1<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>PakistanPaedia - Religions in Pakistan</TITLE> 2<META 3content="pakistan,islam,hinduism,christianity,sikhism,parsi,"name=Keywords> 4<META 5content="This site is a brief encyclopaedia of about pakistan, pakistani people, pakistan's landscape, pakistan's history and culture, pakistan's great painters and calligraphists, founder of pakistan" 6name=Description> 7<LINK REL="SHORTCUT ICON" HREF="../logo_jhb.ico"> 8<style 9type="text/css"> body { scrollbar-arrow-color: #FFD700; scrollbar-base-color:#fffff; 10scrollbar-dark-shadow-color: ffffff; scrollbar-track-color: #006400; scrollbar-face-color: 11#228B22; scrollbar-shadow-color: ffffff; scrollbar-highlight-color: ffffff; scrollbar-3d-light-color: 12ffffff; } </style> 13 14<style> 15a { text-decoration:none} a:hover { color: red; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal;} 16</style> 17</HEAD> 18<body background=../faded_flag1.gif bgproperties=fixed> 19<IMG src="../logo_pp-header.gif" width="100%" height="104"><br> 20<hr> 21<p> </p> 22<center> 23<img border="0" src="pic_islam-Allah.JPG" width="202" height="259"> 24<h1>Religion and Pakistan</h1> 25</center> 26<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial">The Islamic republic of Pakistan 27and Islam are synonymous since Pakistan was carved out of the Hindu dominated 28British India so that Muslims could live and practice their religion free of any 29bondage, subjugation and fear. Today, about 97 percent of all 30Pakistanis are Muslims. As per a rough estimate, Sunni Muslims 31constitute 77 percent of the population and that adherents of Shia Islam make up 32an additional 20 percent. This makes Pakistan the second largest Sunni 33population in the world (after Indonesia) and the second largest Shia population 34in the world (after Iran). Most of the Sunnis adhere to the Hanafi school of 35jurisprudence, whilst most of the Shias belong to the Ithna 'ashariyah school of 36jurisprudence. Smaller Muslim sects include the Ismailis and the Dawoodi Bohras. Christians, Hindus, and members of other religions 37each account for about 1 percent of the population. Although, the Islamic 38Republic of Pakistan is a predominant Muslim state, its minorities are given 39equal opportunities to participate in the affairs of the state with complete 40freedom and the right to practice their own faith. This is manifested in the 41form of large number churches, temples and other holy places of minority 42religion population.</font></p> 43<p align="center"> 44 <img src=../lhr/masjid1.jpg hspace=5 width=449 height=271 alt="lahore badshahi mosque"></font></p> 45<p align="center"><font face="arial" size="2"> 46<a href="../landmarks/badshahi_mosque-lahore.htm">Badshahi Mosque</a>, Lahore</font></p> 47<p align="justify"><font face="Arial"><b>Islam</b></font></p> 48<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Arial"> 49<img border="0" src="../pakistan%20ka%20matlab.gif" align="left" width="140" height="32">Islam is the dominating religion of almost 97% people of Pakistan, since 50Pakistan was carved out of the erstwhile British India on the basic plea by 51Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan that Hindus and Muslims are 52two separate entities and they cannot coexist under one roof for many reasons, 53religion and religion related dissimilarities being the major cause. While 54Hindus worshipped cow, Muslims, like all other religions, ate it as a blessing 55from the Almighty Allah. Hindus drink urine, while Muslims treated as impure 56thing to do. Hindus turned towards hand made idols for worship, while the 57Muslims bowed in humility towards the all powerful Creator of the mankind and 58the universe. Therefore Muslims of India decided to find a place for themselves 59where they could be free to practice their religion as per the aspirations and 60tenants of Islam. The popular slogan at that time was "Pakistan Ka Matlab Kia - 61La Illah ha Illilal La" (What is the meaning of Pakistan - There is no God but 62Allah").</font></p> 63<p align="justify"><font face="Arial" size="2">The central belief in Islam is that there is only one God, Allah, and that the 64Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him) was his final messenger. Muhammad is 65held to be the "seal of the prophets." Islam is derived from the Judeo-Christian
