Islamic Teachings by Dr. Badawi (Canada) (Jesus, ritual, morals, Moses)

[Cordoba]

Greetings to All:

One of the leading Muslim scholars in the West today is Dr. Jamal Badawi, from St. Mary's University in Halifax, Canada.

He currently teaches courses in the areas of Management and Religious Studies, an excellent academician, an outstanding teacher and an excellent speaker.
He is a member of the Shura Council of Islamic Society of North America, A member of the Fiqh Council of North America and the founder/chairman of Islamic Information Foundation; a non-Profit foundation.

He has a wide collection of audio recordings titled "Islamic Teachings", which are available on the Islam On-Line web site for anyone interested in learning about Islam:

http://www.islamonline.net/jamalbadawy/main.asp

This series includes more than 350 talks, each around 30 minutes on the following topics:

1- Monotheism
2- Prophethood
3- Muhammad in the Bible
4- Muslim Beliefs
5- The Pillars of Islam
6- Social System of Islam
7- Economic System of Islam
8- Political System of Islam
9- Miracles in the Qur'an
10- Moral Teachings of Islam
11- Jesus (peace be upon him)
12- Muhammad (peace be upon him)

All the best.

[Cordoba]

Bridge Building between Muslims and Christians is an article by Dr. Jamal Badawi, which may be of interest, where he introduces Islam and a number of topics including the concept of Islamic Monotheism, Accountability and Salvation, the Muslim-Christian Dialogue and the Muslim/Non-Muslim Relations:

http://www.islamicity.com/articles/A...ef=IC0406-2353

[gen1615]

Hi Cordoba,

I read Dr Badawi's paper with interest. It focuses on Muslim-Christian relations. Is it possible for Muslims to have similar relations with Jews?

G.

[Omer]

hi gen, i have read an interesting article concerning your question, heres the link: http://soundvision.com/info/politics/tipsjewish.asp

[Cordoba]

Originally Posted by gen1615

Hi Cordoba,

I read Dr Badawi's paper with interest. It focuses on Muslim-Christian relations. Is it possible for Muslims to have similar relations with Jews?

G.

Hi Gen:

Yes, of course.

There is a lot in common between both religions, (Monotheism, God's prophets Noah - Abraham - Moses, ... peace be upon them all).

Dr. Badawi also mentions in his article Muslim / non-Muslim relations, which are based on peace, and for Muslims "The People of the Book" are both Jews and Christians.

[Cordoba]

Main Ethical Questions

By Dr. Jamal Badawi

"One of the definitions of the word “ethics” is the study and evaluation of human conduct.

It is regarded as normative because it relates to certain basic ideals. Ethics can also be described as a field of study that focuses on the knowledge of good and evil, and the basis on which aspects of behavior should be evaluated.
Ethics and Life

Since the start of creation man has never ceased to contemplate the moral question of good and evil.

Nowadays technological advancement is peoples’ main concern, but progress in the field of ethics and morals is rarely considered. The relevance of morals to our daily life is so great that a lot of our present social, economic, and political problems are the result of our ethical problem."

... (to be continued).

http://islamonline.net/english/introducingislam/Worship/Heart/article11.shtml

All the best.

[Cordoba]

This ethical problem leads to the breaking down of the family institution, subjecting it to problems such as, cohabitation (couples living together without legal or religious sanctions) and generation gaps.

In the name of “modernism,” some people have excluded morals from their dealings. They claim that honesty is meaningless unless there is benefit derived from it. Others stopped worshiping God in the name of “liberation,” and instead they worship false gods like worshipping wealth, power or expediency. ...

The Ultimate Good

Books of philosophy have concentrated on four main ethical questions. The first, what is the supreme good that a person really aspires to? One answer considers happiness the ultimate good that a person aspires to. Anything that makes a person happy is good and anything that causes disappointment is evil.

Another answer is that the attainment of perfection is the ultimate good. This means that a person should do his best to achieve perfection, and anything that helps achieve it is good and anything preventing its achievement is evil.

Philosopher Emmanuel Kant’s answer to this question is that the feeling of duty makes a person moral, which is considered the ultimate good.

