Reflections on Reading the Quran

So I did it.  I read the entire Quran.  What a rewarding and challenging experience it was.  

The Quran, for me, can be summed up (the Quran is extremely complex, I am just reflecting on that which I perceived to be most meaningful) by the short phrase that prefaces every Surah: "In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful."   The Quran, time and time again, urged the reader to remember that Allah is the Creator of all, who watches over us, is with us in tough time, and whose grace and mercy abound in our lives.  My favorite Surah is 93, "The Glorious Morning Light." It illustrates Allah's grace and mercy poignantly. It's language reminds me of the poetic style of the Psalter.  It reads:

1. By the Glorious Morning Light,
2. And by the Night when it is still,—
3. Thy Guardian-Lord hath not forsaken thee, nor is He displeased.
4. And verily the Hereafter will be better for thee than the present.
5. And soon will thy Guardian-Lord give thee (that wherewith) thou shalt be well-pleased.
6. Did He not find thee an orphan and give thee shelter (and care)?
7. And He found thee wandering, and He gave thee guidance.
8. And He found thee in need, and made thee independent.
9. Therefore, treat not the orphan with harshness,
10. Nor repulse the petitioner (unheard);
11. But the bounty of the Lord — rehearse and proclaim!

Our life (and afterlife) is a gift from Allah.  In response to this gift, to Allah's grace and mercy, and in response to the revelations of Allah's prophets we live a life of prayer, devotion to God, and to our neighbor. Surah 107 reminds the reader that one must take care of the marginalized and disenfranchised.  

I learned so much during this project and believe that I connected more deeply with Islam and my Muslim neighbor.  While the final part of my project will be visiting Dearborn, MI and the largest mosque in America, I'm proud to be able to say that I have read the Quran.  And hopefully, I will be better able to minister to Christian, Muslims, and others having done so.  

I've always thought that expanding your worldview and challenging your faith by learning about the world's great religions is the best way to grow spiritually.  I now know what the Quran says.  Much of it was beautifully written.  It's stories and lessons promote a loving, peaceful, and faithful way of life.  While I do disagree with some of it, I feel that it inspired my own Christian faith and pluralist worldview to deepen.  It gave me another tool in my toolbox to promote interfaith cooperation.  And I think I come away from this project seeing Islam as like a second language to me.  Christianity is my first language of faith, but Islam is beginning to a be a second.  While by no means am I fluent, at least I know a little.  And while I can never know the various nuances and minutia of the Islamic faith, hopefully, this can serve as a point of reference and a bridge-builder to shared acts of faith in the future.  I see Muslims with eyes of deep respect, reverance, and admiration for leading lives inspired and guided by Allah and the Quran.  

Islam is a beautiful religion.  One of the world's great gifts.   I want to leave you with two videos.  The first  I took back in 2007 when I was in seminary.  The video is set in the town of Acco, Israel.  This was my first real encounter with Islam as it is lived out by Muslims all over the world.  The calling to prayer sung by this man is quite spiritually inspiring.  It left an impression on my heart.

The second video is from 2008 when I visited Cairo, Egypt.  It was taken at the bazaar, right before I joined in a soccer pickup game with the locals.

100_1198.MOV Watch on Posterous

100_0685.mov Watch on Posterous

Posted via email from Advent with Islam: A Presbyterian Chaplain's Journey with the Quran

Humility. The heart of the Quran?

So I've read through Surah 45. About 90 pages to go.  This is going to be a wonderful accomplishment, being that I don't think I've read the bible in its entirety (don't tell my Presbytery higher-ups that fact).  But to my defense, the bible is much longer.  

After 335 pages of the Quran, an over-arching theme has struck me.  Humility.  On almost every page, the Quran reminds the reader that Allah is the one God, who created everything, provides all, and who is ultimately in control.  It is the humble realization that everything is a gift from Allah, and that Allah, not the reader, is in control, that leads to a faithful and spiritually-centered living. It is this humility that allows one to love others, to learn from one's mistakes, and to keep Allah one's ultimate concern (to us a Tillich phrase).  

Many times throughout the Quran, including 9:11, it says, "if they repent, establish regular prayers, and practise regular charity."  

