NABILAH NOR BINTI HURI

Objective

-To understand the background,
history, sources and practices of
religions in Malaysia.
Concept of God in Islam
Islam- monotheistic
Adherents believe- The Oneness Of God
Allah- Arabic means God
Literally it means THE DIVINITY
It has no plural and no gender
A unique word in Arabic Language
This concept is known as TAUHID
Tawhid instructs Muslims there is only
- one god
- one truth
Three aspects in Tawhid
-The unique lordship of God
-The worship of God
-His unique names and attributes

The Unique Lordship Of God
Allah is One
And your God is One God: There is no god but Him, Most
Gracious, Most Merciful. (2:163)
He is God, the One and Only; God, the Eternal, Absolute; He
baguettes not, nor is He begotten; and there is none like unto Him.
(112:1-4)
It is not befitting to (the majesty of) God that He should beget a son.
Glory be to Him! When He determines a matter, He only says to it,
Be, and it is. (19:35)
Allah is Unique
(He is) the Originator of the heavens and the earth; He made mates for you
from among yourselves, and mates of (and for) the cattle, too, multiplying
you (humans and animals) thereby; nothing is like Him; and He is the
Hearing, the seeing. (42:11)
He, Allah, is One. Allah is He on Whom all (beings and things) depend.
He does not beget, nor is He begotten. And none is like Him. (112:1-4)
Do you then take besides Him guardians who do not control any benefit or
harm for themselves? Are the blind and the seeing alike? Or can the
darkness and the light be equal? Or have they set up with Allah associates
who have created creation like His, so what is created became confused to
them? Allah he Creator of all, and) He is the One, the Supreme. (13:16 )
Allah Is The Almighty Creator and Sustainer Of
the Universe

-Allah is the Creator of everything and He has authority
over everything.
His are the treasures of the heavens and the earth;
as for those who disbelieve in the communications of
Allah,
they surely are the losers. (39:62-63)
Such is Allah, your Lord, the Creator of everything; there is no God
but He; whence are you then turned away? (40:62)
Such is Allah, your Lord; there is no god but He, the Creator of
all things; so, worship Him (and Him alone), and He has
charge of all things. (6:102)
He is Allah, the Creator, the Maker, the Fashioner; His are the
most beautiful names; whatever in the heavens and in the earth
declares His glory, and He is the Mighty, the Wise. (59:24)
(Allah is the) Wonderful Originator of the heavens and the
earth! How could He have a son when He has no consort, and
He (Himself) created everything? And He knows all things.
(6:101)
ALLAH IS IMMORTAL, SELF-SUFFICIENT
AND EVERLASTING
He is God. There is no god but He. He is the knower of the
unseen and the visible. He is the All-Merciful, the All-
Compassionate. He is God; there is no god but Him. He is the
King, the All-Holy, the All-Peaceful, the Guardian of Faith, the
All-Preserver, the All-Mighty, the All-Compeller, the All-
Sublime. Glory be to God above that they associate! He is
God, the Creator, the Maker, the Shaper; to Him belong the
most beautiful names. The All-Mighty, the All-Wise (59.22-24)."

There is no god but He, the living, the everlasting. Slumber
seizes Him not, neither sleep, to Him belongs all that is in the
Heavens and Earth, who is there that shall intercede with him
save by his leave. He knows what lies before them and what is
after them and they comprehend not anything of His
knowledge save such as He wills, His throne comprises the
Heavens and Earth. The preserving of them oppresses Him not.
He is All-High, the All-Glorious (2.255)."
Allah is Omniscient and Caring
The Evil one threatens you with poverty and bids
you to conduct unseemly. God promised you His
forgiveness and bounties. And God cares for all
and He knows all things. (2:268)
The Worship Of God
Allah is the Only Source of Legislation

You do not worship besides Him except names which you
yourselves and your fathers have named;
Allah has not sent down any authority for them; judgment is
only Allah's;
He has commanded that you should worship none but Him;
this is the right religion, but most people do not know.
(12:40)


Is it then the judgment of (the times of) ignorance (jahiliyya)
that they desire?
And who is better than Allah to judge for people who are
sure? (5:50)
His unique Names and Attributes
There are 99 names of god