66tradition and regards Abraham (Ibrahim) and Jesus (Isa) as prophets and 67recognizes the validity of the Old Testament and New Testament. 68The word Islam comes from aslama (to submit), and the one who submits- -a 69Muslim- is a believer who achieves peace, or salaam. God, the creator, is 70invisible and omnipresent; to represent God in any form is a sin. <br> 71<br> 72The Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him) was born in A.D. 570 and became a 73merchant in the Arabian town of Mecca. At the age of forty, he began to receive 74a series of revelations from God revealed through the angel Gabriel. His 75monotheistic message, which disdained the idolatry that was popularly practiced 76at the Kaaba (now in the Great Mosque and venerated as a shrine of Muslim 77pilgrimage) in Mecca at that time, was ridiculed by the town's leaders. Muhammad 78and his followers were forced to emigrate in 622 to the nearby town of Yathrib, 79later known as Medina or "the city." This move, the hijra, marks the beginning 80of the Islamic era. In the ten years before his death in 632, the Prophet 81continued preaching and receiving revelations, ultimately consolidating both the 82temporal and the spiritual leadership of Arabia. <br> 83<br> 84The Quran, the holy scripture of Islam, plays a pivotal role in Muslim social 85organization and values. The Quran, which literally means "reciting," is 86recognized by believers as truly the word of God, and as such it is eternal, 87absolute, and irrevocable. The fact that the Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon 88him) was the last of the prophets 89and that no further additions to "the word" are allowed is significant; it 90closes the door to new revelations. 91That there can be no authorized translation of the Quran in any language other 92than the original, Arabic, is crucial to its unifying importance. <br> 93<br> 94The Prophet's life is considered exemplary. His active engagement in worldly 95activities established precedents for Muslims to follow. These precedents, 96referred to as the hadith, include the statements, actions, and moods or 97feelings of the Prophet. The Quran and the hadith together form the sunna, a comprehensive guide 98to spiritual, ethical, and social living. <br> 99<br> 100The <b>five pillars of Islam</b> consist of certain beliefs and acts to which a 101Muslim must adhere to affirm membership in the community. The first is the <b> 102shahada</b> (testimony), the affirmation of the faith, which succinctly states 103the central belief of Islam: "There is no god but God (Allah), and Muhammad is 104his Prophet." To become a Muslim, one needs only to recite this statement. 105Second is <b>salat</b>, the obligation for a Muslim to pray at five set times 106during the day. Muslims value prayers recited communally, especially the midday
107prayers on Friday, the Muslim sabbath. Mosques have emerged as important social 108and political centers as a by-product of this unifying value. The third pillar 109of Islam is <b>zakat</b>, the obligation to provide alms for the poor and 110disadvantaged. The fourth is <b>saum</b>, the obligation to fast from sunrise to 111sunset during the holy month of Ramadan, in commemoration of the beginning of 112the Prophet's revelations from Allah. The final pillar is the expectation that 113every adult Muslim physically and financially able to do so perform the <b>hajj</b>, 114the pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once in his or her lifetime. The pilgrimage 115occurs during the last month of the Muslim lunar calendar, just over a month 116after the end of Ramadan. Its social importance as a unifier of the greater 117Muslim umma (community of believers) has led to the establishment of hajj 118committees for its regulation in every Muslim country. The pilgrimage of a 119Muslim to the sacred places at any other time of the year is referred to as umra 120(visitation).