What It Means - Day 166

"When a person dies, his deeds are cut off, save for three things: a righteous child who makes supplication for him; a charitable deed that continues [to bear fruit] after his death; or knowledge [he has imparted] from which people benefit."
Muhammad, Hadith

This is a very famous hadith, or saying of the Prophet, and in this case I borrowed it from the Nasr commentary from the 55th surah, al-Najm, here rendered as "The Star." It was part of a discussion of the first Quranic reference, chronologically, of the notion that "none shall bear the burden of another," which is a key Islamic concept. One of the points here is that you own your deeds, for good or bad, and that you have a set amount of time to make things right (or wrong). In the end you might live on, but almost certainly not in the way you think. We, in a vain attempt to either place an exclamation mark on our lives or maybe redeem them, spend way too much money on a fancy funeral (and, of course, I'm thinking of the Lucinda Williams song) when we should have devoted more time to living our lives. What I like about Muslim funerals is that there's very little fancy, or, for that matter, funeral, about them. At the same time, there's another side to this. I was recently in Indiana and stayed at my father's house for several days. On one of them I was talking to my dad and his wife and the subject of his funeral came up (to be fair, it wasn't that organic because I raised the subject) because I think it's important that we're all on the same page (my mother passed a couple years ago and my siblings and I are still talking/arguing about what she wanted). I know my father wants to be cremated and have his wife or youngest daughter spread his ashes in Hawaii, but I wanted to sound him out on the ancillary parts. He made clear that he didn't want a funeral or service or even an announcement in the paper. On the one hand I get it: growing old really sucks, and he, obviously, has a couple decades on me. It's rare when anyone pops into my office to talk (or even see if I'm still breathing) and increasingly the only reason that I know I'm alive is because of the physical pain I feel. My father's words sounded like a man who was angry with life, the bitterness we feel at the pain and humiliation that come to dominate our existence and the frustration that our lives haven't turned out like we wanted. It's one thing to quote Marcus Aurelius's admonition that soon "you will have forgotten the world and the world will have forgotten you" and another to be facing it up close. It's not a mystery to me why Woody Allen's characters talked about death consistently in the moves he made when he was in his 40s and not at now. While I have a problematic relationship with my father he's led a life where he did a lot of good for a lot of people, and I would argue that he could check off the boxes of this hadith, and in that way his deeds will outlive him.

What It Means - Day 165

"Do they not contemplate the Quran? Or do hearts have their locks upon them?"
Quran 47:24

This passage, drawn from the 24th surah, Muhammad, is one of several passages (4:82; 23:68) in the Quran that ask a similar question: are followers actually studying the Quran? Nasr, as always, provides essential context in the notes from the Study Quran:

"Although recitation of the Quran is enjoined in several passages, it is also noted that one must contemplate, understand, and implement the Quran's teachings to the best of one's ability. In this vein, Ibn Mas'ud is reported to have said of the Companions, 'The Prophet used to recite for them ten verses, and they would not move on to the next ten until they had learned everything about [the first ten]. Thus he taught them the Quran and the deeds based upon it together.' Regarding the knowledge to be obtain by meditating upon the Quran, the fourth Shiite Imam, Ali Zayn al-Abidin, is reported to have said, 'The verses of the Quran are stores of treasure. So whenever you open one of them, you must see what lies inside.' Another famous hadith says, 'The best of you is one who learns the Quran and teaches it.'"

In Islam we use the term Hafiz to refer to someone who has memorized the Quran (Hafiza for a woman who has memorized it). During Ramadan the entire Quran is recited in Arabic, one section a night, until it completed, and we usually bring in a visiting Hafiz to stay with us the entire month. I don't speak Arabic, but it is a moving experience, coming at the end of the day; although, truthfully, I don't hang around until the end on most nights. That said, is it possible that we devote more time to memorizing it than studying it? Our new Imam has started a nightly study session, which I should start attending, although, sadly, I haven't (it doesn't help that it's around ten every night, after I'm in bed reading). Now, I suppose that all religions must struggle with this question in one form are another. Some religions or divisions inside of religions are more well-known for battling away over the deeper meaning of their scripture; Jews and Jesuits would be great examples. If you're not studying your texts, and I would argue challenging them, are you we really working at our faith or simply memorizing things, a much more comfortable existence.

What It Means - Day 164

"And We indeed made a pact with Adam aforetime, but he forgot. And We found no resoluteness in him."
Quran 20:115

There's a great scene in the film Memento where Teddy is talking to Lenny and says, in frustration, "But you forgot, like you always forget." (I'm sure it popped into my head because I always show the film to my student in Concepts of the Self, and we were just going over the syllabus on the first day of class)  This may seem like a strange transition to today's blog post, but there's actually an odd logic here. This passage is drawn from Ta Ha, the 20th surah, which is usually just rendered as, well, Ta Ha. As Nasr in the Study Quran proposes, "He forgot denotes Adam's forgetting his pact or abandoning it. The Prophet is reported to have said, 'Adam forgot, and thus his progeny forgot.'" The point here is that God reached an agreement with Adam, but Adam, being human, simply forgot, and thus all humans forget the nature, validity, and, well, existence of the agreement. Some of my Muslim friends, when trying to be clever, will point out that no one converts to Islam, rather they just revert to Islam, since that was/is the initial state of things. In Nasr's The Heart of Islam (which, again, you really should read, even if you're not a Muslim or thinking of ever becoming a Muslim, because it is truly fascinating) he makes the point that while the greatest crime in Christianity is disobedience, the greatest crime in Islam is forgetting. The point that Nasr is making is that it would be, from an Islamic point of view, inconceivable that you would not choose God, but it is possible that you might forget; again, not that forgetting is worse than disobeying, but disobeying is almost beyond comprehension.  So why do humans forget? Isn't this another one of those questions centered around around "how could ______ be true if God is truly omniscient?" How could Adam or anyone ever forget God, or even just the nature of a relationship with God, if God is, well, God? Could it be that not only are we "allowed" to forget, but we're supposed to forget? Forgetting allows us to remember, and like many relationships that featured some time apart, our relationship with the divine might prove stronger after we "remember" it and recommit. In a broader sense, moreover, if human beings are free, and what's the point of choosing faith if we're not free, then we also, by definition, have the freedom to forget. So, is forgetting then a gift?

What It Means - Day 163

"As for those who cling to the Book and perform the prayer - surely We neglect not the reward for the workers of righteousness."
Quran 7:170

As we've discussed innumerable times one of the perceptions from outside Islam is that it is an intolerant faith and one that doesn't respect other religions. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth, and if I accomplish anything through this year long discussion of faith (and me accomplishing anything ever on any front is sketchy at best) it's to help people see that there perception is not only overly simplistic but also essentially wrong. Does that mean that we don't have dreadfully intolerant folks inside of Islam? Of course not; we are humans after all, and we have more than our fair share of ignorant zealots. This passage, drawn from the 7th surah, al-Al'raf, rendered as "The Heights", is addressing Jews specifically, but it could also be considered more broadly to consider to folks of all faiths. As Nasr reminds us in the Study Quran, "This verse indicates that those who are Jews and continue to follow the Torah and Mosiac Law will be rewarded for their good deeds; see also 2:62, which states that Jews, Sabeans, and Christians who believe and 'work righeousness' shall have their reward with their Lord." As I'm wont to opine, there are a thousand paths to God.