1. Allah (jallah jalaluh) - God (in all His Majesty)
2. ar-Rahman the All-Merciful
3. ar-Rahim the All-Compassionate
4. al-Malik the King
5. al-Quddus the All-Holy
6. as-Salam Peace, Source of Peace
7. al-Mumin the All-Faithful
8. al-Muhaymin the Guardian of Faith and Preserver of Safety
9. al-cAziz the Almighty, the Hard of Access
10. al-Jabbar the Irresistible
11. al-Mutakabbir the Great, the Grand
47. al-Hakim the Wise
48. al-Wadud the Loving, the Kind One
49. al-Majid the All-Glorious
50. al-Bacith the Raiser of the Dead
51. ash-Shahid the Witness
52. al-Haqq the Truth, the Real, the Absolute
53. al-Wakil the Dependable
54. al-Qawiy the Strong
55. al-Matin the Steadfast
56. al-Waliy the Patron, the Helper
57. al-Hamid the All-Praiseworthy
58. al-Muhsi the Accounter, the Numberer
59. al-Mubdic the Initiator
60. al-Mucid the Reinstater, the Bringer-back
61. al-Muhyi the Life-giver
62. al-Mumit the Bringer of Death
63. al-Hayy the Ever Living
64. al-Qayyum the Ever-Self-Sustaining
65. al-Wajid the Finder, the Unfailing
66. al-Majid the Magnificent
67. al-Wahid the Single, the All-Inclusive, the Indivisible
68. as-Samad the Self-Sufficient, the Impregnable
69. al-Qadir the All-Able
70. al-Muqtadir the All-Determiner
71.
al-
Muqaddim
the Promoter, He who brings forward
72.
al-
Muakhkhir
the Delayer, He who puts far away
73. al-Awwal the First
74. al-Akhir the Last
75. az-Zahir the Outward, the Manifest
76. al-Batin the Inward, the Hidden
77. al-Waali the Ruler
78. al-Mutacali the Transcendent
79. al-Barr the Good, the Beneficent
80. at-Tawwab the Ever-Returning, the Ever-Relenting
81
.
al-
Muntaqim
the Avenger
82
.
al-cAfuw the Effacer of Sins
83
.
ar-Rauf the All-Pitying
12. al-Khaliq the Creator
13. al-Bari the Maker
14. al-Musawwir the Fashioner of Forms
15. al-Ghaffar the Ever-Forgiving
16. al-Qahhar the All-Compelling
17. al-Wahhab the Ever-Giving
18. al-Razzaq the Ever Providing
19. al-Fattah
the Opener (of the heart),the Victory-
Giver
20. al-cAlim the All-Knowing, the Omniscient
21. al-Qabid the Straitener
22. al-Basit the Expansive, the Munificent
23. al-Khafid the Abaser
24. al-Rafic the Exalter
25. al-Mu'izz the Honourer
26. al-Mudhill the Humiliator, the Degrader
27. as-Sami'eh the All-Hearing
28. al-Basir the All-Seeing
36. ash-Shakur the Grateful, the Appreciative
37. al-cAli the All-High
38. al-Kabir the Great
39. al-Hafiz the Safeguard
40. al-Muqit the Nourisher
41. al-Hasib the All-Calculating
41. al-Hasib the All-Calculating
42. al-Jalil the Majestic
29. al-Hakam the Arbitrator
30. al-cAdl Justice, the Just
31. al-Latif
the Subtle, the All-Pervading, the
Gentle
32. al-Khabir the Informed, the All-Aware
33. al-Halim the Forbearing, the Indulgent
34. al-cAzim the Tremendous, the Infinite
35. al-Ghafur the Totally Forgiving
43. al-Karim the Generous
44. ar-Raqib the Watchful
45. al-Mujib the Answerer
46. al-Wasic the All-Encompassing
84
.
Maliku-l-
Mulk
the King of the Kingdom
85
.
Dhu-Jalali
wal-ikram
the Possessor of Majesty and
Generosity
86
.
al-Muqsit the Equitable, the Requiter
87
.
al-Jamic the Unifier, the Gatherer
88
.
al-Ghani the All-Rich, the Independent
89
.
al-Mughni the Enricher, the Emancipator
90
.
al-Mani'eh the Shielder, the Defender
91. ad-Darr the Harmer
92. an-Nafi'eh the Benefactor
93. an-Nur the Light
94. al-Hadi the Guide
95. al-Badi'eh the Peerless, the Originator
96. al-Baqic the Immutable, the Eternal
97. al-Warith the Inheritor
98. ar-Rashid the Infallible Teacher and Knower
99. as-Sabur the Patient, the Timeless
God the Father
God the Son
God the Holy Spirit
Under the concept of The Trinity, God is one in essence but three in
person. The Father is God, the Son is god and the Holy Spirit is
god, yet they are no three gods but one.

VGod the Father sent God the Son to earth and, after he left,
God the Holy Spirit continued Gods work on earth. Three divine
persons are co-eternal and co-equal.

