Comparative analysis of religions

1. Christianity
2. Buddhism
3. Hinduism
4. Judaism
5. Islam
CHRISTIANITY:

Introduction
God
Man and the Universe
death
Morals
Worship

Introduction:
It is very clear from the Bible's own testimony and that of Jesus Christ and the Old
Testament prophets that Scripture is to be regarded as the authoritative word of truth on
all matters of basic doctrine. The following is a list of just the most significant verses that
support the Word of God's claim to authority.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8).

For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke
shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished (Matthew 5:18).

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction,
for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every
good work (2 Timothy 3:16-I 7).

God:
If you read the Bible carefully, you will find that there is not a single unequivocal
statement in the whole Bible where Jesus Christ (Peace be on him) himself says:

I AM GOD or WORSHIP ME.

In fact if you read

But the Lord is the true God--He is the living God and the everlasting King (Jeremiah
10:10).

And there is no other God besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none except
Me (Isaiah 45:22).
There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy (James
4:12).

Thine eyes are too pure to approve evil, and Thou canst not look on wickedness with
favor (Habakkuk 1:13).

God...works all things after the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:3, 11).

Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowiedge of God! How unsearchable
are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! (Romans 11:33)

Man and the Universe:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1).

So also it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul" (I Corinthians 15:45).

And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good (Genesis 1:31).

Through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners (Romans 5:19).

Just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin...so death spread to
all men, because all sinned (Romans 5:12).

And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a
depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper (Romans 1:28).

As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years,
yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away (Psalm 90:10).

Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? (Romans
7:24).

Death:
For Christians whose lives are guided by the Bible, the reality of death is acknowledged as part of
the current human condition, affected by sin (Genesis 2:17; Romans 5; Hebrews 9:27).
There is "a time to be born, and a time to die" (Ecclesiastes 3:2).
Although eternal life is a gift that is granted to all who accept salvation through Jesus Christ,
faithful Christians await the second coming of Jesus for complete realization of their immortality
(John 3:36; Romans 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:51-54).
While waiting for Jesus to come again, Christians may be called upon to care for the dying and to
face personally their own death
Turn to me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other
(Isaiah 45:22).

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift
of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).
There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been
given among men, by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27).

And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting
life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt (Daniel 12:2).

For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth (Isaiah 65: 17).

How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? (Hebrews 2:3).

Morals:

Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity,
passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry (Colossians 3:5).

Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as
bondslaves of God (I Peter 2:16).

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you,
along with all malice (Ephesians 4:31).

For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God,
who is the Savior of all men, especially believers (I Timothy 4:10).

If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ
is, seated at the right hand of God (Colossians 3:1).

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit
(Ephesians 5:18).

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control: against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23).

This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and
widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world (James I:27).

But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected (1 John
2:5).

Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24).

Worship:
I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to
graven images (Isaiah 42:8).
You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on
the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve
them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God (Exodus 20:4-5).

God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24).

Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He
who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and has
not sworn deceitfully (Psalm 24:3-4).

You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to
offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (I Peter 2:5).

Sing praise to the Lord, you his holy ones, and give thanks to His holy name (Psalm
30:4).

And do not neglect doing good and sharing; for with such sacrifices God is pleased
(Hebrews 13:16).

BUDDHISM
Introduction
God
Man and the Universe
Salvation and the Afterlife
Morals
Worship

Introduction:
Buddhism arose out of atheistic strands of Hinduism current in India in the sixth century
B.C. Gautama, called the Buddha ("Enlightened One"), is said to have discovered that
both the life of luxury and the life of extreme asceticism were of no use in gaining
spiritual freedom; thus he propounded the "Middle Way." His teaching, however, was to
undergo many transformations.Buddhism became a great missionary religion and
eventually all but died in its native India. The Mahayana school, which developed a
grandiose cosmology and a pantheon of semi-deities, is to be found in China, Korea, and
Japan; the Therevada school, which is more austere, flourishes in Sri Lanka (Ceylon),
Burma, and southeast Asia. Zen is technically a Mahayana sect but has closer affinities
with Therevada. All have their proponents in the West.

