The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (784 page)

BOOK: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
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Firdaws
(‘paradise’)
:
see
HEAVEN
(ISLAM);
PARADISE
(ISLAM).
Firdawsi, Abu-l-Qasim Mansur
(940–1020 (AH 328–411)).
Iranian poet who preserved many Zoroastrian traditions. He placed little emphasis on religion beyond a vague monotheism compatible with Islam. He was called Firdawsi by the Sultan Ma
m
d of Ghaznah, who said that his compositions turned the court into the rooms of paradise (
firdaws
, see
PARADISE
(ISLAM)).
Fire
(in Hinduism)
:
see
AGNI
.
Fire ‘worship’
(Zoroastrian)
:
see
ATAS
.
First Amendment
.
The first amendment to the US Constitution, which states that ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.’ The ‘free exercise’ provision has been interpreted very broadly by the courts, only excluding e.g. polygamy and
snake-handling
.

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