God is simply the Reality that encompasses and permeates all other realities.
So that Reality is greater than all other realities.
So the phrase, "God is great/greatest," is simply an acknowledgement of that and to show humility towards that Reality by recognizing one's smallness compared to that Reality.
That the terrorists utter this when committing their evil acts does not change its positive and humbling meaning, which the Muslims acknowledge throughout the day in a peaceful and spiritual manner -- something many, many non-Muslims also do in their own ways.
The Muslims themselves have dug a lot of holes over the past 1400+ years with regards to Shariah.
While the article is good overall, the author makes two errors:
1. While she points out that the punishment for adultery is not stoning in the Quran, she nevertheless seems to support it in light of Hadith.
This is a huge hole that the Muslim jurists have created and have sunk the Muslims in it.
It makes no sense that, since the Quran is the primary source of Islam and, therefore, draws a circle (boundaries), that one should accept anything that goes outside that circle.
The maximum punishment for adultery is quite clear in the Quran, and it is not stoning.
The Surah that gives that maximum penalty starts off by saying, "This is a sura We have sent down and made obligatory: We have sent down clear revelations in it, so that you may take heed."
Therefore, stoning is utterly un-Islamic and must not be part of the Shariah.
But the Muslims have generally not followed the Quran when it comes to Shariah on many issues, and their Islam is Hadith-based, not Quran-based.
And this has caused many issues.
2. The author makes the same error that many Muslims make when it comes to laws pertaining to women: she boasts about how the original Islam gave them rights that were not given to them before, and how the West took centuries to catch up.
Well, so what?
While the Quran and the Prophet did a lot for women, they merely set the foundation for further progress, which the Muslims did not completely do, as they got stuck in the 7th century.
For instance, in today's societies, a lot of women earn money and equally (or even more) contribute to the running of the household.
So, why should these women be given less in inheritance than men?
In many cases, it is the women who look after their aging parents, and it makes no sense that they should be given less in inheritance.
Then there's the case of divorce.
While the man has the right to divorce his wife, the wife does not enjoy that right.
She has to go to court to "get" a divorce and the husband has to agree.
Why not give the women the right to "give" divorce?
There are many other issues pertaining to women, which the Muslim scholars have rigidly stuck to old Shariah rules in the name of "staying with tradition," and have not realized that the Prophet was simply laying the groundwork for giving equal rights to women.
But the traditional Muslims (especially the Tablighi Jamaat-types and those who live in Muslim majority countries) have failed to progress fully when it comes to women's issues as well as issues pertaining to religious minorities.
For instance, why do some Muslim countries have Blasphemy laws?
What is needed is a fresh approach in light of today's human situation.
But the traditionalists, who happen to be quite literalists, will never do that.
There are many mosques in which a woman is not even allowed to speak to the Muslims who have gathered at the mosque.
Sometimes non-Muslim political candidates come to mosques to speak.
While the male candidates are given the same spot where the imam speaks, to speak to the audience, the female candidates are not given that spot.
Why?
Then, there is the issue of zakat.
The original purpose of zakat was to help with the set up of a social welfare system.
In many countries today, their citizens are heavily taxed, and their taxes pay for a whole lot of things.
So, why can't the Muslim scholars rule that these heavy taxes, which do help the needy, are a good replacement for zakat, while encouraging the Muslims to be charitable with their take-home incomes?
Sorry, but there is a need for HUGE reformation and modernization when it comes to Shariah, which the Muslims are NOT doing.
And I am saying this as a Muslim, albeit a Sufi Muslim.
In this day and age, it has become quite urgent for the Muslims, especially the Western Muslims, to act with patience perseverance, as well as to remain peaceful.
Their focus must be self-purification and an effort to reflect the higher self, whose qualities include selflessness, generosity, love, peace, justice, humility, not doing unto others what one doesn’t want done unto one, turning the other cheek, serving others with no expectations, forgiveness, lack of lust for power and control, etc., etc.
Charity begins at home. And one’s heart is one’s ‘home’.
So we need to focus on that in these difficult circumstances.
Return badness with goodness.
Return injustice with justice.
Return hatred with love and peace and forgiveness.
Return arrogance and self-pride with humility and generosity.
All efforts and activism must be encompassed within these qualities of the higher self.
From what I hear, Fundamentalism was a Christian phenomenon.
In Islam, the word, Fundamentalism, should only refer to adherence of the fundamental tenets of Islam, which a Muslim knows as a child, and is encouraged to follow them.
"The dominant theme of the Quranic Revelation, divine Unity, is expressed by the testimony of faith— shahada— which every Muslim repeats a number of times every day when performing the five canonical prayers and which he hopes to be able to utter at the moment of his death:
“There is no god if not God; Muhammad is the Envoy of God.”
The two formulas composing this testimony are strictly complementary: the first one proclaims the principle of absolute monotheism (tawhid) and concerns only the transcendent Principle, whereas the second one introduces the Envoy, bearer of the heavenly Message, a link between the Principle and manifestation.
Proclaimed as the first of the five pillars of Islam, the shahada is comparable to the apex of a pyramid whose basis would rest upon the four other ritual obligations (i.e., the five daily prayers, the fast of Ramadan, required almsgiving, and the pilgrimage to Mecca)."
Generally speaking, the Sufi Muslims do not derive any political ideologies from Islam's earliest, primary and the most authentic source, the Quran, and the outer and inner realities of Muhammad (S).
Rather, their main focus is self knowledge and development so that the self reflects the higher consciousness and is in unity with the Cosmic Consciousness.
Political ideologies derived from the Quran and the Prophetic traditions are modernist phenomena. See "Islam in the Modern World: Challenged by the West, Threatened by Fundamentalism, Keeping Faith with Tradition", by Seyyed Hossein Nasr.
"With remarkable breadth of vision, Seyyed Hossein Nasr reveals for both Western and Muslim readers how each art form in the islamic tradition is based upon a science of nature concerned, not with the outer appearance of things, but with their inner reality. Ranging across calligraphy, painting, architecture, literature, music, and the plastic arts, Nasr penetrates to the inner dimension of Islam and shows the role art plays in the life of individual Muslims and the community as a whole--the role of inspiring the remembrance and contemplation of God."
=========
P.S. I find the quality of discussion here to be high. Thank you Dr. Cole for facilitating it.
I find the discussion on zero to be fascinating and illuminating.
Many thanks to Dr. Cole for giving it an opportunity.
It appears that the Arabs were like Steve Jobs -- while he and Apple did not invent the MP3 player or the smart phone, they nevertheless revolutionized and popularized these devices and took them to newer heights in the forms of the iPod and the iPhone.
Similarly, the concept of zero was revolutionized, popularized, and utilized to newer heights by the Arabs and the Persians within the Arab/Muslim civilization.
By the way, I have read that the word "algorithm" comes from al-Khwarizmi. It appears that many English words that begin with "al" (like alcohol, algebra, alkaline) come from Arabic.
The current situation against the Muslims provide a good opportunity for the Muslims to re-act/act through the higher consciousness whose characteristics and qualities include love, peace, generosity, forgiveness, not doing unto others what one doesn't want done unto one, compassion, humility, etc.
Many in the media who report on Islam and Muslims are quite ignorant of Islam (the religion, its many manifestations on the human plane, its history and its diverse cultures and practices).
I will pick just one ignorance in this post: membership of mosques.
Often, the media suggests that this or that person is a "member" of this or that mosque.
This gives the false impression that a Muslim has to obtain membership of a mosque to attend different services at it.
Mosques are open places of worship and do not require a person to obtain its membership or agree with its imam or the group of people who manage it.
Quite often, those who attend prayers at a mosque do not even know most of the people who visit that mosque.
They go there, offer their prayers and come home.
A Muslim generally goes to a mosque because it is close to, either his or her home or place of work, or the place s/he happens to be visiting, and there's a mosque nearby.
The usage of the word, "membership", often causes an unfamiliar non-Muslim to think that a person who has committed a crime got his or her ideas from a mosque he or she has visited, and then falsely believe that others who also visit that mosque share the same criminal tendencies or approve of the crime.
What will it take for those who report on Islam and Muslims to take the time to understand Islam and Muslims and their beliefs and practices and traditions, before they do their reporting?
With inadequate understanding, their reporting is causing confusion and irrational fear of Islam and Muslims, overwhelming majority of whom are ordinary people trying to put three meals on the table, living peacefully, and are incorrectly associating crimes committed by a few Muslims with the mosques they have visited, often occasionally.
A Sufi Muslim's Understanding of Shariah You Won't Hear About:
Every creature on earth and beyond follows a pattern that defines it and identifies it as unique with a distinct physics or behavior profile unto itself.
For example a dog cannot be a cat, a cat a mouse etc. They are limited and defined given the parameters of their design.
The human being, in his animal self is also subject to this “natural” evolutionary design. The major difference between humankind and the rest of the animal world is the development of the frontal lobe and the evolution and plasticity of the cerebral cortex.
The overwhelming majority of the life of animals is inbreed, “written” within their DNA and cannot under most ordinary situations be altered. Granted among some animals, especially higher on the evolutionary scale have some learning capacities. Some simple animals seem also to “learn” from experiences, but this is more from repetitive experiences and not from reasoning per se.
Mankind gifted with these two developments nearly entirely learns behavior, empathy, concepts shaped within him through the experience of life.
Shariah is the the exemplary pattern lived, modeled and communicated through the emergence in every era of the prime pinnacle of guided human evolutionary mutations. These mutations are known as the Prophets, Messengers and “enlightened” teachers that are known and some unknown throughout the history of human kind.
Shariah is the attempt to catalog, communicate and contextualize their exemplary life as way through following in their example, humanity as the potential to reach its highest potential as human beings.
Shariah has been much misunderstood and wrongly practiced and defined by the ignorant, Muslims and non-Muslims. It has become a collection of restrictions, judgments and jurisprudence practiced without self-consciousness and higher referencing. In this form it is mostly a detraction and distraction from the “meaning full” and therefore, quite rightly despised.
Shariah has to be part of a holistic approach with the intent to surrender one’s habitual behaviors, concepts and notions of existence to the truth that is resident at the core of everything, especially its glory of Light within the human heart.
In reality, there is nothing but Shariah, in the sense that not even an atom, a quark, an intention, divine or otherwise that is not at it’s core, the very fabric of existence, without which there would have never been a question or questioner regarding Shariah in the first place.
Question: How do we reconcile this description of the Shariah with the Quranic injunctions and Prophetic traditions that seem to indicate that Shariah is also a set of laws, e.g., in matters of marriage, divorce, inheritance, etc.?
