Friday, March 7, 2025

POLARIS, OUR NORTH STAR







 To find the North Star, also called Polaris, locate the Big Dipper constellation in the night sky, then use the two stars on the outer edge of the "cup" of the Big Dipper as pointers; imagine a line extending from these stars and the bright star at the end of that line is the North Star, which is located in the handle of the Little Dipper constellation. 
Key points: 
  • Use the Big Dipper: Find the Big Dipper constellation, which is easily recognizable. 
  • Identify the pointer stars: Look at the two stars on the outer edge of the Big Dipper's "cup". 
  • Follow the line: Draw an imaginary line through these pointer stars to locate the North Star. 
  • North Star is in the Little Dipper: The North Star is the brightest star in the Little Dipper constellation, specifically at the end of its handle.






















Islam Basics



 









Doctrines of Islam on God

  1. There is only one God (5:73; 112:1-4).
  2. God is called Allah by Muslims (5:73).
  3. Allah sees all things (40:20) and is present everywhere (2:115; 7:7).
  4. Allah is the sole creator and sustainer of the universe (3:191).
  5. Allah is not a Trinity but is one (5:73).
  6. Allah is all-knowing (2:268; 10:61) and all-powerful (6:61-62).
  7. Allah created the heaven and earth (2:29; 6:1, 73; 25:61-62; 36:81; 46:33).

Salvation and Judgment

  1. Allah will judge all people on the day of judgment (3:30; 35:33-37; 99:6-8).
  2. If your good deeds exceed your bad deeds and you believe in Allah and sincerely repent of sins, you may go to heaven (3:135; 7:8-9; 21:47; 49:14; 66:8-9).
  3. There is an eternal hell for those who are not Muslims, not practicing Islam, and are not of the true faith (3:77).
  4. Hell is a place of unlimited capacity (50:30) eternal torment (2:39; 14:17; 25:65; 39:26), fire (9:63; 11:16; 25:11-12; 104:6-7), with boiling water (38:55-58; 55:43-44), where skin is burned and renewed (4:56), for unbelievers (3:13; 19:49) and Jinn (11:119), with faces covered with fire (14:49-50).
  5. There is a tree in hell, named Tree of Zaqqum, from which bad fruit is given and the damned are forced to eat (37:62-67; 44:43-48; 56:52-55).
  6. Heaven (Paradise), a Garden (79:41) of bliss and fruit (69:21-24), has rivers (3:198), with maidens pure and holy (4:57), and carpets and cushions (88:8-16).
  7. There will be a physical resurrection of all people (19:93-95) on the day of judgment (3:77; 15:25; 16:38; 42:29).
  8. Judgment is based on a person’s sincere repentance (66:8-9) and righteous deeds (5:9; 24:26; 45:21-22; 64:7).

Other Doctrines of Islam

  1. There is an afterlife (2:154; 75:12).
  2. There are such things as angels, created by Allah, that are created from light. Angels are obedient slaves incapable of refusing to do Allahï’s will. The angel Gabriel brought the revelation of the Koran to Muhammad (2:97).
  3. The Holy Spirit is the angel Gabriel (2:97; 16:102).
    1. There is no actual verse where the Holy Spirit is said to be Gabriel or is identified as Gabriel. These verses show that both the Holy Spirit and Gabriel brought down the revelation.
  4. Jinn are unseen beings, created (51:56) from fire (15:27; 55:15) but are not angels.  They have communities.  There are good and bad Jinn.
  5. The Devil, called Iblis, (2:34) is a bad Jinn.
  6. Jesus was a great prophet but not the son of God (9:30), is not divine (5:17, 75), and was not crucified (4:157).
  7. Muhammad is Allah’s greatest and last prophet, and his message supersedes all other past prophets including Jesus.
  8. The Koran is Allah’s word. He literally spoke it to Gabriel who gave it to Muhammad.
  9. There are other holy writings, but they are superseded by the Koran.
    1. The other works are
      1. Torah–the First Five Books of Moses
      2. Injeel–the message that Jesus gave, written down, but no longer exists.  The writings have been altered by scholars.  Whatever agrees with the Koran is true.
      3. Zaboor–the Psalms Many Muslims also believe that the Torah and Zeboor have been corrupted too.
  10. Pre-ordainment (Qadar) is the teaching that all things, good and bad, are preordained to occur.
  11. Fasting is to be observed during the month of Ramadan (2:185).
  12. Drinking alcohol is forbidden (2:219; 4;43; 5:93-94; 16:67)
  13. Gambling is forbidden (2:219; 5:90-94).
  14. Man is made from the dust of the earth (23:12).
  15. There is no last-minute repentance (4:18).   https://carm.org/islam/what-are-the-doctrines-of-islam/

According to the Quran, the ultimate goal of Islam is submission to the will of Allah (God) and to live a life of righteousness and justice, striving for a good life in this world and the hereafter. 
Here's a more detailed explanation of the key aspects: