpose of life,"

One lives well by obeying the Torah, serving God, yadda yadda.

"creation of universe,"

Same as in Bible. God did it.

" and some basic rules."

Oookay, basic rules. From what I gather, one keeps the laws of God - Reform Judaism is less strict on these. These include the Levitical laws, but the most basic commandment is to treat one's neighbor with respect.

Or so I have it explained to me.

Hmmm... I saw some similarity between Judaism, Christian and Islam about God, creation of universe and genesis of human. Even seems there are a little variation.

How about Hindu, Buddha and Tao?

Xev, I'm still waiting your searching results. ;)

Let start about your religion's concept of God(s), human genesis, purpose of life, creation of universe, and some basic rules.

_God_
The Supreme Person, the original Person. He never changes, as He is not under the control of time, rather He is Time and therefore the controller.
Never came into being and never goes out of being.
His energies are are basically categorized into the 3 divisions, His spiritual, marginal and material energies.

_gods_
Gods are not God, they are expansions of God as is everything, they are the equivelant to government department heads. They are the universal government. They are bound by the posts/condition, and work in accordance with Gods Will.
They are naturally very powerful (in varying degrees) in the arts of mystic yoga, this is why they are called demi-gods, some (Shiva) are almost as powerful as God Himself.
The opposite to gods are demons, these have the same kind of power, but use it for their own gratification, they cannot stand God, they are envious of God and the demigods and are always engaged in battle trying to usurp the power for themselves, sometimes the gods are victorious and sometimes the demons, now is demon time.

_human genisis_
In Vedic literature it is stated that there are 8,400,000 species of life in the material world, of these 400,000 are human.

_purpose of life_
To go back home, back to Godhead.

_creation of the universe_
Happens all the time, it gets created and then it becomes ahilated, millions and millions of times, think of it like the coming and going of seasons.
God creates the universe by impregnating the unmanifested material nature by simply glancing over her. The unmanifested material nature is always present.
The living entites (souls) are of 2 types eternally liberated and eternally conditioned (eternally= seriously long time). The eternally conditioned souls lie dormant inside God after dissolution of last universes.
The actual universe is created by Brahma the first living being, after meditating on God, and God being pleased with him.

_some basic rules_
Always try and remember a name of God.
Chant that name, so's you don't forget it.
Always try and and serve God by serving Gods servant/devotee.

Love

Jan Ardena,

He never changes, as He is not under the control of time, rather He is Time and therefore the controller. Never came into being and never goes out of being.

This statement always intriged the Q. How is it that something never had a beginning ? If He created the universe some billions of years ago or whenever, what the heck was he doing before that ?

Q:
" If He created the universe some billions of years ago or whenever, what the heck was he doing before that ?"

Probably watching porn or somthing.

I can't speak for all athiests, but here is my personal philosopy:

concept of God(s),

There probably aren't any God(s). If there are, they are either evil or irrelevent, and believing in them is irrational.

human genesis,

Life on earth began 3 billion years through purely natural processes, and has evolved since then, through purely natural processes.

purpose of life,

To struggle against suffering.

As a 'femme absurd', I know that my struggle is vain. I cannot defeat suffering. But, like Dr.Reuix, I keep on fighting. As my signature puts it:
"The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart."

More on the absurd: http://stripe.colorado.edu/~morristo/sisyphus.html

"creation of universe"

Purely natural processes i.e big bang.

"and some basic rules."

A bit of a rip-off of the Hippocratic Oath.

First, do no harm to others, unless harm needs to be done.

Second, alleviate suffering.

Third, look out for yourself.

One can never rely on anyone else, so self-improvment and self-preservation is of paramount importance. Seek pleasure, so long as it does not violate rule one.

He formated his hard disk;) Imagine christian god like a 12 year old teen playing "The Sims" combined with "The Sim City" and you'll get a pefect idea;) He can get pissed of, he might destroy one city, just because he likes watching disasters taking place. He likes to play with his dollies:D

agree?

ismu,

Thanks for including atheism. However, as I’m sure you know atheism isn’t a religion but it is a definite philosophical position.

All atheists share a single characteristic: A disbelief in the claims made by theists. Beyond that each individual atheist is likely to have quite different views on life, the universe, morality, etc.

The vast majority of atheists are also materialists, i.e. a disbelief in anything supernatural, including souls/spirits.

I cannot therefore speak for any other atheists so this is my personal philosophy.