All Quranic injunctions and Prophetic traditions that results in “laws” and injunctions are born out of the “original wisdom patterning” that underlies the created world. In present day “Islam” not all the laws and injunctions meet the test and qualify as true to the original patterning. Many have been extrapolated through history as a result of political influence, both secular and “religious”. Many have come about by the best efforts of the scholars and at times they themselves are lost in the influences of their circumstances. That is why the Prophet many times counseled that if you hear something that is attributed to him, to test it against the teachings of the Quran and your own heart!. We all need to reflect on these matters and not leave them solely to the judgment of the Ulema.
The Divine messaging….through the universal sacred patterning and geometry….is the underlying foundation of all things. From this the Quran….its reality..has always been present in the world. This wisdom is revealed at intervals, when the Creator “sends” His messenger to the world to remind and renew…appropriate to the time and place in history. From this foundation…..as life carries on in it myriad of expression….we look for what needs we have and apply them to our own contemporary circumstance. Yes there are “clear” laws and injunctions that have come directly out of the Quran and the Prophetic person, but, context, sensibilities, applications and Mercy must be part of the equation or we surely could use these so-called “clear” laws and injunctions to oppress others for power and obedience to corrupt individuals and systems that keep the letter of the law, but not the spirit and since the spirit is ever with us, it must have its voice, lest the Shariah become a hardened hammer than what it was intended to be, a doorway to rebalancing what has become imbalance.
The inner reality of women told to wear in a certain way in countries, like Saudi Arabia and Iran, and France, is the same: They are TOLD to dress up in a certain way!
The outer forms may be different, but the inner meaning is still the same.
It's sad to see the Iranization and Saudification of France.
It's secularism gone bad. It's now neo-anti-Islam-Secularism, not secularism, meaning the governments staying out of people's religions, and freedom of religion.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) allows Muslim women to wear the hijab.
France can learn from Canada, that allowing Muslim women to cover their heads does not damage secularism.
My suspicion is that those who support the banning of head covering do so because of two primary reasons:
1. Anti-Islam sentiments.
2. Colonial tendencies, which cause a sense of superiority, and a desire for control.
The idea that Muslim women are universally pressured by Muslim men to cover is invalid.
While there is some truth to it, it's also the case that many, many women actually CHOOSE to dress modestly on their own, often against the wishes of their male relatives and husbands.
It is incorrect to give covering up a negative meaning and assume that it is the same meaning ALL Muslim women give to their attires.
So if someone thinks that the covering of hair, or even the face, is a symbol of oppression, it does not mean that others give it the same meaning.
One might disagree with it, but it is possible that a woman is covering up because she associates it with modesty and her commitment to the Cosmic Consciousness/Reality.
Same outer form, but two opposite inner meanings associated with it.
Which is why, these things are a personal matter, in which the state should not interfere; the state should not associate an inner meaning to an outer form and impose it on everyone.
One needs to look at the inner meanings of outer forms, and see unity in diversity.
In some religions, men would take off their hats in religious places, while in others men would cover their heads.
Two opposite outer forms, but they both have the same inner meaning to the adherents of these religions.
Therefore, inter-faith dialogue is very important, so people develop a good understanding of the inner meanings of each other's faiths and practices.
Another thing: The Burkini is actually not considered Islamic by many conservative Muslims who live in Muslim majority countries.
It is actually a manifestation of progressive trends within Islam in the West that want to integrate without compromising too much of their religious traditions.
So to associate it with extremism is incorrect.
Moreover, the Burkini has allowed many women to participate in activities in which they'd otherwise not participate.
And to learn how to swim can be life-saving.
So it is ironic that on one hand some non-Muslim Westerners want Muslims to integrate, while at the same time discouraging integration.
The most amusing, and silly, part of this ban is that full-body sweat suits are allowed, and some of the policemen who forced a woman to uncover were fully clothed. Shouldn't they have gone to that beach half-naked?
Also, what if a Muslim woman went to the beach dressed up like a nun? Would that be allowed?
Something tells me it wouldn't be, since the ban is exclusively for the Muslims.
My hope is that humanity will someday rise in its collective consciousness and will empower women to make her own choices.
Dr. Cole did not provide a thorough analysis of Hadith. He made a general comment about them. And his point is valid.
What he said was this:
“Hadith are very problematic… We historians don’t view most of them as very likely to reflect the ideas of the Prophet Muhammad in early 7th century Mecca.”
What he said and what you have stated: "An early chapter (97) of the Qur’an comments on the first revelation given to the prophet, in 610, while he was meditating at a cavern at Mt. Hira near Mecca.”
do not conflict.
What you present is information about the chapter 97 of the Quran.
What he stated relate to the "ideas of the Prophet Muhammad in early 7th century Mecca."
It's the ideas of him that constitute what is Islam and what a Muslim tries to figure out and adheres to.
Dr. Cole is not rejecting all ahadith (plural of hadith) outright, throwing all of them unreliable.
There is not much harm in accepting certain pieces out of the secondary sources that may not be 100% accurate as those things do not form the essentials of the religion of Islam.
But look at how many ahadith on some key issues, like apostasy, jihad, stoning, etc., have caused serious issues since many Muslims rely on them to derive laws instead of relying on Islam's most authentic and the primary source, the Quran!
If ahadith (plural of hadith) were as important as the Quran, they would've been preserved exactly the way the Quran has been preserved.
That is not the case.
Some reports suggest that the Muslims were forbidden from writing ahadith, and this prohibition was lifted by Umar bin Abdul Aziz (The Second Omar).
Then there are ahadith that are in conflict with the Quran. For example, the ones on stoning.
Frankly, the Muslim scholars need to carry out a collective investigation of all ahadith and examine them in light of the Quran, which is Islam's primary and most authentic source.
Realizing that the collections of ahadith have problems, some scholars are now making a distinction between the Sunun (plural of Sunnah -- Prophetic model) and the written accounts (ahadith), suggesting that the Prophetic model (or models as there are many) that are relevant and fit the Quranice patterns have come down to us in the form of religious practices in unbroken chains as these Prophetic models could not have relied on the accounts that were collected and written down a a few generations later.
Hadith has had a major impact on Islamic thought and belief, and is one of the primary reasons for the Muslims at large to deviate from the original transformative Islam.
It is the Quran that sets Islam's parameters. So whatever is in the secondary sources must fit the Quranice patterns for them to be useful.
Generally speaking, the Muslims have done a disservice to themselves and Islam by adopting those ahadith (plural of hadith) that do not fit the Quranice patterns, such as apostasy laws, stoning of adulterers, etc.
But even the Quran needs to be interpreted in its own light as well as its historical context.
When we start with the Quran and then go to other sources, examining them in light of the Quran, we come to conclusions on many issues that are different from the ones that one comes to if one were to go from the secondary sources and then to the Quran, interpreting the Quran in light of these secondary sources.
“Dar al Islam” (House of Islam) and the “Dar al Harb” (House of War) are not "primary tenets" of the religion of Islam, which is based on the Quran.
It's the Quran that sets the framework for what is Islam.
The primary tenets are seeing unity in diversity, connecting with the Real through spiritual practices and detaching from the un-real, and serving others without expecting anything in return.
If some Muslims divided the world into these two abodes, they did so for the reasons of their own, and these superficial divisions are relics of the past.
In today's world, we need to live in the Dar al-Ehsan (Abode of Selfless Action).
I stated: "Sadly, those who are in position of power and control do not generally reflect the higher consciousness — they are full of selflessness, self-pride, anger, arrogance, ..."
It should read: "Sadly, those who are in position of power and control do not generally reflect the higher consciousness — they are full of selfishness, self-pride, anger, arrogance, ..."
And those who perform jihad for Us, We shall certainly guide them in Our ways, and God is surely with the doers of good. (Quran 39:69)
You have returned from the lesser jihad to the greater jihad. (Hadith)
The Arabic term jihad, usually translated into European languages as holy war, more on the basis of its juridical usage in Islam rather than on its much more universal meaning in the Quran and Hadith, is derived from the root /jhd/ whose primary meaning is to strive or to exert oneself.
Its translation into holy war combined with the erroneous notion of Islam prevalent in the West as the 'religion of the sword' has helped to eclipse its inner and spiritual significance and to distort its connotation.
Nor has the appearance upon the stage of history during the past century and especially during the past few years of an array of movements within the Islamic world often contending or even imposing each other and using the word jihad or one of its derivative forms helped to make known the full import of its traditional meaning which alone is of concern to us here.
Instead recent distortions and even total reversal of the meaning of jihad as understood over the ages by Muslims have made it more difficult than ever before to gain insight into this key religious and spiritual concept.
To understand the spiritual significance of jihad and its wide application to nearly every aspect of human life as understood by Islam, it is necessary to remember that Islam bases itself upon the idea of establishing equilibrium within the being of man as well as in the human society where he functions and fulfills the goals of his earthly life.
This equilibrium, which is the terrestrial reflection of Divine Justice and the necessary condition for peace in the human domain, is the basis upon which the soul takes its flight towards that peace which, to use Christian terms, 'passeth understanding'.
From the perspective of a Sufi Muslim, there are two entities in every human being:
a) The self, which is unique in every individual and is ever-changing in its states.
b) The soul, which is called "ruh" in Arabic, is the Divine Spark from the Cosmic Consciousness -- the Reality that encompasses and permeates all other realities. This entity is constant and same in every individual, and shines the Divine Light upon the self.
The relationship between the self and the soul is that of the one between the moon and the sun, which shines its light upon the moon, and the more the moon is facing the sun, the more it will reflect the sun's light.
Eternal peace, and access to the Cosmic Consciousness (known as Allah in Arabic, but there are other names in other traditions), comes when the self yields, or submits to, the light of the soul.
This yielding is what is called, the inner state of peace ("islam" in Arabic). The more the self turns to the light of the soul, the more it reflects its light.
This universal phenomenon of inner peace due to the yielding of the self to the soul is a spiritual journey that is unique in every individual.
As the Sufi saying goes: There are as many ways to the Truth as there are hearts.
All outer religious paths are like the radii of the same circle. They differ on the circumference, which represents their outer forms, but merge at the center, where the Truth resides, as the inner essence.
The more a person's self yields to the soul, the closer they are to the center along the radius of the outer form the person has inherited or chosen for themselves.
To us Sufi Muslims, the inner reality (essence) of every religion is the same ("islam" -- eternal peace, which is the result of the self yielding to the soul -- the word "islam" to us refers to an inner state, and is not a label to refer to a specific religion).
The soul is also referred to as the higher consciousness.
So, live like the higher consciousness regardless of the outer path you have chosen for yourself (religious or non religious), and there'll be inner peace and joy.
When more and more people are at peace with themselves and do not see otherness, their collective consciousness will result in collective peace.
Sadly, those who are in position of power and control do not generally reflect the higher consciousness -- they are full of selflessness, self-pride, anger, arrogance, attachments, lust for power and control, vengeance, hatred, and see otherness, etc.