God:
Buddhism is non-theistic; Gautama Buddha taught that there was no creator god and
believed the more important issue was to bring beings out of suffering to liberation.
Enlightened people are called Arhats or Buddha (e.g, the Buddha Sakyamuni), and are
venerated. A bodhisattva is an altruistic being who has vowed to attain Buddhahood in
order to help others reach enlightenment. Buddhism also teaches of the existence of the
devas, heavenly beings who temporarily dwell in celestial states of great happiness but
are not yet free from samsara, the cycle of reincarnations. Some Mahayana and Tantra
Buddhist scriptures do express ideas that are extremely close to pantheism, with a cosmic
Buddha (Adibuddha) being viewed as the sustaining Ground of all being - although this is
very much a minority vision within Buddhism.
The gods are all eternal scoundrels
Incapable of dissolving the suffering of impermanence.
Those who serve them and venerate them
May even in this world sink into a sea of sorrow.
We know the gods are false and have no concrete being;
Therefore the wise man believes them not
The fate of the world depends on causes and conditions
Therefore the wise man many not rely on gods.

Mahâpajâpâramitâshâstra [Lamotte trans. I, p.141]

Man and the Universe:

Both the beginning and the ultimate nature of the world are left unexplained by the
Buddha--once again, those questions are not helpful to consider. The Mahayana school
speculates unsystematically about a vast series of heavens, sort of half-way houses on the
road to nirvana. But in the end even those heavens are illusory. Mahayanist teaching at
least implies that the powers of the universe will see to it that all creatures will eventually
find salvation.

The Buddha added the notion that all creatures, including man, are fictions: there
is really no "self," only a series of occurrences that appear to be individual persons and
things. Once the so-called person is broken down into his component parts and his
different actions and attitudes analyzed during the course of time, it is seen that there is
really nothing holding it all together. (The question of how there can be both
reincarnation and striving for salvation without a self has occupied Buddhist philosophy
from the start.) The notion of no self is difficult, and much effort is spent trying to grasp it
fully.

Death:
Buddhism sees ignorance rather than sin as the roadblock to salvation. That is, the belief
that the world and self truly exist, keeps the illusory wheel of existence rolling--only
destruction of that belief will stop the mad course of the world.

Its doctrine is summed up in the Four Noble Truths:

1) life is basically suffering, or dissatisfaction;

2) the origin of that suffering lies in craving or grasping;

3) the cessation of suffering is possible through the cessation of craving; and

4) the way to cease craving and so attain escape from continual rebirth is by following
Buddhist practice, known as the Noble Eightfold Path.

Original Buddhist teaching and the Therevada place emphasis on the individual monk
working through self-control and a series of meditative practices that progressively lead
him to lose a sense of his grasping self.

Nirvana literally means "blowing out," as with the flame of a candle. That is, nothing can
be said about it except that it is a transcendent, permanent state.

Morals:
Buddhist laity are urged to follow the Five Precepts, which prohibit killing (including
animals), stealing, illicit sexual relations, wrong speech (including gossiping), and drugs
or alcohol. In addition they are expected to support the community of monks.

Monks and nuns follow a path of moderate asceticism, including strict celibacy and the
repudiation of all personal property. Buddhist religious leaders often are involved in
education and charity and even take part in politics; other leaders separate themselves in
their monasteries, contacting the public only to gain funds.

Original and Therevada teaching indicate that a Buddhist can for the most part help his
fellow man only by showing him an example of dedication to meditation and self-denial.
Mahayana teaching emphasizes "compassion," which involves aiding people in all areas
of their lives, even though such aid does not lead directly toward nirvana.

Worship:
In most cases what looks like worship before a statue or image is really a sort of paying
respects. The Buddha is revered as an example of a saintly life and as the one who
brought the teachings of Buddhism; Buddhists are taught that they must themselves
overcome the obstacle of ignorance.

Meditation in Buddhism can focus on one's breathing (important because it is halfway

between voluntary and involuntary action), one's own attitudes (as in Mindfulness
meditation, in which one tries to be clear at all times as to one's true motives for every
action), a neutral object, or a bodhisattva. In each case the purpose is to divest oneself of
craving and sense of self.

In some sects it is believed that a bodhisattva can transfer his merit to a supplicant and so
aid him to nirvana. In those cases the Buddhist becomes very much like a worshiper
petitioning God for grace and mercy.