What It Means - Day 162

"As for one who gives and is reverent, and attests to what is most beautiful, We shall ease his way unto ease."
Quran 92:6-8

I think this is the first time I've drawn anything from al-Layl, the 92nd surah, here rendered as "The Night." As we know by now it has a nigh number so it's a short surah, only around six sentences in English. In the Study Quran Nasr tells us that most beautiful refers to belief in God or simply God Himself/Herself/Itself. But what does that even mean? I've grown to feel that at the heart of everything there is a kindness and compassion and quietness, and, well, beauty at the heart of all things, which we mainly see in nature anymore (or at least what's left of nature; as the great Canadian philosopher opined decades ago, we do have nature on the run). We see those horrible pictures of kids being dragged to White Supremacist rallies so that they can learn to be racist; in their natural state, kids are not racist. Again, it brings us back to Mencius and the well. To me, God is not, has never been, and will never be, a terrifyingly powerful and judgmental figure sitting on a throne, doling out rewards and punishments as She/He/It sees fit. I think this view borders on the absurd, and, more importantly, is an insult to God. Rather, I think God is that ineffable beauty that is always just beyond our ability to comprehend fully. When we want to approach God, to worship God, then we do our best to manifest those divine qualities in how we treat one another.

What It Means - Day 161

"To me, Islam has almost nothing to do with saying your prayers in Arabic or making the hajj to Mecca, and everything to do with how you treat other people every moment of every day."
GS, August 2019

I try not to quote morons on my blog, but I'll make an exception here. This is something I found myself saying yesterday, and I don't know what I would add to it. I suppose this is a continuation of my discussion about my personal war between the internal and external aspects of the faith, but it also reflects the blog post discussion the other day about the difference between attending and participating in the communal service (and that would be any service from any religion) and quietly reading and meditating upon your religion's holy writings. Again, I keep coming back to the foundational Islamic concept of returning the worse with the better, and our emphasis on small kindnesses. Does any of this matter if we're not being consciously and consistently kind and compassionate and forgiving to the people, near and far, in our lives? I can't control the end of the world but I can control what I do with this one moment.

What It Means - Day 160

"And when I inspired the apostles to believe in Me and in My messenger, they said, 'We believe. Bear witness that we are submitters.' When the apostles said, 'O Jesus son of Mary! Is thy Lord able to send down to us from Heaven a table spread with food?' He said, 'Reverence God, if you are believers.' They said, 'We desire to eat from it, so that our hearts may be at peace, and we may know thou hast spoken truthfully unto us, and we may be among the witnesses thereto.' Jesus son of Mary said, 'O God, our Lord! Send down unto us a table from Heaven spread with food, to be a feast for us - for the first of us and the last of us - and a sign from Thee, and provide for us, for Thou art the best of providers.' God said, 'I shall indeed send it down unto you. But whosoever among you disbelieves thereafter, I shall surely punish him with a punishment wherewith I have not punished any other in all the worlds.'"
Quran 5:111-115

This famous passage, which essentially gives the name to the fifth surah, al-Ma'idah, "the Table Spread," is one of the two miracles associated with Jesus that appear in the Quran but not in mainstream Christianity (at least not in Pauline Christianity; they do appear in the Jewish Christian tradition, as is laid out in Mustafa Akyol's fascinating The Islamic Jesus, which I suspect I'll talk more about in the future). The other is the story of Jesus breathing life into the clay birds, which I discussed earlier. It's a fascinating section for any number of reasons, one of them being that it suggests doubt on the part of the disciples. As Nasr discusses in the Study Quran, "The apostles' question seems to suggest a certain doubt in God's Omnipotence, since they ask whether God is able to send down the table spread with food. They may have desire such food for either simple nourishment or the spiritual blessing of consuming heavenly food, or both." (p. 335) This causes Jesus to rebuke them for their lack of gratitude, and maybe for their lack of faith. Nasr continues: "Although this story has no direct parallel in the Gospel accounts, some consider it something known only to Muslim through the Quran, it may be linked with the Gospel account of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes." Many Christians who are unfamiliar with Islam are surprised to find Jesus in the Quran, although, as we know, he's mentioned many more times in it than Muhammad is. You can then imagine their surprise/astonishment that there would be miracles associated with Jesus that are unknown in Christianity.

What It Means - Day 159

"Muhammad is naught but a messenger; messengers have passed before him. So if he dies or is slain, will you turn back on your heels?"
Quran 3:144

Here is a passage from the third surah, obviously one of the longest, Al Imran, here rendered as "The House of Imran." The backstory here is that the Prophet was seriously injured at the battle of Uhud, and rumors initially spread that he was dead, causing the expected panic. To some followers it raised the almost existential fear or what would happen if the Prophet died, and would there even be a movement if he died. Some proposed that since Muhammad was a prophet he couldn't die, which doesn't really make much sense because all the previous prophets had lived and died, but it's also a reflection of the love and respect that the Prophet had earned during his lifetime. This verse is a reminder from God that Muhammad was "naught but a messenger," but it's also a reminder that the Prophet was only a man and a man who would die. I think in the rush that we as Muslims are sometimes guilty of in making the prophets, and the Prophet, infallible and almost more than human, we lose many things and one of them is the beauty of the story and the enormity of the struggle. The prophets, and the Prophet, all lived complicated lives, not only in regards to their struggles with faith itself, but also just the act of living. This passage is also a reminder that in the end it was never about the prophets, but rather their role in expressing something far greater.

Suomi

Here's a picture of the eminently great thank you gift that my friend Mike gave me in return for driving him up to and then five weeks later back from the Montreal airport. He was often to visit his wife in Estonia and was, as is often the case for us living in Vermont, flying out of Montreal. He was not required to get me a gift, obviously, but for a long time he and I have had this tradition where the drivee always brings the driver a shirt from where we went. Normally our only rule is that the tshirt has to be completely random and relate to nothing. For instance, one time he brought me back a dive shop tshirt, even though neither he nor I scuba dive. With this gift he clearly raised the bar:

Mike and his wife had made a side trip to Finland, and thus the souvenir Finland hockey jersey (which I foresee as a staple for all future Winter Four Sport Triathlons). For those not in the know, and that included me until yesterday, Suomi is what Fins actually call their country. No one is actually certainly where Suomi comes from, which is fine because there's not complete agreement upon the origins of the word Finland either (essentially, people inside of Finland don't call Finland Finland, they call it Suomi, but the Fins, being kind souls, put both names on their international hockey jerseys to satisfy folks both inside and outside the country).

