Saturday, September 24, 2005
as ramadan approaches
Muslim prisoners in Guantanamo, Cuba are doing what they can to resist their conditions. Many of them are going on hunger strikes. The Baltimore Sun by way of Common Dreams
the light of muhammad (saaws)
This entry is a bit more theological than most. If Sunday School was a traumatic experience you might want to skip this one. Currently I'm reading And Muhammad Is His Messenger: The Veneration of the Prophet in Islamic Piety by the late Annemarie Schimmel. I still have a few hundred pages to go but so far the most interesting chapter to me is the one on the concept of the light of Muhammad (saaws). And like several other ideas recently discussed on Planet Grenada, this is a concept which resonates both with certain Judeo-Christian sources and Islamic ones.
If we begin with Genesis, we can note that after mentioning the heavens and earth and the dark formless void, the first thing specifically created by God's speech is light.
And some are tempted to think of this as referring to physical light, made up of photons, subject to Maxwell's equations on electricity and magnetism. Just as some insist that creation took six literal 24-hours days and that there were plants and water before there was a sun and moon (as described in Genesis). But if we assume that the Bible was intended as a book of spiritual and moral guidance instead of assuming it should be read as a science textbook, then maybe we can be encouraged to read the words a bit differently.
For comparison, we might want to consider another description of the origin of things. For example, in John's Gospel, chapter 1 we read:
So in both beginnings, in Genesis and in John's gospel we have God's "word" bringing light into existence. Only if we read further in John, it is clear that the "light" and the "word" referred to are identified with Jesus(as) himself. We will be coming back to this later.
Then, for a third example from the Bible we can consider the following passage on the personification of Wisdom, from Proverbs 8. This differs from the first two in that it is in the first person, from the perspective of Wisdom. But there are clear similarities in how the Word is described in John's gospel and how Wisdom describes herself here:
So here Wisdom is the "first of his acts of old, before the beginning" "beside him, like a master workman".
Putting all these pieces together suggests that perhaps Light/Word/Wisdom are really just different names for the same entity which was created by or proceeded from God at the beginning of time and was intimately involved in the creation of what came after. And from a Christian perspective, this entity is also identified with Jesus. Mainstream Christians don't necessarily speak in these terms, but I think a strong case can be made for this idea from the Bible. (And I would point out that the passage in Proverbs, at least using the revised standard version, is quite explicit that Wisdom is a creation of God, not God Himself.)
In Islamic religious thought, the idea of the "light of Muhammad(saaws)" is much more explicit.
And this first creation, the "light of Muhammad", from which everything else was made, has shined through the lives of all the previous prophets, including Jesus(as). But for Muslims this light is especially identified with Muhammad (saaws).
It is common for people to paint a stark contrast between how Muslims view Muhammad and how Christians view Jesus. Muslims believe that Muhammad was "just a man", a mortal human prophet, a teacher. While Christians say that Jesus is God. And that contrast is absolutely valid and appropriate. Islam teaches very clearly that Muhammad was not divine nor equivalent to God in any way. At the same time, if we consider the honor and respect Muslims lovingly give to Muhammad, especially Muslims from a more Sufi-tinged traditional background, I think there is a shade more room for dialogue and common ground (with Christians) than is generally acknowledged.
For more information on the Light of Muhammad from a Muslim perspective: Check out The Light of the Prophet by Dr. Mostafa al-Badawi. From the Living Islam, Islamic Tradition site: The First Thing That Allah Created Was My Nur and The Light of the Prophet And finally, Haqiqat al-Muhammadiyya by Nuh Ha Mim Keller
If we begin with Genesis, we can note that after mentioning the heavens and earth and the dark formless void, the first thing specifically created by God's speech is light.
And God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.
And some are tempted to think of this as referring to physical light, made up of photons, subject to Maxwell's equations on electricity and magnetism. Just as some insist that creation took six literal 24-hours days and that there were plants and water before there was a sun and moon (as described in Genesis). But if we assume that the Bible was intended as a book of spiritual and moral guidance instead of assuming it should be read as a science textbook, then maybe we can be encouraged to read the words a bit differently.
For comparison, we might want to consider another description of the origin of things. For example, in John's Gospel, chapter 1 we read:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. [...] The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. (John 1:1-5,9-10)
So in both beginnings, in Genesis and in John's gospel we have God's "word" bringing light into existence. Only if we read further in John, it is clear that the "light" and the "word" referred to are identified with Jesus(as) himself. We will be coming back to this later.
