"He said, 'My Lord! Appoint for me a sign.' He said, 'Thy sign shall be that thou shalt not speak with men for three nights, [while thou are] sound.'"
Quran 19:10
"'And if thou seest any human being say, "Verily I have vowed a fast unto the Compassionate, so I shall not speak this day to any man."' Then she came with him unto her people, carrying him. They said, 'O Mary! Thou hast brought an amazing thing! O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not an evil man, nor was thy mother unchaste.' Then she pointed to him. They said, 'How shall we speak to one who is yet a child in the cradle?' He said, 'Truly I am a servant of God."
Quran 19:26-30
I've definitely been stuck in the nineteenth surah, Maryam, lately, which is fine because it's a fascinating one. As I've said before, when non-Muslims are interested in reading the Quran Maryam is one of the surahs I suggest. I found these two passage interesting because in both of them the recipient of this divine message responded with silence. As Nasr tells us in the corresponding commentary: "That both Zachariah and Mary were commanded to observe silence after these miraculous events suggests the spiritual significance of silence. Many Sufis have indicated that silence is the only true way to communicate or express an encounter with God's Presence, as all words are inadequate in such cases. Outward silence, moreover, can be a manifestation of an inward suppression or emptying of the self in the Face of the Divine." (p. 767)
I find this fascinating, and also challenging, because when is it OK to break that silence? If God is, by definition, ineffable, when do we have the power to express this Presence? Is it simply the passage of time? Would not all words fail, immediately and later? This is one of the reasons why I struggle with folks who pick out a specific passage to justify a decision. Is not the general understanding of the faith a separate approach? When we break the silence of God are we not doomed to misrepresent the divine?
Quran 19:10
"'And if thou seest any human being say, "Verily I have vowed a fast unto the Compassionate, so I shall not speak this day to any man."' Then she came with him unto her people, carrying him. They said, 'O Mary! Thou hast brought an amazing thing! O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not an evil man, nor was thy mother unchaste.' Then she pointed to him. They said, 'How shall we speak to one who is yet a child in the cradle?' He said, 'Truly I am a servant of God."
Quran 19:26-30
I've definitely been stuck in the nineteenth surah, Maryam, lately, which is fine because it's a fascinating one. As I've said before, when non-Muslims are interested in reading the Quran Maryam is one of the surahs I suggest. I found these two passage interesting because in both of them the recipient of this divine message responded with silence. As Nasr tells us in the corresponding commentary: "That both Zachariah and Mary were commanded to observe silence after these miraculous events suggests the spiritual significance of silence. Many Sufis have indicated that silence is the only true way to communicate or express an encounter with God's Presence, as all words are inadequate in such cases. Outward silence, moreover, can be a manifestation of an inward suppression or emptying of the self in the Face of the Divine." (p. 767)
I find this fascinating, and also challenging, because when is it OK to break that silence? If God is, by definition, ineffable, when do we have the power to express this Presence? Is it simply the passage of time? Would not all words fail, immediately and later? This is one of the reasons why I struggle with folks who pick out a specific passage to justify a decision. Is not the general understanding of the faith a separate approach? When we break the silence of God are we not doomed to misrepresent the divine?
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