<br> 121<br> 122The concept of predestination in Islam is different from that in Christianity. 123Islam posits the existence of an all-powerful force (Allah) who rules the 124universe and knows all things. Something will happen- inshaallah- if it is God's 125will. The concept is not purely fatalistic, for although people are responsible 126to God for their actions, these actions are not predestined. Instead, God has 127shown the world the right way to live as revealed through the Quran; then it is 128up to individual believers to choose how to live. <br> 129<br> 130There are two major sects, the Sunnis and the Shia, in Islam. They are 131differentiated by Sunni acceptance of the temporal authority of the 132Khulfa-e-Rashudin - Caliphate (Abu Bakr, Omar, Usman, and Ali) after the death 133of the Prophet and the Shia acceptance solely of Ali, the Prophet's cousin and 134husband of his daughter, Fatima, and his descendants. Over time, the Sunni sect 135divided into four major schools of jurisprudence; of these, the Hanafi school is 136predominant in Pakistan. The Shia sect split over the matter of succession, 137resulting in two major groups: the majority Twelve Imam Shia believe that there 138are twelve rightful imams, Ali and his eleven direct descendants. A second Shia 139group, the numerically smaller Ismaili community, known also as Seveners, 140follows a line of imams that originally challenged the Seventh Imam and 141supported a younger brother, Ismail. The Ismaili line of leaders has been 142continuous down to the present day. The current leader, Prince Karim Agha Khan, 143who is active in international humanitarian efforts, is a direct descendant of 144Ali.</font></p> 145<p align="center"> 146 <img border="0" src="../landmarks/faisal/pic_faisal-mosque06.gif" width="280" height="175"> 147 <img border="0" src="../landmarks/thatta/pic_shah_jahan-mosque03.gif" width="246" height="176"> 148<img border="0" src="pic_religion-islam_idgahmosque-multan.jpeg" width="220" height="176"></p> 149<p align="center"><font face="Arial" size="2">Left to Right: <a href="../landmarks/faisal/faisal_mosque-pakistan.htm">Faisal Mosque</a> (Islamabad), 150<a href="../landmarks/thatta/shah_jahan-mosque_thatta.htm">Shah Jahan Mosque</a> (Thatta), Idgah Mosque 151(Multan)</font></p> 152<p align="justify"><font face="Arial" size="2">The mosques are place of worship 153of the Muslims and are revered in high religious esteem. Muslims take much love 154and care while constructing mosques to express their faithfulness and allegiance 155to Allah. The Muguls during their rule in India, constructed some of the most 156exotic and beautiful mosques in the world. 157<a href="../landmarks/badshahi_mosque-lahore.htm">Badshahi Mosque</a> in Lahore 158stands as the symbol of Islam throughout the world of Islam. Some other 159beautiful mosques of Pakistan include the 160<a href="../landmarks/faisal/faisal_mosque-pakistan.htm">Faisal Mosque</a> in 161Islamabad, <a href="../landmarks/wazir/wazir_khan-mosque.htm">Masjid Wazir Khan</a> 162(Lahore), <a href="../landmarks/mohabat/masjid_mahabat-khan.htm">Masjid Mohabat 163Khan</a> (Peshawar), Idgah Mosque (Multan), 164<a href="../landmarks/bhong/bhong_mosque.htm">Bhong Mosque</a> (Rahim Yar Khan) 165and the beautiful <a href="../landmarks/thatta/shah_jahan-mosque_thatta.htm"> 166Shah Jahan Mosque</a> of Thatta.</font></p> 167<p align="justify"><font face="Arial Black" size="2">Other Religions in Pakistan</font></p> 168<p align="center"> 169<img border="0" src="pic_religion-christians-church.JPG" width="198" height="153"> 170<img border="0" src="pic_religion-christians-regal_church.JPG" width="112" height="153"> 171 <font face=arial size=2> 172 <img src=../cul/sikhs.jpg alt=sikhs width=266 height=153></font></p> 173<p align="justify"><font face="Arial Black" size="2">Christians </font> 174<font size="2" face="Arial">are the largest religious minority community in 175Pakistan, numbering only around 1.6 million people, or 1% of Pakistan's entire 176population, according to the sources cited in the Demographics of Pakistan.