Then, for a third example from the Bible we can consider the following passage on the personification of Wisdom, from Proverbs 8. This differs from the first two in that it is in the first person, from the perspective of Wisdom. But there are clear similarities in how the Word is described in John's gospel and how Wisdom describes herself here:
The LORD created me at the beginning of his work,
the first of his acts of old.
Ages ago I was set up, at the first,
before the beginning of the earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no springs abounding with water.
Before the mountains had been shaped,
before the hills, I was brought forth;
before he had made the earth with its fields,
or the first of the dust of the world.
When he established the heavens, I was there,
when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
when he made firm the skies above,
when he established the fountains of the deep,
when he assigned to the sea its limit,
so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
then I was beside him, like a master workman;
and I was daily his delight,
rejoicing before him always,
rejoicing in his inhabited world
and delighting in the sons of men.
(Proverbs 8:22-31)
So here Wisdom is the "first of his acts of old, before the beginning" "beside him, like a master workman".
Putting all these pieces together suggests that perhaps Light/Word/Wisdom are really just different names for the same entity which was created by or proceeded from God at the beginning of time and was intimately involved in the creation of what came after. And from a Christian perspective, this entity is also identified with Jesus. Mainstream Christians don't necessarily speak in these terms, but I think a strong case can be made for this idea from the Bible. (And I would point out that the passage in Proverbs, at least using the revised standard version, is quite explicit that Wisdom is a creation of God, not God Himself.)
In Islamic religious thought, the idea of the "light of Muhammad(saaws)" is much more explicit.
It is related that Jabir ibn `Abd Allah said to the Prophet : "O Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you, tell me of the first thing Allah created before all things." He said: "O Jabir, the first thing Allah created was the light of your Prophet from His light, and that light remained (lit. "turned") in the midst of His Power for as long as He wished, and there was not, at that time, a Tablet or a Pen or a Paradise or a Fire or an angel or a heaven or an earth. And when Allah wished to create creation, he divided that Light into four parts and from the first made the Pen, from the second the Tablet, from the third the Throne, [and from the fourth everything else]."
And this first creation, the "light of Muhammad", from which everything else was made, has shined through the lives of all the previous prophets, including Jesus(as). But for Muslims this light is especially identified with Muhammad (saaws).
It is common for people to paint a stark contrast between how Muslims view Muhammad and how Christians view Jesus. Muslims believe that Muhammad was "just a man", a mortal human prophet, a teacher. While Christians say that Jesus is God. And that contrast is absolutely valid and appropriate. Islam teaches very clearly that Muhammad was not divine nor equivalent to God in any way. At the same time, if we consider the honor and respect Muslims lovingly give to Muhammad, especially Muslims from a more Sufi-tinged traditional background, I think there is a shade more room for dialogue and common ground (with Christians) than is generally acknowledged.
For more information on the Light of Muhammad from a Muslim perspective: Check out The Light of the Prophet by Dr. Mostafa al-Badawi. From the Living Islam, Islamic Tradition site: The First Thing That Allah Created Was My Nur and The Light of the Prophet And finally, Haqiqat al-Muhammadiyya by Nuh Ha Mim Keller
Friday, September 23, 2005
unusual churches
And do not abuse those whom they call upon besides Allah, lest exceeding the limits they should abuse Allah out of ignorance. Thus have We made fair seeming to every people their deeds; then to their Lord shall be their return, so He will inform them of what they did. [6.108]For me this is one of the more interesting verses of the Quran. It is remarkable that a relgion as iconoclastic as Islam would still caution Muslims against making fun of other folks' idols. There is alot of wisdom in that. Firstly, if you are rude to people and lack common courtesy you will probably turn people away from Islam rather than attract them. As they say, you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. But secondly, we don't always know what is really in the other person's heart and mind just by outwardly looking at their religious practicies. So just as we get upset when people accuse Muslims of worshiping the moon or worshiping the black stone in the Kaaba, we should be slow to make unwarranted assumptions about others. And that's true whether you are talking about other religious groups (e.g. "Zoroastrians are idolaters, they worship fire") or individuals (e.g. "She doesn't wear hijab. I'll bet she sleeps around too".)
On that note, here is a blog I found recently on unusual churches.
Given what I just said, I'm not going to make fun. I'm certain that some of the groups listed are more tongue-in-cheek and meant to be funny, while other groups listed are probably sincere. But for the moment, I'm not going to guess which is which. I'll just say that I've never stopped being surprised by the amount of religious diversity which exists in the world.
eucharist
Behold! the disciples, said: "O Jesus the son of Mary! can thy Lord send down to us a table set (with viands) from heaven?" Said Jesus: "Fear Allah, if ye have faith."
