⏳ Religion and Life

1️⃣ The Purpose of Religion: The Five Essential Values (Zarûrât-ı Hamse)

Why do games have rules? Are rules made to spoil the game, or so that everyone can play safely?

🎯 In this section: we will learn what religion aims to achieve and the five essential values it seeks to protect.

The purpose of religion is to secure a person's happiness both in this world and in the hereafter. That is why its commands and prohibitions are not arbitrary; all of them look after the good of the human being. Islamic scholars named the five essential values that religion aims to protect zarûrât-ı hamse (the five necessities). "Zarûrât" means indispensable, necessary things; "hamse" means five.

These five essential values are: 1) protection of life, 2) protection of the intellect, 3) protection of lineage, 4) protection of property, 5) protection of religion. These rights belong not only to Muslims but to all human beings.

Many of religion's prohibitions exist specifically to protect these five values. The prohibition of taking a life protects life; the prohibition of intoxicants (alcohol, drugs) protects the intellect; the prohibition of adultery protects lineage; the prohibition of theft, fraud, bribery, gambling, and interest protects property; and the fact that no one can be forced to abandon their faith protects religion.

2️⃣ Religion Is a Social Phenomenon

If acts of worship were purely "between you and Allah," why do most of them bring people together?

🎯 In this section: we will learn the place of religion in social life and what acts of worship contribute to society.

Religion is not merely a feeling experienced in a person's inner world; it is also a social phenomenon. It brings people together, creates shared values among them, and makes living together easier. We see this most clearly in acts of worship.

Prayer (salah) gives a person discipline and order. Performed in congregation, it teaches even more: in the same row, the rich and the poor, the employer and the employee stand shoulder to shoulder. No one's rank, wealth, or title gives them superiority here; everyone is equal. This scene nurtures a sense of unity and equality in society.

Fasting strengthens patience and willpower. A person who goes hungry all day understands the condition of those who go hungry every day; this empathy drives them toward helping others. Fasting also teaches avoidance of waste by reminding people of the value of blessings.

Zakat turns sharing and mutual aid into an organized system. Because a regular share passes from the wealthy to those in need, income inequality decreases, and resentment and envy in society give way to solidarity.

Hajj, meanwhile, brings together people from every corner of the world who speak different languages and come from different backgrounds, in the same place. Everyone worships in the same garments, saying the same words. In this way, international brotherhood and acquaintance (ta'aruf) take place.

As a result, religion strengthens feelings of trust, solidarity, brotherhood, and peace among individuals. In a society that has internalized religious values, people trust one another more and do not leave each other alone in difficult times.

3️⃣ Lawful and Unlawful Ways of Earning

Between a 100 earned by cheating on a test and a 70 earned by studying... which one is really yours?

🎯 In this section: we will learn the importance of lawful earning and the forbidden ways of unjust gain.

Islam bases earnings on labor. Working, producing, and putting in effort are valuable. Lawful earning means that both the way of earning and the thing earned are legitimate. This principle is a direct consequence of the value of protection of property within the zarûrât-ı hamse: everyone's property must be secure, and no one should grow rich by consuming another's rights.

For this reason, unjust ways of earning are forbidden. Theft is taking another's property without permission. Fraud is deceiving the other party in a transaction, hiding a defect in goods, or giving short measure or weight. Bribery is a benefit given or received to get something done unjustly; it directly corrupts justice.

Gambling aims to gain purely through chance, without any effort; wherever there is a winner, there is certainly a loser. For this reason it destroys both families and society. Interest (riba) is the effortless, unearned multiplication of money; it is forbidden because it profits from the hardship of someone in need.

The common purpose of all these prohibitions is clear: to protect justice, trust, and respect for labor in society. In a society where people trust one another's property, there is peace; where fraud and unjust gain spread, mistrust grows.

4️⃣ False Religious Knowledge and Practices: Bid'ah, Superstition, Tahrif

Does saying "everyone does it this way" prove that a behavior is part of religion?

🎯 In this section: we will grasp the concepts of bid'ah, superstition, and tahrif, and the importance of learning religion from correct sources.

Over time, certain beliefs and practices that are not actually part of religion can become mixed into it. We name these with three concepts.

Bid'ah refers to beliefs and practices that appear in religion later on, which are not actually part of it. When a person presents a behavior they invented themselves as "a command of religion," that is bid'ah.

Superstition refers to false beliefs, incompatible with reason and religion, that have become mixed into religion over time. For example, believing that seeing a black cat or the number 13 brings bad luck, thinking only an evil-eye bead can protect a person, or believing one can learn about the future through fortune-telling or amulets, are all superstitions. All of these are wrong, because they attribute a power that in reality belongs only to Allah to other objects and people.

Tahrif, on the other hand, is the distortion of a religion's original form and its sacred texts by human hands. The Qur'an has never changed since the day it was revealed; Allah has declared that He will protect it.

So what is the solution? To learn religion from correct sources: the Qur'an, the authentic sunnah of the Prophet, and the works of reliable scholars. Ignorance paves the way for superstition; correct knowledge saves a person from both false beliefs and needless fears.

5️⃣ Getting to Know a Prophet: Prophet Joseph (Yusuf), peace be upon him

If the person who wronged you the most one day asked you for help, what would you do?

🎯 In this section: we will grasp the story of Prophet Joseph and the values it teaches us.

The life of Prophet Joseph is told from beginning to end as a complete narrative in the Qur'an, in Surah Yusuf. The Qur'an describes this story as "ahsan al-qasas", meaning "the most beautiful of stories."

Joseph was a child deeply loved by his father, Prophet Jacob. His brothers grew jealous and threw him into a well. A passing caravan found him and took him to Egypt, selling him as a slave. Years later, he resisted a shameful proposal made to him and preserved his chastity (iffah); nevertheless he was falsely accused and remained in prison for many years despite being innocent.

Even in prison, Joseph never lost his hope or his honesty. He became known for interpreting dreams accurately; when he interpreted the king's dream and presented a plan for the years of famine, his trustworthiness was recognized, and he was made a high official over Egypt (the senior official responsible for the treasury). He carried out this responsibility entrusted to him in the best way, upholding the trust placed in him.

When the years of famine came, those who came to obtain provisions included his own brothers. Joseph recognized them. He had the power to take revenge, but he did not. He forgave them, brought his family to him, and the scattered family was reunited.

The values this story teaches are: patience, chastity, truthfulness and honesty, trustworthiness (upholding trust), forgiveness, and the importance of family bonds.

6️⃣ Getting to Know a Surah: Surah Al-Asr and Its Meaning

What were you doing at this time yesterday? Is there any way to bring back time that has passed?

🎯 In this section: we will learn Surah Al-Asr and the four-point formula for salvation it offers.

Surah Al-Asr is the 103rd surah of the Qur'an; it was revealed in Mecca and consists of only three verses. The word "asr" means time, an era, or the late afternoon. The surah takes its name from this oath in the first verse.

The surah begins by swearing an oath by time, because time is a person's most precious and irretrievable capital. A striking judgment follows: mankind is truly in loss, that is, in hasr (loss). Every moment wasted works against the person.

However, the surah also shows a way out. Those saved from loss have four qualities: 1) those who believe, 2) those who do righteous deeds (beneficial, good works), 3) those who enjoin one another to truth, 4) those who enjoin one another to patience. The mutual counsel mentioned in the last two points is called tawasi; this shows that salvation is not achieved alone, but together.