Islamic, Hindu Works to Memorize

[dragons in the flower bed]

I need something for Islam. I've got parts of Genesis, Psalm 23, Sermon on the Mount, and I think I know what I want to use for Buddhism. Anyone have any ideas for other religious passages worth memorizing?

 

Edited to add: Please DO suggest other passages from other religions. They can be long. They should be lovely and inspiring and don't necessarily have to be famous or even about that religion, just from it.

Edited May 28, 2010 by dragons in the flower bed

[Bayt ul-Hikmah]

For Islam, I would recommend Surat ul-Fatiha. This translates as Opening Chapter, and it is the first chapter of the Quran. A Muslim will recite it 17 times daily in the five obligatory prayers. Of course, we recite it in Arabic, but I'll give you the best translation I've found.

 

Surat ul-Fatiha

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, Lord of the worlds

The Owner of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy

Master of the Day of Judgment

It is You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.

Guide us to the straight path --

The path of those upon whom You have bestowed your favor, not of those who have evoked Your anger nor of those who are astray.

 

I recommend you listen to it in Arabic, so you can appreciate the true beauty of it. You can search youtube for many recitations, but here is

. Edited May 27, 2010 by Bayt ul-Hikmah

[Kate in Arabia]

Some verses from the Qur'an:

 

Whatever wealth you spend, let it be for parents, relatives, orphans, the destitute, and the wayfarer.

 

A friendly word and forgiveness are better than charity followed by injury.

 

Cover not the truth with the false, nor conceal the truth while you know it.

 

Repel evil with what is better; then he with whom there was enmity, he will become as though he was a good friend.

 

 

 

Some famous hadiths (sayings by or about Muhammad):

 

Whosoever of you sees an evil action, let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then with his tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart; and that is the weakest of faith."

 

A man asked the Prophet, "What is the best in Islam?" He said, "Feeding the poor and offering greetings to a person you know and a person you don't know."

 

Cleanliness is half of faith.

 

A man asked, "O Messenger of God, who has the greatest right of good company from me?" He replied, "Your mother." He asked, "Who next?" He replied, "Your mother." He asked, "Who next?" He replied, "Your mother." He asked, "Who next?" He replied, "Your father."

 

The most excellent virtue is a person's kind treatment of his father's friends after he has passed away.

 

 

I have a couple of books that have shorter Qur'anic verses and hadiths grouped by topic (that's where I took most of these from); maybe only of interest to Muslim posters, but in the event:

 

Qur'an for Children

 

Ahadith for Children

 

hth!

[helena]

I don't know if this is way off, but Cat Stevens had a song called A is for Allah

Here are the lyrics:http://www.lyricsdownload.com/yusuf-islam-alif-is-for-allah-lyrics.html

 

Here is the song (which can just as easily be spoken)

[helena]

This may be way too much? The 99 Names of Allah?

Here is a little info on them:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_God_in_the_Qur'an

[dragons in the flower bed]

Thank you! If anyone else has suggestions, please, keep them coming. I am looking for something that is inspirational and beautiful and would be seen as such by pretty much any human being with a beating heart. In my experience there is something of this nature in every holy book.

Edited May 27, 2010 by dragons in the flower bed

[Leav97]

out of curiosity what do you plan to use for Buddhism?

[dragons in the flower bed]

out of curiosity what do you plan to use for Buddhism?

 

 

"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it."

[Devotional Soul]

For Hinduism, here's a Bhagavad Gita online:

 

http://bhagavadgitaasitis.com/en1

 

Here's a good one:

 

Bhagavad Gita 3.35: It is far better to discharge one's prescribed duties, even though faultily, than another's duties perfectly. Destruction in the course of performing one's own duty is better than engaging in another's duties, for to follow another's path is dangerous.

[sleepymommy]

Here is a Hindu sanskrit prayer for peace:

 

Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah

 

Sarve Santu Niramayah

 

Sarve Bhadrani Pushyantu

 

Maa Kaschid Dukhabhaag Bhavet

 

Om Shaanti Shaanti Shaanti

 

Meaning:

May everybody be happy.

 

May everybody be free from disease.

 

May everybody have good luck.

 

May none fall on evil days.

 

Peace, peace, peace.

 

Here is a sloka from the Bhagavad Geeta:

 

For one who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, I am never lost, nor is he ever lost to Me. (BG 6.30)

Edited May 27, 2010 by sleepymommy
clarification

[Alessandra]

For Islam, I would recommend Surat ul-Fatiha. This translates as Opening Chapter, and it is the first chapter of the Quran. A Muslim will recite it 17 times daily in the five obligatory prayers. Of course, we recite it in Arabic, but I'll give you the best translation I've found.