I feel in some ways this jersey has been fifteen years in the making because it reminds me of the famous/infamous Finlandia story from the summer I spent teaching in India. Because I've told the story many times I assumed that it was featured on some blog post or another, but I went back through my India posts and couldn't find anything (which is why I've tagged this post with the seemingly odd tag of India; now I feel like I need to go to Finland to justify a tag of Finland). Anyway, fifteen years ago when I taught in India I met these two European women who were backpacking across India, and we ended up bumming around for a couple days. They both assured me that they thought I could pass for Finnish (and I don't think they were trying to pick me up because, 1) I'm me, and 2) even by my ridiculously low standards that a terrible pickup line). Fast forward several weeks later when I was approaching the end of my time in India, and I was clearly exhausted of Indian merchants or touts pestering me (assuming that someone this big must be awash in disposable cash). Touts would routinely plop down next to you and ask where you were from, and then the process would begin of getting into your pocket. So, thinking back on what the women had told me, I had this inspiration to say: "Finlandia!" The idea being that I understood just enough English to grasp that I was being asked a question, but not enough to haggle or negotiate. I didn't want to must make up a country, but I also wanted to choose a country that while people would be familiar with it there would be a very small chance they would speak the language. Oddly, this ridiculous scheme worked. That said, since Fins refer to their country as Suomi and not Finland, I was actually giving myself away as both a rube and a faker.

What It Means - Day 158

Normally this is where I would be posting a passage from the Quran or the ahadith, and that was the initial plan for this day's post, but, as is so often the case when I'm running one of our Discography music discussions, somewhere along the way it wandered off course. Obviously, this is completely fine because there's no great structure to this year's discussion anyway. Anyway, what bumped me off the initial posting was an article I read, not about Islam, actually, but instead about Christianity. The article briefly related the main points of a study that claimed that while regular attendance at weekly church services tended to make you more conservative politically, daily readings of the Bible, in isolation from attending the services, tended to make you, in some ways, more liberal politically. It raised all sorts of interesting points, including the role that Christian churches, especially the Evangelicals, play politically, but what interested me was the disconnect between what the faith is supposed to be and how it is practiced. How many Tweets or Facebook memes have we seen that quote the passages about quote passages about caring for the immigrants while people who are seemingly religious seem to get almost a perverse joy out of mistreating them? As I'm wont to opine, faiths are founded by an individual or individuals with a clearer view of the divine and how we can treat each other better, but then corrupted, and turned into religions, by generations of mean-spirited pricks. All of this made me think about my own faith and whether the same dynamic holds true: would reading the Quran and ahadith by themselves in isolation make you more politically liberal than regularly attending serves with a group every Friday? Or, divorcing yourself entirely from political issues, is there a fundamental difference between the time you spend with your holy scripture and the time you spend with your religious community, or, well, your religion? Isn't the point of religion to help guide you to the greater essential truths that are revealed in your scripture (whatever that scripture might be)? If your lived religious communal life leading you someplace different than a life spent simply reading and meditating on your faith, which one is the right path? I know that we should say that it's clearly the same path (just as in Islam we will often claim that there is actually no separation between the secular and spiritual world because of the omnipotence of God), but I don't know if I believe that.

What It Means - Day 157

"And We sent no warner unto a town, but that those living luxury therein said, 'We disbelieve in that wherewith you have been sent.' And they say, 'We are greater in wealth and children, and we shall not be punished.' Say, 'Truly my Lord outspreads and straitens provision for whomsoever he will, but most of mankind know not.' It is not your wealth or your children that bring you nigh in nearness unto Us, save those who believe and work righteousness - theirs is a manifold reward for what they did, and they will be secure in lofty chambers.'"
Quran 34:34-37

Here's a brief passage from the 34th surah, Saba, always rendered as "Sheba." It's another of the myriad passages in the Quran that attack the glorification of wealth. Instead, the emphasis is placed on those "who believe and work righteousness," one of the over fifty times when the two concepts are linked.  It's difficult to read these words and think of the crass "rich man" who inhabits the White House at the moment, replete with those cringe-worthy pictures of his family in that golden apartment. Decades ago, probably lining up with the election of Reagan when America began its great disassociation with reality, we began to worship wealth (we can all remember the popularity of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous); it would be a pity if Trump were truly the president that we as a country deserved.

What It Means - Day 156

"O you who believe! Reverence God and speak justly."
Quran 33:70

And here's another passage from the 33rd surah, al-Ahzab, here rendered as "The Parties." As I've made clear many times, there's no logic to this year's challenge of discussing faith every day for a year. So, if you're looking for a progressive argument that will lead us to an extraordinary finish I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed. I've been rereading al-Ahzab lately, and so you're getting several blog posts related to that specific surah. Growing up, as I did, in the country I guess it would make sense that I would be drawn to an admonition to speak justly, as we are simple folks in the Hoosier hinterlands. Although, to be fair I just drove through Indiana and Ohio on the way back home to see family and friends it's painfully obvious that the state has unapologetically turned into Trumpistan - so clearly truth of justice don't matter much any more. In commenting upon this verse Nasr tells us, "Speak justly enjoins testifying truthfully, speaking in a manner that is upright and free from any corruption, and speaking so the outward locution corresponds to the inward meaning." (Nasr, p. 1040)  Keeping in mind that this verse was revealed at a time of widespread illiteracy, and in an area without a centralized law code or much of a structured central government, it's easy to see why saying what you mean and meaning what you say was important. However, I think that this is an universal concept. It's only when we fail individually that the need for greater authority to "make" us do what is right becomes more necessary.

What It Means - Day 155

"Indeed, you have in the Messenger of God a beautiful example for those who hope for God and the Last Day, and remember God much."
Quran 33:21

"This is among a number of verses that establish the importance of obeying the Prophet and following his example, even in matters not addressed directly by the Quran." (Nasr, Study Quran, p. 1025) In some ways I guess today's posting is the other side of yesterday's discussion of the role of Muhammad as the Last Prophet or the "Seal of the prophets." As I've proposed several times, is there a danger that we as Muslims, in our drive to revere the Prophet, that we might potentially turn him into what we always accuse the Christians of doing with Jesus (although, obviously, not to that extent)? It can be a delicate balancing act. He is held up as a perfect example of a man, although not perfect. In the Quran we are reminded that he was human, and God also admonishes him in surah 80, "He Frowned," for making a mistake. Whenever it is argued that the prophets are infallible I, truthfully, get a little uneasy. Still, he lived a life that provides so many examples of how to navigate through the complexities that we face on a daily basis; "the Prophet's words and actions are considered to provide the archetype of a life lived in full submission to God." (Nasr)  As Ali ibn Abi Talib reported, "He was the most generous of people, the most truthful of people in speech, the gentlest of them in temperament, and the noblest of them in social affability. If omeone saw him unexpectedly, he was awestruck by him, and if someone associated with him knowingly, he loved him . . . I have never seen the like of him, either before him or after him." (Nasr, p. 1025) So, Muhammad is revered both as a prophet who revealed messages from God, but his very human life is also studied and remembered as a template.