"And behold! I inspired the disciples to have faith in Me and Mine Messenger. they said, 'We have faith, and do thou bear witness that we bow to Allah as Muslims'".
They said: "We only wish to eat thereof and satisfy our hearts, and to know that thou hast indeed told us the truth; and that we ourselves may be witnesses to the miracle."
Said Jesus the son of Mary: "O Allah our Lord! Send us from heaven a table set (with viands), that there may be for us - for the first and the last of us - a solemn festival and a sign from thee; and provide for our sustenance, for thou art the best Sustainer (of our needs)." (Quran: 5:111-114)
From my perspective as someone coming from a church background, one of the most striking aspects of Islam, especially when I was first learning about it, was how old Judeo-Christian elements were rearranged in "new" ways which were fresh yet familiar. Joseph and his brothers. Moses and Pharaoh. Noah and the flood. In some cases, like the doctrine of the immaculate conception of Mary the similarities are fairly clear. In the case of something like the non-crucifixion of Jesus the differences are quite radical.
The miracle described in the above provocative passage from the Quran seems to fall somewhere in the middle. At once, it is reminiscent of Christ (as) feeding the multitudes, Moses (as) calling down manna from heaven, and even of the "daily bread" mentioned in the Our Father. But an argument can also be made that it refers to the Christian celebration of the eucharist. Heavenly food. A solemn festival. For the first of us (followers of Christ) and the last of us (the later generations of Christians). I might even suggest that from a spiritual perspective the Quran is actually evoking all of these associations at once. Just as there are other examples in Islam of entire worlds of meaning being compressed and represented by simpler elements. (allahu alim)
Thursday, September 22, 2005
why the devil has more vacation-time than santa: reason number 5,012
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, a former chief rabbi and the spiritual leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas movement, said on Wednesday that Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for U.S. President George W. Bush's support for Israel's Gaza pullout. [...] Yosef also said recent natural disasters were the result of a lack of Torah study and that Katrina's victims suffered "because they have no God," singling out black people.
Associated Press
Associated Press
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
bean soup times
The Chicago-based satirical journal,Bean Soup Times, published and edited by Toure Muhammad, Sr. is kind of like a "Black" version of the Onion. As one review puts it: "No, it's not the Onion but an Afrocentric variant with a similarly edible name." I've seen it in print for a while now, but just today I "discovered" it online and felt like sharing:
No Limit soldier, Iraqi veteran share awkward moment in local liquor store
Gangster gets Folk Art Festival ad all wrong
Despite pay gap, 75% of white men still angry
Closet Pagan smirks every time Bible-thumping friends talk about putting up Christmas tree
No Limit soldier, Iraqi veteran share awkward moment in local liquor store
Gangster gets Folk Art Festival ad all wrong
Despite pay gap, 75% of white men still angry
Closet Pagan smirks every time Bible-thumping friends talk about putting up Christmas tree
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
jose padilla and the death of the republic
Padilla and the Death of the Republic By Tom Gorman is a reflection on what Jose Padilla's continued imprisonment means for American democracy.
a god with whom i am not familiar
A God with Whom I am not Familiar by white anti-racist activist, Tim Wise is an interesting theological exploration on God's justice in the aftermath of Katrina.
elena mary costello tzintzĂșn
My favorite Latino/a blogger, Elena Mary Costello TzintzĂșn, is running for office! She is trying to get named as a representative for the Indiana-Kentucky-Ohio region for the Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior (roughly, Institute for Mexicans Abroad). So check her out, and if you like what you see, think about giving some support (writing a letter, including a link, a blog entry, etc.)
Monday, September 19, 2005
recent changes
Most recently, I've added avari/nameh to my blogroll. And on the side I also added a section called Grenada's Molten Core which consists of my favorite Grenada entries which exemplify for me why I started blogging in the first place. Many of them explore (explicitly or implicitly) the idea of being a modern-day Moor and the connection between Afrolatin and Islamic elements. Other entries just focus on one or two specific issues which interested me.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
"jerusalem is ours"
A qiyamah-worthy picture of Ricky Martin wearing a kaffiyeh which reads "Jerusalem is Ours". And here is the July AP story which goes with it. The story is a few months old but was alluded to in the last entry on the United States of Islamexica.
It reminds me of an older entry on the soccer player Ronaldo's visit to Palestine. Maybe if enough Latin celebrities keep visiting the Middle East, Islamexica will come into existence sooner than we expect.
you say it like its a bad thing...
