Religion

Religions!

m. Gadelmawla

There are many religions practiced around the world, with varying numbers of adherents. It is difficult to provide an exact number of people in each religion as the numbers can vary depending on the source and methodology of the data collection, as well as the definition of what constitutes a follower of a particular religion.

However, here are some of the major religions and their estimated number of followers as of 2021, based on various sources:

  • Christianity: 2.4 billion

This is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The Bible is the primary text.

  • Islam: 1.9 billion

This is a monotheistic religion based on the teachings of the prophet Muhammad. The Quran is the primary text.

  • Hinduism: 1.2 billion

This is a polytheistic religion that originated in India. It is based on a collection of sacred texts called the Vedas.

  • Buddhism: 535 million

This is a nontheistic religion that originated in India. It is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the Buddha.

  • Sikhism: 25 million

This is a monotheistic religion that originated in India. It is based on the teachings of Guru Nanak and the Guru Granth Sahib is the primary text.

  • Judaism: 14 million

This is a monotheistic religion that originated in the Middle East. The Torah is the primary text.

  • Bahá’í Faith: 7 million

This is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people.

  • Confucianism: 6 million

This is a philosophical and ethical tradition that originated in China. The Analects of Confucius is the primary text.

  • Jainism: 4.5 million

 This is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras,

  • Shintoism: 4 million

This is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan’s indigenous religion and as a nature religion.

  • Zoroastrianism: 2.6 million

This is an Iranian religion and one of the world’s oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic ontology and an eschatology which predicts the ultimate conquest of evil by good.

  • Taoism: 2 million

This is a philosophical and religious tradition that originated in China. The Tao Te Ching is the primary text.

It is important to note that these numbers are estimates and the actual numbers of followers of each religion may be higher or lower. Additionally, there are many other religions and belief systems practiced around the world that may not be included in this list.

Faith

Teaching your kids the faith!

m. Gadelmawla

Teaching kids about faith can be a personal and unique experience for each family. Here are some general tips that may be helpful:

  1. Start by teaching them about your own faith: Share your own beliefs, values, and practices with your children. This can include stories from your religious texts, personal experiences, and daily practices.
  2. Encourage questions: It is important to encourage your children to ask questions and explore their own understanding of faith. Be open to answering their questions and don’t be afraid to admit if you don’t know the answer to something.
  3. Use age-appropriate language: Make sure to use language that is appropriate for your child’s age and level of understanding. This will help them to better grasp and relate to the concepts you are teaching.
  4. Make faith a part of daily life: Integrate faith into daily life by praying together, attending religious services, and participating in religious holidays and celebrations. This will help your children understand that faith is an integral part of their daily life.
  5. Respect their choices: As your children grow and develop their own beliefs, respect their choices and decisions. Allow them to explore and make their own choices about faith.

Remember, teaching faith to your children is a personal journey and there is no one right way to do it. It’s important to create an environment of love, acceptance, and open communication where your children can explore and develop their own beliefs.

Life

Simply, why usury is not good!

m. Gadelmawla

Usury refers to the practice of charging excessive or unreasonably high interest rates on loans, typically to vulnerable or desperate borrowers who have few other options. Usury has been widely criticized for many reasons, including:

  1. Exploitation: Charging high interest rates is often viewed as a form of exploitation, taking advantage of someone’s desperate financial situation for personal gain.
  2. Debt traps: High-interest loans can trap borrowers in a cycle of debt, making it difficult or impossible to repay the loan, and leading to financial ruin.
  3. Unfairness: Usury is often seen as unfair because it places an unfair burden on the borrower, who may have little choice but to accept the terms of the loan.
  4. Social harm: Usury can also harm society as a whole, by contributing to economic inequality and instability.

In many cultures and religions, usury is considered morally wrong, and in some cases, it is even illegal. Instead, many financial institutions and organizations promote responsible lending practices that are fair, transparent, and help to promote financial stability for all individuals and communities.

Life

Usury!

m. Gadelmawla

Usury, also known as riba, refers to the practice of charging or paying interest on a loan. In Islam, usury is strictly prohibited as it is considered exploitative and unfair. Islamic finance principles are based on the principles of justice and fairness, and the prohibition of usury is one of the core tenets of Islamic finance.

The Quran clearly prohibits the practice of usury and declares it as a sin. In Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 275, Allah says, “Those who devour usury will not stand except as stands one whom the Satan by his touch has driven to madness. That is because they say: ‘Trade is like usury,’ but Allah has permitted trade and has forbidden usury.” The verse highlights that while trade is permissible, usury is not.

Islamic finance offers an alternative to usury-based financial systems. In Islamic finance, the lender and the borrower share the risk and reward of the investment. Rather than charging interest on a loan, Islamic finance relies on profit and loss sharing, where the lender and the borrower share the profits or losses of an investment.

Islamic finance also promotes ethical investments that align with Islamic values. Investments in industries such as gambling, tobacco, and alcohol are not permitted in Islamic finance.

In conclusion, usury is prohibited in Islam as it is considered exploitative and unfair. Islamic finance offers an alternative to usury-based financial systems, promoting ethical investments and profit and loss sharing.

Success

Life story!

m. Gadelmawla

A story of a man built and sold his company 20 years ago.

He sold it for…. 

…wait for it… 

…£800m.

EIGHT… HUNDRED… MILLION… POUNDS.

What an incredible accomplishment and something he’d worked hard for many years to achieve.

To celebrate… he went on a world cruise with his wife and daughter.

They had the most amazing time, but when they got back, his daughter was taken ill.

Unknown to them at the time, she had Leukaemia.

She died seven days later.

He told me… “I’d worked hard in the pursuit of success and money all my life, then when I got it, life immediately showed me just how unimportant it was.”

Six years later, that cruel lesson was reinforced once more, when his wife died from Leukaemia too.

Since then he’s devoted large parts of his life and wealth to good causes in their names.

Most of us work so hard.

We commit time and energy in the pursuit of our goals and that’s worthy and noble and to be encouraged.

We sacrifice our peace of mind and presentness, worrying about things which might happen in the future, but which rarely do.

And at the end of the day, there’s very little that’s really that important.

My learning… keep striving, but never lose sight of what really matters, because the chances are, you have that already.

Each day, just take a moment to replace your expectations for appreciation 🙏