A greater number does not add any value nor a lower number takes away any. If the Shia segment is taken out, Catholics would still outnumber Sunni Muslims. What is the point?Is there a race? Is God sitting at the finish line watching?
Qur'aan is clear about one thing - no one has a free pass to his grace. One has to earn it the old fashion way; through good deeds.
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) defines a good deed as serving mankind . He gives an example; when you sow a seed, you know it well that by the time that become a tree and gives shade or fruit, you may not be the beneficiary, but you did it to benefit others, as you benefit from what was done before you.
Worship to God is self purification, serving others is service to God and is true worship. I hope the race should be which group would do more to benefit the mankind in terms of justice and peace. Taking care of the hungry, taking care of the needy. God likes competition in serving his fellow beings with arrogantless humility.
To be a Muslim is to be a peace maker; one who constantly seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence. God wants us to live in peace and harmony with his creation; life and matter. Indeed that is the purpose religion.
http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2008/03/muslims-more-than-catholics.html
Mike Ghouse
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Muslims More Numerous Than Catholics
Vatican: Islam Surpasses Roman Catholicism As World's Largest Religion
By ALESSANDRA RIZZO Associated Press VATICAN CITY Mar 30, 2008 (AP)
Islam has surpassed Roman Catholicism as the world's largest religion, the Vatican newspaper said Sunday.
"For the first time in history, we are no longer at the top: Muslims have overtaken us," Monsignor Vittorio Formenti said in an interview with the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano. Formenti compiles the Vatican's yearbook.
He said that Catholics accounted for 17.4 percent of the world population — a stable percentage — while Muslims were at 19.2 percent.
"It is true that while Muslim families, as is well known, continue to make a lot of children, Christian ones on the contrary tend to have fewer and fewer," the monsignor said.
Formenti said that the data refer to 2006. The figures on Muslims were put together by Muslim countries and then provided to the United Nations, he said, adding that the Vatican could only vouch for its own data.
When considering all Christians and not just Catholics, Christians make up 33 percent of the world population, Formenti said.
Spokesmen for the Vatican and the United Nations did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment Sunday.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed
Note from Hasni Essa and Mike's response:
ReplyDeleteDear Mike,
I beg to kindly disagree with you in your analysis, "greater number does not add any value", which in my opinion, is wrong.It does add value, particularly to a religion as solidifying force, especially in case of Islam which evidently has "surpassed"
Christianity.Religion is measured not only by quality - what is quality in a religion ? - but diversified quantity of adherents and faithfuls a religion would command, which obviously seem to be Islam with immense quantity of adherents; and appears to have brought fears into the hearts of Christians.
Non-Muslims in significant numbers are turning toward Islam.Why ? because it's a source of identity,meaning,stability,legitimacy, development,power and hope,epitomized in the slogan
"Islam is the solution." The style of the Koran is inimitable and of superhuman beauty and power.Not the text contains solutions for all problems,like no any other religious book, that arise in the world, but there are also unknown divine mysteries hidden in the sequence of its verses and in the arrangements of its very letters.
What is it that deeply moves the Muslim when reciting from the Koran, when seeing its verses or, barely touching it ? Goethe says in his noten und Abhandlungen : " The style of the Koran is, in tune with its contents and goal, grand,awesome, and in some places truly sublime."
Islam is considered as the perfect society and way of life,which West appears to be loosing it.Unlike Bible and other scriptures, Koran is the basis for the entire life in a Muslim........
which keeps the quantity great........
Finally,Mike, if you would be kind to explain to the readers why quantity is not appreciated and important in a religion.
Hasni Essa
Response:
Dear Hasni,
"Finally, Mike, if you would be kind to explain to the readers why quantity is not appreciated and important in a religion."
Hasni, off the bat, the numbers were released by the Vatican. The numbers game has to do with politics of the religion and not spirituality. It is sending a signal to the Christian world to watch out, one such signal was sent two weeks ago on Sunday, converting Magdi Allam on Easter.
What is wrong with it is the intent. Are these events lead to conflict? or Bring peace? If all of us are adults and truly believe in freedom, it does not matter, but when we have people fanning the emotions and creating conflicts, it does matter.
As Muslims, should we brag about our numbers? if we do, what is the Niyyah? What is it that we want to prove? I rather go for the quality, as you have used the word. If we live an exemplary life, others would want to emulate what we do and rest will take care of itself. The numbers on the other hand breeds arrogance and God simply does not like arrogance, as arrogance leads to inequalities and that to injustice. God is all about justness and balance.
That is my opinion, and am always open to learn.
Jazak Allah Khair
Mike Ghouse
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