The Encyclopedia of the Soul 3-4

On Saeed Al-Obaidi The soul in the Abrahamic and pagan religions Introduction Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and prayers and peace be upon the Messenger, mercy to all people, Muhammad bin Abdullah — and upon his family and pure companions, and those who follow their way until the Day of Judgment. Afterwards, This book is the third of my writings (1) in which I discussed the soul in various religions and sects. I mentioned in it the creed regarding the soul among the People of the Book, Jews and Christians, as well as among those who follow them from the Magi and Sabians, as they had a scriptural basis. I also discussed the creed about the soul among followers of pagan and philosophical religions, including the beliefs of Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, Confucians, as well as among the ancient Egyptians, and in Greek and Roman philosophies, and among the polytheists of the Arabs. The reader will notice how the Jews and Christians — despite being People of the Book — based their beliefs about the soul on distorted foundations, and their doctrines about the soul are confused among themselves and not reassuring, especially since some of them contradict divine revelation. It will also be evident that some Islamic sects have been influenced by certain Jewish doctrines, especially regarding the matter of return (Raj'a) with pagan origins. Likewise, the beliefs of the Magi and Sabians about the soul suggest that they have a heavenly origin. (1) This book is preceded by two others titled: "The Soul among Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah" and "The Soul among the People of Speech and Philosophy," and it is followed by a book titled: "The Soul in Contemporary Sects and Claims." The religion of the ancient Egyptians regarding the soul and the afterlife is among the seven pagan religions most influenced by a heavenly origin, and the beliefs of Greek and Roman philosophy are the primary sources from which many Islamic philosophers drew their spiritual doctrines. This book is divided into two parts and eleven chapters: Part One: The soul in the Abrahamic religions and those with scriptural basis, consisting of four chapters: Chapter One: The soul among the Jews. Chapter Two: The soul among the Christians. Chapter Three: The soul among the Magi. Chapter Four: The soul among the Sabians. Part Two: The soul in pagan religions, consisting of seven chapters: Chapter One: The soul in Hinduism. Chapter Two: The soul in Jainism. Chapter Three: The soul in Buddhism. Chapter Four: The soul in Confucianism. Chapter Five: The soul among the ancient Egyptians. Chapter Six: The soul in Greek and Roman philosophies, with three sections: - Section One: Greek doctrines related to the soul. - Section Two: Roman doctrines related to the soul. - Section Three: Philosophers’ views on the soul. Chapter Seven: The soul among Arab polytheists. Conclusion and index. And all praise is due to Allah, the Guide to the straight path. Written by Dr. Ali bin Saeed Al-Obaidi King Khalid University — Abha 1434/1/1 AH aliabeedi@gmail.com aliabeedi@hotmail.com