Maulana Tariq Jameel’s supplication for safety against COVID-19: A Pragmatic analysis

Supplication, the symbol of man's humility, is at the core of all religions, with Allah regarded as the Supreme Being who listens to people's prayers and rewards them accordingly, regardless of religion. The purpose of this qualitative research is to look into the unique service provided by Maulana Tariq Jameel to God for protection from COVID-19, which is currently wreaking havoc on people's lives. On April 21, 2020, the program was broadcast live on the ARY News Channel's Shab-e- Meeraj programme, hosted by Waseem Badami, and was available to watch online. Devout Muslims from all over the world gathered for a specially organised 'Dua' to demonstrate their heartfelt humility and unwavering faith in Allah, who they believe will alleviate their deathly affliction as a result of their prayers. The video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSRuAo14NEI provided the data. The data was assessed using Aristotle's three modes of persuasion. The researchers paid close attention to the supplication during the study and coded the most relevant phrases before translating them from Urdu to English and analysed them from a pragmatic standpoint. The discussion section included references to prayers from a variety of religious traditions from various countries to integrate the study's findings. The study's findings show that when individuals, societies, or nations of any faith face a major calamity, they are more likely to be prone to Allah for protection than to other sources of protectionKeywords: Du’a, Persuasion, Religion, Staunch Faith, The sovereignty of Allah

A Comparative Study of Olodumare, the Yoruba Supreme Being and the Judea-Christian God

This comparative study of Olodumare in Yoruba thought and the Judeo-Christian God reviews the reasons why these two deities from different cul­tures are so often equated, when they are not necessarily so. This paper uses a philosophical-theological method of inquiry that is apt in giving a concise clarification of theological interface between the two religious and cultural be­liefs. It Is not the intention of this paper to argue that the Yoruba concept of 016dumare Is superior to the Christian concept of God. Rather, it is argued that they are not necessarily the same. Finally, the essay establishes that the Yoruba before the advent of Christianity had a philosophical concept of the existence of 016dumare, the Creator of everything that is in the primordial existence and the material world.

Didacticism and Philosophical Tenets in Ọbasa’s Poetry

Projection and promotion of Yoruba cultural ideology and philosophy are motifs in D.A. Ọbasa’s poetry. As an ingenious poet, Obasa adroitly blends the tropes of didacticism and philosophical tenets in his poetry. Existing works on his poetry have explored the thematic preoccupations of his poems, as well as their forms and stylistic features. However, little attention has been paid to the correlation between didacticism and philosophy in his poetry. Tis essay, therefore, identifies the basic tenets of philosophy in the form of ethical, metaphysical, and epistemological aspects of Yoruba philosophy in Obasa’a poetry with a view to establishing the way Yoruba philosophy is used to teach morals in the poems. Ọbasa’s philosophical inclination is anchored on Yoruba philosophy. Some of the philosophical tenets identified are ethical issues, like obedience, truth, hospitality and being respectful. Virtues are extolled, while vices, like jealousy, pride, disobedience and deceit are condemned. The metaphysical beliefs of the Yoruba in death, destiny, and life after death, as well as the belief in the Supreme Being (Olodumare) are also discussed. The epistemological values of Yoruba communal system and ìwà, and ọmọlúàbí concept are also entrenched in Ọbasa’s poetry. It is also revealed that satirical elements, especially humor are used to project Yoruba philosophical belief in order to imbue the reader with moral rectitude. There is a close link between Ọbasa’s poetry and the Yoruba sociocultural milieu. The essence of didacticism and philosophical tenet in his poems is to advance the social development of the Yoruba society and the larger Nigerian society.

Fundamental Code of Natural Laws in Ifá́ ́́ Divination as Agents of Morality for Good Governance in Nigeria

Ifá is the natural wisdom and knowledge concerning all life activities divinely revealed to Ọ́ rúnmìlà by Olódùmarè, God in Yorùbá belief. It is the living foundation and custodian of the deity, moral, economic, language, religion, healing arts, tradition, culture and metaphysical orders. However, the concern of this paper is on the moral contents of the natural laws in Ifá corpus. Basically, there are two fundamental codes of natural laws in Ifá divination under which all other laws in Ifá exist. The first law enjoined every human being to acknowledge Olódùmarè as the Supreme Being and father of the universe who created all things. While the second law says “do unto others what you want them do unto you.” However, it is quite unfortunate that, today, these laws that linked human relationships with the Supreme Being and the dos and don’ts of the divinities and those that hold the society together in harmonious relationships are no longer in proper use. This is evident in the lack of fear for the Creator, mismanagement of public funds, embezzlement and political killings, to mention a few. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to examine the natural laws in Ifá and suggest how it can help sustain our fragile democracy as it did in the traditional society in the past for the sake of our future. The paper is premised on Matthew Flanagan’s theory of divine commands which asserts that what is moral is determined by what God commands, and to be moral is to follow his commands.

Ritual Domestikasi Padi Lokal dalam Budaya Sasak-Lombok

The rice plant for Indonesia, especially in Lombok, is considered unique, not only as a production crop but also as a sacred plant. From the process of planting to harvesting, this plant is treated specially with rituals with religious nuances. This study aims to describe the socio-cultural symptoms of local rice domestication rituals among traditional farmers in Lombok. Based on this description, it is hoped that the views, knowledge, values, and rules will become the reference for the behavior of the rural Sasak people as growers of local rice types. The approach used to achieve this goal is a phenomenological approach. Primary data of this study were obtained through in-depth interviews (structured and non-structured to informants) and participatory observation. The results showed that the local rice domestication ritual is a form of awareness of the cultural-religious views of the local community by combining local knowledge and religious knowledge (Sufistic teachings, as represented in the mantra of planting rice and the concept of pare anak iwoq or orphan rice in pare pemol or rice starter/marker) as a manifestation of the awareness of the Supreme Being and the cosmos. This awareness of the Supreme Being and the universe becomes a reference for local farmers in their behavior, especially in agriculture. With these two types of consciousness, they are guided and directed toward safety, security, and balance.