V The Bible affirms the oneness of God and Jesus in the following
passages:
Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me
(John 14:11)
God is the creator of everything that exists the
universe, the world, nature and mankind.

God is the Father of all living creatures. God cares
for the whole of creation and especially the human
beings, who are responsible, under God, for looking
after it.

God is an independent being and not an abstract
force that create the world and then abandoned it.
The Christian God is one who is deeply involved in
the affairs of the world and all human beings.
Christians believe that God lived on earth
in the person of Jesus Christ.
As a human being he experienced all of
the emotions associated with being human
he wept, pleaded, argued, was angry,
suffered and died.
. Just because God is eternal,
nevertheless, so Jesus was able to rise
from the dead after three days. Christian
explained that it was God who brought
Jesus back from the dead.
Jesus promised his apostles that he would always
be with them before he left the earth. His physical
presence, though, would be removed and replaced by
his Spirit, who would act as their guide.
This Holy Spirit is given to the Christian church.
The Holy Spirit is believed to be God present and
active in the world, continued Gods works on earth.
Omniscient
All-knowing
God is said to know everything that has happened in the
past, at the moment and in the future.

The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on
the good and wicked,
(Proverbs 15:3)
Omnipresent
All-present
God is everywhere at once. God is both Transcendent and
Immanent at the same time. God is not only present throughout all
time but also in all places.

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your
presence? If I go up to heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in
the depths, you are there.
(Psalm 139:7-8)
Eternal

There is no time when God has not and will not exist.

God existed before the creation of the world and will continue to
exist if the world was not there.


God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of
lords, who alone is immortal.
( 1 Timothy 6:16)
Supernatural Being
He is above or beyond the natural universe.
He exists without subjected to causal law and the law of identity.
He is an independent Being, creator of universe but distinct from
the universe He created.
God is Formless, the Infinite Spirit. He does neither take birth
in any form (incarnate) nor does He died.
God creates universe and supports countless stars, planets, worlds and
other heavenly objects.
God cares and looks after the whole of His creation especially mankind,
just like the Father of all living things.
Without God, nothing will exist and nothing will remain and being here
as the God continue to keep things going.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth
(Genesis 1:1)
All good
give things we dont deserve
morally pure

The perfection of God is in most Christians mind. They believe that everything
we have is a gift from God.
God is one who is waiting to save man from every kind of suffering.
He has only a saving, redeeming plan. He saves and shows mercy.
God is also actively participates in the lives of creature by listening to and
answering prayer.

But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
(Romans 5:8)
God is supremely rational and moral being with concern for
human justice and human suffering.
Christians believe that at the end of time God will judge
peoples life and those who have lived a right-life will go heaven
whereas those who are considered unrighteous will be sent to
hell.

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the
throne, and books were openedThe dead were judged
according to what they had done as recorded in the books.
(Revelation 20:12-13)
Concept of God in Hindu
God is one as well as many

O-He is to be found everywhere and in every thing.
O-He is there in the sky, in the rivers, in the plants and
trees and even in
a particle of dust.
O- He is an enigma, because He is in many things at a
time and is above and
O- He is in below.
O-He is with forms and also without form.
O-He speaks and He speaks not.

Some worship the highest God, some worship the
village deities.
Some worship a personal god believing him to be the
Highest God.
Some worship many gods simultaneously, with the
belief that they all are in different manifestations of
the same God.
Some people worship Him in the form of images.
Some worship Him by chanting His name or writing it
a million or ten million times.
Some make Him offerings of food and money.
Some do not offer Him anything, but just worship
Him either out of fear or want.

Ways To Communicate with God
Physical communication
Mental communication
Spiritual communication

Hindu Trinity
Brahma the creator of the universe
-the cosmic mind
Vishnu -the preserver of the universe
-the cosmic lord
Shiva -the destroyer of the universe
-the transcendent Godhead
They are called -Sat-Tat-Aum
-the Being
-the Thatness or immanence
-the Word or Holy Spirit
Much like the Christian trinity of God as the
Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
The trinity represents the Divine in its threefold
nature and function.
Each God in the trinity has his consort.
BrahmaSaraswatiThe Goddess of
knowledge
VishnuLakshmiThe Goddess of love,
beauty and delight
ShivaKali (Parvati )The Goddess of power,
destruction, transformation

Forms of God
Accepts the existence of several Gods or
deities
Accepts only God, the Supreme
Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva not three
independent & separate deities
Engaged in the process of creation,
sustenance and destruction of the
universe.
For Hinduism all these forms of
worship have their own
relevance and importance in the
spiritual evolution of man.
It does not condemn any because
each plays its own role at same
stage.
None will become a Mahatma
(great soul) in a life time.
For that he has to pass through many lives,
make many attempts to purify himself.
Therefore it is inappropriate and very much a
sign of immaturity if any one condemns some
methods of worship simply just because he
does not feel that way or does not agree with
other methods of worship.
Just as there are many ways in which you can
pursue your education, there are many ways in
which you can pursue God.