 

Surat ul-Fatiha

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, Lord of the worlds

The Owner of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy

Master of the Day of Judgment

It is You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.

Guide us to the straight path --

The path of those upon whom You have bestowed your favor, not of those who have evoked Your anger nor of those who are astray.

 

I recommend you listen to it in Arabic, so you can appreciate the true beauty of it. You can search youtube for many recitations, but here is

.

 

Thank you for the quote and the youtube links -- they are really beautiful.

[oldskool]

For Islam I would also say Surah al-Fatiha. It is the chapter that every Muslim must know in order to say the obligatory prayers.

[MamaSheep]

I need something for Islam. I've got parts of Genesis Psalm 23 too, Sermon on the Mount, and I think I know what I want to use for Buddhism. Anyone have any ideas for other religious passages worth memorizing?

 

Would you be interested in a passage from Mormon scripture? If so, what sort of criteria would I use to choose one to suggest? (If not, I won't be offended at all, I'll just assume we're rolled in with the rest of Christianity. ;) )

Edited May 28, 2010 by MamaSheep

[dragons in the flower bed]

Would you be interested in a passage from Mormon scripture? If so, what sort of criteria would I use to choose one to suggest? (If not, I won't be offended at all, I'll just assume we're rolled in with the rest of Christianity. ;) )

 

Sure! I have a separate Catholic piece, the prayer of St. Francis, so may as well have a separate Mormon one. Anything that is objectively beautiful or inspiring. Like... you know how the story of Naomi & Ruth chokes up pretty much everyone no matter what religion they are? Something like that. Or else something with very pretty language, or something that is The Most Famous Passage.

Edited May 28, 2010 by dragons in the flower bed
rogue apostrophe

[sleepymommy]

One more that is good is an ancient Sanskrit hymn from the Rg Veda.

 

Ekam sat vipraha bahudha vadanti (Rg Veda I.64.46)

 

Truth is one, the wise call it by many names.

[Just Robyn]

I have always loved the bolded portion of this translation of the Tao Te Ching. I'm sure you could find many beautiful passages there.

 

 

 

The Tao that can be talked about is not the true Tao.

The name that can be named is not the eternal name.

Everything in the universe comes out of Nothing.

Nothing - the nameless is the beginning;

While Heaven, the mother is the creatrix of all things.

Follow the nothingness of the Tao,

and you can be like it, not needing anything,

seeing the wonder and the root of everything.

And even if you cannot grasp this nothingness,

you can still see something of the Tao in everything.

These two are the same only called by different names

- and both are mysterious and wonderful.

All mysteries are Tao, and Heaven is their mother;

She is the gateway and the womb-door.

[Devotional Soul]

One more that is good is an ancient Sanskrit hymn from the Rg Veda.

 

Ekam sat vipraha bahudha vadanti (Rg Veda I.64.46)

 

Truth is one, the wise call it by many names.

 

That reminded me of the Vedic proverb from the Mandaka Upanishad:

 

''satyam eva jayate' which means 'truth alone prevails'

 

Also, this one:

 

Bhagavad Gita 13.16: The Supreme Truth exists outside and inside of all living beings, the moving and the nonmoving. Because He is subtle, He is beyond the power of the material senses to see or to know. Although far, far away, He is also near to all.

[Spy Car]

If you're going to memorize al-Fatiha I suggest doing it in Arabic. There are transliterations, and many recording available. It is a short passage, and certainly do-able.

 

Memorizing a translation just wouldn't be the same.

 

Bill

[stripe]

If you're going to memorize al-Fatiha I suggest doing it in Arabic. There are transliterations, and many recording available. It is a short passage, and certainly do-able.

 

Memorizing a translation just wouldn't be the same.

Perhaps not, but unless it is accompanied by an understanding of the meaning, it is easy for things in other languages to become gobbledygook.

[MamaSheep]

Sure! I have a separate Catholic piece, the prayer of St. Francis, so may as well have a separate Mormon one. Anything that is objectively beautiful or inspiring. Like... you know how the story of Naomi & Ruth chokes up pretty much everyone no matter what religion they are? Something like that. Or else something with very pretty language, or something that is The Most Famous Passage.

 

One passage that comes to mind as "The Most Famous Passage" (though it isn't necessarily so) is James 1:5 in the New Testament, because it's the passage that sort of sparked off the whole Restoration. However, I'm guessing you'd prefer something a little more uniquely LDS.