The United States of Islamexica is a weird article by Julia Gorin who seems oddly frightened of a world where different groups of brown folks figure out how to get along.
moonsighting.com
For a collection of interesting articles on issues of astronomy and Islamic practice, you might want to check out Moonsighting.com
According to them, the new moon will be born on October 3, 2005 but still very difficult to see in most of the world. It should be visible on October 4 in North America and so the first day of Ramadan is likely to be October 5.
According to them, the new moon will be born on October 3, 2005 but still very difficult to see in most of the world. It should be visible on October 4 in North America and so the first day of Ramadan is likely to be October 5.
until the color of a man's skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes
On the question of racial discrimination, the Addis Ababa Conference taught, to those who will learn, this further lesson: That until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned: That until there are no longer first-class and second class citizens of any nation; That until the color of a man's skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes; That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race; That until that day, the dream of lasting peace and world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained; And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes that hold our brothers in Angola, in Mozambique and in South Africa in subhuman bondage have been toppled and destroyed; Until bigotry and prejudice and malicious and inhuman self-interest have been replaced by understanding and tolerance and good-will; Until all Africans stand and speak as free beings, equal in the eyes of all men, as they are in the eyes of Heaven; Until that day, the African continent will not know peace. We Africans will fight, if necessary, and we know that we shall win, as we are confident in the victory of good over evil. - Haile Selassie I
The above is just an excerpt from a larger speech delivered by Haile Selassie I to the UN in 1963 which was later set to music and turned into the song "War" by Bob Marley.
matisyahu
I heard on NPR the other day that the two current top-selling reggae albums right now were by Matisyahu (a white Hassidic Jew) and Willie Nelson (more well known as a country singer). As a friend of mine would say: "interesting times".
From a certain perspective, its not surprising or deep that Willie Nelson, long-time marijuana advocate would cover a reggae song. Besides, many reggae songs definitely have a "country" or rural feel. But Matisyahu's very existence as a performer raises some more thought-provoking questions. For example, is Matusyahu's music a form of cultural appropriation? If he simply sung secular dancehall party music the issue might be alot simpler. But since he also performs more in the spiritual tradition of Rastafari-influenced reggae things get more interesting. Rastafarianism is, loosely speaking, a form of Christianity which sees former Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie as the fulfiller of certain Biblical prophecies. At the same time, Rastas tend to emphasize the Old Testament of the Bible and speak often of Babylon, Zion, the themes of captivity and exodus, and they incorporate other "Jewish" ideas into their practice, language and theology.
So on the one hand Matisyahu could be seen as a white guy playing black music. Or a Jewish guy playing Christian music. Or more circularly, a Jewish guy who is reclaiming a musical form popularized by Black Christians but ultimately inspired by Jewish spirituality in the first place. Any of those answers is probably too simple by themselves. Maybe we can only say he's an ordinary guy playing good music, and leave it at that.
Wikipedia on Matisyahu
Matisyahu's official website
From a certain perspective, its not surprising or deep that Willie Nelson, long-time marijuana advocate would cover a reggae song. Besides, many reggae songs definitely have a "country" or rural feel. But Matisyahu's very existence as a performer raises some more thought-provoking questions. For example, is Matusyahu's music a form of cultural appropriation? If he simply sung secular dancehall party music the issue might be alot simpler. But since he also performs more in the spiritual tradition of Rastafari-influenced reggae things get more interesting. Rastafarianism is, loosely speaking, a form of Christianity which sees former Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie as the fulfiller of certain Biblical prophecies. At the same time, Rastas tend to emphasize the Old Testament of the Bible and speak often of Babylon, Zion, the themes of captivity and exodus, and they incorporate other "Jewish" ideas into their practice, language and theology.
So on the one hand Matisyahu could be seen as a white guy playing black music. Or a Jewish guy playing Christian music. Or more circularly, a Jewish guy who is reclaiming a musical form popularized by Black Christians but ultimately inspired by Jewish spirituality in the first place. Any of those answers is probably too simple by themselves. Maybe we can only say he's an ordinary guy playing good music, and leave it at that.
Wikipedia on Matisyahu
Matisyahu's official website
Friday, September 16, 2005
an open letter to minister louis farrakhan
An Open Letter to Minister Louis Farrakhan from Najee Ali of Project Islamic H.O.P.E. asking Farrakhan to postpone the Millions More Movement March on Washington next month, and instead encourage people to volunteer in the New Orleans area to help with humanitarian efforts there. Good idea.
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