God(s)

There are none. Such stories were created in ancient times where knowledge of the universe was severely limited and ignorance was the norm. The stories provided imaginative explanations to satisfy the insatiable curiosity of humans at a time when any explanation was more acceptable than adherence to truth. The stories have since been proliferated and used by politicians to control the populace. As real knowledge increases and is established through the strict discipline of the scientific method, we see a gradual spread of secularism throughout the world. As knowledge replaces the ancient superstitions people are beginning to expect and depend on proven truths rather than imaginative fantasies.

Souls/Spirits and an afterlife.

There are none. These imaginative concepts were also conceived in ancient times to provide solace to those who could not come to terms with their own eventual non-existence. The concept is still a popular belief by many since death remains a significantly unpopular prospect. And a hope that there might be something more beyond death helps to make acceptance of death much easier.

The Origin of the Universe.

There was no origin. The universe is infinite. Something infinite has to exist otherwise we could not be here, since if there was a point when nothing existed then nothing could ever have been started. It follows then that infinity is a requirement for anything to exist.

Everything we observe has grown from simpler components and modern science is pointing towards a number of basic fundamental particles and attractive forces as the basic fabric of the universe from whence everything else arose.

The concept of an intelligent creator begs the question of its origin, since how did such intelligence grow if it was not from simpler components. It seems more likely that such a being would have grown from an already existing universe. In which case it could not have been the creator of the universe.

It seems more reasonable to assume that a basic set of fundamental particles and forces have always existed and from whence everything else can grow and evolve. The alternative is to accept the far more complex notion that a fully formed super intelligence created and is guiding everything with an equally complex set of rules and requirements.

I do not see the Big Bang as an origin but just a single event among an infinite number of similar concurrent events. This is consistent with our history of observing ultimate causes, e.g. we once assumed the Earth was the center of the universe and the sun circled the Earth, then we had the sun at the center, and so on. At each proposal we shortly discover a greater truth. I strongly suspect that we will one day discover the natural cause of our current big bang and realize that yet again we are nothing special.

For more information on multiple big bangs read this article by Alan Guth at MIT - http://www.pbs.org/wnet/hawking/mysteries/html/guth_1.html

The Origin of Life.

The fact of evolution has shown that all life evolved from simpler forms and ultimately from fundamental building blocks. Evolutionary theories (processes) are still being investigated and developed to help us understand how evolution occurred.

Basic attractive forces formed the elements, and each element has its own attractive forces that resulted in the simpler molecules and in turn caused the formation of more complex molecules. The very reactive nature of carbon almost guaranteed that organic life was inevitable.

The Purpose of Life.

There is none in the sense that an intelligence created life for a reason.

Evolution has resulted in the creation of intelligence, e.g. humans. It is now up to us to develop a purpose for either ourselves as individuals or as a race.

Perhaps the most important purpose we should declare is the right to survival and we should make every effort to protect that right.

The Future of Life.

The random nature of the evolutionary process that created us left us with some unfortunate side effects: Primarily a frail format that is easily damaged and rapidly decays leading to premature non-existence (death).

We exist because carbon was the most reactive element, but the result is a significantly weak structure.

Our future as individuals should be to either strengthen our frail bodies via genetic manipulation, or transfer our intelligence to a more resilient shell such as steel and silicon.

We are now on the verge of curtailing the largely random evolutionary process that created us and intelligently directing our own future evolution by design.

Morality and other Life Values.

Good is anything that enhances and supports life, and bad is anything that detracts or endangers life. From this simple guideline we can easily use reason to determine sets of rules and guidelines that support this concept.

Freedom should be the right of every individual. Every person should be free to do anything they wish providing such actions do not interfere with the freedom of others.

The survival of the individual has priority over the survival of the group. It is never right to sacrifice a single individual to safeguard a group; such sacrifice must be left to the voluntary choice of the individual. Either everyone survives or none survive. The rights of the individual are paramount.

The Future for the Human Race.

We are currently limited by the confines of the planet Earth that is likely to undergo a massive catastrophe at some point in the future. Other cosmic events may also bathe the planet in fatal radiation that will likely destroy most organic life.

Our future must be to leave the planet and find homes and lifestyles for ourselves in distant solar systems, other galaxies, or just in the emptiness of space.

Our current biological limitations severely restrict our future potential homes. Our evolution has tied us to the cycles of the planet, e.g. a 24-hour awake/sleep cycle. And the gravitational pull will make living on planets with different gravities very detrimental. So finding other planets that are near identical to Earth is likely to be extremely difficult.

