"Abraham learned how the sun and moon and the stars all set.
He said, No longer will I try to assign partners for God.
You are so weak. Give up to grace.
The ocean takes care of each wave
till it gets to the shore.
You need more help than you know.
You're trying to live your life in open scaffolding.
Say Bismillah, In the name of God,
As the priest does with a knife when he offers an animal.
Bismillah your old self
to find your real name."
Rumi
From Coleman Barks “The Essential Rumi”
Friday, November 19, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Where Does the Sweetness Lie?
I am often questioned about the title of this blog, Sweet Sujud, and what it means. The idea for the name came from my own experience living as a Muslim for the past 11 years as well as a comment a friend of mine once made in his attempt to describe what surrendering to God can actually feel like.
The act of sujud (prostration) itself in many ways is the hallmark of the Islamic faith. When people see Muslims in a state of prostration, even those with little familiarity with the faith can identify them as Muslims. The prostration is an act that helps to facilitate total realization of the state of self-surrender, i.e. willing servanthood, to God by putting the body, as a reflection of what lies in one's heart, in a state of utter humility (face on the floor) and self-deprivation. As with all matters in life, there exists an intimate connection between mind, heart (soul) and body; with the body being a vessel for the purification of both the heart and mind, or its opposite. Thus, the prostration -- as the climax of the prayer cycle itself -- acts in many ways as the ultimate posture of devotion and willing self-surrender to God. Thus, the worshipper is able to 'feel' servanthood in all his physical being, rather than just professing with his/her tongue or accepting it in theory. Combined, the knowledge of what it means to prostrate, the faith and desire to prostrate before God in an act of servanthood, and the physical act of putting oneself in the most humble of postures allow the worshipper to feel a sensation of peace and alignment that can only be described as 'sweetness.'
Ultimately, the sweetness is not of the tongue, but of the heart, so let us forgo the need to be seen by others, and focus on humbling our hearts before God with every sweet sujud....
The act of sujud (prostration) itself in many ways is the hallmark of the Islamic faith. When people see Muslims in a state of prostration, even those with little familiarity with the faith can identify them as Muslims. The prostration is an act that helps to facilitate total realization of the state of self-surrender, i.e. willing servanthood, to God by putting the body, as a reflection of what lies in one's heart, in a state of utter humility (face on the floor) and self-deprivation. As with all matters in life, there exists an intimate connection between mind, heart (soul) and body; with the body being a vessel for the purification of both the heart and mind, or its opposite. Thus, the prostration -- as the climax of the prayer cycle itself -- acts in many ways as the ultimate posture of devotion and willing self-surrender to God. Thus, the worshipper is able to 'feel' servanthood in all his physical being, rather than just professing with his/her tongue or accepting it in theory. Combined, the knowledge of what it means to prostrate, the faith and desire to prostrate before God in an act of servanthood, and the physical act of putting oneself in the most humble of postures allow the worshipper to feel a sensation of peace and alignment that can only be described as 'sweetness.'
Ultimately, the sweetness is not of the tongue, but of the heart, so let us forgo the need to be seen by others, and focus on humbling our hearts before God with every sweet sujud....
Challenging Falsehood....
Below is an example of anti-Islam rhetoric spewed by someone who is of the belief that Islam is 'anti-woman.' The response is provided by Sheikh G.F. Haddad. It is only an excerpt from his website, www.livingislam.org, and shows the importance of scholarship and knowledge and why this is the best - and only - way to combat the ruthless anti-Islam rants that are being spewed all over the Internet today. It is also an important reminder of why we can never interpret the Qur'an and hadith on our own without the help of erudite scholarship, and more importantly, why we cannot rely on literalism.
The initial charge is the writer, the 'comment' is the response by the Sheikh...
MEN'S SUPERIORITY
Comment: The true title of this section should be: “Men's greater share of responsibilities.”
The Qur'an expresses the equality of the works of the sexes and the oneness of origin of the sexes in the following verses.
"And their Lord answereth them, 'I will not suffer the work of him among you that worketh, whether of male or female, to be lost. The one of you is the issue of the other." (Q 3:195) Rodwell.