This may be the heart of the Quran.  

Everyhthing is a gift from Allah.  Everything on earth is temporary as well.  Only the Creator is worthy of the ends of one's spiritual focus.  

The temptation of cultivating an unhealthy attachment to one's ego (healthy selfishness and confidence is necessary, but elevating oneself (far) above others or God may be damaging), accomplishments, materials, and the temptation of hatefulness or complacence (among other difficulties) threatens all of us, at sometime or another.  This line in the Quran reminds the reader to stay focused on living a life of faith and love, to prayerfully remember that everything is a gift from Allah through prayer, and to imagine creation's interconnectedness, empowering the reader to serve others through charity because everyone's wellbeing is interwoven.  

What do you think is the heart of the Quran?

Posted via email from Advent with Islam: A Presbyterian Chaplain's Journey with the Quran

Do war stories in sacred texts provide ammunition to dehumanize, demonize the Other?

So I am almost 3/4ths of the way through the Quran, and it has been an exciting journey! I just finished reading Surah 33, called The Confederates.  It tells the story of The Battle of the Trench in Medina in 627.  The Muslims dug a trench to defend Medina from the attack of the Confederates, who were made up of Jews and pagans from various tribes.  Ultimately, the Muslims held off the attacks and Islam rose to prominance in the land.  The Quran reads, "And those of the people of the Book (Jews) who aided them--Allah took them down from their strongholds and cast terror into their hearts, (so that) some you slew, and some you made prisoners" (33:26).  

What strikes me about this story, while I'm sure very inspirational to Muslims, a story where Allah supports them and leads them to victory, is the fact that it may have the unintentional consequence of creating negative views towards those who are non-Muslim. 

Disclaimer: I'm not singling Islam out on this one.  For Jews (Israelites), Exodus tells a similar tale of victory over Egypt and of those in Canaan.  And in Christendom, when Constantine rose to power, Christians were forced to defend the Roman Empire by force against others.  

All three Abrahamic faiths have fought wars against the ancient ancestors of our global family. And these violent battles are part of our sacred texts, part of our traditions and rituals, and many of us incorporate them into our religious identity.  

How then do we avoid dehumanizing, demonizing the objects of these battles who share that background or belief system, who are now our neighbors, coworkers, and friends?

We have a responsibility to interpret these passages, in all three religions, in context.  We have a responsibility to hold in tension the many peaceful and non-violent parts of our religious traditions with these more violent parts.  And we have a responsibility to claim that love, peace, mercy, and non-violence trumps any other part of our scriptures.  We cannot claim these stories of violence in our sacred texts as motivation and justification to enact violence on other parties.  

Most Jews, interpret the exodus of Egypt and conquest into Canaan, through a mythical and symbolic lens of overcoming difficulty, having faith in God, and coming together as a people.  But there are still those in Israel and elsewhere who use these stories as ammunition to promote violence against Palestine, Egypt, and others.  And some Christians support this through their own perverted motivations of establishing the state of Israel to influence the return of Jesus.  

Voices like Gandhi, MLK, and Eboo Patel help us trump these violent stories with loving action. We must be able to separate, as religious followers, the artistic and poetic deep truths of these violent stories (like displaying faith in God in difficult times, overcoming hardship through community, etc), from the actual literal facts of the violence against a people that are different from us.  It is in these more 'mythos'-driven readings that the real beauty and meaning of these stories impacts our lives. 

Posted via email from Advent with Islam: A Presbyterian Chaplain's Journey with the Quran

I wish Barack Obama actually were a Muslim.

So as I was reading the Quran today, reading about peace and charity, I began to day dream, admiring the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.  The US celebrates his life by observing a federal holiday which marks the anniversary of his birthday.  That day is today. Happy MLK day everybody! 