Reflection

The concept of power in Fulani and Bamana metaphysics, derived from indigenous traditions according to the Fulani traditionalist Amadou Hampaté Bâ, stems from the archetype represented by the word. This archetype originates from the Supreme Force, which is an aspect of the Supreme Being, who creates through the power of the verb. Power, in this sense, multiple in its omnipresence and one in terms of its source, is at the same time spiritual energy and its physical manifestations in the world. To access this power, the human being has to reach a state of internal equilibrium through diverse initiations. These initiations facilitate the human being’s perception and expression of the sacred forces through speech, helping to recognize their sacred polyvalence and encourage human reflection of divine speech. The appropriate management of invisible forces leads the human being to become at once the guarantor of harmony and the interlocutor of God.

Portraits of ‘angels’: Some Ancient Near Eastern and Old Testament perspectives in relation to ATR belief system(s)

For the modern mind the notion of heavenly beings or ‘angels’ is an enigmatic and fascinating phenomenon. In the Ancient Near Eastern world and in the Hebrew Bible the word for ‘angel’, namely mal’ āk, is widely attested and refers to both human and supernatural emissaries. The notion and function of angels as messenger-beings are evident. In the Israelite faith and their confession of a sole monotheistic God, Yahweh, several questions arise regarding these ‘angels’: who were these human and supernatural entities? In addition, the Hebrew Bible also recorded ‘other’ ‘angel’-like beings, such as Seraphim and Cherubim. Then there was the ‘angel’ of Yahweh! Who was this figure, and what role did he play in the portrayal of the theologies of the Hebrew Bible? Were there fallen angels? And what has the Hebrew Bible to say about Satan? Ultimately, perspectives on ‘angels’ in the Hebrew Bible are brought into relation with realities of the ‘seen’ and the ‘unseen’ in or from Africa in perspectives of the worldview of African Traditional Religions (ATR). Various categories and agents in African Traditional Religions and their belief systems are apparent. These include the Supreme Being (God), divinities, and spirits. The relationship between the Supreme Being and the other categories describe the character, nature and function of all these entities. Primary and minor divinities are distinguished. They are created, are derivations of God, receive functions to perform in the universe. Furthermore, they serve intermediatory functions between the Supreme Being (the ‘unseen’) and humankind (the ‘seen’). Spirits are similarly ‘created’ entities. In many African narratives they are portrayed in human form, activities and personalities (a change from the ‘unseen’ into the ‘seen’). Hereby the interaction between the ‘seen’ and the ‘unseen’ in African Traditional Religions remain real.

Intellectual Responsibility and Epistemological Theism

One of the most interesting and widely discussed trends in modern epistemology is the so-called intellectual ethics, normative in its essence, centered around the concept of epistemic virtue, based on the idea of metaphysical anthropology, supplemented by elements of theology. The last consists in the idea of a certain “gift” to a person from the side of the Supreme Being, which is God – and this gift lies in the epistemic virtues inherent in the individual. This subject-centered concept emphasizes the intellectual and epistemic qualities of the cognizing subject that guarantee the truth of their beliefs. However, if is God the true guarantor of their “epistemic reliability” and the possibility of thus identifying justified belief with knowledge? The reliability of the cognitive human ability is seen in the realization of virtus as “perfection in being for the good”, in this case epistemic, the only guarantee of which can only be divine will. Is it so? This article attempts to answer this question in the course of reconstruction and analysis of the epistemological-theistic approach to defining one of the key epistemic virtues of the cognizing subject – intellectual responsibility.

The African Traditional Religious Ontology of God, Divinities, and Spirits

Earlier scholars of religion argued that Africans were animists and polytheists who didn't have the concept of a supreme being because they did not see clearly the distinction between the supreme being and divinities. It's recent that indigenous scholars disputed this and redefined the relationship as ‘diffused monotheism'. God seemed to be remote to the Africans' daily affairs of life, and African culture of respect and honor had a role in this. The authors attempt to present a reality of an accurate outlook of the obscure yet clear religious ontology of God, divinities, and spirits in the African indigenous religion. Durkheim asserted religion divided society into two categories, the profane and the sacred; nevertheless, in the African religious ontology, the two are intermixed in everyday experiences. On the flip-side, to overlook the concept of spirit being in the African worldview is to proscribe an African religious belief system.

Concepts of God, Divinities, Ancestors, and Spirits in African Traditional Religious Thought

The concept of god, divinities, ancestors, and spirits in African traditional religious ontology has been misunderstood by many scholars to the point of seeing Africans as people who did not know the supreme being nor worship him. Africans were seen as worshipping strange god(s). Against this backdrop, the researcher undertook this study to show that the concept of god is not strange to Africans and that in traditional Africa there is no atheist. Africans rather see the divinities as special beings, offspring, and/or apparitional beings who receive their authority from the supreme being to serve in the unitary theocratic system of the supreme being's government. This study adopts the descriptive and analytical research methods to investigate African traditional religious lifestyle, beliefs, and practices. This chapter concludes by suggesting that there is the need for proper religious education, a theology of enculturation, and understanding of African worldviews in order to sustain Africans' beliefs and practices.