The Prophet Muhammad started receiving revelations from Allah in 610 AD through an angel. When he began to propagate the divine message, the people of Mecca turned against him. In those testing times Khadijah, his wife, and Abu Talib, his uncle, were a great help to him, but shortly thereafter they both died.

When the Meccans seemed to be on the verge of crushing Islam, the Prophet Muhammad had an extraordinary experience. This is known as al-Isra and al-Miraj or the Night Journey and the Ascension.

(See also: Namaz , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Namaz: Truth Unveiled in Seventh Heaven - about Namaz  

Guru Nanak Meets Bahlol In Baghdad

Baghdad was, in Nanak's time, a centre of Muslim culture - it was home to pirs and sufi fakirs. Guru Nanak stayed in Baghdad for four months and interacted with the holy men there, one of whom was Bahlol.

Guru Nanak sang of the infinity of God and His infinite creation. Bahlol said that the Qur'an had mentioned seven earths and seven heavens only. Guru Nanak urged that the universe was not confined to seven earths and seven heavens but had millions and millions of planets and worlds and the Guru greeted all in the name of Sat Kartar.

Read more here: » Guru Nanak: Guru Nanak Meets Bahlol In Baghdad

Muslim Quotes: Heaven and Earth

God created the heavens and the earth to manifest the truth; let him be exalted above all gods. He created human beings from a single seed; yet human beings openly dispute with him.

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(See also: Islam Archives, Muslim Quotes, Inspirational Quotes, Love Quotes, Friendship Quotes, Life Quotes)

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Id-ul-Azha is the second most important festival of Muslims across the world. Today's celebration comes almost two months after Eid-ul-Fitr, the culmination of the holy month of Ramadan. The spirit of Eid- ul-Azha is incorporated in Hajj, the pilgrimage to Makkah. The underlying flavour is the spirit of sacrifice or qurbani, commemorating Abraham's great act of faith many centuries ago.

Eid-ul-Azha, also known as Eid-e-Qurban, is a time for Muslims to learn the value of self-denial by making a sacrifice of something living to God.

(See also: Id-ul-Azha , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Id-ul-Azha: Faith And Qurbani - Spirit of Eid  

Hinduism, Islam and Christianity: Hinduism Relationship with Islam and Christianity

The propagators of both Christianity and Islam have been doing a great service to Hinduism for the last several centuries, with their vehement criticism born out of their profound ignorance of Hinduism and their condescending sympathy for the natives. When they set foot on the Indian soil in the medieval period, they made every possible effort to declare Hinduism as a Satanic cult and a religion of the Brahmins in an attempt to draw converts from lower castes, ignoring its philosophical depths and its true character. Unknowingly, they helped Hinduism by forcing the Hindus of medieval and British India to become more defensive, resolute and determined to safeguard their own religion.

Read more here: » Hinduism, Islam and Christianity: Hinduism Relationship with Islam and Christianity

Kabir, the inspired poet weaver of northern India, declared that there was neither Hindu nor Muslim, but only man as the embodiment of the Divine.

Sufi texts record that after Saint Kabir died, his followers and fans, both Hindus and Muslims, fought for the right to either cremate or bury his remains. As the quarrel started fanning communal passions, an elder requested members of both communities to cover the saint'sbody and to wait till the next morning. Morning dawned and when the sheet was taken off, the warring communities found that in place of the body, two heaps of flowers were kept. The Hindus cremated the Tulsi flowers while the Muslims buried the Jasmine heap and the problem was over.

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Bound by a Common And Rich Heritage

According to Carl Johan Calleman, The forthcoming Venus Transit will coincide with dramatic changes for Islam; “In this new light created by the unification of Venus with the sun, only those aspects of Islam that fully embrace the feminine and the “unbelievers” will be able to survive.”

Read more here: » Venus Transit: A World Shift favouring the East and the Feminine and the disintegration of Islam

Over 4,000 years ago God asked Abraham to build the Kabah (house of worship) at Mecca and to call upon all people to make the pilgrimage to the House of God. Thus, it came to be obligatory for every Muslim to go for Haj at least once, provided good health and financial position permitted it.

Over two million believers from all over the world gather every year in Mecca to perform this pious duty. The rites of Haj take about one week to complete, but the devout spend as many days as possible so that they may become spiritually enriched by the sacred atmosphere. All the acts and sites of Haj convey a spiritual message.

(See also: Kabah , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Kabah: Pilgrimage to Kabah - Spirit of Sacrifice  

A significant aspect of Indian Islam is the importance of shrines attached to the memory of great Sufi saints. Sufism is a mystical path (tarika) as distinct from the legalistic path of the sharia. A Sufi attains a direct vision of oneness with God, often on the edges of orthodox behavior, and can thus become a Pir (living saint) who may take on disciples ([murid]s) and set up a spiritual lineage that can last for generations. Orders of Sufis became important in India during the thirteenth century following the ministry of Moinuddin Chishti ...