The results are seen in what's currently happening in the world in regards to peace.
The higher consciousness reflects qualities that are opposite: selflessness, love, truthfulness, peace, forgiveness, detachment, lack of lust for power and control, humility, seeing no otherness, generosity, empathy, etc.
When a nice old lady living in a remote village in, say Peru, reflects the higher consciousness, the positive energy she'll emit will be limited.
If those who are managing world's affairs reflected the higher consciousness (i.e., their individual selves yielded to the inner light of the souls to a good degree), the positive results in terms of peace would be much wider and deeper.
Sadly, the political systems of the world generally produce those leaders who generally reflect the lower consciousness.
Imagine if a politician was selfless, humble, lacked lust for power and control (and instead their motives were selfless service to others), were truthful, etc.!?
This author is pointing out that calling them "American Muslims", instead of "Muslim Americans" makes a difference in people's perceptions of the Muslims in America:
Beyond the power of his son’s story, Mr. Khan and other convention speakers also used powerful language by referring to his family as “American Muslims” rather than “Muslim-Americans.” While the order of the words may seem meaningless, our work has shown that these two constructs evoke surprisingly different reactions.
Focus group participants discussing this topic associated the term “Muslim-American” with words such as “foreign” and “strict,” and raised concerns about a perceived mistreatment of women. With the order of the words switched, however, the same people responded with phrases such as “came to America for a better life” and “contribute to society.”
Muslims see Shariah (the outer form of Islam) in many different ways. Islam is not monolithic and there are many versions of it in existence today. It is usually the differences in interpreting Islam's outer form that have resulted in so many versions of Islam.
It is important for some to know how some sufi Muslims see Shariah. Here is a detailed description; I am posting it merely to share it; you may have a different understanding of Shariah:
============
WHAT IS SHARIAH?
A Sufi Muslim's Understanding of Shariah You Won't Hear About:
Every creature on earth and beyond follows a pattern that defines it and identifies it as unique with a distinct physics or behavior profile unto itself.
For example a dog cannot be a cat, a cat a mouse etc. They are limited and defined given the parameters of their design.
The human being, in his animal self is also subject to this “natural” evolutionary design. The major difference between humankind and the rest of the animal world is the development of the frontal lobe and the evolution and plasticity of the cerebral cortex.
The overwhelming majority of the life of animals is inbreed, “written” within their DNA and cannot under most ordinary situations be altered. Granted among some animals, especially higher on the evolutionary scale have some learning capacities. Some simple animals seem also to “learn” from experiences, but this is more from repetitive experiences and not from reasoning per se.
Mankind gifted with these two developments nearly entirely learns behavior, empathy, concepts shaped within him through the experience of life.
Shariah is the the exemplary pattern lived, modeled and communicated through the emergence in every era of the prime pinnacle of guided human evolutionary mutations. These mutations are known as the Prophets, Messengers and “enlightened” teachers that are known and some unknown throughout the history of human kind.
Shariah is the attempt to catalog, communicate and contextualize their exemplary life as way through following in their example, humanity as the potential to reach its highest potential as human beings.
Shariah has been much misunderstood and wrongly practiced and defined by the ignorant, Muslims and non-Muslims. It has become a collection of restrictions, judgments and jurisprudence practiced without self-consciousness and higher referencing. In this form it is mostly a detraction and distraction from the “meaning full” and therefore, quite rightly despised.
Shariah has to be part of a holistic approach with the intent to surrender one’s habitual behaviors, concepts and notions of existence to the truth that is resident at the core of everything, especially its glory of Light within the human heart.
In reality, there is nothing but Shariah, in the sense that not even an atom, a quark, an intention, divine or otherwise that is not at it’s core, the very fabric of existence, without which there would have never been a question or questioner regarding Shariah in the first place.
Question: How do we reconcile this description of the Shariah with the Quranic injunctions and Prophetic traditions that seem to indicate that Shariah is also a set of laws, e.g., in matters of marriage, divorce, inheritance, etc.?
All Quranic injunctions and Prophetic traditions that results in “laws” and injunctions are born out of the “original wisdom patterning” that underlies the created world. In present day “Islam” not all the laws and injunctions meet the test and qualify as true to the original patterning. Many have been extrapolated through history as a result of political influence, both secular and “religious”. Many have come about by the best efforts of the scholars and at times they themselves are lost in the influences of their circumstances. That is why the Prophet many times counseled that if you hear something that is attributed to him, to test it against the teachings of the Quran and your own heart!. We all need to reflect on these matters and not leave them solely to the judgment of the Ulema.
The Divine messaging….through the universal sacred patterning and geometry….is the underlying foundation of all things. From this the Quran….its reality..has always been present in the world. This wisdom is revealed at intervals, when the Creator “sends” His messenger to the world to remind and renew…appropriate to the time and place in history. From this foundation…..as life carries on in it myriad of expression….we look for what needs we have and apply them to our own contemporary circumstance. Yes there are “clear” laws and injunctions that have come directly out of the Quran and the Prophetic person, but, context, sensibilities, applications and Mercy must be part of the equation or we surely could use these so-called “clear” laws and injunctions to oppress others for power and obedience to corrupt individuals and systems that keep the letter of the law, but not the spirit and since the spirit is ever with us, it must have its voice, lest the Shariah become a hardened hammer than what it was intended to be, a doorway to rebalancing what has become imbalance.
At the center of human action is the human self, which reflects a spectrum of qualities ranging from the lowest to the highest.
Lower qualities include selfishness, anger, vengeance, doing unto others what one doesn't want done unto one, seeing otherness, ignorance, hatred, desire for power, control and resources, etc., while the higher qualities are the opposites of the lower, and include, love, peace, forgiveness, lack of desire for power, control and resources, willingness to share, generosity, selflessness, not doing unto others what one doesn't want done unto one, seeing no otherness, etc.
Organized religion, as opposed to spirituality, often causes one to see otherness and lead to tyranny.
Nevertheless, religions are potent. Interpret and apply them through the lower self (consciousness), and they'll produce devastating results. Interpret and apply them through the higher consciousness, and they'll be a source of peace and togetherness.
The violence driving the ME is a manifestation of the lower self, albeit in the making for a very long time.
Nevertheless, Muslim scholars need to address the issue of same-sex relationship. There are too many horrible things that have been written over the course of history.
The root cause of violence is the human self, which reflects a spectrum of qualities and attributes from the lowest to the highest.
The lower qualities include hatred, anger, vengeance, ignorance, selfishness, attachments, desires for power, control and resources, seeing otherness, arrogance, doing unto others what one doesn't want done unto one, etc., while the higher qualities are the opposites of these, and include qualities, such as love, peace, forgiveness, knowledge, selflessness, detachments, no desires for power, control and resources, sharing, seeing no otherness, serving others with no expectations, not doing unto others what one doesn't want done unto one, generosity, humility, etc.
Grooming the self so that it reflects the higher is what is needed, and this process transcends religious, non-religious, cultural and racial boundaries.
If a path doesn't help the self to reflect the higher then it's useless, regardless of the label we've given it.
Religions are like the radii on the same circle. They are different on its circumference, in their outer forms, but they all converge at the center, which represents their inner essence and truth.
It was indeed remarkable to see and experience Ali's interfaith funeral service; it was a celebration of his universal essence.
I submitted a similar post a few minutes ago, but all my browsers are showing two text boxes to enter comments and I am not sure if my previous post went through. So I am entering this in the second text box.
As a Sufi Muslim, I am grateful to Dr. Cole for this piece. In all the discussions and debates on Islam in the mainstream media, the various forms of Sufi Islam are never represented. The Muslim world is currently in a dire need for these gentle forms of Islam that have existed for over 1300 years.
Here's the essence of Sufi Islam in the words of ibn Arabi:
My heart has become capable of every form:
It is a pasture for gazelles,
And a monastery for Christian monks,
And a temple for idols,
And the pilgrim to Ka`bah,
And the tablets of the Torah,
And the Book of the Qur’an.
I follow the religion of Love:
Whatever way Love’s camel takes,
That is my religion and my faith.
As a sufi Muslim myself, I am grateful to Dr. Cole for writing this piece. In all the discussions and debates about Islam in the mainstream media, the various forms of Sufi Islam are never represented.
Here's the essence of Sufism in the words of ibn Arabi:
My heart has become capable of every form:
It is a pasture for gazelles,
And a monastery for Christian monks,
And a temple for idols,
And the pilgrim to Ka`bah,
And the tablets of the Torah,
And the Book of the Qur'an.
I follow the religion of Love:
Whatever way Love's camel takes,
That is my religion and my faith.
You said, "Mr. Holder is a man of the US justice system and knows exactly how it functions, so he knows very well that Holden will not be allowed to present a whistle blower defense if he is tried in the US and that no judge will be allowed to take his public service into account."
I believe you meant to say this:
"Mr. Holder is a man of the US justice system and knows exactly how it functions, so he knows very well that Snowden will not be allowed to present a whistle blower defense if he is tried in the US and that no judge will be allowed to take his public service into account."
You said (emphasis mine): "The terrible scenes in Brussels following a terrorist attack now claimed by Islamic State are a reminder of just how vulnerable airports can be."
Mr. Juan Cole states this in his latest article: "Stop calling Daesh “the Islamic State.” They are manipulating you. They aren’t a state and they aren’t Islamic. If some fringe cult took over some villages in Mexico and called itself “The Vatican,” then committed terrorism, would journalists blithely say on air “Today, the Vatican killed 39 and injured 200 with a bomb belt”? People in the Middle East hate this small desert fringe, and they term it “Daesh,” not “Islamic.” They should know."
Because the word, Islamic, means "According to Islam". Islam is based on the Quran, which is its primary source, and there's no evidence that the Quran supports terrorism.
While the word, Christian has two meanings: a) According to Christianity, and b) A person who adheres to Christianity, in Islam, the word for the person who adheres to Islam is Muslim, not Islamic.
Mr. Trump also fails to acknowledge the presence of the various forms of Sufi Islam, which have generally been very respectful and loving towards the non-Muslims.
He seems to be quite oblivious of the Doctrine of Unity of Religions that is adhered to by some Sufis, who tend to think of all religions as the radii on the same circle. They may hold different spots on the circumference, which represents their outer forms, but they converge at the center, which represents inner reality and truth (Haqq, in Arabic).
I think Islam has been politicized by some Muslims and non-Muslims, who see Islam only through the politics and geo-politics realities and situations.
This completely takes away any attention from the various Sufi paths that have existed for over 1200 years.
As a result, you never see any Sufis on the mainstream media giving their perspectives.
See the writings of Martin Lings, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Fritjof Schuon, Rene Genon, William Chittick, Titus Burkhardt, Rumi and ibn Arabi, and recent writings of Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri.