However, if we undergo enhancements to a more resilient body shell devoid of bio matter then we should be able to survive almost anywhere and be free of the limitations forced on us by the planet Earth.

Ultimately if we continue to increase our intelligence at an exponential rate then perhaps one day we will understand everything. Perhaps then we could discontinue this universe and redesign a better one. Perhaps even create life on an Earth-like planet and have the beings worship us.

Finale.

I’ve run out of time and need to go do my laundry. And if you have reached this far then you have my sympathies.

Have fun
Cris

[QUOTE]Originally posted by (Q)
This statement always intriged the Q. How is it that something never had a beginning ?

Past, present and future = time, applies to matter not to spirit.

If He created the universe some billions of years ago or whenever, what the heck was he doing before that ?

He is omnipotent, He is creating and anihilating at His, and by His Will, He is not limited like us, where if he is doing one thing, he has to wait until that task is finished. He can perform an unlimited amount of tasks simultaneosly, thats why God IS great (Allah Akbar). :)

Love

Jan Ardena.

Chris,

Your statement on no origin is not supported by your article or Guth's multiple Big Bangs. There is still some beginning to the universe, even by Guth's theory. Do you then ascribe to some other infinite universe theory?

I think this will sum up 3 quarters of muslim belief. It is the chapter 112 of Quran. Simple and easy.



GOD:


Al-Ikhlas

1. Say: He is Allah, the One and Only;

2. Allah, the Eternal, Absolute;

3. He begetteth not, nor is He begotten;

4. And there is none like unto Him.


Xev,
No I don't think that muslims call God, Jehova or Yehowa. The name is Allah. It doesn't have any gender neither a plular.

I like to explain each concept once at a time thou.

First of all, it is important to note that "Allah" is the same word that Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews use for God. If you pick up an Arabic Bible, you will see the word "Allah" being used where "God" is used in English. This is because "Allah" is the only word in the Arabic language equivalent to the English word "God" with a capital "G". Additionally, the word "Allah" cannot be made plural or given gender (i.e. masculine or feminine), which goes hand-in-hand with the Islamic concept of God. Because of this, and also because the Qur'an, which is the holy scripture of Muslims, was revealed in the Arabic language, some Muslims use the word "Allah" for "God", even when they are speaking other languages. This is not unique to the word "Allah", since many Muslims tend to use Arabic words when discussing Islamic issues, regardless of the language which they speak. This is because the universal teachings of Islam - even though they have been translated in every major language - have been preserved in the Arabic language.

Dan,

Your statement on no origin is not supported by your article or Guth's multiple Big Bangs. There is still some beginning to the universe, even by Guth's theory. Do you then ascribe to some other infinite universe theory? Yes fair enough.

While Guth’s theory supports an eternal (future) universe of bubbles it doesn’t fully support an infinite sequence into the past. I’ve heard him quote that a beginning is probably a quantum event involving quantum mechanical tunneling. I have to admit I find that claim, an almost throwaway comment, somewhat unsatisfactory. Even though we would not know where our bubble exists in the series and is potentially one of many trillions, it still requires some form of beginning, although Guth doesn’t express any certainty of this.

Hawking and Turok do offer a clearer statement on an infinite universe but I also find their reasoning unsatisfactory. E.g. Hawking quotes – it just is.

Andrei Linde (Stanford) offers a far more comprehensive theory and is really an extension and adaptation to Guth. Initially this also appears to require a beginning but I tend to think otherwise. Rather than inflation resulting from a big bang Linde argues that big bangs are a result of inflation, I quote –

Furthermore, the total number of inflationary bubbles on our "cosmic tree" grows exponentially in time. Therefore, most bubbles (including our own part of the universe) grow indefinitely far away from the trunk of this tree. Although this scenario makes the existence of the initial big bang almost irrelevant, for all practical purposes, one can consider the moment of formation of each inflationary bubble as a new "big bang." From this perspective, inflation is not a part of the big bang theory, as we thought 15 years ago. On the contrary, the big bang is a part of the inflationary model.There are a number of infinite universe theories around and I could postulate my own but I would rather see recognized scientists provide their speculations with at least some support. But really all such theories are very much work in progress.