What It Means - Day 154

"Muhammad is not the father of any man among you; rather, he is the Messenger of God and the Seal of the prophets. And God is Knower of all things."
Quran 33:40

This last spring in the travel version of my Dar al-Islam class we read Qasim Rashid's The Wrong Kind of Muslim, which the students found deeply moving. As I've chronicled earlier in this series, Rashid was kind enough to Skype in with us and talk about his experiences as a human rights lawyer, political candidate and the persecution that he faces as an Ahmadiyya Muslim. One of the reasons why the Ahmadiyya face such persecution from mainstream Muslims is the belief that they view their founder as a prophet (it's not quite that simple, and even Nasr when he Skyped with us glossed over it a bit as he walked us through the complexity of the Ahmadiyya belief system). It's a theological problem inside of Islam because Muhammad is commonly viewed as the final prophet, or the "Seal of the prophets." Logically, then, this topic must be a constant theme that runs throughout the Quran, right? Actually, no. The verse above, which is drawn from the 33rd surah, al-Ahzab, here rendered as "The Parties," is the only time it is referenced in the entire Quran.

Every other reference to Muhammad being the final prophet are found in the ahadith, that is, the sayings of the Prophet himself. As Nasr explains in the Study Quran:

"That the Prophet is the Seal of the prophets is understood to mean that he is last Prophet sent to humanity. The Prophet is reported to have said, 'No prophethood shall remain after me, save for true visions', and 'Messengerhood and prophethood have ceased. There will be no messenger or prophet after me.' The most frequently cited hadith pertaining to his place as the Seal of the prophets states, 'My likeness among the prophets before me is that of a man who has built a house, completed it, and beautified it, yet left empty a place for a brick. Then the people come to the house, are amazed by it, and say, "If only you were to place this brick, your house would be complete!" I am this brick.' According to the Prophet, being the Seal of the prophets if one of six qualities that distinguish him from other prophets: 'I have been favored above the prophets in six things: I have been endowed with consummate succinctness of speech; I have been made triumphant through dread; war booty has been made lawful for me; the whole earth has been made a place of worship for me and a means of purification; I have been sent to all created beings; and the succession of prophets has been completed in me.'" (Nasr, pp. 1031-1032)

Coming back around to the Ahmadiyya, there rationale (and I'm dramatically simplifying here) is that they are not arguing that Muhammad was not that Seal of the prophets, rather they are reading the definition of Seal of the prophets differently. Essentially, they are completely agreeing that Muhammad delivered a final version of the faith, but that other prophets might arise in response to specific needs, but that these later prophets would not be changing any the foundational decisions delivered through Muhammad (again, I'm over-simplifying out of necessity, and doubtless both sides would disagree with my shortened take on things; still, I think it serves our purposes here).

I could get into a big discussion about the validity and value or the ahadith as compared to the Quran itself, which is potentially a big issue here because the majority of claims that Muhammad was the final prophet are from the ahadith and not from the Quran itself, but let's put that aside for the moment (and I may or may not come back to this touchy subject, not because I'm afraid of angering anybody, but rather that I don't like to talk, at least not too deeply, about subjects that I don't know a lot about). Let me take worst case scenario here (at least worse case scenario from a traditional Islamic view): that Muhammad was not, in fact, the final prophet. Do I, personally, think that this would somehow damage the integrity and importance of the Prophet's message? Of course not. We've talked before about how all religions can be guilty of falling into the tyranny of the most recent. Buddhism grew out of Hinduism, and certainly there had to be some early Buddhists who thought, "Wow, thank goodness we showed up and fixed that mess." Just as Christianity grew out of Judaism, and felt so certain of the superiority of their refined vision that they slapped their holy scripture on the back of the Jewish one and called things complete. I would argue that there's at least a danger that our emphasis on Muhammad as the final prophet could easily become a version of the same sort of chronological tyranny. What matters to me (and, again, this is just me talking) is the extraordinary clarity and beauty of the vision laid out in the Quran and the ahadith, not whether or not there may or may not have been later prophets. We are reminded to complete with others only in excellence, and I think we should turn that lens on ourselves as well.

And finally, this brings us back to the Ahmadiyya again. They are so incredibly and consistently dedicated to serving humanity that they perpetually lap more "mainstream" Muslims, but yet they are persecuted horribly inside of Islam because of their views of their founder. If we're quite willing to persecute and in fact kill members of a sect of our faith - and a sect that routinely does a hell of a lot more for the world than we do - then we have a strange view of what the faith is about.

What It Means - Day 153

"Nobody can be given a blessing better and greater than patience."
Muhammad, Hadith

I made the point recently to a friend that you should never choose a religion that you could CLEP out of. By that I meant that while many of us look for religions that are a "good fit" I would argue that it shouldn't be so comfortable that we aren't challenged and thus don't grow and evolve. Americans are very lazy people, and I think this is one of the reasons behind the growth of the mega-churches that aren't really churches in any true sense. You have mega-churches run by clowns like Joel Osteen which are simply glorified self-help meetings; they ask nothing of their followers, other than to write a check, of course. And as I've pointed out several times, this doesn't mean that the only path to God (whatever that means) is exclusively through a specific organized religion, or any organized religion for that matter. Rather, what I'm saying is that the path takes time and dedication and sacrifice, and, of course, I'm not particularly good at any of these virtues. Anyway, this is a rambling path to say that I was drawn to my faith as much by the "bad match" as by the "good fit" aspect of Islam. A classic example of the former would be patience, a virtue that is stressed repeatedly in the faith but which I'm not known for (ask any of my friends). We are told repeatedly throughout the Quran and the adhadith of the virtues of patience, and it is a constant staple in my daily prayers.

I'm not saying that Islam is not a good fit for me, because it is, but I also struggle with it every day. I struggle with the daily demands of being a Muslim, but also sometimes with some of the basic tenets of the faith (or at least how they're interpreted). Truthfully, there are certain aspects of the faith that I simply reject, for any number of reasons.

What It Means - Day 152

"And whosoever performs righteous deeds, whether male or female, and is a believer, such shall enter the Garden, and they shall not be wronged to much as the speck on a date stone."
Quran 4:124

Islam, like all religions sadly, has a conflicted and spotty history (and present) in regards to gender issues, which I'll doubtless revisit frequently during this year of reflection. I routinely find myself championing the cause of the sisters at our local mosque (and often getting a fair share of kickback; although, truthfully, mild as I'm viewed as a value brother, just a liberal one). As is often pointed out, a very compelling argument can be made that Muhammad was a reformer, and a reformer far ahead of his time, for the rights of women. Still, there are also so many cultural norms which did, and still do, get in the way; that is, Islam developed, and continues to evolve, in countries that are culturally, at least by a Western perspective, very traditional and conservative. One of the things that we struggle with in my various Islam classes are the traditions inside of Islam (or any religion for that matter) that are an integral part of the faith itself as compared to being a reflection of cultural norms. It's more than simply a scholarly diversion as I would argue that the former speak to a greater relevance and permanence (as much as anything is permanent, I guess) while the latter reflects a more transitory view that reflects a specific time and place, and thus can, and should, change with time. I can't imagine that there is an issue inside of Islam that relates to this struggle more clearly or importantly than gender issues. Simply put, the Prophet was born into a dreadfully misogynistic age, and pushed back against it and arguably transcended the age in which he lived more than anyone who ever lived. But he still lived in an age and area that routinely persecuted women, and even moving beyond that as much as he did would have still left him in a, again by our standards, very misogynistic final location. So, do we judge the position of women inside of Islam based on that final location or the Prophet's desire to improve the condition of women? I always focus on his intent rather than where it ended in Arabia fourteen centuries ago. If we're using dictates of the faith to suppress women today, then not only are we agents of a ruling patriarchy, but, I would argue, standing in opposition to what Muhammad himself fought for.  After that fairly lengthy exegesis we come back to the verse above. Beyond the fact that it is one of the over fifty times that righteous deeds is lumped in with belief (which, again, to me is the key to everything) it's point out that who ever is guided by both, "whether male or female," is living that virtuous life that will be rewarded in the afterlife; or, maybe more importantly in regards to our community, both small and large, is living a virtuous life. Here we're not drawing a distinction between male or female. Sadly, every day in the mosque (or the church or the synagogue or the temple) we're drawing that distinction.