"Mankind fear your Lord, who created you of a single soul, and from it created its mate." (Q 4:1) Arberry
So while the Qur'an holds the works of men and women in equal regard and acknowledges that they are completely interdependent as to their very existence, they are not regarded as having equal worth as people.
Comment: This is a lie. The Qur'an clearly states: {O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female_. Verily the best of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.} (49:13).
The men are a step above the women and superior to them as is clear from the following two verses.
"And it is for the women to act as they (the husbands) act by them, in all fairness; but the men are a step above them."[7] (Q 2:228) Rodwell "Men have authority over women because Allah has made the one superior to the other."(Q 4:34) Dawood.
Comment: Here are Muslim translations of the same two passages but _in full_, indicating that the context in each of the two verses denotes superiority of men in maintenance and financial responsibility. Imam al-Sha`rani said, “If the man does not work and support his wife then he loses that degree.”
The famous commentator Ibn Kathir commented on (Q 4:34) saying:
"Men are superior to women, and a man is better than a woman."[8]
8. Ibn-Kathir, commenting on Q 4:34.
Comment: As we already said, the Qur'an states: {O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female_. Verily the best of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.} (49:13). This is enough to silence the lie that men and women in Islam “are not regarded as having equal worth as people,” which is the premise of the present section.
As for commentary, al-Tabari said the best explanation for 2:223 is that of Ibn `Abbas: "The degree mentioned by Allah Most High here is the exemption, on the man's part, of some his wife's obligations towards him and his indulgence towards her, while he is fully obligated to fulfill all his obligations towards her, because the verse came right after {And they (women) have rights similar to those (of men) over them in kindness}. Hence Ibn `Abbas said: 'I would not like to obtain all (astanzif) of my right from her because Allah Most High said {and men are a degree above them}.'"
The initial charge is the writer, the 'comment' is the response by the Sheikh...
MEN'S SUPERIORITY
Comment: The true title of this section should be: “Men's greater share of responsibilities.”
The Qur'an expresses the equality of the works of the sexes and the oneness of origin of the sexes in the following verses.
"And their Lord answereth them, 'I will not suffer the work of him among you that worketh, whether of male or female, to be lost. The one of you is the issue of the other." (Q 3:195) Rodwell.
"Mankind fear your Lord, who created you of a single soul, and from it created its mate." (Q 4:1) Arberry
So while the Qur'an holds the works of men and women in equal regard and acknowledges that they are completely interdependent as to their very existence, they are not regarded as having equal worth as people.
Comment: This is a lie. The Qur'an clearly states: {O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female_. Verily the best of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.} (49:13).
The men are a step above the women and superior to them as is clear from the following two verses.
"And it is for the women to act as they (the husbands) act by them, in all fairness; but the men are a step above them."[7] (Q 2:228) Rodwell "Men have authority over women because Allah has made the one superior to the other."(Q 4:34) Dawood.
Comment: Here are Muslim translations of the same two passages but _in full_, indicating that the context in each of the two verses denotes superiority of men in maintenance and financial responsibility. Imam al-Sha`rani said, “If the man does not work and support his wife then he loses that degree.”
The famous commentator Ibn Kathir commented on (Q 4:34) saying:
"Men are superior to women, and a man is better than a woman."[8]
8. Ibn-Kathir, commenting on Q 4:34.
Comment: As we already said, the Qur'an states: {O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female_. Verily the best of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.} (49:13). This is enough to silence the lie that men and women in Islam “are not regarded as having equal worth as people,” which is the premise of the present section.
As for commentary, al-Tabari said the best explanation for 2:223 is that of Ibn `Abbas: "The degree mentioned by Allah Most High here is the exemption, on the man's part, of some his wife's obligations towards him and his indulgence towards her, while he is fully obligated to fulfill all his obligations towards her, because the verse came right after {And they (women) have rights similar to those (of men) over them in kindness}. Hence Ibn `Abbas said: 'I would not like to obtain all (astanzif) of my right from her because Allah Most High said {and men are a degree above them}.'"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)