Assignment

Write a reflection about the document are attached. (no outside sources)

These are more intractions.

1. Review both presentations carefully to properly understand everything. The contents of the journal MUST demonstrate your deep and comprehensive knowledge of the main subjects in the presentations. Make sure to cover all major topics in each of these presentations, such as the significance of oneness of God, analysis of testimony of faith, different categories of Objects of worship (ILAAs), especially the last 4 categories in the presentation of Oneness of God; and and such as beliefs of Muslims in 6 areas, especially the next life in the presentation of Foundations of Islamic Beliefs.

2. Identify the key and major points in every topic and subtopic - those points that are new to you, very interesting to you, very important to you, very surprising to you, etc.

3. Share your reactions, your thoughts, and your deep reflections about each of those specific points as well as about the whole presentation in overall.

4. Do not write like an essay or article with some mere information about the subject. Further, do not copy-paste and do not repeat the points and text of the class materials except briefly referring to them. Instead, focus on your own thoughts (things that I do not know) regarding those points.

5. Write the journal in your own computer and keep its original version for future use. Copy-paste your journal into the text box of "Journal Entry" and do not send attachments.

6. The word limit for this journal is 400-600 because of extra materials. While the minimum of 400 words is a must, there will be no penalty for writing more than 600.

7. Break your thoughts into smaller paragraphs, instead of lumping everything into one big paragraph.

Also, note 3 other points related to your journals:

A. Whenever you write a question for me to answer, make them bold or write your questions in a separate part/paragraph so i can easily find them when I need to refer to them.

B. Whenever you mention God, you should capitalize it if you mean Allah (the God of the universe). Similarly, when you refer to God, capitalize the pronouns, such as He, Him, His. Writing as "god" (with lower case) is used for false gods, from Islamic point of view. Also, do not spell Allah with lower case as "allah".

Example 1:

"As I begin the class of Introduction to Islam, I am very excited about the journey before me. The concepts we will be investigating are vast.
This represents both an adventure and a challenge to me. I am eager to study Islam, which is itself an expansive topic, but the concept of God as the "cause of causes" is bigger than history, science, and time. I will have to articulate some enormous ideas, and that is going to require me to expand my thinking and push myself.

I have always been interested in religion and history, and my concern for international social justice, has given me a new appreciation for the influence of religion on societies. Since attending the last class, I have reflected on the discussions of Faith and Rationality and "A Rational Approach To Address the Quest for God". When approaching the quest for God rationally we recognize that many things exist beyond our ability to see or hear them: gravity and oxygen, for example. So, we should not depend only on our senses to make a conclusion about God.
We can use logic to make conclusions based on cause and effect. One question that religions explain is the origin of the universe. Does the universe have a cause? Does it have a purpose? All scientists agree that every finite thing is subject to the law of cause and effect. If we are not able to prove the existence of God through scientific laws, is that a proof that God does not exist? Isn't that worship of science instead of worship of God?

People often rely on expert testimony of credible witnesses when they are trying to discover the truth, but this can be very difficult in when searching for religious truth. Many religions have similar concepts, but when teachings are inconsistent, what criteria do we use to judge who is the most credible? And if we do recognize an expert such as a prophet, how do we know that his message and meaning has not deteriorated through time and translation? I look at this question as a challenge to myself and for the rest of this class.

I have many questions that I expect will be answered in the weeks ahead. The topics are presented in a very thought provoking manner that I really admire. I never expected that this class would make me think so deeply about life and every thing around me. I am looking forward to learning more about the beliefs and practices of the Islamic faith, its position in history, and its role in the future."

Example 2:

"My initial decision to take this course was only to become familiar with my parents' religion. I lost faith in God because I started to have trouble accepting something intangible. I have been using my senses to make judgment, and science to answer the questions you posted in the presentation, such as the world around us and life and death. At times, I desperately wanted to regain my faith, but my heart hardened and I considered faith irrational. However, I have never been an atheist because science has never been able to explain the creation of intelligent life. How has man become capable of reason? Is it by chance through the blind forces of nature or by deliberate design?

This thought provoking presentation helped me challenge myself. I initially disregarded it, but I forced myself to read it with an open mind again. It has really opened my eyes to reflect deeper. The more I read the presentation and its questions, the deeper it made me about a lot of assumptions that I had made for years. I recalled French philosopher Descartes's logic when he concluded that God must exist.

Furthermore, I was reading through the last few slides where you were asking whether God has guided humanity? I believe God has given the same message to each civilization, but mankind has distorted it. When we look at human history, most of the teachings about God's existence are extremely consistent and every religion's history points to God's existence. However, the questions that are raised about religions are so profound.

I certainly want to study Islam and other religions objectively. I love the way this class has started as it is the start of a new journey for me.
End of examples.

Attachment:- Foundations-Of-Faith.rar