Lord Brahma
+ The creator God of the trinity
+ Appears seated on a lotus ( symbol of glorious
existence)
+ Has four heads and hands
+ Each hand is holding
-sacrificial tool ( sruva )
-Vedas (knowledge )
-a water pot ( kamandalu )
-a rosary
+ Vehicle-a swan which is known for its judgment
between good and bad
+ His consort Goddess Saraswati
A legend about Lord Brahma
The creator of the universe
Before the cosmos existed, he was all-alone
Felt inadequate and longed for company
Split himself and created the Goddess Shatarupa
Her many forms captivated Brahma he desired to possess her
Shatarupa turned into something else every time Brahma got to her-a
cow, a mare, a goose and a doe
Brahma a bull, a horse, a gander and a buck
Thus, all creatures from the smallest insects to the largest mammals came
into being.
Brahma sprouted FIVE headswatch Shatarupa
Shiva wrenched off one of the Brahmas head to restrain Brahmas lust
Brahma come to his senses took Saraswati as his consort
He regained control of his mind


Lord Vishnu
The preserver god
Has four hands
- a conch shell (sankha )spread of the divine
-a discus (chakra ) a reminder of wheel of time &
lead to a good life
-a lotus (Padma ) an example of glorious
existence
-a mace ( gada ) power and the punishing
capacity of the Lord if discipline in life is ignored
Vehicle swift-flying bird Garuda- can spread the
Vedic knowledge
He is known as Hari, the remover
His consort is Goddess Lakshmi

Appeared in earth in 9 forms or avatar of Vishnu-to
help humankind
First Matsya, the fish Godsaved humankind from a
world-wide flood
Second Kurma, the tortoise god helped to raise many
lost treasures from the milk ocean.
Third Varaha, the boar god rescued the earth from
the bottom of an ocean
Fourth Nara-Sinhathe man-lion god
Fifth Vamana, the dwarf godrescued the world
from demons
Sixth Parashurama, the son of Brahman- fought 21
battles to free the world from the oppression of the
warriors and kings
Seventh Rama


Eighth Krishna, the hero god-he was born to human
parents, Vasudeav and Devaki
Ninth Buddha Although Siddhartha Gautama, the
Buddha is known to have been born around 560 BCE on
the Nepal border and to have preached the teachings
which have since become the basis of Buddhism,
Hindus still believe that as such he was actually an
avatar Vishnu
Tenth Kalkin this time the world will have fallen
into a very bad state. he will come as a human with a
horses head, carrying a flaming sword, a conch- shell, a
wheel & an arrow

Lord Shiva
Appears in meditating but ever happy
posture
Has matted hair which holds
- the flowing Ganges River
-a crescent moon
-a serpent coiled around his neck
A trident ( trishul ) in his hand & ashes
all over his body
The Lords represent his victory over the
demonic activity, and calmness of human
nature
Known as the giver god
Vehicle a bull ( symbol of happiness &
strength ) named Nandi
Shiva-Linga, a sign of Lord, is adored
instead of him
Shiva temples have Shiva-Linga as the main
deity

Goddess Saraswati
Wife of Lord Brahma
Has four hands representing human
personality
-learning
-mind
-intellect
-alertness
dressed in white ( purity )
ride on a white swan
Goddess Lakshmi
Wife of Lord Vishnu
Goddess of prosperity, purity and
generosity
Sits on a fully blossomed lotus a seat
of divine truth
Happiness, mental and spiritual
satisfaction and prosperity exist
around her.
Her palm extended to bless people


Goddess Durga
Also known as Parvati / Lalitha
Wife of Lord Shiva
Exists in friendly and fearful forms
Two fierce forms but powerful forms
-Durga Goddess beyond reach
rides on a lion
-Kali Goddess of destruction
rides on a corpse of a demon
Both have 8 hands & great power & energy (Shakti )
Parvati was called Sati in her previous incarnation
Lord Shiva, Parvati, & their sons Ganesha and Kartikeya
an ideal example of family unity and love
Adored by married women for a happy married life


Other deities
Venkateshwara
Another form of Lord Vishnu
Also known as Balaji or Bithala
Has a dark complexion and 4 hands
Two upper hands hold a discus
power
a conch shell existence
With his lower hands extended
downward he asks devotees to have
faith & surrender to him for protection
Lord Satyanarayana
Another form of Lord Vishnu
Commonly worshipped by Hindus in
their homes along with family & friends
The worship is performed usually on a
full moon ( purnima ) day of the month.
The Lords grace is described book-
Skanda Purana