And then I jumped to a really unique thought: I wish Barack Obama actually were a Muslim.  We all remember the untrue rumors claiming that Obama is Muslim (Obama's grandfather converted to Islam but Obama's father was an atheist and Obama is Christian).  Unfortunately, these in-my-opinion-racist-fueled attacks are reminders that MLK's vision and work is not done.  These attacks also symbolize how religiously intolerant America is (off the charts bigoted) and how much work we need to do so that religious equality actually exists.  So what if Barack Obama were a Muslim? Why would that be so negative?  Shouldn't that be a positive thing?  Don't we celebrate diversity in America?  Wouldn't Barack's Muslim faith enable him to better connect with those around the world?  Wouldn't it give him a unique insight into our country, our situation, and better suit him to lead us?

I think it is bullshit that the simple fact of calling Barack Obama Muslim is equivalent to an insult in America.  If we were not such bigots, then that claim would have no negative fuel, no mojo, no power.  But it did have that power.  And since it had so much negative thwart, we must get off our butts and get in gear, working to create a vision of equality that was voiced by MLK decades ago. We need to change America into a place were being Muslim is celebrated, were it would be possible for Obama to be Muslim.  

America needs to elect a Muslim president (and a female president, and a gay president, etc.), just as we elected a black president.  

And as I was thinking about how extraordinarily courageous MLK was, how he engaged in interfaith cooperation in the civil rights movement, working with, dialoging with, and critiquing Malcolm X, a Muslim, I realized that MLK would have definitely voted for a Muslim president if the best candidate happened to follow Islam.  It seems that religious intolerance and bigotry today, especially Islamophobia, is parallel to Jim Crow and the civil rights movement that MLK mobilized.  It is logical to see the connection between MLK's work and Obama's election as president, as the civil rights movement paved the way for a black person to be in the oval office.

But then who is the great advocate for interfaith cooperation?  Who is the great leader standing up for Muslims, fighting for equal rights andf treatment?  Who will stand against Islamophobes so that our great country will finally elect Muslim president?  Eboo Patel (check out his social justice non-profit ifyc.org) may be America's most-effective figure to fight against Islamophobia.   As a Muslim, he is trying to create a intefaith cooperation movement where we set aside our religious differences and work together to improve our communities.  If only more people would listen to him...  Or maybe we should actually just listen to our president, instead of making bigoted claims that he is Muslim...  Take it away Mr. Obama...

Posted via email from Advent with Islam: A Presbyterian Chaplain's Journey with the Quran

The Pilgrimage

In reading Surah 22, I found my imagination trying to comprehend the Hajj, or pilgrimage.  The photos I've seen, the accounts I've heard, I'm sure, do not paint the complete picture of the experience.  The Hajj is the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca, where the Ka'ba is located.  The Ka'ba is the first sacred house of worship built by Abraham in response to God's instruction.  Every year, hundreds of thousands of Muslims (there were 1.8 million in 2010) worship in Mecca and Medina for the Hajj.  It's the fifth pillar of Islam, which must be carried out once in one's life as a Muslim.  

And honestly, I'm jealous that Christians do not have a parallel tradition or custom.  Sure, we have holy sites like the church of the Holy Selpuchre (the pictures are Jesus' 'grave-cave' and the place where he was taken down from the cross)

And we have the Hagia Sophia which was the patriarchal cathedral of Constantinople (the center of the Christian world) from 360-1453 when the Ottomon Turks conquered Turkey and converted it into a mosque.  

Sure the Christian faith has smaller, denominationally pilgrimages like Chimayo in New Mexico for American Roman Catholics, or maybe the Vatican.  But we don't have an organized, large scale, specified pilgrimage event like the Muslims do.  I wish we did. How amazing would it be to gather together with millions of diverse people from around the world to share stories of faith and celebrate life and religion?  I'm actually tempted to try to attend the Hajj, just to share in the experience, build bridges between the communities, and yes, selfishly satiate my wanderlust.

The only similar event, on a secular level, I have been a part of is the world cup where millions of people from all over the world come together around a common love of soccer, sharing stories and celebrating life. I've attended two: USA in 1994 and Germany in 2006.  The coming together of a diversity of people proved exhilerating and unforgettable.  Two of the greatest experiences of my life.  I can't imagine how much more transformative a religious pilgrimage like the Hajj would be, pregnant with the meaning and energy of a religious faith.  

I'd love to hear, from you all, my friends, some personal accounts of experiencing the Hajj or other pilgrimages.  Please share, as the first hand accounts are much more poignant than an outsider trying to imagine what its like!