Here is the full article from Scientific American - THE SELF-REPRODUCING INFLATIONARY UNIVERSE.

http://www.sciam.com/specialissues/0398cosmos/0398linde.html

Even if the beginning of a tree begins with a quantum event, that doesn’t imply that there was a single event but possibly an infinite number of such events with each resulting in it’s own tree.

Take care
Cris

Concept of God

HE IS ONE AND ONLY
"The God of all is the One God. There is no god but He." (Al-Qur’ an, 20:98)

He is uncreated, from eternity to eternity.
"No son did God beget not there is any god along with Him. (If there were many gods) each god would have taken away what he had created. Some would have tried to overcome others." (Al-Qur’ an, 23:91)

"He begets not, neither He is begotten."(Al-Qur’ an, 112:3)

"There is no example of Him." (Al-Qur’ an, 42:11)

"He is always alive." (Al-Qur’ an, 3:2)

"Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes him."(Al-Qur’ an, 2:55)

"He never commits a mistake nor forgets."(Al-Qur’ an, 20:52)

"He comprehends all things in His Knowledge." (Al-Qur’ an, 20:98)

"He commands justice---He forbids all shameful deeds." (Al-Qur’ an, 16:90)

"He never commands what is shameful."(Al-Qur’ an, 7:28)

source: http://www.urday.com/islam.htm


Creation of Man
In the beginning the Lord addresses all the angels: "I want to create a vicegerent on earth," (Pay attention to the worth of man in Islam. Even the Post-Renaissance European humanism has not been able to bestow such an exalting sanctity upon man.). God, being the greatest and most exalting from a faithful Muslim point of view, addresses the angels to introduce His vicegerent. Thus, with this providential address the mission of man on earth is clarified. That is, man's mission on earth is to fulfill God's creative work in the universe. Therefore, man's first superiority is that he represents God on earth. The angels objected, "Do you want to create a revengeful and vindictive creature to commit crime and bloodshed on earth again?" But God responds, "I know something you know not." And so, God became engaged in creating man. And this is the point which symbols, loaded with profound anthropological connotations, come into being. Since God wants to create a vicegerent for Himself on earth, He must, as a rule, choose the most valuable and sacred material. Yet He selects the basest matter. In the Qur'an there are three references relative to the material that man was made of: from a sounding clay, like unto pottery, and from mud. Finally, the Lord breathed His spirit into the dry mud and man came into being.
In the human tongue God is the most sacred and exalted being, while mud stands as a symbol of the meanest and the basest thing.

And the spirit of God is the most sacred, exalting, and the noblest "part" of His being. Accordingly, in creating man, God did not use His "breath, "blood," or "flesh"; rather He blew His own Soul into man. God is the most sublime being and His spirit is the finest entity for which man can possibly have an epithet in his language. Thus, man who was formed from mud and God's spirit is a two- dimensional being. For unlike all other beings which are one dimensional, man is two-dimensional; one dimension tends towards mud, lowliness, sedimentation, and stagnation while the other aspires to the loftiest imaginable point possible. So man is composed of two contradictions-mud and God's spirit. Thus man's signifi- cance and grandeur lie in the fact that he possesses two poles (mud and the spirit of the Lord). It is up to man to choose where to go, towards mud or providence. And as long as he has not selected either of the poles as his fate, struggle will perpetually rage within him.

Once man was created, God taught him the names. It is not yet clear what these names were, but every commentator has said something that leaves no doubt that God was talking about education and instruction. In any case, when the creation of man ended, God taught all the names. Man became a possessor of names. At this point the angels protested: "We are made from smokeless fire but man was made from mud. Why should he have superiority over us?" Whereby the Lord responded: "I know something you know not. Bow down to man." The angels of all ranks prostrated themselves before man. This is what humanism is all about. Do you see the extent of man's grandeur? So lofty is his position that the angels, in spite of their natural and racial superiority (light vs mud), adored Adam. How- ever, since the angels protested, the Lord, in order to test them, asked them to recite the names but they could not answer. In this test the angels were defeated and the superiority and virtue of Adam was established. Superiority depends upon knowledge of the names. Man knows things which angels do not know. This is indicative of the fact that nobility depends upon knowledge and intelligence rather than upon racial superiority.

source: http://www.umsl.edu/studentlife/msa/shariati/human.html


Purpose of Life
The Quran speaks clearly about the purpose of man’s creation. Here are a few verses of Quran.