177Christians found their way to India through missionaries accompanied colonizing 178forces from Portugal, France and Great Britain, but in north western India, 179today's Pakistan, Christianity was mainly brought by the British rulers of India 180in the later 18th and 19th century. This is evidenced in cities established by 181the British, such as the port city of Karachi, where the St. Patrick's 182Cathedral, Pakistan's largest church stands, and the churches in the city of 183Rawalpindi, where the British established a major military cantonment. 184Christians have made immense contributions to the Pakistani national life. 185Pakistan's first non-Muslim and certainly most respected Chief Justice of 186Pakistan Supreme Court was Justice A R Cornelius. Pakistani Christians also 187distinguished themselves as great fighter pilots in the Pakistan Air Force. 188Notable amongst them are Cecil Chaudhry, Peter O'Reilly and Mervyn L Middlecoat. 189Christians have also contributed as educationists, doctors, lawyers and 190businessmen.</font></p> 191 192<p align="center"><font face="Arial" size="2"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarfrazh/2616398265/" title="Gurdwara Dera Sahib Panjvin Patshahi, Lahore, Pakistan - April 2008 by Autumn Sun and Autumn Colours, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3015/2616398265_d2d61640e0.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Gurdwara Dera Sahib Panjvin Patshahi, Lahore, Pakistan - April 2008 " /></a></font></p> 193 194<p align="center"><font face="Arial" size="2">Gurudwara Dera Sahib Panjvin 195 Patshahi - Lahore (Photo courtesy:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarfrazh/2616398265/in/set-72157594493859198/" target=_blank> 196Autumn Sun and Autumn Colours</a></font></p> 197 198<p align="justify"><font face="Arial Black">Sikhism</font><font face="Arial" size="2"> 199in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan constitute a very small minority religion, but has many cultural, historical and political ties to the country, 200and to the historical region of Punjab. Pakistan has a significant place in 201Sikhism. Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism was born in present-day Pakistan, 202and it is said he received his message near Lahore. Therefore, the religion 203actually originated in Pakistan. Most of Sikhism's holy sites are located in 204Pakistan. Many other great Sikh leaders, including Ranjit Singh and several 205gurus, were born in Pakistan. </font></p> 206<p align="justify"><font face="Arial" size="2"> 207Prior to the Partition of India in 1947, 208which divided British India into its successor states of Pakistan and India, 209Sikhs were spread all across the region of Punjab and played an important role 210in its economy as businessmen and traders. Lahore, the capital of (now 211Pakistani) Punjab was then and still is today the location of many important 212religious and historical sites for Sikhs, including the Samadhi of Ranjit Singh. 213The nearby town of Nankana Sahib has nine gurdwaras, and is the birthplace of 214Sikhism's founder, Guru Nanak Dev. Each of Nankana Sahib's gurdwaras are 215associated with different events in Guru Nanak Dev's life. The town remains an 216important site of pilgrimage for Sikhs worldwide. The historical and holy sites 217of Sikhs are maintained by a Pakistani governmental body, the Pakistan Sikh 218Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, which is responsible for their upkeep and 219preservation.</font></p> 220 221<p align="justify"> 222 <img border="0" src="../forces/pic_harcharn-singh.gif" width="95" height="78" align="left"></p> 223 224<p align="justify"><font face="Arial" size="2">The largest Sikh population in 225Pakistan is found in Peshawar, in the Northwest Frontier Province. Sikhs are 226also found in sizable communities in Waziristan and Swat of the Northwest 227Frontier Province. There are also pockets of Sikhs in Lahore, Nankana Sahib, and 228Hassan Abdal in Punjab, and Gwadar, Kalat, and Quetta districts of Balochistan. 229The (West) Punjab and Sindh provinces of Pakistan were mostly emptied of their 230Sikh and Hindu population during the process of partition. Today, very large 231segments of the populations of East Punjab and Haryana states and Delhi in India 232can trace their ancestry back to towns and villages now in Pakistan, including 233current Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Recently, due to open door policy, 234Pakistani Sikhs have been given commission into the Pakistan Army.