What It Means - Day 151

"DISSOLVER OF SUGAR

Dissolver of sugar, dissolve me,
if this is the time.
Do it gently with a touch of a hand, or a look.
Every morning I wait at dawn. That's when
it's happened before. Or do it suddenly
like an execution. How else
can I get ready for death?

You breathe without a body like a spark.
You grieve, and I begin to feel lighter.
You keep me away with your arm,
but the keeping away is pulling me in."
Rumi, The Essential Rumi, p. 53

OK, actually I think this is the most famous Rumi poem. I'm trying to avoid the trap of turning this discussion into a celebration of my favorite Sufi poems (that would be like the Sufi equivalent of my occasional Discography cycles), however, they are profound. My ex-wife, who was/is much smarter than me, used to point out that you could say so much more with a brief poem than you could with infinitely more prose, and, as usual (with the obvious exception of her choice in men) correct. One of the many things that I like about this poem is that it gets us away from the anthropomorphic image of God, that is so popular in Christianity but forbidden in Islam and Judaism. Going back to our discussion or metaphors or symbols, while there is a certain practicality in using terms like "God said" or "the word of God" or the "throne of God," it definitely takes us down a slippery slope wherein we naturally envision God with a physical human form, and thus allows/forces us to assign human emotions to God - thus God's anger or God's wrath. Even some of the Greek philosophers mocked the fact that they had somehow devolved to the point of assigning human emotions/motives/desires/weaknesses to the gods. So, I don't think you ever go sit at the right hand of God (although, to be fair, that's more of a Christian metaphor), another popular metaphor for the experience after death that can take on a more tangible meaning. Rather, I think that we will, as the poem suggests, be dissolved into something greater, an end which seems almost more fitting of Hinduism or Buddhism than our run of the mill interpretation of Islam.

What It Means - Day 150

"THE MANY WINES

God has given us a dark wine so potent that,
drinking it, we leave the two worlds.

God has put into the form of hashish a power
to deliver the taster from self-consciousness.

God has made sleep so
that it erases every thought.

God made Majnun love Layla so much that
just her dog would cause confusion in him.

There are thousands of wines
that can take over our minds.

Don't think all ecstasies
are the same!

Jesus was lost in his love for God.
His donkey was drunk with barley.

Drink from the presence of saints,
not from those other jars.

Every object, every being,
is a jar full of delight.

Be a connoisseur,
and taste with caution.

Any wine will get you high.
Judge like a king, and choose the purest,

the ones unadulterated with fear,
or some urgency about 'what's needed.'

Drink the wine that moves you
as a camel moves when it's been untied,
and is just ambling about."
Rumi (The Essential Rumi, pp. 6-7)

And continuing with our theme from the last few days, here's what is arguably Rumi's most famous and influential poem (which would be saying a lot).  It has so many iconic passages. Any Eric Clapton fan will recognize the reference to Layla from the Derek and the Dominoes classic song. Yes, it's drawn from a famous Persian story, that Rumi is referencing here. Majnun was so madly (emphasis on madly) in love with Layla that he couldn't think straight, which spoke to Clapton because of his equally mad love for George Harrison's wife Pattie Boyd. Thus, coming back to our discussion of the use of romantic/physical love as a fitting metaphor, you should be so overcome with love for your God that you are almost drunk with passion. However, as Rumi reminds us, we should be a "connoisseur" because not "all ecstasies are the same." Rather, we should: "Drink from the presence of saints, not from those other jars." When I was first thinking of converting years ago the local Imam (who actually told me that there was truly no hurry to convert) asked why. I recounted my list of reasons, which I've discussed previously so I won't repeat myself, and finished that I loved Sufi poetry and its deeper meaning. He replied, while smiling, "Yeah, about that . . ." which nicely summarized the complex relationship that mainstream Islam has with the Sufis, who appreciate the fact that they've always been great missionaries but also view them as odd balls who often cause more harm than good. However, my answer would be that it's only true if you're not paying attention, not delving more deeply into the underlying meaning (which you can also say about Islam in general). The metaphor of God as lover, like all metaphors, is designed to help someone understand something that they might not normally grasp, and you have to keep digging.

"Any wine will get you high.
Judge like a king, and choose the purest."

What It Means - Day 149

"God, ever mighty and majestic is He, says" 'O child of Adam, it is your right from Me that I be a lover for you. So, by My right from you, be for Me a lover.'"
Muhammad, Hadith (Divine Sayings, p. 64)

Here is another selection from the collection of hadith qudsi that I've been reading the last few days. I chose this particular hadith because it plays upon the theme of the metaphor of God as a lover that is fairly common among the Sufis but that you don't normally see in the Quran or the regular ahadith. Considering that it was the scholar, and Sufi mystic, ibn-Arabi that initially compiled this collection I guess it makes perfect sense that these ahadith are featured so prominently. I would argue that the reason why the metaphor is so powerful is certainly not the sexual aspect, obviously, because that really plays no role in it. It's more than simply the love, because love takes many forms. I think the metaphor works because of the intimacy and the immediacy and the longing and the loneliness caused by separation that we associate with love. Shouldn't this be the nature of our relationship with God? Why, again, would we ever worship an angry, judgmental, hateful, rules-based god? And, for that matter, why would that particular version of a god ever create humans in the first place?

What It Means - Day 148

"Recite in the Name of thy Lord Who created, created man from a blood clot. Recite! Thy Lord is most noble, Who taught by the Pen, taught man that which he knew not. Nay, truly man is rebellious in that he considers himself beyond need. Truly unto thy Lord is the return. Hast thou seen him who prohibits a slave when he prays? Hast thou seen if he does so out of guidance, or to enjoin reverence? Hast thou seen if he denied and turned away? Does he not know that God sees? Nay, but if he ceases not, We shall surely seize him by the forelock - a lying, iniquitous forelock. So let him call his cohorts. We shall call the guards of Hell. Nay! Obey him not! But prostrate and draw nigh."
Quran 96:1-18

My initial intention was to cull out a couple passages from this surah, and I'll definitely come back to it with that in mind. This is the 96th surah, al-Alaq, usually rendered as "The Blood Clot." While it is the 96th surah in the order of the Quran, it's actually the first one chronologically, which is what I'd like to focus on at this moment. Before Muhammad ever had his first revelation from God we know that he used to retreat to a cave in the hills outside Mecca to meditate. The story of the first revelation is well-known to all Muslims, but I thought I would share it here:

As Nasr recounts the story, "The Archangel [Gabriel] came to him while he was in the cave and said, 'Recite!' The Messenger of God said, 'I replied, "I am not a reciter,"' Then he said, 'So he seized me and pressed me until I could no longer bear it. Then he released me and said, "Recite!" So I replied, "I am not a reciter." Then he pressed me a second time until I could no longer bear it. Then he released me and said, "Recite!" So I replied, "I am not a reciter." Then he pressed me a third time until I could no longer bear it. Then he released me a third time until I could no longer bear it. Then he released me and said, "Recite in the Name thy Lord Who created" until he reached that which he knew not.'
   "Then he [the Prophet} returned with those verses and with his heart trembling until he reached Khadijah and said, 'Cover me, cover me.' So they wrapped him up until his fear went away. Then he said to Khadijah, 'What is wrong with me?' and told her what had happened and said, 'I fear for my soul.' She replied, 'Never! By God, God will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your relatives, you speak the truth, you help the poor and the destitute, you serve your guests generously, and you help the deserving who are afflicted by misfortune.'"