All these answers, which are based in secular morality, are established on a moral system that is independent of God and religious faiths. That is why these answers are unclear in their definition.

For example, if people aspire to happiness, is this happiness sensual, spiritual, or mental? Also, is it the individual or group happiness that should be fulfilled? And if the ultimate good is perfection then, what are the standards of measuring perfection? And, is it the individual or group perfection that people strive at?

The answer that claims that the ultimate good is the feeling of duty is ambiguous about who is responsible for defining what duty is.

... (to be continued)

All the best.

[Cordoba]

Knowledge of Good and Evil

The second question in books of philosophy is what is the ultimate standard of judging whether a certain behavior is good or evil? Again, the answer of secular morality is very contradictory. This deficiency in approach is due to the various explanations given for one question.

Empiricists answer this question by saying that human experience should be regarded as the ultimate source of differentiating between good and evil. On the other hand, intuitionists declare that humans have an insight for what is right and what is wrong.

Many famous philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, Spinoza, and Hegel were of the “rationalism” school, which says that people discover good and evil by using reason and experience. This school was also not clear in defining whose experience should be taken as a measure? If the measure is “universal” experience then there has to be a full evaluation on human experience before reaching a conclusion. This evaluation will need an ultimate and unbiased interpretation, which is basically impossible due to the various interpretations given by different experts.

This evaluation would be a relative source of measuring good and evil because of the long duration that would be taken in collecting this data, which would mean leaving people without a distinction between good and evil for a very long time.

http://islamonline.net/english/introducingislam/Worship/Heart/article11.shtml

[Cordoba]

An interesting article by Dr. Badawi titled "Islamic View of the Universe":

How humans view their own nature is a question imposed in the foundation of any ethical system. Some common views deny the existence of any purpose for life, or of any divine plan that makes humans any different from other beings. These opinions basically view mankind as an evolving animal.

Another viewpoint overemphasizes the spiritual aspect of life, resulting in the renunciation of the world and belief that torturing one’s body is a virtue that serves the soul.

A third view of human nature tends to overemphasize the intellectual aspect of life, which overlooks the fact that humans need divine guidance as well as intellect.

One other view puts sin out of proportion, leading to a pessimistic view of life that causes people to feel constantly haunted by their sins.

Islamic View of the Human

Islam views humans as quite distinct from other beings, as humans are the trustees of God on earth. This viewpoint has main effects on a person’s outlook that could be summarized in four basic points. The first is self-acceptance by realizing one’s own nature, whether it is weaknesses or strengths. This results in a mental balance: people are neither haunted by their sins and weaknesses nor too arrogant about their strengths.

The second point is, by realizing that humans are the trustees of God, they should abide by the limitations He set for them on earth. These limitations do not contradict with individual ownership; they only prevent people from abusing the gifts placed in their hands by God.

For example, Islam considers the environment as a personal trust and not personal property. This is why the destruction or unwise use of the environment is regarded as a moral crime. Suicide is also considered morally wrong because the body is one of God’s gifts entrusted to humans, which they should use to fulfill their mission as trustees. Even money is considered a trust; people cannot burn it and claim that they are free to use their property as they please.

People’s self-acceptance and limits on trusteeship lead to an integrated view of life, which refuses the distinction between spiritual and material aspects of life. This prevents the confusion caused when dividing life into two different spheres and setting certain rules that apply to one area, regardless of the other. One verse in the Qur’an says what means

[Blessed is He in Whose hand is the sovereignty, and, He is able to do all things. Who hath created life and death that He may try you which of you is best in conduct; and He is the Mighty, the Forgiving.] (Al-Mulk 67:1-2)

This means that the Islamic perspective regards life as a test, which indicates that life is not just an experience that a person goes through without having a purpose. On the contrary, the distinction and dignity of the human race lies in making the most of their materialistic, intellectual and spiritual capabilities in order to overcome weaknesses and shortcomings and to fulfill their mission as trustees.

This Islamic viewpoint does not only strive for individual piety but it provides for a more dynamic view of life that demands active participation of humans in righting the wrong and striving to achieve peace and social justice.

... (to be continued).

All the best.