Tag Archives: Islam
Making New Friends
Friendship and Grace Making New Friends Thursday, April 15, 2021 I’ve known CAC faculty member Brian McLaren for many years; and I deeply admire his gift for making friends through his genuine curiosity, compassion, and unconditional presence to others. In this passage, he encourages us to build relationships outside our comfortable social and religious groups.… Continue Reading Making New Friends
Islam: Weekly Summary
Islam Summary: Sunday, September 23-Friday, September 28, 2018 The Muslim . . . “bears witness” in his life and in every single one of his actions that his chief priority is Allah and that no other “gods”—which include political, material, economic, and personal ambitions—can take precedence over his commitment to God alone. —Karen Armstrong (Sunday)… Continue Reading Islam: Weekly Summary
Dying Before We Die
Islam Dying Before We Die Friday, September 28, 2018 Ironic, but one of the most intimate acts of our body is death. So beautiful appeared my death—knowing who then I would kiss, I died a thousand times before I died. “Die before you die,” said the Prophet Muhammad. Have wings that feared ever touched the… Continue Reading Dying Before We Die
The Breath of God
Islam The Breath of God Thursday, September 27, 2018 In my soul there is a temple, a shrine, a mosque, a church where I kneel. Prayer should bring us to an altar where no walls or names exist. Is there not a region of love where the sovereignty is illumined nothing, where ecstasy gets poured… Continue Reading The Breath of God
Primordial Light
Islam Primordial Light Wednesday, September 26, 2018 What is this precious love and laughter Budding in our hearts? It is the glorious sound Of a soul waking up! —Hafiz (c. 1320–1389) [1] Sufism is the mystical arm of Islam. Mainline Islam, like most organized religions, largely emphasizes practical expressions and behaviors, whereas Sufism developed and… Continue Reading Primordial Light
Holy, Nonviolent Struggle
Islam Holy, Nonviolent Struggle Tuesday, September 25, 2018 Karen Armstrong continues exploring the origins of Islam: In [the] early days, Muslims did not see Islam as a new, exclusive religion but as a continuation of the primordial faith of the “People of the Book,” the Jews and Christians. In one remarkable passage, God insists that… Continue Reading Holy, Nonviolent Struggle
Walk Gently on the Earth
Islam Walk Gently on the Earth Monday, September 24, 2018 During the Convivencia in Spain [711–1492], Jews, Christians and Muslims not only lived side by side in an atmosphere of religious tolerance but they also actively collaborated on some of the most important works of art, architecture, literature, mathematics, science, and mystical teachings in the… Continue Reading Walk Gently on the Earth
A Way of Life
Islam A Way of Life Sunday, September 23, 2018 Muslims do not worship Muhammad. He is a prophet . . . [and] because of his pure submission to God alone, [he] serves as the model of the perfect human being. His holiness lies not in his own being, but in his pointing away from himself… Continue Reading A Way of Life
Sin: Symptom of Separation: Weekly Summary
Sin: Symptom of Separation Summary: Sunday, August 20-Friday, August 25, 2017 The great illusion that we must all overcome is that of separateness. Religion’s primary task is to communicate union, to reconnect people to their original identity “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). (Sunday) It is not that if I am moral, then I… Continue Reading Sin: Symptom of Separation: Weekly Summary
Nondual Consciousness Weekly Summary
Nondual Consciousness Summary: Sunday, August 14-Friday, August 19, 2016 Nondual knowing is living in the naked now, the “sacrament of the present moment.” This consciousness will teach us how to actually experience our experiences, whether good, bad, or ugly, and how to let them transform us. (Sunday) The contemplative mind withholds from labeling or categorizing things… Continue Reading Nondual Consciousness Weekly Summary