It's a fascinating story, and provides a glimpse of the power/terror of God, but also of a very human Muhammad. Truthfully, how many of us would have responded any differently in that situation? Rather, we would have, like Muhammad, said something like, "I fear for my soul," or maybe in this more secular age we would have feared for our sanity. The exchange between Muhammad and Khadijah, the Prophet's first (and while she was alive, only) wife, plays in this narrative shows the crucial role she played both in his life and in the founding of the faith. Her description of Muhammad is also fascinating, not only because it shows that long before he was recognized as a prophet he was revered, and admired for these very human virtues: "You keep good relations with your relatives, you speak the truth, you help the poor and the destitute, you serve your guests generously . . ."

What It Means - Day 147

"By the fig and the olive, by Mount Sinai, and by this land made safe, truly We created man in the most beautiful stature, then We cast him to the lowest of the low, save those who believe and perform righteous deeds; for their shall be a reward unceasing. What then will make you deny religion? Is not God the most just of judges?"
Quran 95:1-8

Here's another one of the shorter surahs in its entirety, in this case surah 95, al-Tin, here rendered "The Fig." Like a lot of the shorter surahs three's a lot going on here, so I'll probably come back and revisit it later in a different context (for example, here we have one of the over fifty times that "believe and perform righteous deeds" are linked together). However, in this instance I'm mainly interested in the fourth verse, "truly We created man in the most beautiful stature." There is a famous hadith qudsi which goes, "Truly God created Adam in His image," which is obviously similar to Genesis 1:27. It's important to keep in mind that in Islam, like in Judaism, but unlike in Christianity, it is not appropriate to render God in a physical anthropomorphic form. Essentially, image means something very different than the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. In his related commentary in the Study Quran Nasr tells us, "This hadith is understood to mean that human beings are created with such attributes as life, knowledge, power, will, speech, hearing, and sight (the qualities most often used in Islamic theology to describe God), which are in fact Divine Attributes that God has caused to be reflected in human beings. Human beings are able to manifest all of the Divine Names and Qualities, whereas all other created beings are only able to manifest a limited range of the Divine Names and Qualities." So, while human beings cannot be God, we can, and should, aspire to these virtues. This, in turn, speaks to human potentiality, and not simply in a secular sense outside of a religious paradigm, but rather as an essential part of the human mission.

What It Means - Day 146

"Did We not expand for thee thy breast, and lift from thee thy burdens that weighed heavily upon thy back? And did We not elevate thy renown? For truly with hardship comes ease! Truly with hardship comes ease! So when thou art free, exert thyself; and let thy desire be for thy Lord."
Quran 94:1-8

Here is the entirety of the 94th surah, al-Sharh, here rendered as "Expansion." As we've discussed, the surahs almost universally get shorter as the Quran progresses. When I assign specific surahs in class I'll often say to the students, "OK, that's a bigger number, so that means . . ." and they'll respond a little too enthusiastically, "It's short!" But then they remember the some of the shorter surahs are the most complex, so their joy dies quickly. This surah, however, is very straightforward, and reminds the reader that God's intention are not actually to provide sufferings for the believers. As it is even more clearly stated (and more roundly known) in 2:185: "God desires ease for you, and He does not desire hardship for you." It doesn't mean that faith is easy, but rather that hardship and suffering is not the point. Instead, faith should actually joy and ease from suffering. Truthfully, why would a harsh, judgmental God create human beings just to harshly judge them? And, more importantly I guess, why would we worship such a God?

What It Means - Day 145

"Only Breath

Not Christian or Jew or Muslim, not Hindu,
Buddhist, sufi, or zen. Not any religion

or cultural system. I am not from the East
or the West, not out of the ocean or up

from the ground, not natural or ethereal, not
composed of elements at all. I do not exist,

am not an entity in this world or the next,
did not descend from Adam and Eve or any

origin story. My place is placeless, a trace
of the traceless. Neither body or soul.

I belong to the beloved, have seen the two
worlds as one and that one call to and know,

first, last, outer, inner, only that
breath breathing human being."
Rumi, in The Essential Rumi, (tr. Coleman Barks), p. 32

OK, so I mentioned the Sufis yesterday, so naturally I was drawn to writing one or two (or more) posts on them. In one of Nasr's books he opines that he's not a big fan of the Barks's Rumi translation because in the push to make them more accessible he fears that the more profound aspects are lost or at least cheapened (the Barks translations are incredibly popular). Nasr may be being a tad grumpy, but I think he makes a great point. An odd comparison could be made to the Arthur Waley's translation, entitled Monkey, of Wu Ch'eng-En's classic Journey to the West. Waley both introduced the work to a broader audience in the West, but also cut out most of the poetry and a lot of more profound ruminations on Buddhism: the result is an eminently enjoyable work, but also one that lacks the spiritual power of the original; essentially it becomes a collection of stories of Monkey fighting monsters and the deeper Buddhist quest for enlightenment is diluted. Having said all that, I still have a soft spot to the Barks translation of Rumi because it was my introduction to the works of the Sufi master. This particular poem hints at the more romantic love I discussed yesterday, but also gets at the more transcendent nature of faith. As is hinted at in the Quran, there are many paths to God.

What It Means - Day 144

"God, ever exalted is He, says:
   'He who pretends to love Me and neglects Me is a liar. Does not every lover seek to be secluded with his beloved?
   'I am He who is completely aware of My lovers when they picture Me before them, address Me in contemplation and speak to Me in My Presence.
   'Tomorrow I shall make their eyes delight in My Gardens.'"
Muhammad, Hadith (Divine Sayings, p. 59)

And here's yet another hadith qudsi drawn from the Divine Sayings book. Yesterday I was holding forth on how that specific hadith reminded me of certain aspects of Buddhism; as I proposed, there are many passages in the Quran and the ahadith which remind me of Buddhism (now there's another impossible book I should write). Today hadith reminds me of the Song of Songs from the Old Testament, but also some of the Sufi writers (and, as already promised, I'll talk about Rumi and Hafiz and Omar Khayyam and Ibn Arabi later). The Sufis, especially Rumi, Hafiz and Omar Khayyam would often use the metaphor of the desire of lovers for the love between God and humankind. Here God is speaking as a neglected lover: "Does not every lover seek to be secluded with his beloved?" It is a very fitting metaphor for the folly of ignoring the Beloved as you would any beloved. So, you would see this metaphor pop up quite a bit among the poets, but I haven't seen in in the Quran or the ahadith, so this is definitely interesting. As Hirtenstein and Notcutt point out in the introduction to the Divine Sayings, "On occasion, such hadith are addressed by God to another prophet, such as Abraham, Moses or David, or to the angels, and reported by Muhammad." I wonder if this might be one possible reason for the Song of Songs feel of this particular hadith? They continue by pointing out that "a hadith qudsi does not necessarily come through Gabriel, but may be revealed through inspiration or a dream." Again, I wonder if this helps explain the more dreamlike, romantic/sexual nature of this particular hadith?