Lord Ganesha
Also called Vinayak (God of Knowledge ) & Vighneshwer (
the remover of obstacles)
The older son of Lord Shiva
Has 4 hands
Elephants head
A big belly
Vehicle tiny mouse
He carries
- a rope ( to carry devotees to the truth )
-an axe ( to cut devotees attachment )
- a sweet dessert ball- laddoo- ( to reward devotees for
spiritual activity )



Lord Krishna
Eight avatar of Lord Vishnu
Known for his bravery in destroying evil
powers throughout his life
The Lord is usually depicted as playing the
flute ( murali ) indicate spread of the
melody of love to people
He is shown with his childhood devotee
Radha
The Lord is usually remembered &
worshipped as Radha-Krishna
The pair symbolizes eternal love between
people & god
Lord Kartikeya / Subramania
The second son of Lord Shiva & Goddess Parvati
Also known as- Subramania
-Skanda
-Guha
-Shadannana
-Sanmukha
He has 6 faces
Representing a person of perfection
He is the war God, the Hindu equivalent of Mars and Areas
He is the most masculine & fierce of all Gods


He is also fire, Agni & is very Pitta ( fiery ) in
nature
One hand he carries- a spear called
saktisymbolizes the destruction of
negative tendencies in humans53
While other hand he always blesses devotees
Vehicle peacock capable of destroying
harmful serpents ( symbolizing harmful ego
and bad desires of people )
+Buddhism does not have any place for God.
+ The very notion of God conflicts with some
fundamental principles of the Buddhist view
of the world and the role of humans in it.
+ It is principally concerned with developing a
method of escape from the worldly ills. Lifes
goal is Nirvana - the end of change, neither
existence nor non-existence.
+ Thus, no creator or God.
+ Buddhism rejects the notion of a Supreme God.
+ Buddhism speaks of the existence of category of beings
called devas. This term is generally translated as "gods"
+ The term deva literally means a shining or radiant being,
and describes their physical appearance rather than their
supernatural powers as the translation "gods" seems to imply.
+ We can easily dispose of the devas in the context of the
Buddhist attitude to God because the devas are essentially
irrelevant to the human situation. Beings are born in the deva-
worlds because of particular karmic factors they have
accumulated, and after these karmic factors are exhausted
they could revert to any of the other planes of existence
depending on their unexpended karma.
+ Suffering or un-satisfactoriness.
+ the empirical fact of the existence of dukkha
cannot be reconciled with the existence of an
omnipotent and omniscient being who is all good.
+ Salvation in Buddhism comes only from full
enlightenment, which could be best accomplished
from the human plane of existence.
+ The undertaking of a method of mental discipline
is sufficient to satisfy the most demanding of
spiritual requirements
Science Aspects Religions
Based on observation of
nature

Scientists assume that
things happen because of
natural causes.

They do not believe in
existence of one or more
gods or goddesses


Foundation
Based on faith.

Its main basis is often
revelation from a deity.

Most faith groups teach the
existence of one or more
deities who created the
universe.
+Welcome
changes

+Many false
hypothesis are
proposed and later
rejected or
modified as new
data becomes
available




Changes
+Religions
beliefs, particularly
those based on a
sacred text,
change much
more slowly

+In fact, many
faith groups stress
the unchangeable
nature of their
beliefs.
+Scientists have
reached a near
consensus that the
universe is about 14
billion years old and
that the earth
coalesced about 4.5
billion years ago.



Creation
Science and
Evolution
+Many conservative
Christians believe in
the inerrancy of Bible.
Although they have
many competing
theories over details,
may conclude that a
literal interpretation of
Genesis in the
Hebrew .

+Scriptures indicate
that God created the
world during a six day,
144 hour period,
between 4004 and
8000 BCE.
a near consensus
that homosexuality is
a minority sexual
orientation, one of
three natural. Normal
orientations, caused
by genes

It is unchosen and
unchangeable




Homosexuality

It is an unnatural,
abnormal lifestyle,
mainly caused by
inadequate
parenting

It is chosen and
can be changed
OTend to
disagree in the
effectiveness of
prayer



Medicine
OPromote
methods of
healing that
they believe is
superior to
modern
medicine
OBelieve that when a
terminally ill person is
in intractable pain and
wishes to die that
physicians should be
allowed to assist them
in dying



Medicine
OSome faith groups
believe that only God
gives life and only
God should take it
away.

OThey oppose
physicians assisted
suicide.