"We have not created Men and Jinn but to worship me (alone) (Al-Qur’an, 51:56)

"Not for (idle) sport did we create the heavens and the earth and all that is between."If it had been our wish to take (just) a past time we should surely have taken it from the (other) things nearest to us."
(Al-Qur’an, 21:16,17)

"Blessed is He in whose hands is the dominion and He has power over all things. He who created life and death, that He may try which of you is best in deed...."
(Al-Qur’an, 67:1,2)

"Know you all, that the life of this world is put play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting.....And what is the life of this world, but goods and chattels of deception."
(Al-Qur’an, 57:20)

"Do you think that we had created you in jest, and that you would not be brought back to us (for account)?
(Al-Qur’an, 23:115)

"And we test you by evil and good, by way of trial. To us you will return."
(Al-Qur’an, 21:35)

"We granted not to any man before you, permanent life,..... Every soul shall have a test of death"
(Al-Qur’an, 21:35)

About Life and Death
For most of mankind life in world is nothing but mere play and amusement. They strive in collecting as mush wealth as possible and their expenditure is also on fun, enjoyment and luxury. They do not realise that one-day they have to die, until it catches them unaware. God Al-mighty reminds them, "Do you think that we have created you uselessly and that to us you would not be returned."(Al-Qur’an, 23:115)

For such people the world is beautiful, with love of that which they desire, beautiful maidens for amusement, family, heaped up wealth of all sorts, gold, silver, car, bikes, farm houses, yatches, clubs etc. These amusements divert them from the sure reality that is "Death".
But their creator already warns people with sense, not to be allured by such splendor. He says, "And do not extend your eyes towards that by which we have given enjoyment to (some) categories of them, the splendor of this life by which we test them."(Al-Qur’an, 20:121)

Young and old, all of us get carried away by the stories of the rich and the successful. Glossy Magazines and media highlight the stories of how hard they work to reach the top. Many readers make them their idols and wish to be like them. Some even goes the extent of earning through evil means. Little do they realise that "Allah extends provision for woman He wills and restricts it. And they rejoice in the worldly life while is not, compared to the life hereafter, except a brief enjoyment."(Al-Qur’an, 13:26)

Thus the life of this world is a test.
"And indeed we have made that which is on the earth, adornment for it that we may test them as to which of them is best in deed."(Al-Qur’an, 18:7)

Every person knows that death is sure. "Every soul shall taste death. We test you with evil and good." (Al-Qur’an, 21:35)

Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him) said, Indeed, the grave is the first stages of hereafter. If one finds salvation (at this stage) the succeeding stages becomes easy for him and if he does not find salvation in it, what follows this stage is very hard upon him." (Collected in Ibn Majah and Tirmidhi)

"And the agony of death comes with the truth. That is what you used to flee from!" (Al-Qur’an, 50:19)

source: http://www.urday.com/islam.htm

Creation of the Universe
When talking of the Creation, as of other subjects, there is a strong tendency in the West to claim that Muhammad only copied the general outlines of the Bible. It is indeed possible to compare the six days of the Creation as described in the Bible, plus an extra day of rest on God’s sabbath,

with this verse from sura Al A’raf (7:54):“Your Lord is Allah Who crated the Heavens and the Earth in Six days.”

We must point out straight away that modern commentators stress the interpretation of ayyam, one translation of which is ‘days’, as meaning ‘long periods’ or ‘ages’ rather than periods of twenty-four hours.

What to me appears to be of fundamental importance is that, in contrast to the narration contained in the Bible, the Qur’an does not lay down a sequence for the Creation of the Earth and Heavens. It refers both to the Heavens before the Earth and the Earth before the Heavens, when it talks of the Creation in general, as in this verse of the sura Taha (20:4):“A revelation from Him Who created the Earth and the Heavens.”

In fact, the notion to be derived from the Qur’an is one of a con-comitance in the celestial and terrestrial evolutions. There are also absolutely fundamental data concerning the existence of initial gaseous mass (dukhan) which is unique and whose elements, although at first fused together (ratq) subsequently became separated (fatq). This notion is expressed in the Sura Fussilat (41:11):“And God turned to Heaven when it was smoke.”

And the same is expressed in the sura Al anbiya’ (21:30): “Do not the Unbelievers see that the Heavens and the Earth were joined together, then We clove them asunder?”

The separation process resulted in the formation of multiple worlds, a notion which crops up dozens of times in the Qur’an, once it has formed the first verse in the sura Al Fatiha (1:1): “Praise be to God, the Lord of the Worlds.”