What It Means - Day 143

"God, ever exalted is He, said: 'O David, caution the children of Israel against eating out of desire, for when the heart is attached to desire, the mind is veiled from Me.'"
Muhammad, Hadith (Divine Sayings, p. 58)

Here's another selection from the hadith qudsi book I've been working my way through (expect this to continue for awhile, although I suspect I'll take a break and get back into the Quran as well). I think this particular one jumped out at me because, once again, it seemed definitively Buddhistic in nature. I've talked previously about how we naturally make comparisons between Islam and Judaism or Christianity, but we tend to not do it in regards to other religions. However, several times I'm championed the similarity to Buddhism, especially in the day to day responsibility of how we lead our lives and the decisions we make. You could change the names and this passage's admonition about controlling desire would fit in almost seamlessly with a Buddhist sutra.

What It Means - Day 142

"God, ever mighty and majestic is He, says: 'Indeed this is a religion with which I Myself am well-pleased. Nothing befits it but open-handed generosity and nobility of character. So honour it with these two whenever you follow it.'"
Muhammad, Hadith

Here's another saying that I culled out of Ibn Arabi's collection of hadith qudsi, or divine sayings of the Prophet. I have several collections of ahadith, including a massive multi-volume collection, but for some reason I haven't opened this particular volume yet. Expect several more posts in the immediate future as I make up for this odd omission. 

As should be pretty obvious by now, I'm always drawn to passages from the Quran or the ahadith that attempt to get to the quintessence of the faith, cutting away rules and traditions and, well, sometimes just superstition, and getting to the essential core. So, naturally, I would be drawn to this one. The open-handed generosity is fairly easy to define, and we know that charity is such an integral part of the faith that it takes its place as one of the Five Pillars. Nobility is a little more vague, but I've discussed it previously, and will again. I'll be coming back to this question again soon.

What It Means - Day 141

"God, ever mighty and majestic is He, shall say on the Day of Resurrection: 'Where are those who have loved each other for the sake of My Majesty? Today I shall shelter them in My shade, on a day when there is no shade but My shade."
Muhammad, Hadith

I included this particular hadith (again, a saying of the Prophet) for a couple first reasons. First off, it's just a lovely, simple, sweet message, and one that any Christian would obviously understand. When push comes to shoves (or, in this case, neither a push nor a shove) at the end of the day have you loved each other? Beyond all the rules and requirements, doesn't it always just come down to this. Secondly, it introduces the concept of the hadith qudsi, or the divine hadith.  We've talked a lot about the hadith, but within them there are a special class of sayings that, for lack of another word, simply carry more weight.

As Stephen Hirtenstein and Martin Notcutt explain in the introduction of Ibn Arabi's (and much more on him later) collection of hadith qudsi:

"In contrast, hadith qudsi (or hadith ilahi or rabbani, translated as 'Divine or Sacred Sayings' are a special kind of hadith, reporting a communication spoken by God Himself to the Prophet, who thus assumed the role of transmitter."

So, then how is a hadith qudsi different than a Quranic revelation? Again from the introduction:

"Although both Qur'an and hadith qudsi convey the word of God Himself, there are important distinctions to be made between them. For example, the Qur'an was revealed through the medium of Gabriel, and is inimitable; a hadith qudsi does not necessarily come through Gabriel, but may be revealed through inspiration or a dream. While a Muslim must recite portions of the Qur'an during prescribed prayers, it is not permitted to include hadith qudsi. An important difference also arises in the way each has been preserved and transmitted. The Holy Book, the Qur'an, was revealed to Muhammad (born AD 570) from his fortieth year. Parts of the Qur'an were uttered by Muhammad at different times during the course of twenty-three years, and on his instruction these were recorded by being committee to memory by many people, and by being written down . . . While some hadith were memorized and indeed may have been written down during the life of Muhhammad, this process was less systematic and organized than in the case of the Quranic revelations." Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi, Divine Sayings: 101 Hadith Qudsi pp. 3-4.

Like the rest of the hadith the hadith qudsi provide more specific information that is referenced in much broader strokes in the Quran, but in this case have even greater authority.

What It Means - Day 140

"Indeed, he prospers who purifies it. And indeed he fails who obscures it."
Quran 91:9-10

This short, but profoundly significant, passage is drawn from the 91st surah, al-Shams, "The Sun." As Nasr tells us, "These two verses have served as the inspiration for extensive literature on the 'purification of the soul' (tazkiyyat al-nafs), which some argue is the entire purpose of the Quran." (Study Quran, p. 1520)  I can't read these words without thinking of Hinduism or Buddhism and the process of purifying the soul stretched over countless lifetimes, which I will often explain to my students by comparing it to a chemistry experiment where you keep running a mixture through multiple filters. In Islam however, as with Judaism and Christianity, the process of purification is bounded by one lifetime, which certainly gets the clock ticking. As part of the Noble Eight-Fold Path of Buddhism its adherents are told to consider every action and statement and thought in regards to the bigger questions of Enlightenment; truthfully, is Islam any different, except that there is only one life to achieve the process. Of course, in Islam you're not born with any Buddhist or Hindu sense of a karmic residue or even Christian sense of original sin that you need to overcome because the default setting is that you're born good, so maybe the pressure is arguably not as bad as it is in other faiths.

Nasr continues, "Nonetheless, there is a subtle reciprocity in every step one takes toward God, for as 13:11 proclaims Truly God alters not what is in a people until they alter what is in themselves. The literal meaning of purify (zakka) is 'to grow,' and according to most the literal meaning of obscure (dassa) is 'to bury.' These verses could thus be translated, 'He prospers who grows it, and he fails to buries it.'" To me, this brings us back to one of my favorite subjects: the active role, if not the complete ownership, of our path to God. Of course, there is doubtless an extraordinary vanity in this view. However, if we are born free of any karmic debt or taint of original sin, and, as Nasr opines, the greatest sin in Islamic is the human tendency to forget the original oneness of God, then this speaks to a sense of spiritual agency. God "cut us loose" for a reason, and if the reason is to purify our soul, then the question becomes what does "purify our soul" mean? Nasr discusses "those who dull the soul by neglecting it through heedlessness and disobedience," and to me that brings us back once again to the notion of the remembrance of God, which, again, to me is about our actions in helping other and making the world a better place.

