CSS 2019 Solved Essay | Let There Be More Light in the Corridors of Worship Places
Minahil Mohsin, a Sir Syed Kazim Ali student, has attempted the CSS 2019 Solved Essay “Let There Be More Light in the Corridors of Worship Places” on the given pattern, which Sir Syed Kazim Ali teaches his students. Sir Syed Kazim Ali has been Pakistan’s top English writing and CSS, PMS essay and precis coach with the highest success rate of his students. The essay is uploaded to help other competitive aspirants learn and practice essay writing techniques and patterns to qualify for the essay paper.
Outline
1-Introduction
While some argue that worship places encourage extremism and weaken social cohesion, light in the corridors of worship places plays a crucial role in enhancing the spiritual experience, and its strategic use fosters a sense of religious tolerance, reverence, and spiritual awakening, ultimately resolving conflicts and enriching the worship experience for all.
2-Interpretations of “Light” in Corridors of Worship Places
- ✓Literal Interpretation
- ✓Figurative Interpretation
3-What are Some Roles of Worship Places in Society?
- ✓Places to Perform Religious Obligations
- ✓Places for Public Gatherings and Meetings on Social Issues
- ✓Places to Study Religious Teachings at
4-Why Should There Be Light in the Corridors of Worship Places?
- ✓For Increasing Religious Tolerance
- The Temple of Tolerance in Singapore Allowing Space for Worship for the Five Major Religions
- ✓For Spiritual Awakening
- Openness Towards New Ideas Leading to a Better Understanding of One’s Beliefs and a Stronger Connection with One’s Creator
- ✓For Attracting more People towards Religion
- Islam’s Emphasis on Good Manners Making it the Fastest Growing Religion in the World
- ✓For Resolving Conflicts
- Sense of Equality in Dealing with People, Ensuring a Just and Peaceful Resolution of Conflicts
- ✓For Learning to Live Together
- Inclusiveness and Kindness Shown in Worship Places Kindling Good Relations among People from Different Religious Backgrounds
- ✓For Progressing in the World of Science
- Islam Declaring the Search for Knowledge as a Religious Obligation
5-How do Worship Places without Enlightenment Lead to Problems in Society?
- ✓By Encouraging Religious Extremism
- ✓By Weakening Social Cohesion
- ✓By Hampering Progress
6-How Could Worship Places Be Enlightened?
- ✓By Providing Education and Awareness to the Masses
- ✓By Focusing on the Spiritual Aspects of Religions Instead of Sticking to the Fundamentals Alone
- ✓By Developing a Tolerance-Oriented Curriculum for Religious Clerics and Teachers
7-Critical Analysis
8-Conclusion
Essay
One of the greatest binding forces of society is religion, which brings the masses together based on shared beliefs, values, and worship. Religion, in turn, owes many benefits to worship places that allow interpersonal interactions and the provision of knowledge, along with a space to discuss and resolve social issues. As per the statement under consideration, places of worship should be illuminated, open, tolerant, and inclusive, for it is only when such safe spaces are provided to the common man that society can experience religious tolerance, spiritual awakening, better conflict resolution, and several other benefits. To give a few examples, the Temple of Tolerance in Singapore is a multi-religious worship place with dedicated areas of worship for followers of the five major world religions. Moreover, Islam’s emphasis on practising good manners and respecting human beings irrespective of their religion has attracted people towards it, making it the fastest-growing religion in the world. Nevertheless, in the absence of such inclusive spaces, religious extremism is promoted, and social cohesion is weakened. Still, by developing a holistic curriculum and providing education and awareness to the masses, worship places could be enlightened everywhere. Although there might be people who criticise the inclusion of worldly education in religious spaces, only an all-encompassing and thorough education is what the world needs today to progress and prosper. This essay discusses several nuances of how enlightened worship places are the need of the hour.
“The attitude of faith is to let go and become open to the truth, whatever it might turn out to be.”
Shunryu Suzuki, Japanese Monk
Before moving on to the nuances of the statement, it is important to fully understand what it means. It could be interpreted primarily in two ways: literally and figuratively. Its literal meaning suggests that religious places should be airier and wider with a lot of lightning. Visitors and worshippers would feel more welcomed in such an environment compared to crowded and claustrophobic dark places a majority of people would avoid visiting.