HINDUISM

Introduction
God
Man and the Universe
 Salvation and the Afterlife
Morals
Worship

Introduction:
During the fourth century B.C. Aryans--the same people that developed Greek culture--
conquered much of present-day India. Their pantheon of gods, similar to that of the
Greeks, combined with indigenous Indian traditions of meditation to form a loose
combination of beliefs and practices that came to be known as Hinduism. "Orthodox"
Hindus can be either pious worshipers of a god or atheists, self-negating ascetics or men
of the world.

Hinduism had never been a missionary religion until the twentieth century and is largely
limited to India and groups of emigrant Indians.

Advaita Vedanta, which believes in complete identity between the inmost self and the
impersonal, ultimate God, is the most common form of Hinduism in the West. Jainism
probably represents the most ancient, pre-Aryan elements of Hinduism. The Sikh religion
attempts to unite elements of Hinduism and Islam.

God:

The following verses refer to the Concept of God:

"Ekam evadvitiyam"
"He is One only without a second."
[Chandogya Upanishad 6:2:1]1

"Na casya kascij janita na cadhipah."

"Of Him there are neither parents nor lord."
[Svetasvatara Upanishad 6:9]2

"Na tasya pratima asti"

"There is no likeness of Him."
[Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:19]3

"Na samdrse tisthati rupam asya, na caksusa pasyati kas canainam."

"His form is not to be seen; no one sees Him with the eye."
[Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:20]4

So this is true concept of God in Hinduism.

Man and the Universe:

The material universe is not the creation of a personal God but is rather a sort of
unconscious emanation from the divine. As such it is (1) beginningless, and some would
say endless, and (2) unreal, an illusion because the only true reality is Brahman. Hindus
believe that the universe "pulsates," recurrently being destroyed and recreated over
periods lasting about 4 billion years. The world is seen as a huge series of repeated
cycles, each cycle being nearly a copy of the last.

Man is compelled to play a part in this gigantic, illusory, and wearisome universe. Each
human soul is also beginningless and has gone through a series of reincarnations.
Hinduism "solves" the problem of the existence of suffering and evil in a fairly neat
manner: all present suffering, it says, is exactly deserved, being the paying back of one's
karma, the accumulation of deeds done in past lives--and all present evil will be exactly
repaid in the form of suffering in future lives. As a result traditional Hinduism often has
not paid much attention to relieving the suffering of people, although social reform
movements have arisen in the last century.

Life is seen as basically painful, full of distress that is only temporarily masked by earthly
pleasures. But underlying the unreality and misery, the human soul is identical with
supreme Brahman, who has no part of this sorry universe.

Death:
The final goal of salvation in Hinduism is escape from the endless round of birth, death,
and rebirth. That can mean an eternal resting place for the individual personality in the
arms of a loving, personal God, but it usually means the dissolving of all personality into
the unimaginable abyss of Brahman.
“As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material
bodies, giving up the old and useless.”
(Bhagvad Gita 2:22)

“As a Caterpillar which has wriggled to the top of a blade of grass draws itself over to a new
blade, so does the soul, after it has put aside its body draws itself over to a new existence.
(Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4:4:3)

“The unborn portion, burn that, AGNI, with thy heat; let thy flame, thy splendour, consume it; with
those glorious members which thou hast given him, JATAVEDAS, bear him to the world (of the
virtuous)”
(Rigved 10:16:4)
“… Putting on (Celestial) life, let the remains (of bodily like) depart: let him, JATAVEDAS be
associated with a body.”
(Rigveda 10:16:5)
“May all these streams of butter, with their banks of honey, flowing with distilled water, and milk
and curds and water reach thee in domestic life enhancing thy pleasure. May thou acquire
completely these things strengthening the soul in diverse ways.”
(Atharva Veda 4:34:6)

Morals:
Because of the vast number of reincarnations of any given individual, Hinduism
recognizes that most people's lack of spiritual development means they must lead normal
lives. However, it is thought that as a person matures he can grow closer to the ideal of
full renunciation of the personality. Thus, pursuit of wealth and love of the opposite sex
are considered proper to certain stages of life, but when people grow old they often leave
behind their worldly possessions to pursue the life of a wandering monk.