 

One very well-known passage from the Book of Mormon that comes immediately to mind from what you said is Alma 32:28-41 (give or take a couple of verses before and/or after). I think it comes to mind partly because you pointed out how things that are objectively beautiful or inspiring tend to choke up anyone, regardless of their particular religious profession, and this passage kind of goes along with that theme. It compares a teaching that one might hear to a seed and points out that if the "seed" is good, it will swell, sprout, and begin to grow; likewise if a teaching is good it will enlarge the soul, enlighten the understanding, and expand the mind. This is one way to know whether a "seed", or idea is "good". It's a bit long for memorization, though, unless your student is a memorizing machine...lol.

 

A slightly shorter, equally well-known passage is 2 Nephi 2:11-15, which talks about opposition.

 

An even shorter passage, which I love not only for its message, but also for its poetic language comes from another book of scripture, The Doctrine and Covenants. D&C 88:40-41:

 

40 For intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence; wisdom receiveth wisdom; truth embraceth truth; virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto light; mercy hath compassion on mercy and claimeth her own; justice continueth its course and claimeth its own; judgment goeth before the face of him who sitteth upon the throne and governeth and executeth all things.

41 He comprehendeth all things, and all things are before him, and all things are round about him; and he is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things; and all things are by him, and of him, even God, forever and ever.

[swimmermom3]

Rose, I don't know if you would be interested in this, but there is a lovely book, Sacred Moments by Linda Kavelin Popov, which contains daily meditations that are drawn from the sacred texts of world religions.

 

Humility puts an end to a bad reputation,

self-effort destroys misfortune,

forgiveness destroys anger,

and good conduct wears away undesirable qualities.

~The Mahabharata

 

Spirit who comes out of the East,

come to me with the power of the rising sun.

Let there be light in my word.

Let there be light on the path that I walk.

Let me remember always that you give the gift

of a new day.

Never let me be burdened with sorrow by not

starting over.

~Excerpt from "Let Me Walk in Beauty,"

Native American tradition

 

If there is light in the

soul,

There will be beauty in the person.

If there is beauty in the person,

There will be harmony in the house.

If there is harmony in the house,

There will be order in the nation.

If there is order in the nation,

There will be peace in the world.

~Chinese proverb

 

A tethered bird grows

tired of flying about in vain.

To find a place of rest

And settles down at last on its own perch,

So the mind, tired of wandering about

Hither and thither, settles down at last

In the Self, dear one, to whom it is bound.

~ The Chandogya Upanishad

[MamaSheep]

Rose, I don't know if you would be interested in this, but there is a lovely book, Sacred Moments by Linda Kavelin Popov, which contains daily meditations that are drawn from the sacred texts of world religions.

 

...

Oh that sounds really cool!

[Bayt ul-Hikmah]

That youtube video was so neat. Bayt, I just noticed your own blog; your boys are adorable. Have you ever seen Qalballah's blog, Islamic Homeschool Diary? I used to read that daily.

 

Thanks! My blog tends to get neglected, but I try to keep up with it primarily so family can keep up with our goings-on.

 

I hadn't seen Islamic Homeschool Diary before, but I'm off exploring it now!

[keptwoman]

I'm bookmarking this thread!!

Rose, please do tell more. Are you doing a study in world religions, or is this simply memory work. I'm feeling the need for a study, so I'm all ears! Even memory work though would be a big step up from the nothing we are currently doing.

[swimmermom3]

Oh that sounds really cool!

 

It's one of my favorite inspirational books. She also has The Family Virtues Guide. Even as a family without a specific religious affiliation, I still wanted materials that would help me talk about building a moral foundation and a spiritual practice with a world viewpoint in mind. I really can't say enough good things about either of these books.

I'm bookmarking this thread!!

Rose, please do tell more. Are you doing a study in world religions, or is this simply memory work. I'm feeling the need for a study, so I'm all ears! Even memory work though would be a big step up from the nothing we are currently doing.

 

Rose, I too am intrigued by what you are doing. I wish I had thought of this for copywork instead of some of the primary source materials we used.

[dragons in the flower bed]

I'm bookmarking this thread!!

Rose, please do tell more. Are you doing a study in world religions, or is this simply memory work.

 

No, I'm just hoping to include some memory work that can help the children feel some empathy towards people of any religion.

[Corraleno]

It's one of my favorite inspirational books. She also has The Family Virtues Guide. Even as a family without a specific religious affiliation, I still wanted materials that would help me talk about building a moral foundation and a spiritual practice with a world viewpoint in mind. I really can't say enough good things about either of these books.

We're in the same place, thanks for the links to both books, they look perfect!

 

Jackie