On the other hand, the figurative interpretation of the statement holds great depth and wisdom. It suggests that places of worship must have a very tolerant and hospitable atmosphere where people from all backgrounds feel at ease. Such a setting would not only enhance their religious functions but also increase their significance by allowing better social interactions, spiritual awakening, and conflict resolution. This essay will elaborate further on the figurative interpretation of the provided statement.
Furthermore, worship places play several societal roles, ranging from religious and spiritual to societal and educational. First and foremost, a place of worship provides space for performing religious obligations with zeal and zest. Thus, worship places provide all the necessary resources along with a conducive location for praying and connecting with one’s creator.
Second, places of worship also serve as places for public gatherings and meetings to discuss social issues. People can unite and work towards revolutions, resolve social evils with cooperation, and even carry out charity work to help their brethren in need.
Finally, there is no better place to gain religious knowledge and learn about one’s beliefs and values than the place where religious practices are carried out regularly. Hence, worship places like mosques, churches, temples, and synagogues can also serve as places where religious clerics or teachers can provide much-needed guidance to the followers of the respective religions.
Now, the question arises: If worship places already serve a handful of purposes, why is there a need for more enlightenment? The following are some arguments strengthening the notion that worship places should have more holistic purposes and play a role in the religious and social lives of men from all religious, social, and cultural backgrounds.
First, places of worship that are run on the basis of tolerance can resolve the issue of religious extremism once and for all. Such places welcome visitors from all beliefs with open arms and provide them all a safe space to practice their religion and preach it as well. For instance, the Temple of Tolerance in Singapore is a religious space where separate areas have been allocated for followers of the five major religions of the world: Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism. The temple’s museum of religion and dedicated worship spaces are decorated according to the respective religions and promote inter-faith dialogue and harmony. It is a perfect example of openness in worship places promoting religious tolerance.
“Religious wars are not caused by the fact that there is more than one religion, but by the spirit of intolerance, the spread of which can only be regarded as the total eclipse of human reason.”
Montesquieu, Philosopher
Second, enlightened worship places also play a great role in promoting awareness and helping the masses in their journeys of spiritual awakening. Such spaces, due to their openness towards new ideas and understanding conflicting points of view, lead the visitors and worshippers towards a more sympathetic outlook of life, strengthening their beliefs and bonds with their creator. To elaborate, Rabbi Yoel Glick, in his article, has discussed openness as one of the most important qualities in man’s spiritual life. To him, it is only after one becomes willing to accept change and explore new horizons that he grows, evolves, and becomes receptive to Divine messages. This is because divine inspiration needs an open and receptive mind, free from ego and willing to explore new states of consciousness with courage and humility. Hence, worship places promote openness and aid man in his journey of spirituality.
“Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.”
Buddha
Third, worship places free from the shackles of undue strictness also attract people towards religion. Man, by nature, is averse to excessively stern situations, and he enjoys a free life where he feels important and respected. Thus, he is more likely to be influenced by places where he feels relaxed and enjoys respect. For instance, Islam has become the fastest-growing religion in the world, owing to its emphasis on good manners. Love, dignity, and worth of man have been given utmost importance in Islam, and this is the very reason why even the lady who used to throw garbage on the Holy Prophet PBUH ended up embracing Islam when the Prophet PBUH visited her when she was sick. This aspect of the Holy Prophet’s PBUH life also shows how worship is not bound to mosques alone but depends upon wherever one does a good deed. Thus, a lenient environment created by a religion significantly attracts people towards it.
“Whenever they (true believers) are angry, they forgive.”
Al Quran (42:37)
Next, an empathetic and open atmosphere of worship places also helps in peaceful conflict resolution. Such places promote dialogue and mutual cooperation along with developing a sense of equality in dealing with people to ensure justice is served. In this way, people are more likely to collaborate and compromise, resolving their disputes diplomatically. For example, when the Kaaba was being rebuilt, a dispute arose regarding who would place the Black Stone; as all the tribal chiefs claimed the honour, bloodshed and war seemed imminent. This is when the Prophet PBUH was chosen to decide the matter. He suggested that the Stone be placed on a cloth sheet, with all the chiefs holding its edges; meanwhile, the Prophet PBUH would place the stone in its position. In this way, the conflict was resolved peacefully, proving that a worship place that respects man’s dignity irrespective of his religion, tribe, or cast helps in conflict management and resolution.
