What It Means - Day 272

Normally this is where I would include a passage from the Quran or the ahadith, but instead today I'll tell a brief story. After the sermon on Friday our Imam took a moment to answer a question that had been asked a couple of times that week, and he figured that he'd go ahead and answer it publicly because he figured others might have the same question. One or two brothers or sisters had raised the question of whether or not we should chop down the "Christmas trees" that surround the space that will become our new masjid next month (remember, we purchased a church and are in the final stages of converting it). Our Imam, gently and patiently, said no and explained why, focusing on two points. First, as Muslims we are told to honor and nurture all living things, trees included, and should never kill anything thoughtlessly. In addition, he points out that the trees, like all living creatures on earth, stood in submission to God, and that they certainly had no religion of their own - that it wasn't their decision to become Christmas trees. A couple things struck me as I sat their listening to his speech. First off, that all religions, and I mean every single one of them, fall victims to superstition. While faith may be true and pure, religions never are. Secondly, I was impressed by how carefully and gracefully the Imam handled this situation, and turned it into a teachable moment. Finally, I don't mean any of this as a shot at the person/persons who initially asked the question, because I'm glad they asked it. It's much better that these issues are dealt with in the light of day as compared to festering in the dark.