Real peace will not come until those in positions of power and control reflect the higher consciousness, which reflects qualities such as selflessness, humility, justice, peace, forgiveness, generosity, not doing unto others what one doesn't want done unto one, sharing, serving others with no expectations, not seeing otherness, etc.
Will humanity ever have leaders that reflect the higher consciousness, whose qualities include selflessness, truthfulness, humility, forgiveness, love, justice, not doing unto others what one doesn't want done unto one, peace, lack of desire for power, control and acquisition, etc.?
Most of the world's conflicts will go away if those in the position of power and control adhered to this very simple and universal ethic: "Do not do unto others what you don't want done unto you."
But to put that into practice, the world needs leaders who reflect the higher consciousness, whose qualities include selflessness, generosity, love, forgiveness, humility, sharing, serving others with no expectations, detachment from the transient, lack of desire for power, control and acquisition, etc.
The world of Islam is a mosaic of traditions, cultures, languages, interpretations and practices of religion.
It's not monolithic, and has several currents within it, a few are bad to evil, most are fair to good, while some are excellent.
Some of the excellent currents within Islam are the various paths of Sufi Islam, which tend to be inclusive, universal and are profoundly about self knowledge and purification and grooming of the self so that it reflects the higher qualities such as selflessness, generosity, love, forgiveness, humility, detachment from the transient, not seeing otherness, lack of interest in power and control, etc.
The universality of Sufi Islam is eloquently described by a Sufi master, Ibn Arabi, as such:
My heart has become capable of every form:
It is a pasture for gazelles,
And a monastery for Christian monks,
And a temple for idols,
And the pilgrim to Ka`bah,
And the tablets of the Torah,
And the Book of the Qur'an.
I follow the religion of Love:
Whatever way Love's camel takes,
That is my religion and my faith.
Sadly, in all the discourses on Islam in the mainstream media, Sufi Islam is never presented or even mentioned.
The doctrine of Transcendent Unity of Religions stipulate that orthodox religions and mystical paths are like the radii of the same circle.
At the circumference, their starting points represent their outer forms and are different.
However, as they move along towards the Center, where the Truth resides, they converge and cross into their inner realities, finally meeting at the center.
Once a person has moved along the radius of their choice and has reached the center, it doesn't matter which radius they took to get there.
This understanding of the existence of the Truth universally available is adhered to by many people, including Muslims, especially some Sufi Muslims, and is supported by a reading of the Quran.
So it's a shame that it's these Christians are so prejudicial towards Islam.
Could it be that they consider Islam to be their biggest completion?
It is not always necessary to understand a verse in light of its historical context.
Often, just the textual context is sufficient to understand it.
The Quran does in fact speaks for itself, and the human situation it addresses is often clear from its own words, without relying on the less authentic, secondary sources.
Such is the case with the Quranic verse 9:5, which the author has cited.
Examine it in conjunction with the two preceding verses, as well as with 2:190-194 (which make it clear that warfare is to be in self defense), and it becomes clear 9:5 relates to warfare already in progress with people who have become guilty of a breach of treaty obligations and of aggression.
Whoever helps the refugees without expecting anything in return will benefit spiritually form it, individually and collectively.
By ‘spiritually’, I’m referring to the higher self (aka consciousness), which reflects the higher qualities, such as love, generosity, selflessness, etc.
There’s a lot of inner joy in selfless, generous and loving acts.
We hear a lot about love, forgiveness and peace around Christmas. We just need to put Christ, who symbolizes these higher qualities, back into Christmas.
If we don’t then what’s the point of talking about him and how he represents these higher qualities?
How sad that in this day and age there're those who insult the Muslims by telling them they believe in a different God, as if there're two Realities that encompass and permeate all their realities, and therefore two Creators.
I've heard the same fro some evangelical Christians.
Also read Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Martin Lings, Frithjof Scheoun, Rene Genon, and others who belong to the Perennial school of thought to see how many Muslims acknowledge the truth in every religion regardless of their outer differences.
If there were no double-standard, some people would not be able to say: "While all Muslims are not terrorists, all terrorists are Muslims," would they?
As a Sufi Muslim, I adhere to a branch of Islam that is focused on self-development so that it reflects the higher qualities, such as love, forgiveness, generosity, selflessness, humility, not doing unto others what one doesn't want done unto one, not seeing otherness, peace, etc.
But Heaven forbid if the many forms of Sufi Islam in existence today are ever mentioned on the mainstream media.
Calling Shariah "medieval Muslim canon law" gives the impression that Shariah -- the outer form of Islam -- is frozen in the medieval times.
It may be for some Muslims, but it's not the case with many other Muslims, who see Shariah dynamic and flexible and allows for proper contextualization and ijtihad.
In light of recent concern over Shari’ah, such as proposed laws to prohibit it in the United States and conflict over the role it should play in the new Egyptian constitution, many people are confused about the meaning of Shari‘ah in Islam and its role in the world today. In "Reasoning with God", renowned Islamic scholar Khaled Abou El Fadl explains not only what Shari‘ah really means, but also the way it can revitalize and reengage contemporary Islam.
The best course of action for the Western Muslims is to focus on their inner self so that it reflects the higher qualities, such as love, forgiveness, patience, generosity, selflessness, compassion, humility, etc., and to carry out good acts without any expectations, for they'll cancel out the bad acts done to them and the acts of those so-called Muslims who are engaged in bad to evil actions and are wreaking havoc on the planet.
The rhetoric of many proves that they're anti-Islam and not the made-up entity, Islamism.
Their honesty is much appreciated as it clarifies that their beef is against the religion of Islam and ordinary Muslims, who are as against violence as other non-Muslims.
NOTE TO MR. COLE: I believe you'll find this new commentary on the Quran very useful:
It is primarily because of the rhetoric and actions of a fairly large percentage of misguided Muslims throughout history that the Muslims have generally lost sight of the spiritual significance of Jihad.
Do not do unto others what you don't want done unto you.
Real peace comes from spiritual awakening, when those in positions of power and control rise in their levels of consciousness to reflect the universal attribute of Peace, regardless of their religious or non-religious paths, when they reflect the other higher qualities, such as forgiveness, love, justice, lack of desire for power, control, land and resources, selflessness, generosity, humility, etc.
We Muslims would do well to reflect upon the Prophet's supplication in Taif.
This is the supplication he recited with shoes full of blood, wounds all over his body and after having been insulted, ridiculed and abused by the people of Taif to whom he had taken recourse seeking a place of refuge.
Moreover, this occurs after three years of suffering a boycott at the hands of the pagans of Mecca as a result of which Muslims were reduced to eating grass and leaves off of trees.
The Prophet (s) as he walks out of Taif:
"O God! I complain to You of my weakness, my scarcity of resources and the humiliation I have been subjected to by the people.
O Most Merciful of those who are merciful.
O Lord of the weak and my Lord too.
To whom have you entrusted me?
To a distant person who receives me with hostility? Or to an enemy to whom you have granted authority over my affair?
So long as You are not angry with me, I do not care.
Your favor is of a more expansive relief to me. I seek refuge in the light of Your Face by which all darkness is dispelled and every affair of this world and the next is set right, lest Your anger or Your displeasure descend upon me. I desire Your pleasure and satisfaction until You are pleased.
There is no power and no might except by You."
If those who claim to love the Prophet(s) so much that they are willing to infringe upon prophetic conduct with their blind rage and fury would reflect upon this prayer, it would be a guiding light for them and a clear instruction as to how a Muslim should respond to the provocations.
There are no contradictions in the Quran. The Quran is an integrated whole whose every single verse needs to be examined in light of what else it's stated elsewhere.
Muhammad Asad's commentary on the Quran elucidates it.
The root of the problem lies in the (spiritual) heart, whether one is a simple-minded peasant in Peru, or a politician. When it reflects the higher attributes, such as love, peace, generosity, forgiveness, humility, not doing unto others what one doesn't want done unto oneself, seeing no 'other-ness', selflessness, service to others with no expectations, lack of desire for power, control and resources, etc., human action will yield positive and peaceful results. Otherwise, ..., well, we're seeing a lot of that off late, aren't we?
God is simply the Reality that encompasses and permeates all other realities.
So that Reality is greater than all other realities.
So the phrase, "God is great/greatest," is simply an acknowledgement of that and to show humility towards that Reality by recognizing one's smallness compared to that Reality.
That the terrorists utter this when committing their evil acts does not change its positive and humbling meaning, which the Muslims acknowledge throughout the day in a peaceful and spiritual manner -- something many, many non-Muslims also do in their own ways.
The Muslims themselves have dug a lot of holes over the past 1400+ years with regards to Shariah.
While the article is good overall, the author makes two errors:
1. While she points out that the punishment for adultery is not stoning in the Quran, she nevertheless seems to support it in light of Hadith.
This is a huge hole that the Muslim jurists have created and have sunk the Muslims in it.
It makes no sense that, since the Quran is the primary source of Islam and, therefore, draws a circle (boundaries), that one should accept anything that goes outside that circle.
The maximum punishment for adultery is quite clear in the Quran, and it is not stoning.
The Surah that gives that maximum penalty starts off by saying, "This is a sura We have sent down and made obligatory: We have sent down clear revelations in it, so that you may take heed."
Therefore, stoning is utterly un-Islamic and must not be part of the Shariah.
But the Muslims have generally not followed the Quran when it comes to Shariah on many issues, and their Islam is Hadith-based, not Quran-based.
And this has caused many issues.
2. The author makes the same error that many Muslims make when it comes to laws pertaining to women: she boasts about how the original Islam gave them rights that were not given to them before, and how the West took centuries to catch up.
Well, so what?
While the Quran and the Prophet did a lot for women, they merely set the foundation for further progress, which the Muslims did not completely do, as they got stuck in the 7th century.
For instance, in today's societies, a lot of women earn money and equally (or even more) contribute to the running of the household.
So, why should these women be given less in inheritance than men?
In many cases, it is the women who look after their aging parents, and it makes no sense that they should be given less in inheritance.
Then there's the case of divorce.
While the man has the right to divorce his wife, the wife does not enjoy that right.
She has to go to court to "get" a divorce and the husband has to agree.
Why not give the women the right to "give" divorce?
There are many other issues pertaining to women, which the Muslim scholars have rigidly stuck to old Shariah rules in the name of "staying with tradition," and have not realized that the Prophet was simply laying the groundwork for giving equal rights to women.
But the traditional Muslims (especially the Tablighi Jamaat-types and those who live in Muslim majority countries) have failed to progress fully when it comes to women's issues as well as issues pertaining to religious minorities.
For instance, why do some Muslim countries have Blasphemy laws?
What is needed is a fresh approach in light of today's human situation.
But the traditionalists, who happen to be quite literalists, will never do that.