See also:

Islam in India, Islam in India - Famous Indian Muslims, Islam in India - Population Statistics, Islam in India - Illegal Immigrants from Bangladesh, Islam in India - The History of Islam in India, Islam in India - Islamic Traditions in South Asia, Islam in India - Post - Independence, Islam in India - Literature

Read more here: » Islam in India: Encyclopedia II - Islam in India - Islamic Traditions in South Asia

Oneness: Rise Above Dogma, Realise The Truth

When I pass by the neighbourhood mosque, I bow my head in respect just as I do when I pass by the temple. The mullah's call to the faithful turns me towards prayer and God. I go through the same upsurge of emotions when I visit a church or gurdwara. When I bow my head in humility to Christ and the Guru Granth Sahib, I see in them my beloved Lord Krishna. Similarly, when I hear the Buddhist chant: ''Buddham Sharanam Gachchhami'', it continues to reverberate within me for long after, giving me the same sense of peace I experience when I say my usual prayers.

Read more here: » Oneness: Rise Above Dogma, Realise The Truth

Devil, The:

“Heir of Man,” originally the Evil God of the Zoroastrians; later a creation of Christian and Islamic theologians (who called him Satan and Shaitan) consisting of old fertility gods, wisdom spirits and nature elementals combined with Ahriman into a figure of terror and malevolence fully equal to that of that Good God (Jehovah or Allah); the deity worshiped by Neogothic Witches.

(See also: Devil , Pagan, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

For more dictionary entries, see » Islamic Dream Interpretation Dictionary

Ramzan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, offers an extensive programme of reform and spiritual elevation to all Muslims to help remould their entire being.

Since human beings tend to frequently lose touch with their inner world, Islam has provided for a substantial provision for an annual "workshop" in the form of siyam or Roza. This trains and equips us to reach out to the inner self, by firmly dealing with any moral laxity and indiscipline.

(See also: Ramzan , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Ramzan: Fasting, Praying and Charity  

Today is the martyrdom day of Imam Husain, grandson of Prophet Mohammed. In 61 Hizrat (680 AD) a battle took place at Karbala, Iraq, on the banks of the river Euphrates.

A large army mobilised by Yazid, descendant of the Umayyad regime, besieged a small group led by Imam Husain, and forced them to pay allegiance to the Caliph and submit to his authority. Husain and his small group put up a brave resistance but were killed in the fierce battle.

(See also: Imam Husain , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Imam Husain: Husain's Sacrifice To Uphold Truth  

Every year, I eagerly await the month of Ramzan. Fasting and praying during the month prepares me to move closer to God. Fasting is not restricted to food and drink; it includes distancing oneself from negative attributes like hypocrisy, covetousness, falsity, backbiting and envy, among others.

Surprisingly and fortunately, the after-effects of this regulated and sanitised lifestyle adopted during Ramzan lingers for several months afterward, enabling one to work towards greater control over one's actions.

(See also: Ramzan , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Ramzan: Why I Love to Fast During Ramzan  

 Laya Yoga - The Essence Of All Religion

Yoga is the essence of every religion and is that what all religions have in common. If a man really wants to go deeply into the mystical and spiritual essence of their religion, then he or she comes to practise yoga. We say that yoga is not a religion in a sense of an individual creed or a sect separating from others, we also say that yoga is the substance and profundity of every religion and its inner cult. That is why one can be a member of every religious society and practise yoga. Two rules, or if one prefers, two commandments present in all scriptures such as Veda, Koran or the Bible are as if two angelic, divine wings of the Laya Yoga training. " Be holy because I am Holy" and " Be so perfect as your Heavenly Father is" these are the signs of an authentic, spiritual path of universal life.

Read more here: » Laya Yoga: The Essence Of All Religion - Laya Yoga

Idol, Idolotry (from Greek eidolon image, idol)

The use of images of divinities, which pertains to exotericism, as do visible symbols, ceremonies, and rituals in general. Attitudes vary among religions: Judaism, Islam, and Protestant Christianity absolutely forbid it; Orthodox Christianity permits icons, such as pictures of saints; Roman Catholicism, Hinduism, and Buddhism permit it altogether.

Varying degrees of ignorance or enlightenment may regard an idol as in itself a species of imbodied divinity, as transmitting the influence of a divinity or, more spiritually, as a reminder of a divinity. In a real sense, idolatry is the attaching of undue importance to the form rather than to the spirit, and often becomes degraded into worshiping the images made in our imagination and imbodied in work of the hands.

"Esoteric history teaches that idols and their worship dies out with the Fourth Race, until the survivors of the hybrid races of the latter (Chinamen, African Negroes, etc.) gradually brought the worship back. The Vedas countenance no idols; all the modern Hindu writings do" (SD 2:723).