Yet no matter what stage of life one is in, "renouncing the fruits of your labors" is the
supreme law of morality. Hindus seek to remain conscious of the illusory nature of this
world and so progressively deny themselves, at least in thought, all forms of material,
emotional, and even spiritual rewards and property.

For centuries the notions of reincarnation and karma have been used to support the
cruelties of the Indian caste system, which relegates the majority of people to poverty and
subservience. Probably as a result of Western influence the caste system has been
substantially dismantled, although the idea that all human suffering is deserved is still
responsible for a great deal of injustice

Worship:
Hindus have a magical and legalistic notion that one can acquire spiritual "points"
through contact with all manner of holy objects and persons; that is by and large the
Hindu notion of grace. At least among the uneducated an image of a family god is kept in
the house, and villages generally have their local icon as well. Animals such as cows,
monkeys, and snakes are revered. Certain rivers--the Ganges in particular--are thought
holy, and bathing in them is thought to improve one's karma.

Even among more intellectual Hindus certain portions of scriptures are memorized and
chanted, sacred stories are acted out in plays and songs, and gods are prayed to in an
ecstatic manner. Holy men are highly revered, and in serving them Hindus hope that
some of their holiness will rub off and aid them to salvation.

JUDAISM

Introduction
God
Man and the Universe
Salvation and the Afterlife
Morals
Worship

Introduction:
Never great by world standards, the small nation of Israel was repeatedly defeated and
finally dispersed throughout the world. But the Jews are unique in that they maintained
their identity in the midst of a large number of diverse cultures. Thus, although a religion
closely tied to one ethnic group, Judaism has had a profound effect on beliefs and
practices throughout the West and the Near East.

There is a bewildering variety of Jewish groups and nationalities, many of whom are
strange to each other. One loose way of dividing modern Judaism is into four groups:
Orthodox Jews maintain strict adherence to traditional customs; Reform or Liberal Jews
attempt to apply broadly Judaic notions to contemporary culture in a humanistic manner;
Conservative Jews try to forge a middle way between the previous two, hoping to
maintain strong Jewish identity; and Hasidic Jews follow a mystical path, although many
Hasids are little other than the right wing of Orthodoxy.

Jews hold a large number of writings besides the Old Testamant as authoritative.

The Holocaust, in which over six million Jews were killed under Nazism and other forms
of anti-Semitism, has become a major theme of Judaic thought in recent years.

God:

The complete unity of God--both as a powerful, just ruler and as a merciful, loving
deliverer--is central to Judaism.

The following verse from the book of Deuteronomy contains an exhortation from
Moses (pbuh):

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord"

[The Bible, Deuteronomy 6:4]

The following verses are from the Book of Isaiah:

"I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour."

[The Bible, Isaiah 43:11]

"I am Lord, and there is none else There is no God besides me."
[The Bible, Isaiah 45 : 5]

"Thou shalt have none other gods before me."

"Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in
heaven above, or that in the earth beneath, or that is in the water beneath the
earth."

"Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God
am a jealous God."
[The Bible, Deuteronomy 5:7-9]

Man and the Universe:

The material world is considered on the whole "very good" (Genesis 1:31), and man has a
unique responsibility to order it according to God's purposes. Some Jews go as far as to
say that all people, animals, and things contain a "divine spark," which man is assigned to
call forth to completeness through loving action.
The personhood of God and His need for relationships form an analogy for man's most
pressing need: to live in harmony with other men.

History is the arena of God's purposeful activity, and Jews often look for signs of His
approval or judgment in historical events.

The great responsibility of man as well as his frailty and wickedness are emphasized. The
distinguishing mark of humans is their ability to make ethical choices; it is to those
choices that Judaism most often addresses itself directly.

Death:
One's eternal existence in the hereafter is determined by moral behavior and attitudes.
Although there is no Christian notion of saving grace in Judaism, it is taught that God
always offers even the most evil men the possibility of repentance (teshuva, "turning").
After such repentance one can atone for one's rebellion against God's ways by positive
action. Jews still hope for the coming of the Messiah, who will hand out eternal judgment
and reward to all. This hope is largely communal; the entire Jewish race and the whole of
creation is in view more than individual men.
"Wealth acquired through wickedness is of no avail, but charity saves from death" (ibid. 10:2).