There are many mosques in which a woman is not even allowed to speak to the Muslims who have gathered at the mosque.
Sometimes non-Muslim political candidates come to mosques to speak.
While the male candidates are given the same spot where the imam speaks, to speak to the audience, the female candidates are not given that spot.
Why?
Then, there is the issue of zakat.
The original purpose of zakat was to help with the set up of a social welfare system.
In many countries today, their citizens are heavily taxed, and their taxes pay for a whole lot of things.
So, why can't the Muslim scholars rule that these heavy taxes, which do help the needy, are a good replacement for zakat, while encouraging the Muslims to be charitable with their take-home incomes?
Sorry, but there is a need for HUGE reformation and modernization when it comes to Shariah, which the Muslims are NOT doing.
And I am saying this as a Muslim, albeit a Sufi Muslim.
“I would argue that not only is Islam a religion, but for all practical purposes it invented the idea of multiple co-existing religions.”
----
Sadly, generally speaking, Muslims have pretty much lost this notion, save a few Sufi groups and the perennials, and have become quite exclusivists.
This is primarily due to them losing the simple and pristine message of the Quran as well as geopolitical situation.
*** A BRIEF OPEN LETTER TO THE MUSLIMS ***
In this day and age, it has become quite urgent for the Muslims, especially the Western Muslims, to act with patience perseverance, as well as to remain peaceful.
Their focus must be self-purification and an effort to reflect the higher self, whose qualities include selflessness, generosity, love, peace, justice, humility, not doing unto others what one doesn’t want done unto one, turning the other cheek, serving others with no expectations, forgiveness, lack of lust for power and control, etc., etc.
Charity begins at home. And one’s heart is one’s ‘home’.
So we need to focus on that in these difficult circumstances.
Return badness with goodness.
Return injustice with justice.
Return hatred with love and peace and forgiveness.
Return arrogance and self-pride with humility and generosity.
All efforts and activism must be encompassed within these qualities of the higher self.
Etc. Etc.
From what I hear, Fundamentalism was a Christian phenomenon.
In Islam, the word, Fundamentalism, should only refer to adherence of the fundamental tenets of Islam, which a Muslim knows as a child, and is encouraged to follow them.
From “Sufism: Love and Wisdom (Perennial Philosophy)” (see https://www.amazon.ca/Sufism-Love-Wisdom-Jean-Louis-Michon/dp/0941532755/):
"The dominant theme of the Quranic Revelation, divine Unity, is expressed by the testimony of faith— shahada— which every Muslim repeats a number of times every day when performing the five canonical prayers and which he hopes to be able to utter at the moment of his death:
“There is no god if not God; Muhammad is the Envoy of God.”
The two formulas composing this testimony are strictly complementary: the first one proclaims the principle of absolute monotheism (tawhid) and concerns only the transcendent Principle, whereas the second one introduces the Envoy, bearer of the heavenly Message, a link between the Principle and manifestation.
Proclaimed as the first of the five pillars of Islam, the shahada is comparable to the apex of a pyramid whose basis would rest upon the four other ritual obligations (i.e., the five daily prayers, the fast of Ramadan, required almsgiving, and the pilgrimage to Mecca)."
Generally speaking, the Sufi Muslims do not derive any political ideologies from Islam's earliest, primary and the most authentic source, the Quran, and the outer and inner realities of Muhammad (S).
Rather, their main focus is self knowledge and development so that the self reflects the higher consciousness and is in unity with the Cosmic Consciousness.
Political ideologies derived from the Quran and the Prophetic traditions are modernist phenomena. See "Islam in the Modern World: Challenged by the West, Threatened by Fundamentalism, Keeping Faith with Tradition", by Seyyed Hossein Nasr.
"The same nonsense goes into other subjects like “Islamic Art”..."
-----
Seyyed Hossein Nasr and others have written about Islamic Art. Those who are interested may want to look it up.
Here's but one such work by Seyyed Hossein Nasr: "Islamic Art and Spirituality", at https://www.amazon.com/Islamic-Spirituality-Seyyed-Hossein-Nasr/dp/0887061753/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1476375942&sr=8-12&keywords=seyyed+hossein+nasr
From the above link:
"With remarkable breadth of vision, Seyyed Hossein Nasr reveals for both Western and Muslim readers how each art form in the islamic tradition is based upon a science of nature concerned, not with the outer appearance of things, but with their inner reality. Ranging across calligraphy, painting, architecture, literature, music, and the plastic arts, Nasr penetrates to the inner dimension of Islam and shows the role art plays in the life of individual Muslims and the community as a whole--the role of inspiring the remembrance and contemplation of God."
=========
P.S. I find the quality of discussion here to be high. Thank you Dr. Cole for facilitating it.
I find the discussion on zero to be fascinating and illuminating.
Many thanks to Dr. Cole for giving it an opportunity.
It appears that the Arabs were like Steve Jobs -- while he and Apple did not invent the MP3 player or the smart phone, they nevertheless revolutionized and popularized these devices and took them to newer heights in the forms of the iPod and the iPhone.
Similarly, the concept of zero was revolutionized, popularized, and utilized to newer heights by the Arabs and the Persians within the Arab/Muslim civilization.
By the way, I have read that the word "algorithm" comes from al-Khwarizmi. It appears that many English words that begin with "al" (like alcohol, algebra, alkaline) come from Arabic.
al-Gore seems to be an exception. 🙂
Well, I'm that case, the Arabs should return it. 🙂
Seriously, many scholars have stated that it was the Arabs who introduced the concept of zero (nothingness) based on the Quran.
Based on what you have stated, not sure now what the truth is.
Thanks,
The current situation against the Muslims provide a good opportunity for the Muslims to re-act/act through the higher consciousness whose characteristics and qualities include love, peace, generosity, forgiveness, not doing unto others what one doesn't want done unto one, compassion, humility, etc.
A week ago, Uri Avery wrote this interesting article on Shimon Peres:
http://uriavnery.com/en/hatur.html
Many in the media who report on Islam and Muslims are quite ignorant of Islam (the religion, its many manifestations on the human plane, its history and its diverse cultures and practices).
I will pick just one ignorance in this post: membership of mosques.
Often, the media suggests that this or that person is a "member" of this or that mosque.
This gives the false impression that a Muslim has to obtain membership of a mosque to attend different services at it.
Mosques are open places of worship and do not require a person to obtain its membership or agree with its imam or the group of people who manage it.
Quite often, those who attend prayers at a mosque do not even know most of the people who visit that mosque.
They go there, offer their prayers and come home.
A Muslim generally goes to a mosque because it is close to, either his or her home or place of work, or the place s/he happens to be visiting, and there's a mosque nearby.
The usage of the word, "membership", often causes an unfamiliar non-Muslim to think that a person who has committed a crime got his or her ideas from a mosque he or she has visited, and then falsely believe that others who also visit that mosque share the same criminal tendencies or approve of the crime.
What will it take for those who report on Islam and Muslims to take the time to understand Islam and Muslims and their beliefs and practices and traditions, before they do their reporting?
With inadequate understanding, their reporting is causing confusion and irrational fear of Islam and Muslims, overwhelming majority of whom are ordinary people trying to put three meals on the table, living peacefully, and are incorrectly associating crimes committed by a few Muslims with the mosques they have visited, often occasionally.
WHAT IS SHARIAH?
A Sufi Muslim's Understanding of Shariah You Won't Hear About:
Every creature on earth and beyond follows a pattern that defines it and identifies it as unique with a distinct physics or behavior profile unto itself.
For example a dog cannot be a cat, a cat a mouse etc. They are limited and defined given the parameters of their design.
The human being, in his animal self is also subject to this “natural” evolutionary design. The major difference between humankind and the rest of the animal world is the development of the frontal lobe and the evolution and plasticity of the cerebral cortex.
The overwhelming majority of the life of animals is inbreed, “written” within their DNA and cannot under most ordinary situations be altered. Granted among some animals, especially higher on the evolutionary scale have some learning capacities. Some simple animals seem also to “learn” from experiences, but this is more from repetitive experiences and not from reasoning per se.
Mankind gifted with these two developments nearly entirely learns behavior, empathy, concepts shaped within him through the experience of life.
Shariah is the the exemplary pattern lived, modeled and communicated through the emergence in every era of the prime pinnacle of guided human evolutionary mutations. These mutations are known as the Prophets, Messengers and “enlightened” teachers that are known and some unknown throughout the history of human kind.
Shariah is the attempt to catalog, communicate and contextualize their exemplary life as way through following in their example, humanity as the potential to reach its highest potential as human beings.
Shariah has been much misunderstood and wrongly practiced and defined by the ignorant, Muslims and non-Muslims. It has become a collection of restrictions, judgments and jurisprudence practiced without self-consciousness and higher referencing. In this form it is mostly a detraction and distraction from the “meaning full” and therefore, quite rightly despised.
Shariah has to be part of a holistic approach with the intent to surrender one’s habitual behaviors, concepts and notions of existence to the truth that is resident at the core of everything, especially its glory of Light within the human heart.
In reality, there is nothing but Shariah, in the sense that not even an atom, a quark, an intention, divine or otherwise that is not at it’s core, the very fabric of existence, without which there would have never been a question or questioner regarding Shariah in the first place.
Question: How do we reconcile this description of the Shariah with the Quranic injunctions and Prophetic traditions that seem to indicate that Shariah is also a set of laws, e.g., in matters of marriage, divorce, inheritance, etc.?
All Quranic injunctions and Prophetic traditions that results in “laws” and injunctions are born out of the “original wisdom patterning” that underlies the created world. In present day “Islam” not all the laws and injunctions meet the test and qualify as true to the original patterning. Many have been extrapolated through history as a result of political influence, both secular and “religious”. Many have come about by the best efforts of the scholars and at times they themselves are lost in the influences of their circumstances. That is why the Prophet many times counseled that if you hear something that is attributed to him, to test it against the teachings of the Quran and your own heart!. We all need to reflect on these matters and not leave them solely to the judgment of the Ulema.
The Divine messaging….through the universal sacred patterning and geometry….is the underlying foundation of all things. From this the Quran….its reality..has always been present in the world. This wisdom is revealed at intervals, when the Creator “sends” His messenger to the world to remind and renew…appropriate to the time and place in history. From this foundation…..as life carries on in it myriad of expression….we look for what needs we have and apply them to our own contemporary circumstance. Yes there are “clear” laws and injunctions that have come directly out of the Quran and the Prophetic person, but, context, sensibilities, applications and Mercy must be part of the equation or we surely could use these so-called “clear” laws and injunctions to oppress others for power and obedience to corrupt individuals and systems that keep the letter of the law, but not the spirit and since the spirit is ever with us, it must have its voice, lest the Shariah become a hardened hammer than what it was intended to be, a doorway to rebalancing what has become imbalance.