All this is in perfect agreement with modern ideas on the existence of primary nebula and the process of secondary separation of the elements that had formed the initial unique mass. This separation resulted in the formation of galaxies and then, when these divided, of stars from which the planets were to be born.

Reference is also made in the Qur’an to an intermediary Creation between the Heavens and the Earth, as in the sura Al Furqan (25:59): “God is the One Who created the Heavens and the Earth and all that is between them.”

It would seem that at this intermediary Creation corresponds to the modern discovery of bridges of matter which are present outside organized astronomical systems. This survey certainly shows us how modern data and statements in the Qur’an agree on a large number of points.

adopted from: http://www.islamweb.net/english/new/week9/(5)%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20Creation%20of%20the%20u niverse.htm, read more here.

Basic Rules

5 pillars:

1- The testimony of faith:

"There is no true god except Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”.
The requirements of this Testimony is the submission and declaration that Allah is the true God, and that all other deities are false, and are not capable of neither harming or benefiting, nor do they deserve to be worshipped.

2- As-Salah

As-Salah or prayer is the second pillar of Islam. It begins with the purification of the body and ends with the purification of the soul. It is performed five times in the day and the night.
Allah says: "...And seek help through patience and prayer."

3- Az-Zakat

Zakat is the third pillar of Islam. It is a financial act of worship, which is due on the wealth kept in possession for one year. A certain percentage is taken from every kind of property to be given out to the poor to enable them meet their needs. The Zakat fulfills the poor's needs, and purifies the donors from selfishness, a natural tendency in men.
Allah says: "...And you love wealth with exceeding love."

4- As-Siyam (The fast)

As-Siyam, in the month of Ramadan is the fourth pillar of Islam. Through fasting all aspects of worship become integrated, and the sense of obedience, and the will to observe is strengthened. Fasting is an act of worship, and a means of bringing man closer to Allah, refining the manners, self-restraint and setting the behavior aright. It is also a means of maintaining the fear of Allah.
Allah says: "0, you who believe fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may attain piety."

5- Hajj (pray at mecca in certain season):

The Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam. This pillar has the same objectives like those of the other pillars of Islam. The Hajj trains self-restraint, endurance, resisting hunger, enduring patiently the hardship of the journey, leaving the family behind, and other desirous things.


Detailed about Testimony of faith

1- The Belief in Allah:

The firm belief that Allah is the self-sufficient, who stands in need of none of His creatures. Allah is neither an offspring of previous roots, nor does He have offspring. Allah describes Himself saying: He neither begets, nor is He begotten. He is far removed from having a spouse or a son. He is qualified with all attributes of perfection.

2- The Belief in the Angels:

The angels are part of the unseen world about which Allah the Exalted, has informed His Messenger Muhammad, peace be upon him. The angels are honorable slaves of Allah. Allah says: "They do not rebel against His commands, and do exactly what they are commanded."

3- The Belief in the Divine Scriptures:

Believing in the divine Scriptures is one of the articles of faith. It is mandatory to believe that they are revealed and sent down by Allah. Belief in the Scriptures is of two levels; general, and particular. The general entails believing in all Scripture sent down to any of Allah's Messengers, whether we know him by name or not. As for the particular belief, we must believe in every Scripture that is mentioned in the Qur’an by name. They are five:

(1) The Qur’an, which is in our hands, the Book that was sent down to Muhammad, peace be upon him.
(2) The Torah, The Old testament, sent down to Musa, peace be upon him.
(3) The Injeel, The Evangel, or Gospel, sent down to Isa (Jesus), peace be upon him.
(4) Az-Zaboor, the Psalms, sent down to Dawood (David), peace be upon him.
The Sheets of Ibraheem, peace be upon him.

4- The Belief in the Messengers.

Believing in the Messengers is an article of faith. This does not mean to recognize some of the Messengers and deny the others.
The Qur'an mentions the names of only twenty-five Messengers. Allah says:
"And We sent Messengers whom We have already mentioned to you, and some Messengers whom We have not mentioned to you."

5- The belief in the Final day.

This belief necessitates:

(1)Believing that this world and all that is in it has an end.
(2)Allah, the exalted, will resurrect the creatures once again.
(3)The people will be held accountable for their deeds. He who does good, it will be good for him, and he who errs, will suffer the consequences. Everyone will be held responsible for his own deeds.
(4)Mankind's deeds are being recorded and will be reviewed by them on the Day of Reckoning.
(5)The Muslim will eventually be admitted to Jannah, (the heavenly garden), and the unbeliever will be admitted to Hell Fire.