Morals:
Torah ("to point the way, give direction"), often translated "law," refers in Judaism to a
total pattern of behavior, ap-plicable to all aspects of communal and individual life. It is
to be found not only in the Old Testament Scriptures but also in a wide variety of oral
traditions, rituals, ceremonies, stories, and commentaries on Scripture.

Jews have often tried to develop rules of behavior to cover each situation encountered in
their various cultures. Thus a gigantic literature covering codes of conduct has arisen.
From time to time movements have emerged that have tried to cut through those rules and
get back to the original meaning of torah, but legalism has been a perennial problem of
Judaism.

As can be seen in the Ten Commandments, much of Jewish morality is related primarily
to the good of the community. The Jewish prophets were perhaps the first strong
proponents of social justice in the ancient world, and concern with economic justice
continues to be an integral part of Judaism.

But material possessions are generally not considered bad in themselves, even the
prophets did not denounce wealth as such, but wanted a greater number of people to have
more.

Marriage and children are held in high regard by Judaism. Singleness is looked down on
even for religious leaders, and much time is spent teaching children the precepts of the
faith.
Worship:
Ritual and ceremony are still important within Judaism. The purpose is to hallow all life,
to share one's life with God. Jewish writings say, for instance, that to eat or drink without
praying is like robbing God of His property. Thus Jews have a full calendar of daily,
weekly, and yearly celebrations.

A major part of such celebrations is the remembrance of sacred history. Stories, both
biblical and nonbiblical, relating God's deliverance of Israel are retold countless times.

There is sometimes a certain boldness mixed with piety in Jewish worship, as can be seen
in the story of the Jews in a Nazi concentration camp who put God on "trial" for allowing
the Holocaust: they found Him guilty and then resumed their humble prayers of worship
and praise.

ISLAM

Introduction
God
Man and the Universe
Salvation and the Afterlife
Morals
Worship

Introduction:
In the seventh century A.D. Muhammad--thought to be the last prophet in a line that
includes Abraham, Moses, the biblical prophets, and Jesus--founded a strict, monotheistic
religion in reaction to the polytheism and lawlessness of the existing Arab culture. Within
a century Islam had conquered an area greater than the Roman Empire at its height.
Today Islam is almost the sole religion of all Arab countries and has major communities
in Africa as well.

The Koran, for the most part a series of short teachings, is intensely revered by Muslims
as the final word of God, the culmination of what was only begun in the Bible. The word
Islam refers to the peace that comes from surrender to God.

God:

The Quran gives the answer in C112 V1-4.

Qul Hu-wallaahu Ahad (Say: He is Allah, the One and Only)

Allaahus-Samad (Allah, the Eternal, Absolute)

Lam yalid, wa lam yuulad (He begetteth not, nor is He begotten)

Walam yakul-la-Huu kufuwan ahad (And there is none like unto Him)

"If there were, in the heavens and the earth, other gods besides Allah, there would
have been confusion in both! But glory to Allah, the Lord of the Throne: (High is He)
above what they attribute to Him!" (C23 V91 says:)

Man and the Universe:

Muslims see the universe as created by the deliberate act of a personal, omnipresent God.
The universe is not considered an illusion in any way and is basically good, being given
for the benefit of man. Muslim respect for the world order led to the development of
sciences in Arab countries long before developments in Europe.

Muhammad did not produce miracles but simply proclaimed the message of Allah. Thus
the presence of God in the world is seen not through supernatural signs but through the
wonderful order of nature and the one great miracle, the Koran. Muslims generally do not
expect miraculous deliverance from suffering in this life but believe that good deeds will
be rewarded in the next life.

Man is considered a sort of vice-regent, in charge of creation under the authority of God.
His purpose--and the goal of Islam--is to make a moral order in the world.

Man is endowed with taqwa, a sort of divine spark manifested in his conscience that
enables him to perceive the truth and to act on it. Conscience is thus of the greatest value
in Islam, much as love is the greatest value to Christians.

But Islam is in no way pantheism. Man may cultivate his taqwa and so live according to
the way of Allah, or he may suppress it. Man thus deserves or is undeserving of God's
guidance.