The inner reality of women told to wear in a certain way in countries, like Saudi Arabia and Iran, and France, is the same: They are TOLD to dress up in a certain way!
The outer forms may be different, but the inner meaning is still the same.
It's sad to see the Iranization and Saudification of France.
It's secularism gone bad. It's now neo-anti-Islam-Secularism, not secularism, meaning the governments staying out of people's religions, and freedom of religion.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) allows Muslim women to wear the hijab.
France can learn from Canada, that allowing Muslim women to cover their heads does not damage secularism.
My suspicion is that those who support the banning of head covering do so because of two primary reasons:
1. Anti-Islam sentiments.
2. Colonial tendencies, which cause a sense of superiority, and a desire for control.
The idea that Muslim women are universally pressured by Muslim men to cover is invalid.
While there is some truth to it, it's also the case that many, many women actually CHOOSE to dress modestly on their own, often against the wishes of their male relatives and husbands.
It is incorrect to give covering up a negative meaning and assume that it is the same meaning ALL Muslim women give to their attires.
So if someone thinks that the covering of hair, or even the face, is a symbol of oppression, it does not mean that others give it the same meaning.
One might disagree with it, but it is possible that a woman is covering up because she associates it with modesty and her commitment to the Cosmic Consciousness/Reality.
Same outer form, but two opposite inner meanings associated with it.
Which is why, these things are a personal matter, in which the state should not interfere; the state should not associate an inner meaning to an outer form and impose it on everyone.
One needs to look at the inner meanings of outer forms, and see unity in diversity.
In some religions, men would take off their hats in religious places, while in others men would cover their heads.
Two opposite outer forms, but they both have the same inner meaning to the adherents of these religions.
Therefore, inter-faith dialogue is very important, so people develop a good understanding of the inner meanings of each other's faiths and practices.
Another thing: The Burkini is actually not considered Islamic by many conservative Muslims who live in Muslim majority countries.
It is actually a manifestation of progressive trends within Islam in the West that want to integrate without compromising too much of their religious traditions.
So to associate it with extremism is incorrect.
Moreover, the Burkini has allowed many women to participate in activities in which they'd otherwise not participate.
And to learn how to swim can be life-saving.
So it is ironic that on one hand some non-Muslim Westerners want Muslims to integrate, while at the same time discouraging integration.
The most amusing, and silly, part of this ban is that full-body sweat suits are allowed, and some of the policemen who forced a woman to uncover were fully clothed. Shouldn't they have gone to that beach half-naked?
Also, what if a Muslim woman went to the beach dressed up like a nun? Would that be allowed?
Something tells me it wouldn't be, since the ban is exclusively for the Muslims.
My hope is that humanity will someday rise in its collective consciousness and will empower women to make her own choices.
You are distorting the Quran. The issue is very complex and has to do with a person's level of consciousness and rejecting the Truth knowingly.
Dr. Cole did not provide a thorough analysis of Hadith. He made a general comment about them. And his point is valid.
What he said was this:
“Hadith are very problematic… We historians don’t view most of them as very likely to reflect the ideas of the Prophet Muhammad in early 7th century Mecca.”
What he said and what you have stated: "An early chapter (97) of the Qur’an comments on the first revelation given to the prophet, in 610, while he was meditating at a cavern at Mt. Hira near Mecca.”
do not conflict.
What you present is information about the chapter 97 of the Quran.
What he stated relate to the "ideas of the Prophet Muhammad in early 7th century Mecca."
It's the ideas of him that constitute what is Islam and what a Muslim tries to figure out and adheres to.
Dr. Cole is not rejecting all ahadith (plural of hadith) outright, throwing all of them unreliable.
There is not much harm in accepting certain pieces out of the secondary sources that may not be 100% accurate as those things do not form the essentials of the religion of Islam.
But look at how many ahadith on some key issues, like apostasy, jihad, stoning, etc., have caused serious issues since many Muslims rely on them to derive laws instead of relying on Islam's most authentic and the primary source, the Quran!
If ahadith (plural of hadith) were as important as the Quran, they would've been preserved exactly the way the Quran has been preserved.
That is not the case.
Some reports suggest that the Muslims were forbidden from writing ahadith, and this prohibition was lifted by Umar bin Abdul Aziz (The Second Omar).
Then there are ahadith that are in conflict with the Quran. For example, the ones on stoning.
Frankly, the Muslim scholars need to carry out a collective investigation of all ahadith and examine them in light of the Quran, which is Islam's primary and most authentic source.
Realizing that the collections of ahadith have problems, some scholars are now making a distinction between the Sunun (plural of Sunnah -- Prophetic model) and the written accounts (ahadith), suggesting that the Prophetic model (or models as there are many) that are relevant and fit the Quranice patterns have come down to us in the form of religious practices in unbroken chains as these Prophetic models could not have relied on the accounts that were collected and written down a a few generations later.
Indeed!
Hadith has had a major impact on Islamic thought and belief, and is one of the primary reasons for the Muslims at large to deviate from the original transformative Islam.
It is the Quran that sets Islam's parameters. So whatever is in the secondary sources must fit the Quranice patterns for them to be useful.
Generally speaking, the Muslims have done a disservice to themselves and Islam by adopting those ahadith (plural of hadith) that do not fit the Quranice patterns, such as apostasy laws, stoning of adulterers, etc.
But even the Quran needs to be interpreted in its own light as well as its historical context.
When we start with the Quran and then go to other sources, examining them in light of the Quran, we come to conclusions on many issues that are different from the ones that one comes to if one were to go from the secondary sources and then to the Quran, interpreting the Quran in light of these secondary sources.
“Dar al Islam” (House of Islam) and the “Dar al Harb” (House of War) are not "primary tenets" of the religion of Islam, which is based on the Quran.
It's the Quran that sets the framework for what is Islam.
The primary tenets are seeing unity in diversity, connecting with the Real through spiritual practices and detaching from the un-real, and serving others without expecting anything in return.
If some Muslims divided the world into these two abodes, they did so for the reasons of their own, and these superficial divisions are relics of the past.
In today's world, we need to live in the Dar al-Ehsan (Abode of Selfless Action).
Yikes, a typo.
I stated: "Sadly, those who are in position of power and control do not generally reflect the higher consciousness — they are full of selflessness, self-pride, anger, arrogance, ..."
It should read: "Sadly, those who are in position of power and control do not generally reflect the higher consciousness — they are full of selfishness, self-pride, anger, arrogance, ..."
Dr. Cole,
I share your views on Hadith. It would be a service to the students of Islam to have a book on Hadith by you.
Many thanks,
I have seen translations of the Quran in which the translators have used the word 'Jihad', where the text of the Quran has not.
The term, Jihad, is by far the most distorted term -- distorted both by many Muslims as well as non-Muslims.
Here's an article on the spiritual significance of Jihad, by Prof. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, an eminent scholar and philosopher:
https://www.al-islam.org/al-serat/vol-9-no-1/spiritual-significance-jihad-seyyed-hossein-nasr/spiritual-significance-jihad
Excerpt:
And those who perform jihad for Us, We shall certainly guide them in Our ways, and God is surely with the doers of good. (Quran 39:69)
You have returned from the lesser jihad to the greater jihad. (Hadith)
The Arabic term jihad, usually translated into European languages as holy war, more on the basis of its juridical usage in Islam rather than on its much more universal meaning in the Quran and Hadith, is derived from the root /jhd/ whose primary meaning is to strive or to exert oneself.
Its translation into holy war combined with the erroneous notion of Islam prevalent in the West as the 'religion of the sword' has helped to eclipse its inner and spiritual significance and to distort its connotation.
Nor has the appearance upon the stage of history during the past century and especially during the past few years of an array of movements within the Islamic world often contending or even imposing each other and using the word jihad or one of its derivative forms helped to make known the full import of its traditional meaning which alone is of concern to us here.
Instead recent distortions and even total reversal of the meaning of jihad as understood over the ages by Muslims have made it more difficult than ever before to gain insight into this key religious and spiritual concept.
To understand the spiritual significance of jihad and its wide application to nearly every aspect of human life as understood by Islam, it is necessary to remember that Islam bases itself upon the idea of establishing equilibrium within the being of man as well as in the human society where he functions and fulfills the goals of his earthly life.
This equilibrium, which is the terrestrial reflection of Divine Justice and the necessary condition for peace in the human domain, is the basis upon which the soul takes its flight towards that peace which, to use Christian terms, 'passeth understanding'.
From the perspective of a Sufi Muslim, there are two entities in every human being:
a) The self, which is unique in every individual and is ever-changing in its states.
b) The soul, which is called "ruh" in Arabic, is the Divine Spark from the Cosmic Consciousness -- the Reality that encompasses and permeates all other realities. This entity is constant and same in every individual, and shines the Divine Light upon the self.
The relationship between the self and the soul is that of the one between the moon and the sun, which shines its light upon the moon, and the more the moon is facing the sun, the more it will reflect the sun's light.
Eternal peace, and access to the Cosmic Consciousness (known as Allah in Arabic, but there are other names in other traditions), comes when the self yields, or submits to, the light of the soul.
This yielding is what is called, the inner state of peace ("islam" in Arabic). The more the self turns to the light of the soul, the more it reflects its light.
This universal phenomenon of inner peace due to the yielding of the self to the soul is a spiritual journey that is unique in every individual.
As the Sufi saying goes: There are as many ways to the Truth as there are hearts.
All outer religious paths are like the radii of the same circle. They differ on the circumference, which represents their outer forms, but merge at the center, where the Truth resides, as the inner essence.
The more a person's self yields to the soul, the closer they are to the center along the radius of the outer form the person has inherited or chosen for themselves.
To us Sufi Muslims, the inner reality (essence) of every religion is the same ("islam" -- eternal peace, which is the result of the self yielding to the soul -- the word "islam" to us refers to an inner state, and is not a label to refer to a specific religion).
The soul is also referred to as the higher consciousness.
So, live like the higher consciousness regardless of the outer path you have chosen for yourself (religious or non religious), and there'll be inner peace and joy.
When more and more people are at peace with themselves and do not see otherness, their collective consciousness will result in collective peace.
Sadly, those who are in position of power and control do not generally reflect the higher consciousness -- they are full of selflessness, self-pride, anger, arrogance, attachments, lust for power and control, vengeance, hatred, and see otherness, etc.
The results are seen in what's currently happening in the world in regards to peace.
The higher consciousness reflects qualities that are opposite: selflessness, love, truthfulness, peace, forgiveness, detachment, lack of lust for power and control, humility, seeing no otherness, generosity, empathy, etc.
When a nice old lady living in a remote village in, say Peru, reflects the higher consciousness, the positive energy she'll emit will be limited.