Posted via email from Advent with Islam: A Presbyterian Chaplain's Journey with the Quran

The Pilgrimage

In reading Surah 22, I found my imagination trying to comprehend the Hajj, or pilgrimage.  The photos I've seen, the accounts I've heard, I'm sure, do not paint the complete picture of the experience.  The Hajj is the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca, where the Ka'ba is located.  The Ka'ba is the first sacred house of worship built by Abraham in response to God's instruction.  Every year, hundreds of thousands of Muslims (there were 1.8 million in 2010) worship in Mecca and Medina for the Hajj.  It's the fifth pillar of Islam, which must be carried out once in one's life as a Muslim.  

And honestly, I'm jealous that Christians do not have a parallel tradition or custom.  Sure, we have holy sites like the church of the Holy Selpuchre (the pictures are Jesus' 'grave-cave' and the place where he was taken down from the cross)

And we have the Hagia Sophia which was the patriarchal cathedral of Constantinople (the center of the Christian world) from 360-1453 when the Ottomon Turks conquered Turkey and converted it into a mosque.  

Sure the Christian faith has smaller, denominationally pilgrimages like Chimayo in New Mexico for American Roman Catholics, or maybe the Vatican.  But we don't have an organized, large scale, specified pilgrimage event like the Muslims do.  I wish we did. How amazing would it be to gather together with millions of diverse people from around the world to share stories of faith and celebrate life and religion?  I'm actually tempted to try to attend the Hajj, just to share in the experience, build bridges between the communities, and yes, selfishly satiate my wanderlust.

The only similar event, on a secular level, I have been a part of is the world cup where millions of people from all over the world come together around a common love of soccer, sharing stories and celebrating life. I've attended two: USA in 1994 and Germany in 2006.  The coming together of a diversity of people proved exhilerating and unforgettable.  Two of the greatest experiences of my life.  I can't imagine how much more transformative a religious pilgrimage like the Hajj would be, pregnant with the meaning and energy of a religious faith.  

I'd love to hear, from you all, my friends, some personal accounts of experiencing the Hajj or other pilgrimages.  Please share, as the first hand accounts are much more poignant than an outsider trying to imagine what its like!

Posted via email from Advent with Islam: A Presbyterian Chaplain's Journey with the Quran

Maryam: The Birth of Jesus

In Sura 19, a virgin Maryam, after a visitation of an angel, births Jesus, who, as a newborn baby speaks great words of wisdom (see below).  I just love the idea of an infant Jesus, claiming his role as prophet, and proclaiming that he will be resurrected after he dies.  Jesus was a badass baby!

While Islam doesn't believe Jesus was God, they must believe that prophets like Jesus are not quite normal people, as Jesus was born from a virgin and spoke when he was an infant, which is impossible for normal humans.  So God must have intervened. 

I'd love to hear more from my Muslim friends about this birth narrative.  I find it very interesting and inspiring to read about the birth of Jesus in the Quran, from another perspective.  It adds complexity and power to the story of Jesus to have another account.  It also deepens my faith.  And while I tend to see Jesus as more of a human prophet than fully God which would align more with Muslims, Jesus is, for me, the paradigm prophet, and is effectively God in the praxis of my faith.  So while I am closer in Christology to Muslims, I still fall somewhere in between the Muslim view of human prophet and the traditional Christian view of fully God, fully human.  It may not be that Jesus' was essentially different than any other prophets for me, but the difference lies, in that, the epicenter or focus of my faith is Jesus.

Enjoy the Muslim art below as well.  

[19:29] She pointed to him. They said, "How can we talk with an infant in the crib?"

[19:30] (The infant spoke and) said, "I am a servant of GOD. He has given me the scripture, and has appointed me a prophet.

[19:31] "He made me blessed wherever I go, and enjoined me to observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and the obligatory charity (Zakat) for as long as I live.

[19:32] "I am to honor my mother; He did not make me a disobedient rebel.

[19:33] "And peace be upon me the day I was born, the day I die, and the day I get resurrected."

 

See the full gallery on Posterous

Posted via email from Chaplain Jake Hofmeister