(See also: Idol, Idolotry , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

For more dictionary entries, see » Islamic Dream Interpretation Dictionary

Hinduism versus Islam: Hinduism and Islam Compared

Similarities and differences between Hinduism and Islam.

Read more here: » Hinduism versus Islam: Hinduism and Islam Compared

There are a number of Islamic religious denominations, each of which has significant theological and legal differences from each other but possess identical essential belief. The major schools of thought are Sunni and Shi'a, with Sufism considered as a mystical inflection of Islam. The Sunni are the largest group in Islam (80%– 85% of all Muslims are Sunni). In Arabic, as-Sunnah literally means principle or path, while in terminology, Sunnah is the ...

See also:

Islam, Islam - Etymology, Islam - Beliefs, Islam - Six articles of belief, Islam - The tenets of Islam, Islam - God, Islam - The Qur'an, Islam - Islamic eschatology, Islam - Other beliefs, Islam - Organization, Islam - Religious authority, Islam - Islamic law, Islam - Islamic calendar, Islam - Schools denominations, Islam - Religions based on Islam, Islam - Islam and other religions, Islam - History, Islam - Contemporary Islam, Islam - The demographics of Islam today, Islam - Symbols of Islam, Islam - Notes

Read more here: » Islam: Encyclopedia II - Islam - Schools denominations

Islam recognized the existence of all the pagan demons, good and evil, protesting only against their being considered gods. Islam divides the evil demons into five species: "jann", "jinn", "shaitans", "afrits", and "marids". The Qur'an referes to the shaidans, of whom Iblis is the chief. Iblis, is said to have been deprived of authority over the animal and spirit kingdoms, and sentenced to death, when he refused, at the creation of Adam, to prostrate himself before him (Qur'an, vii. 13). The shaidans are the children of Iblis, and are ...

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Demon, Demon - Etymology, Demon - Demons in the Hebrew Bible, Demon - Influences from Chaldean mythology, Demon - In Jewish rabbinic literature, Demon - The King and Queen of Demons, Demon - In the New Testament and Christianity, Demon - In Christian myth and legend, Demon - War in Heaven, Demon - Demonologies, Demon - In pre-Islamic Arab culture, Demon - In Islam, Demon - In Hinduism, Demon - Demons in other cultures and religions, Demon - Demons in Hellenistic Neopaganism, Demon - In art literature and television, Demon - In science, Demon - In games, Demon - External link

Read more here: » Demon: Encyclopedia II - Demon - In Islam

The gory massacre at Godhra and the subsequent retaliatory slaughter throughout Gujarat underlines how easily communal passions can be aroused among otherwise normal people.

A major cause for such behaviour is a mindset, found both among Muslims and Hindus, that believes that tolerance is a sign of weakness. Convinced about the infallibility of their own faith, they are totally intolerant to the views of others. Bolstered by the exhortations of their religious and political leaders, they feel no compunctions in smashing all that stands in their way including the laws of the land.

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Tolerance the Key To Lasting Peace

Anahita (Avestan) Nahid (Persian) (in full Aredvi-Sura-Anahita from ared to grow straight or high, expand + sura strong, powerful + anahita undefilable from a not + ahit unclean)

The Avestan goddess of the waters dwelling in the region of the stars; similar to the Hindu Ganga, she is described as "the large river, known afar, that is as large as the whole of the waters that run along the earth; that runs powerfully from the height Hukairya down to the sea Vouru-Kasha (the waters of space)

. All the shores of the sea Vouru-Kasha are boiling over, all the middle of it is boiling over, when she runs down there, when she streams down there, she, Ardvi Sura Anahita, who has a thousand cells and a thousand channels: the extent of each of those cells, of each of those channels is as much as a man can ride in forty days, riding on a good horse. From this river of mine (Ahura Mazda's) alone flow all the waters that spread all over the seven Karshvares (the seven globes of the earth-chain); this river of mine alone goes on bringing waters, both in summer and in winter" (Aban Yasht 3-5).

According to Berosus, it was Artaxerxes Mnemon (404-361 BC) who first instituted formal worship of a divinity hitherto held too holy and sacred for public adoration, erecting statues under the name of Venus-Anahita -- thus she became the Anaitis of the Greeks. Blavatsky equates her with the Hindu Sarasvati.

In the old Persian Language Aredvi-Sur-Nahid has been used in the sense of powerful and unblemished water; Nahid is also the name of Venus. Anahita represents the water of life or the primordial substance in which the life-giving Mithra penetrates and creates light. Mehr-Ab (Mithra + water) is the name given to the most sacred place of worship or altar in all mosques, usually represented with a triangle over a square, geometrically pertaining to the number seven. This symbol can also be seen in some carpet designs and many Persian artifacts of different periods, both Islamic and pre-Islamic.

(See also: Anahita , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

For more dictionary entries, see » Islamic Dream Interpretation Dictionary