If those who are managing world's affairs reflected the higher consciousness (i.e., their individual selves yielded to the inner light of the souls to a good degree), the positive results in terms of peace would be much wider and deeper.
Sadly, the political systems of the world generally produce those leaders who generally reflect the lower consciousness.
Imagine if a politician was selfless, humble, lacked lust for power and control (and instead their motives were selfless service to others), were truthful, etc.!?
Chances are, they won't rise to the top.
This author is pointing out that calling them "American Muslims", instead of "Muslim Americans" makes a difference in people's perceptions of the Muslims in America:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/doug-hattaway/why-khizr-khans-dnc-speec_b_11273548.html
Excerpts:
Beyond the power of his son’s story, Mr. Khan and other convention speakers also used powerful language by referring to his family as “American Muslims” rather than “Muslim-Americans.” While the order of the words may seem meaningless, our work has shown that these two constructs evoke surprisingly different reactions.
Focus group participants discussing this topic associated the term “Muslim-American” with words such as “foreign” and “strict,” and raised concerns about a perceived mistreatment of women. With the order of the words switched, however, the same people responded with phrases such as “came to America for a better life” and “contribute to society.”
Muslims see Shariah (the outer form of Islam) in many different ways. Islam is not monolithic and there are many versions of it in existence today. It is usually the differences in interpreting Islam's outer form that have resulted in so many versions of Islam.
It is important for some to know how some sufi Muslims see Shariah. Here is a detailed description; I am posting it merely to share it; you may have a different understanding of Shariah:
============
WHAT IS SHARIAH?
A Sufi Muslim's Understanding of Shariah You Won't Hear About:
Every creature on earth and beyond follows a pattern that defines it and identifies it as unique with a distinct physics or behavior profile unto itself.
For example a dog cannot be a cat, a cat a mouse etc. They are limited and defined given the parameters of their design.
The human being, in his animal self is also subject to this “natural” evolutionary design. The major difference between humankind and the rest of the animal world is the development of the frontal lobe and the evolution and plasticity of the cerebral cortex.
The overwhelming majority of the life of animals is inbreed, “written” within their DNA and cannot under most ordinary situations be altered. Granted among some animals, especially higher on the evolutionary scale have some learning capacities. Some simple animals seem also to “learn” from experiences, but this is more from repetitive experiences and not from reasoning per se.
Mankind gifted with these two developments nearly entirely learns behavior, empathy, concepts shaped within him through the experience of life.
Shariah is the the exemplary pattern lived, modeled and communicated through the emergence in every era of the prime pinnacle of guided human evolutionary mutations. These mutations are known as the Prophets, Messengers and “enlightened” teachers that are known and some unknown throughout the history of human kind.
Shariah is the attempt to catalog, communicate and contextualize their exemplary life as way through following in their example, humanity as the potential to reach its highest potential as human beings.
Shariah has been much misunderstood and wrongly practiced and defined by the ignorant, Muslims and non-Muslims. It has become a collection of restrictions, judgments and jurisprudence practiced without self-consciousness and higher referencing. In this form it is mostly a detraction and distraction from the “meaning full” and therefore, quite rightly despised.
Shariah has to be part of a holistic approach with the intent to surrender one’s habitual behaviors, concepts and notions of existence to the truth that is resident at the core of everything, especially its glory of Light within the human heart.
In reality, there is nothing but Shariah, in the sense that not even an atom, a quark, an intention, divine or otherwise that is not at it’s core, the very fabric of existence, without which there would have never been a question or questioner regarding Shariah in the first place.
Question: How do we reconcile this description of the Shariah with the Quranic injunctions and Prophetic traditions that seem to indicate that Shariah is also a set of laws, e.g., in matters of marriage, divorce, inheritance, etc.?
All Quranic injunctions and Prophetic traditions that results in “laws” and injunctions are born out of the “original wisdom patterning” that underlies the created world. In present day “Islam” not all the laws and injunctions meet the test and qualify as true to the original patterning. Many have been extrapolated through history as a result of political influence, both secular and “religious”. Many have come about by the best efforts of the scholars and at times they themselves are lost in the influences of their circumstances. That is why the Prophet many times counseled that if you hear something that is attributed to him, to test it against the teachings of the Quran and your own heart!. We all need to reflect on these matters and not leave them solely to the judgment of the Ulema.
The Divine messaging….through the universal sacred patterning and geometry….is the underlying foundation of all things. From this the Quran….its reality..has always been present in the world. This wisdom is revealed at intervals, when the Creator “sends” His messenger to the world to remind and renew…appropriate to the time and place in history. From this foundation…..as life carries on in it myriad of expression….we look for what needs we have and apply them to our own contemporary circumstance. Yes there are “clear” laws and injunctions that have come directly out of the Quran and the Prophetic person, but, context, sensibilities, applications and Mercy must be part of the equation or we surely could use these so-called “clear” laws and injunctions to oppress others for power and obedience to corrupt individuals and systems that keep the letter of the law, but not the spirit and since the spirit is ever with us, it must have its voice, lest the Shariah become a hardened hammer than what it was intended to be, a doorway to rebalancing what has become imbalance.
At the center of human action is the human self, which reflects a spectrum of qualities ranging from the lowest to the highest.
Lower qualities include selfishness, anger, vengeance, doing unto others what one doesn't want done unto one, seeing otherness, ignorance, hatred, desire for power, control and resources, etc., while the higher qualities are the opposites of the lower, and include, love, peace, forgiveness, lack of desire for power, control and resources, willingness to share, generosity, selflessness, not doing unto others what one doesn't want done unto one, seeing no otherness, etc.
Organized religion, as opposed to spirituality, often causes one to see otherness and lead to tyranny.
Nevertheless, religions are potent. Interpret and apply them through the lower self (consciousness), and they'll produce devastating results. Interpret and apply them through the higher consciousness, and they'll be a source of peace and togetherness.
The violence driving the ME is a manifestation of the lower self, albeit in the making for a very long time.
http://www.zahrapublications.com
For those who would like to know what happened in Iraq after the war was “won” in great detail, this book will help:
“THE OCCUPATION OF IRAQ: WINNING THE WAR, LOSING THE PEACE” by Dr. Ali A. Allawi, at http://www.aliallawi.com/pub_occupationOfIraq.php
The book is very detailed and is a great source for researchers, analysts, journalists and others.
You may have missed the nuance of Dr. Cole's piece.
Nevertheless, Muslim scholars need to address the issue of same-sex relationship. There are too many horrible things that have been written over the course of history.
The root cause of violence is the human self, which reflects a spectrum of qualities and attributes from the lowest to the highest.
The lower qualities include hatred, anger, vengeance, ignorance, selfishness, attachments, desires for power, control and resources, seeing otherness, arrogance, doing unto others what one doesn't want done unto one, etc., while the higher qualities are the opposites of these, and include qualities, such as love, peace, forgiveness, knowledge, selflessness, detachments, no desires for power, control and resources, sharing, seeing no otherness, serving others with no expectations, not doing unto others what one doesn't want done unto one, generosity, humility, etc.
Grooming the self so that it reflects the higher is what is needed, and this process transcends religious, non-religious, cultural and racial boundaries.
If a path doesn't help the self to reflect the higher then it's useless, regardless of the label we've given it.
Religions are like the radii on the same circle. They are different on its circumference, in their outer forms, but they all converge at the center, which represents their inner essence and truth.
It was indeed remarkable to see and experience Ali's interfaith funeral service; it was a celebration of his universal essence.
I submitted a similar post a few minutes ago, but all my browsers are showing two text boxes to enter comments and I am not sure if my previous post went through. So I am entering this in the second text box.
As a Sufi Muslim, I am grateful to Dr. Cole for this piece. In all the discussions and debates on Islam in the mainstream media, the various forms of Sufi Islam are never represented. The Muslim world is currently in a dire need for these gentle forms of Islam that have existed for over 1300 years.
Here's the essence of Sufi Islam in the words of ibn Arabi:
My heart has become capable of every form:
It is a pasture for gazelles,
And a monastery for Christian monks,
And a temple for idols,
And the pilgrim to Ka`bah,
And the tablets of the Torah,
And the Book of the Qur’an.
I follow the religion of Love:
Whatever way Love’s camel takes,
That is my religion and my faith.
As a sufi Muslim myself, I am grateful to Dr. Cole for writing this piece. In all the discussions and debates about Islam in the mainstream media, the various forms of Sufi Islam are never represented.
Here's the essence of Sufism in the words of ibn Arabi:
My heart has become capable of every form:
It is a pasture for gazelles,
And a monastery for Christian monks,
And a temple for idols,
And the pilgrim to Ka`bah,
And the tablets of the Torah,
And the Book of the Qur'an.
I follow the religion of Love:
Whatever way Love's camel takes,
That is my religion and my faith.
Dr. Cole,
You said, "Mr. Holder is a man of the US justice system and knows exactly how it functions, so he knows very well that Holden will not be allowed to present a whistle blower defense if he is tried in the US and that no judge will be allowed to take his public service into account."
I believe you meant to say this:
"Mr. Holder is a man of the US justice system and knows exactly how it functions, so he knows very well that Snowden will not be allowed to present a whistle blower defense if he is tried in the US and that no judge will be allowed to take his public service into account."
You said (emphasis mine): "The terrible scenes in Brussels following a terrorist attack now claimed by Islamic State are a reminder of just how vulnerable airports can be."
Mr. Juan Cole states this in his latest article: "Stop calling Daesh “the Islamic State.” They are manipulating you. They aren’t a state and they aren’t Islamic. If some fringe cult took over some villages in Mexico and called itself “The Vatican,” then committed terrorism, would journalists blithely say on air “Today, the Vatican killed 39 and injured 200 with a bomb belt”? People in the Middle East hate this small desert fringe, and they term it “Daesh,” not “Islamic.” They should know."
From this very website: https://www.juancole.com/2016/03/how-not-to-talk-about-muslims-after-a-fringe-terrorist-group-attacks.html
Because the word, Islamic, means "According to Islam". Islam is based on the Quran, which is its primary source, and there's no evidence that the Quran supports terrorism.
While the word, Christian has two meanings: a) According to Christianity, and b) A person who adheres to Christianity, in Islam, the word for the person who adheres to Islam is Muslim, not Islamic.
Nevertheless, the world of Islam has been going through a turmoil since its colonization, traces of which are still felt.
The Muslims have generally lost the original, transformative Islam, which has generally been kept alive by the Sufis.
http://www.zahrapublications.com
Obama should've used that line from Seinfeld and said: "I'm not a Muslim. Not that there's anything wrong with that."
Mr. Trump also fails to acknowledge the presence of the various forms of Sufi Islam, which have generally been very respectful and loving towards the non-Muslims.