Death:
The Koran rejects the notion of redemption; salvation depends on a man's actions and
attitudes. However, tauba ("repentance") can quickly turn an evil man toward the virtue
that will save him. So Islam does not hold out the possibility of salvation through the
work of God but invites man to accept God's guidance.

The final day of reckoning is described in awesome terms. On that last day every man
will account for what he has done, and his eternal existence will be determined on that
basis: "Every man's actions have we hung around his neck, and on the last day shall be
laid before him a wide-open book" (17.13).

And they say, “There is not but our worldly life; we die and live (i.e. some people die
and others live, replacing them) and nothing destroys us except time.” And they have of
that no knowledge; they are only assuming. And when Our verses are recited to them as
clear evidences, their argument is only that they say, “Bring [back] our forefathers, if you
should be truthful.” Say, “God causes you to live, then causes you to die; then He will
assemble you for the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt,” but most of the
people do not know. (Quran, 45:24-26)

Then is he whom We have promised a good promise which he will meet [i.e. obtain] like
he for whom We provided enjoyment of worldly life [but] then he is, on the Day of
Resurrection, among those presented [for punishment in Hell]? (Quran, 28:61)

Morals:
Islam presents a "straight path" of clear-cut duties and commands. Islamic morals are a
combination of genuine acts of love and justice on the one hand and legalistic
performances on the other.

Islam forbids all evil and licentious acts, whether in speech or deed.

Allah says:

Say, 'My Lord has only forbidden immoralities - what is apparent of them and what is
concealed - and sin, and oppression without right, and that you associate with Allah that
which He has not sent down authority, and that you say about Allah that which you do not
know.) (7:33)

"Those who have rejected God's revelations, and killed the prophets unjustly, and killed
those who advocated justice among the people, promise them a painful retribution."3:21

"Say, "Why then did you kill God's prophets, if you were believers?" 2:91

It orders and encourages all good morals and manners. The Prophet of Islam, Muhammad
said:

"I have been sent to perfect righteous and honorable manners." (Haakim)

Allah the Exalted and Almighty said in the Glorious Quran:

("Say: "Come, I will rehearse what Allah has (really) prohibited you from": join not
anything as equal with Him; be good to your parents; kill not your children on a plea of
want - We provide sustenance for you and for them - come not nigh to shameful deeds,
whether open or secret; take not life, which Allah has made sacred, except by way of
justice and law: thus does He command you, that you may learn wisdom." ) [Suraat-al-
An'am (Cattle) 6:151]

The Messenger of Allah said:

"None of you believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself." (Bukhari)
Worship:
Muhammad is not worshiped: only God is. Because of strict rules against depictions of
human forms in art there is a strong impetus against idolatry or saint-worshiping in Islam.
Allah is extolled in hymns that depict his power and majesty. But even Allah cannot be
ultimately leaned on for salvation, because salvation is man's responsibility. Thus his
guidance, in the form of words rather than persons, is emphasized.

For that reason the Koran is revered as perhaps no other book. It is probably the most
memorized book in the world.

Acts of worship in Islam are embodied in the "five pillars": A Muslim must

• recite the basic creed, "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is His
Prophet"; (2) recite prayers in praise of Allah five times daily while facing Mecca;
• give money to the poor;
• fast for one month a year; and
• make a pilgrimage at least once during his lifetime to Mecca, the city where Allah
revealed the Koran to Muhammad.

Lo! the hypocrites seek to beguile Allah, but it is Allah who beguileth them. When they
stand up to worship they perform it languidly and to be seen of men, and are mindful of
Allah but little. The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 4, Verse 142

It is Me, Allah; there is none worthy of worship except Me, so worship Me and establish
Salaah for My remembrance. The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 20, Verse 14

But the generations who succeeded them abandoned the Salaah and started following
their lusts; so they will soon face the consequences of their deviation. The Holy Qur'an,
Chapter 19, Verse 59

Observe the Salaah (Contact Prayers) for it prohibits evil and vice." The Holy Qur'an,
Chapter 29, Verse 45

Seek Allah's help with patience and Salaah: it is indeed hard to be patient and to be
punctual in offering Salaah except for those who fear Allah. The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 2,
Verse 45