RELIGION

INTRODUCTION & IMPORTANCE

DEPARTMENT OF BASIC STUDIES

RIPHAH INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY ISLAMABAD

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 What is religion?

Etymology of the word,

It may have been originally derived from the Latin word”religo”which
means Good faith.

Definition as a term,
Religion is a natural urge to know the creator of the

universe.
Religion is a system based on beliefs in the almighty.
Religion means belief in and worship of God.
Religion is a link between man and the creator.

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 Deen and Mazheb
Mazheb means “a school of thought” like Hanfi mazheb while Deen is a term which is
Used in broad perspective.Deen deals with beliefs, practices, social life, dealings and
morality.

The holy Quran did not mention word mazheb but used “Aldeen” 62 times.

The holy Quran says,

‫ين ُك ِّل ِه َو َك َفى‬

ِ ‫د‬
ِّ ‫ال‬ ‫ى‬ َ
‫ل‬ ‫ع‬
َ ُ ‫ه‬ ‫ر‬
َ ‫ه‬
ِ ْ
‫ظ‬ ‫ي‬
ُ ِ ‫ل‬ ِّ
‫ق‬ ‫ح‬
َ ْ
‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ِين‬
ِ ‫د‬ ‫و‬
َ ‫َى‬
‫د‬ ‫ه‬
ُ ْ
‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ب‬
ِ ُ
‫ه‬ َ
‫ل‬ ‫و‬‫س‬ُ ‫ر‬
َ َ ‫ل‬‫س‬َ ‫ر‬ْ َ‫ه َُو ا َّلذِي أ‬
28 :‫الفتح‬ َ ِ ‫ِباهَّلل‬
‫ش ِهيدًا‬

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Human mind have some natural questions :

Who am i?
Who is my creator?
What is the object of my creation?
Who is the creator of the universe?
Is there any relationship between man and his creator?
What is the nature of relationship of God and universe?

Disciplines which deals with these questions:

Philosophy.
Science .
Religion.

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Sources of knowledge of philosophy & science.

Five senses.
Intellect.
Intuition.

Source of knowledge of religion is:

Revelation.

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 The objective of the religion

Religions are introduced by Allah in order to lead mankind to eternal

blessings.
Their objective is worship of Allah as well as management of worldly affairs
so much
So that to establish a composite state and government on the fundamental
principles
Of religion is also include in the scope of the religious mission of Allah.

Allama Ibn Khaldoon

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 CATEGORIZATION OF MAJOR WORLD RELIGIONS

Religions of the world can be broadly categorized into Semitic

religions and non-Semitic religions. Non-Semitic religions can be
divided into Aryan religions and non-Aryan religions.

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 Semitic religions

Semitic religions are religions that originated among the Semites. According
to the Bible, Prophet Noah (pbuh) had a son called Shem. The descendents of
Shem are known as Semites. Therefore, Semitic religions are the religions
that originated among the Jews, Arabs, Assyrians, Phoenicians, etc. Major
Semitic religions are Judaism, Christianity and Islam. All these religions are
Prophetic religions that believe in Divine Guidance sent through prophets of
God.

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 Non-Semitic religions

The non-Semitic religions are further subdivided into Aryan

and non-Aryan religions:
Aryan Religions
Aryan religions are the religions that originated among the
Aryans, a powerful group of Indo-European speaking people
that spread through Iran and Northern India in the first half
of the second Millennium BC (2000 to 1500 BC).

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 Vedic and non-Vedic

The Aryan Religions are further subdivided

into Vedic and non-Vedic religions.
The Vedic Religion is given the misnomer of
Hinduism or Brahminism. The non-Vedic
Religions are Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism,
etc.Almost all Aryan religions are non-
Prophetic religions. Zoroastrianism is an
Aryan, non-Vedic religion, which is not
associated with Hinduism. It claims to be a
prophetic religion.

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 Non-Aryan Religions

The non-Aryan religions have diverse origins.

Confucianism and Taoism are of Chinese origin
while Shintoism is of Japanese origin.
Many of these non-Aryan religions do not have a
concept of God. They are better referred to as
ethical systems rather than as religions.

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 polytheism
Theory of polytheism is that from the time immemorial majority of human
beings were Polytheists, worshipping idols,trees,mountains,etc

naturalism
By naturalism is meant “ a religion ,philosophy or morality which is based on
Nature”.

monotheism
The people of the holy scriptures believe that in the beginning of the world human
Beings were monotheists, believing in one God.

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 Religions of the world.

Judaism Hinduism
Christianity Buddhism
Islam Sikhism
Jainism
Taoism
Confucianism
Shintoism
Zoroastrianism

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14
Wama tawfiqi illa bi Allah wa shukran
& Thank You

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