He seems to be quite oblivious of the Doctrine of Unity of Religions that is adhered to by some Sufis, who tend to think of all religions as the radii on the same circle. They may hold different spots on the circumference, which represents their outer forms, but they converge at the center, which represents inner reality and truth (Haqq, in Arabic).
I think Islam has been politicized by some Muslims and non-Muslims, who see Islam only through the politics and geo-politics realities and situations.
This completely takes away any attention from the various Sufi paths that have existed for over 1200 years.
As a result, you never see any Sufis on the mainstream media giving their perspectives.
See the writings of Martin Lings, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Fritjof Schuon, Rene Genon, William Chittick, Titus Burkhardt, Rumi and ibn Arabi, and recent writings of Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri.
I've noticed that the various forms of Sufi Islam are almost never talked about.
They're important currents within Islam.
Look for books by Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri, Shaykh Kabir Helminski, Martin Lings, and William Chittick.
Real peace will not come until those in positions of power and control reflect the higher consciousness, which reflects qualities such as selflessness, humility, justice, peace, forgiveness, generosity, not doing unto others what one doesn't want done unto one, sharing, serving others with no expectations, not seeing otherness, etc.
Will humanity ever have leaders that reflect the higher consciousness, whose qualities include selflessness, truthfulness, humility, forgiveness, love, justice, not doing unto others what one doesn't want done unto one, peace, lack of desire for power, control and acquisition, etc.?
Most of the world's conflicts will go away if those in the position of power and control adhered to this very simple and universal ethic: "Do not do unto others what you don't want done unto you."
But to put that into practice, the world needs leaders who reflect the higher consciousness, whose qualities include selflessness, generosity, love, forgiveness, humility, sharing, serving others with no expectations, detachment from the transient, lack of desire for power, control and acquisition, etc.
The world of Islam is a mosaic of traditions, cultures, languages, interpretations and practices of religion.
It's not monolithic, and has several currents within it, a few are bad to evil, most are fair to good, while some are excellent.
Some of the excellent currents within Islam are the various paths of Sufi Islam, which tend to be inclusive, universal and are profoundly about self knowledge and purification and grooming of the self so that it reflects the higher qualities such as selflessness, generosity, love, forgiveness, humility, detachment from the transient, not seeing otherness, lack of interest in power and control, etc.
The universality of Sufi Islam is eloquently described by a Sufi master, Ibn Arabi, as such:
My heart has become capable of every form:
It is a pasture for gazelles,
And a monastery for Christian monks,
And a temple for idols,
And the pilgrim to Ka`bah,
And the tablets of the Torah,
And the Book of the Qur'an.
I follow the religion of Love:
Whatever way Love's camel takes,
That is my religion and my faith.
Sadly, in all the discourses on Islam in the mainstream media, Sufi Islam is never presented or even mentioned.
Mr. Cole,
You said: "...gives Putin an ‘in’ with businesses in Iran."
I think you meant to say: "...gives Xi an ‘in’ with businesses in Iran."
I meant 'competition', not 'completion'.
The doctrine of Transcendent Unity of Religions stipulate that orthodox religions and mystical paths are like the radii of the same circle.
At the circumference, their starting points represent their outer forms and are different.
However, as they move along towards the Center, where the Truth resides, they converge and cross into their inner realities, finally meeting at the center.
Once a person has moved along the radius of their choice and has reached the center, it doesn't matter which radius they took to get there.
This understanding of the existence of the Truth universally available is adhered to by many people, including Muslims, especially some Sufi Muslims, and is supported by a reading of the Quran.
So it's a shame that it's these Christians are so prejudicial towards Islam.
Could it be that they consider Islam to be their biggest completion?
It is not always necessary to understand a verse in light of its historical context.
Often, just the textual context is sufficient to understand it.
The Quran does in fact speaks for itself, and the human situation it addresses is often clear from its own words, without relying on the less authentic, secondary sources.
Such is the case with the Quranic verse 9:5, which the author has cited.
Examine it in conjunction with the two preceding verses, as well as with 2:190-194 (which make it clear that warfare is to be in self defense), and it becomes clear 9:5 relates to warfare already in progress with people who have become guilty of a breach of treaty obligations and of aggression.
Whoever helps the refugees without expecting anything in return will benefit spiritually form it, individually and collectively.
By ‘spiritually’, I’m referring to the higher self (aka consciousness), which reflects the higher qualities, such as love, generosity, selflessness, etc.
There’s a lot of inner joy in selfless, generous and loving acts.
We hear a lot about love, forgiveness and peace around Christmas. We just need to put Christ, who symbolizes these higher qualities, back into Christmas.
If we don’t then what’s the point of talking about him and how he represents these higher qualities?
Mr. Cole,
Great article!
How sad that in this day and age there're those who insult the Muslims by telling them they believe in a different God, as if there're two Realities that encompass and permeate all their realities, and therefore two Creators.
I've heard the same fro some evangelical Christians.
I invite you to read the essay by Joseph Lumbard entitled "The Quranic View of Sacred History and Other Religions" in the newly published "The Study Quran" and this essay, "No Salvation outside Islam", at http://shanfaraa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Volume.OUP_.Fadel_.FinalProofs.pdf
Also read Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Martin Lings, Frithjof Scheoun, Rene Genon, and others who belong to the Perennial school of thought to see how many Muslims acknowledge the truth in every religion regardless of their outer differences.
Trump needs to adopt a Hispanic and a Muslim child and raise them as a Hispanic and a Muslim respectively to overcome his hatred of them.
An even better idea would be for him to sponsor a few Syrian refugee families and look after them.
If there were no double-standard, some people would not be able to say: "While all Muslims are not terrorists, all terrorists are Muslims," would they?
As a Sufi Muslim, I adhere to a branch of Islam that is focused on self-development so that it reflects the higher qualities, such as love, forgiveness, generosity, selflessness, humility, not doing unto others what one doesn't want done unto one, not seeing otherness, peace, etc.
But Heaven forbid if the many forms of Sufi Islam in existence today are ever mentioned on the mainstream media.
Calling Shariah "medieval Muslim canon law" gives the impression that Shariah -- the outer form of Islam -- is frozen in the medieval times.
It may be for some Muslims, but it's not the case with many other Muslims, who see Shariah dynamic and flexible and allows for proper contextualization and ijtihad.
See "Reasoning with God" by Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl, at http://www.amazon.com/Reasoning-God-Reclaiming-Shariah-Modern/dp/0742552322/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448736971&sr=8-1&keywords=reasoning+with+god
SYNOPSIS:
In light of recent concern over Shari’ah, such as proposed laws to prohibit it in the United States and conflict over the role it should play in the new Egyptian constitution, many people are confused about the meaning of Shari‘ah in Islam and its role in the world today. In "Reasoning with God", renowned Islamic scholar Khaled Abou El Fadl explains not only what Shari‘ah really means, but also the way it can revitalize and reengage contemporary Islam.
The best course of action for the Western Muslims is to focus on their inner self so that it reflects the higher qualities, such as love, forgiveness, patience, generosity, selflessness, compassion, humility, etc., and to carry out good acts without any expectations, for they'll cancel out the bad acts done to them and the acts of those so-called Muslims who are engaged in bad to evil actions and are wreaking havoc on the planet.
The rhetoric of many proves that they're anti-Islam and not the made-up entity, Islamism.
Their honesty is much appreciated as it clarifies that their beef is against the religion of Islam and ordinary Muslims, who are as against violence as other non-Muslims.
NOTE TO MR. COLE: I believe you'll find this new commentary on the Quran very useful:
"The Study Quran", at http://www.amazon.com/Study-Quran-New-Translation-Commentary/dp/0061125865/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447317176&sr=8-1&keywords=The+study
This study was led by the eminent scholar, Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr.
It is primarily because of the rhetoric and actions of a fairly large percentage of misguided Muslims throughout history that the Muslims have generally lost sight of the spiritual significance of Jihad.
See "The Spiritual Significance of Jihad" by an eminent Muslim scholar, SEYYED Hossein Nasr, at http://www.al-islam.org/al-serat/vol-9-no-1/spiritual-significance-jihad-seyyed-hossein-nasr/spiritual-significance-jihad
Do not do unto others what you don't want done unto you.
Real peace comes from spiritual awakening, when those in positions of power and control rise in their levels of consciousness to reflect the universal attribute of Peace, regardless of their religious or non-religious paths, when they reflect the other higher qualities, such as forgiveness, love, justice, lack of desire for power, control, land and resources, selflessness, generosity, humility, etc.
We Muslims would do well to reflect upon the Prophet's supplication in Taif.
This is the supplication he recited with shoes full of blood, wounds all over his body and after having been insulted, ridiculed and abused by the people of Taif to whom he had taken recourse seeking a place of refuge.
Moreover, this occurs after three years of suffering a boycott at the hands of the pagans of Mecca as a result of which Muslims were reduced to eating grass and leaves off of trees.
The Prophet (s) as he walks out of Taif:
"O God! I complain to You of my weakness, my scarcity of resources and the humiliation I have been subjected to by the people.
O Most Merciful of those who are merciful.
O Lord of the weak and my Lord too.
To whom have you entrusted me?
To a distant person who receives me with hostility? Or to an enemy to whom you have granted authority over my affair?
So long as You are not angry with me, I do not care.
Your favor is of a more expansive relief to me. I seek refuge in the light of Your Face by which all darkness is dispelled and every affair of this world and the next is set right, lest Your anger or Your displeasure descend upon me. I desire Your pleasure and satisfaction until You are pleased.
There is no power and no might except by You."
If those who claim to love the Prophet(s) so much that they are willing to infringe upon prophetic conduct with their blind rage and fury would reflect upon this prayer, it would be a guiding light for them and a clear instruction as to how a Muslim should respond to the provocations.
There are no contradictions in the Quran. The Quran is an integrated whole whose every single verse needs to be examined in light of what else it's stated elsewhere.
Muhammad Asad's commentary on the Quran elucidates it.
The Original Islam, as practiced by the Sufis is about love. Search for a book on Divine Love by William Chittick on Amazon.
Also read Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri, at http://www.zahrapublications.com
Thanks,
The following eBook explains the human self:
"Cosmology of the Self" by Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri, at http://www.zahrapublications.com/book-CosmologyOfTheSelf.php#bookTitle
The root of the problem lies in the (spiritual) heart, whether one is a simple-minded peasant in Peru, or a politician. When it reflects the higher attributes, such as love, peace, generosity, forgiveness, humility, not doing unto others what one doesn't want done unto oneself, seeing no 'other-ness', selflessness, service to others with no expectations, lack of desire for power, control and resources, etc., human action will yield positive and peaceful results. Otherwise, ..., well, we're seeing a lot of that off late, aren't we?
Muslim women have been talking, and talking for justice and other noble things for 1400+ years.
P.S. The terms, Islamist/Islamism, are made-up terms and are highly politically manipulated.