Not only this, worship places with an open environment also teach people the art of living together peacefully in society amid all the differences they might have. Such places instil tolerance and kindness in the worshippers and make these traits a part of their personalities, helping kindle good relations among people hailing from different religions, economic backgrounds, and castes. A case in point is that of the time of the Prophet PBUH when a Christian delegation visited Medina from Najran. After having a dialogue with the Prophet PBUH at the Masjid e Nabawi, they asked him permission to leave the mosque to find themselves an appropriate place to pray. The Prophet PBUH allowed them to pray inside the mosque according to their religious teachings, proving that the mosque is open to all, irrespective of religion. Hence, worship places promote religious tolerance and help promote peaceful coexistence in society.
Finally, worship places that appreciate the provision of worldly knowledge, along with religious one, aid in the scientific progress of society. They promote the love of knowledge and lifelong learning among the masses and help them keep pace with the developing world. This is the very reason why Islam has made the search for knowledge a religious obligation, and the Arabic word for knowledge, “ilm”, appears in the Holy Quran more than four hundred times. To elaborate, when obtaining scientific knowledge was promoted in the Muslim world, and mosques were not merely places for performing obligatory acts of worship, several Muslim scientists earned themselves a name in the field of science; for example, Abbas Ibn e Firnas, at the age of 65, built the first flying machine in the ninth century, and the famous surgeon Al Zahrawi invented the syringe, forceps, and several other surgical equipment still in use in modern medical science. Thus, light in the corridors of worship places helps in society’s scientific progress.
To understand the significance of open and inclusive worship places, it is pertinent to consider the possible implications of worship places with an unenlightened atmosphere. First, such places promote religious extremism by promoting narrow-mindedness among the worshippers, and people who regularly visit such spaces are more inclined towards intolerant behaviour and are unaccepting towards opposing points of view.
Second, when society lacks tolerance, instances of delinquency increase; fights and violent breakouts become a common sight, and the societal fabric starts to get destroyed. This way, social cohesion weakens, and the glue of care, tolerance, and love that keeps the masses together vanishes.
“Sometimes, religion becomes yet another source or more division and even open conflict.”
Dalai Lama
As a result of the breakage of societal bonds and a rise in extremism, societal progress is hampered because collaboration and teamwork are the keys to progress and prosperity, impossible in a hostile environment.
So, what are the ways to enlighten worship places today and make them more tolerant, knowledge-friendly, and inclusive? First and foremost, there is a need to provide education and awareness to the masses in places of worship, for the more literacy prevails in society, the more people are likely to practice good manners and mutual cooperation. Moreover, education also polishes critical thinking and reasoning abilities, and educated men are, hence, better able to assess a situation and tackle it rationally.
“The highest result of education is tolerance.”
Helen Keller
Next, there should be increased emphasis on the spiritual aspects of religions in their respective worship places instead of merely focusing on the fundamentals. Where knowledge and practice of the fundamental obligations are important, understanding the spirit of worship and connecting with one’s creator is equally important to lead a successful life.
Finally, worship places, especially those where religious knowledge is imparted, must have a tolerance-oriented holistic curriculum, with the religious clerics and teachers well-versed in both religious and modern subjects so that they can teach and train students in a way that they grow up to become not only good followers of their religion but also responsible and respectable citizens.
Despite the numerous benefits of enlightened worship places, some might still disagree and claim that worship places must only be dedicated to religious knowledge and practice. The argument such people give is that contemporary schools and universities are focused merely on worldly knowledge, and the curriculum there is but career-oriented, having little to do with religion. Thus, to cover the religious knowledge gap, worship places must only be strictly focused on providing religious teachings and fundamentals. However, two wrongs never make a right, and both worship places and contemporary education institutes must have a pragmatic curriculum focused on children’s overall development and education.
“Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind.”
Albert Einstein
In summary, places of worship serve several purposes as social institutions; they nurture man spiritually, provide him with a place to practice his religious obligations, and also give him a space to discuss and resolve worldly matters. But if these places are made more welcoming, tolerant, and inclusive, society can reap even more benefits from them, like spiritual awakening, religious tolerance, and scientific progress. In the absence of such progressive and forward-looking places of worship, religious extremism strengthens its roots, and the societal fabric starts weakening. Thus, pragmatic and sagacious steps need to be taken to develop enlightened worship places across the globe.
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