What It Means - Day 139

"And as for whenever He tries him and straitens his provision, he says, 'My Lord has abused me.' Nay, but you honor not the orphan, nor urge you the feeding of the indigent. You devour inheritance with rapacious devouring, and love wealth with abounding love."
Quran 89:16-20

Here's another brief passage from al-Fajr, "The Dawn," the 89th surah. It's another one of the innumerable calls in the Quran to look after the weaker and defenseless members of society. It starts with a man questioning why God has "abused" him, one of the essential questions at the heart of monotheistic traditions stretching back to Job and beyond. God doesn't respond that the person hasn't worshiped him enough, but rather that his crime is he didn't look after the orphan or feed the indigent and that he loved wealth too much. Or, maybe putting it another way, you worship God by looking after the orphans and feeding the indigent and not loving wealth so much. And yet our president is Donald Trump, who is actively creating orphans and the indigent and who is the very personification of the worship of wealth; and millions of Christians worship him like a golden idol. Many people will suggest that we need a spiritual re-awakening in this country, and that always makes me very nervous, because they tend to mean that it should be based on their religion becoming the state religion and that punishments be handed out based on their centuries/millennia old laws. However, if it means a spiritual (as compared to religious) recalibration, as part of a broader social, political and ethical one, then I think I'm on board.

Trip of Mystery Update

Yes, the tickets are purchased and the visas are sussed (and, yes, I know how vague that statement is) for the upcoming 60th birthday Trip of Mystery. I really had trouble finally punching the button to buy the plane ticket, not because I'm afraid to travel, but rather because I have issues spending money on myself.  Up to a certain limited point I will, as anyone who follows my silly CFL adventures can testify to, but otherwise I'm just a lot happier spending money on other folks. Doubtless it goes back to my father convincing me that I'm truly the laziest, most irresponsible person in the world. In the end I guess I have to give credit to my SO for pushing me to do it. I was grumbling to her about wasting the money on myself, which led to a discussion of how much the ticket was, which she didn't think was that much money considering the money I do spend on the folks in my life. I responded with something stupid like, "It would be different if you asked for that much money because I'd write you a check right now." She replied, "OK, write me a check for _____." Pause. Then I said, "And, let me guess, you'd use the money to buy me this plane ticket, right?" She replied, "Yep." And so I went ahead and bought the ticket. Of course, it could have just been her ingenious scheme to figure out where I'm going (which she'd need to know to purchase said ticket). Anyway, it's on.

What It Means - Day 138

"By the dawn, by the ten nights, by the even and the odd, and by the night as it recedes; . . ."
Quran 89:1-4

OK, this is another post which is mainly designed for me to share some fascinating commentary from Nasr from his Study Quran.  These are the opening lines from the 89th surah, al-Fajr, usually rendered as "The Dawn." At this moment I'm mainly focusing on the third verse, "by the even and the odd."  Nasr shares:

"Commentators have given this verse up to thirty-six different interpretations. Some interpret even as a reference to all of creation, for as 78:6-8 says, Did We not . . . create you in pairs, and odd as a reference to God, Who is One without peer, hence odd. According to a saying attributed to the prophet, this verse refers to the prayers, most of which have an even number of prayer cycles, and one of which, the sunset prayer (maghrib), has an odd number of cycles. Other say that odd refers to the Day of Arafah, which is the ninth day of the hajj, and even refers to either the eighth day, when the pilgrims travel to Mr. Arafat, or the tenth day, which is the Feast of Sacrifice. According to other interpretations, the odd refers to Adam, and the even to Eve; the even refers to Safa and Marwah, between which the pilgrims pass during the pilgrimage, and the odd refers to the Kabah. One Shiite interpretation maintains that the even refers to Ali and Fatimah and the odd refers to the Prophet himself." (p. 1510)

OK, I truthfully have nothing profound to add here (or anyplace, truthfully) other than I find it fascinating that one brief passage in the Quran has given rise to thirty-six different interpretations. The common perception from outside Islam is that the faith is a very strict, literal, some might even argue thoughtless, faith, when the reality is that it's been argued and discussed for fourteen centuries, and it should be. The argument is sometimes made that the questions were answered by religious scholars by around the year 1000 and thus the Gates of Ijtihad were essentially closed (this is a Sunni belief not a Shia one) but I think that's a patently absurd notion. We are told to think and reflect, not mindlessly memorize. I know the argument is made that it is the religious scholars who are best able to tackle these issues, and that may be true, but if we accept that then are we really any different than any other religion where intellectual/spiritual power, and thus power, is monopolized in the hands of the few? One of the things that drew me to Islam is that lack of a powerful priesthood or hierarchy, and thus the emphasis is on your own personal relationship with God. The notion that we might make mistakes on our spiritual journey is absolutely no reason to make the journey. If the religion is being interpreted and re-interpreted then it is vibrant and alive, and not simply a bunch of rules to memorize and laws for punishment.

What It Means - Day 137

"Glorify the Name of thy Lord, the Most High."
Quran 87:1

I culled out the opening verse from the al-A'la, the 87th surah, often rendered as "The Most High," so that I could include this commentary from Nasr.

From Nasr, "Regarding the relationship between the different ways in which God is glorified in the Quran, see 64:1C. The Most High can be understood to modify Lord or the Name, though most prefer the former. When Most High modifies Lord, the verse is simply an injunction to glorify God. When it modifies the Name, the verse is understood to provide instruction regarding the manner in which one should glorify God, meaning that one should refrain from associating the Name of God with any other thing or that one should praise God with the Names that God has revealed, as in 17:110: Call upon God, or call upon te Compassionate. It is said that when So glorify the Name of thy Lord, the Magnificent (56:74) was revealed, the Prophet told his Companions, 'Enact it when you bow [in prayer],' and when the present verse wasd revealed, he said, 'Enact it when you prostrate.' Muslims thus say 'Glory be to God, the Magnificent' three times when bowing in prayer and the formula 'Glory be to God the Most High' three times when prostrating." (Study Quran, p. 1504)

In a previous post I included a link that shows how Muslims pray. This excerpt from Nasr gives you a sense of why they say what they say. It's often said that the Quran provides the big message (i.e. you should pray) and the hadith (sayings) and sunnah (actions) of the Prophet filled in the details (i.e. how you should pray), and here's a good example. You're reciting Quranic verses while praying, but it was the Prophet who made clear which ones to recite.

What It Means - Day 136

"So be gentle with the disbelievers; grant them respite for a while."
Quran 86:17

Here is another of the many passages from the Quran admonishing Muslims to not be judgmental and to be tolerant and patient with those who don't believe, this was drawn from the 86th surah, al-Tariq, sometimes rendered as "What Comes by Night." To be fair, there is a definite sense of right/wrong here, as in "we're right and you're wrong," but the point is that that even if you believe this to be the case God will sort this out in the end, not you. Having said that, it's amazing/disheartening how many of us are judgmental in how we view non-believers. As I've proposed repeatedly, I think there are many paths to God. In other passages we are directed to compete with followers of other religions only in excellence, that is, gently compete with how devout and steadfast and sincere and useful and helpful we can be in our own faiths. In that sense, I think we should always be turning the lens on ourselves first, and I would argue, exclusively.