6- The belief in Al-Qadar.

Believing in Al-Qadar is one of the central fundamentals of Islam.
The belief in al-Qadar necessitates believing that:

(1)Allah has known all things and recorded them before bringing them into existence.
(2)When Allah, the Exalted, wills something to take place, He would only say to it: "Be". and it is. If Allah wants something to exist, it will exist, and if He does not want it to exist, it will not exist.
(3)Every existing thing, other than Allah is created by Allah, be it good or evil, and that He has brought it into existence for a wise purpose known to Him. Therefore, there is nothing in the universe that exists without a wise purpose. Allah is the All-Knowing, All-Wise.
(4)Nothing occurs, or takes place in this universe without the will of Allah, and His permission. Allah is capable of preventing what He does not permit to take place. It should be borne in mind however, that this does not mean that Allah approves of everything in existence. Allah, for instance, does not approve of disbelief, nor does He enjoin mankind the commission of the abominable, nor does He love corruption. In fact, He does not prevent these things to exist for a wise purpose known to Him. The purpose of believing in Al-Qadar is that it provides man with the capability of achieving good deeds knowing that life and death are in the hand of Allah, the Exalted. Hence, no one else can prolong or shorten his life-term by a single second. Once his term is over, there is none to withhold its termination.
Allah says: "And when their term has come, they cannot remain behind a single moment, nor can they get ahead of it."

adopted from: http://www.al-sunnah.com/principles.htm, read more here.

I've said in another thread (I forgot where) that islam (Qur'an) guide most aspect of life. Let see what it guide in the largest activity on the world: Business!

The Quran and the Hadis provide basic guidance to a person indulged in Business. Let us study some of them.

Selecting Staff:
(1) Truly the best of man for you to employ is the (man) who is strong and trustworthy).
(Al-Qur'an 28:26)

Prophet Muhammed (p.u.b.h.) adviced his followers "we do not appoint for our jobs anybody who demands it earnestly."
(Al-Bukhari I:462)

The Quran advises its believes that they should not hire a person who is weak in understanding. His inefficiency could cause a loss to his master. "Do not give your property to people of weak understanding."
(Al-Qur'an 4:5)

Dealing with Staff:
Islam orders the boss and the businessman to be kind to his juniors and servants. The statement of Quran: "kind words and forgiveness are better than charity followed by injury." (Al-Qur'an 2:263)

Even Prophet Muhammed (p.u.b.h.) treated his subordinated in a very decent manner. Anas bin malik who was in the service of the Prophet right from his childhood said, "The Prophet never scolded me if I made a mistake." The Prophet never with holds the wages of any person.
(Al-Bukhari I:462)

Expenditure in Business Property:

Islam even teaches its believers, where not to spend. Although it exhorts for generosity, it forbids in clear term, extravagancy in expenditure. The Quran states: "Do not squander your wealth in the manner of a spendthrift. Indeed pendthrifts are the brothers of Saitan in ungrateful to his Lord."
(Al-Qur'an 17:27)

"Allah hates you for wasting the wealth."
(Riyyadh us Saleheen)

Be Honest in Dealing:
Islam forbids speaking lies to sell one's goods. There are many merchants who do not give in proper measures, they mix up pebbles with grain. Some merchant withhold: grains and wait for the prices to rice,s o that they may earn more out of it. Allah and His Messenger fo not allow this.

"As for those who sell the faith, they owe to Allah and their own plighted word for a small price, they shall have no portion in the hereafter, nor Allah will speak to them, or look at them on the day of Qayamat."
(Al-Qur'an 3:77)

"Give full measure when you measure and weigh with a balance that is straight. That is the most fitting and the most advantageous in the final determination."
(Al-Qur'an 17:35)

"Woe to each sinful dealer in falsehoods."
(Al-Qur'an 45:7)

"Give just measures and cause no loss (to others) by fraud and weigh with scales true and upright. And do not withhold things justly to men."
(Al-Qur'an 26:181-183)

The Holy Prophet (p.u.b.h.) said, "None keeps goods till the price rises, but a sinner".
(Bulug-al-Maram:680)

And do not mix truth with falsehood or conceal the truth while you know.
(Al-Qur'an 2:42)

source: http://www.urday.com/isbusiness.htm