</font></p> 235 236<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" style="border-collapse: collapse" bordercolor="#111111" width="100%" id="AutoNumber1"> 237 <tr> 238 <td width="100%" bgcolor="#FFFF00"> 239 <p align="justify"><font face="Arial" size="2">Gurudwara Dera Sahib Panjvin 240 Patshahi - Shrine of Guru Arjan Dev (1563- 1606 A.D) Lahore : Gurudwara Dera 241 Sahib is situated opposite Lahore Fort near Badshahi Mosque. This is the 242 place where Sat Gur Arjun Dev Ji was martyred in the River Ravi facing the 243 tortures inflicted by Chandu on 30th May 1606 AD. 244 The Gurudwara was built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the memory of Guru Arjan 245 Dev, the fifth Sikh Guru who complied the Adi Granth, the principal part of 246 Sikh scriptures. This shrine has a highly gilded attractive dome. The 247 followers of Guru Arjan Singh assert that it is the same spot where Guru 248 Arjan Dev miraculously disappeared in 1606 A.D. in the waters of river Ravi. 249 The site where Guru Arjun Dev was martyred a Thara (platform) Sahib was 250 built at by Guru Hargobind Ji in Samvat 1919 when he came to Lahore visiting 251 Gur Asthans. </font></td> 252 </tr> 253</table> 254 255<p align="justify"><font face="Arial" size="2"><b>Hinduism</b> was once the main 256religion of areas that are now included in Pakistan and dates back to Mehrgarh 257and Indus Valley Civilizations. It remained unchallenged religion of the Indian 258sub-continent till the first invasion of Arabs in 711 AD by 259<a href="../landmarks/bhambhore/bhambhore.htm">Muhammad Bin Qasim</a>. 260Thereafter, it endured many conquests and invasions, different rulers, and 261ultimately political separation from the Hindu-majority India. In August 1947, 262at the end of British Raj, the population percentage of Hindus in what is today 263Pakistan was perhaps as high as 30-35%, but would drop to its current total of 264less than 2 % in the years since partition. When Pakistan gained independence in 265August 1947, over 7 million Hindus and Sikhs from what was East Pakistan (now 266Bangladesh) and Pakistan's Punjab and Sindh provinces left this new state for 267India, and a similar number of Muslims moved the other way. Many Hindus who 268attained great success in the public eye in India, like the film stars Dilip 269Kumar, Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor, and Sunil Dutt trace their birthplaces and 270ancestral homes to the towns of Pakistan. Independent India's first Test cricket 271captain, Lala Amarnath hailed from Lahore, and former home Minister Lal Krishna 272Advani was born in Karachi. </font></p> 273<p align="justify"><b><font size="2" face="Arial">Others</font></b><font face="Arial" size="2">: 274Besides, a small faction of Parsis and Zoroastrians also practice their faith, 275most of whom generally reside in Karachi. Pakistan is also the birthplace of 276Mahayana Buddhism, the form of Buddhism that is practiced by most Buddhists
277today, including those in India, Japan, China, Korea, and Vietnam. The religion 278enjoyed prominence in the northwestern section of the country up until the 279Islamic conquest.</font></p> 280 281<table width=100% > 282<td > 283<center> 284<hr> 285<font face=arial size=2> 286<b>| <a href=../index.html>HOME PAGE</a> | <br> 287| <a href="Allah99Names.html">99 288NAMES OF ALLAH</a> | <a href="Muhammad99Names.html">99 NAMES OF PROPHET 289MUHAMMAD</a> |<br> 290| <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholicism_in_Pakistan">Roman 291Catholicism in Pakistan</a> | 292<a href="http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php?title=Gurdwaras_of_Pakistan">Sikh 293Gurdawaras in Pakistan</a> | <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsi">Parsi</a> 294|</b></font><hr> 295<center> 296<font face=arial size=1>This page was created on 23 August 2006 297<img border="0" src="../updated.gif" width="75" height="10"> 25 December 2008<br /> 298<img border="0" src="../spare/logo-jps_site.gif" width="104" height="49"><font face=arial size=1><br>Copyright©JalalsPages - 2005 299- 2008</font></center> 300</td> 301</table> 302</body> 303</html>
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