UUPS Newsletter 2001

President's Column

THE BEST IN ISLAMIC SPIRITUALITY

I am not from the East or the West…. I go into the Muslim mosque, the Jewish synagogue, and the Christian church and I see one altar…. Not Christian or Jew or Muslim, not Hindu, Buddhist, Sufi, or Zen. Not any religion or cultural system…. Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground. (Jalaludin Rumi – 14th Cent. Islamic Sufi Mystic)

The above words from a 14th Century Islamic Sufi mystic show a side to the religion of Islam that we do not see or hear much about these days. The Sufis were representative and still are of a tolerance and acceptance of other faith traditions. Rumi was held in the highest regard by Christians and Jews and others. When he died representatives from all faith traditions grieved his loss, celebrated his life, and walked together in the funeral procession.

Where did Rumi find this tolerance and acceptance of other faiths? He found it in his own Muslim tradition, from the Koran, and from the Sayings and Teachings of Mohammed. He read and heard words like these:

Let there be no compulsion in religion. If God had pleased He would have made all humankind people of one religion. But he has done otherwise, that He might try you in that which He has severally given to you: wherefore, press forward in good works. Unto you your religion, and unto me my religion.

No one is a true believer unless you desire for your neighbor that which you desire for yourself. What actions are most excellent? To gladden the heart of a human being, to feed the hungry, to help the afflicted, to lighten the sorrowful, and to remove the wrongs of the injured. When we die, our neighbors will ask not what goods we have left, but of us it will be asked, "What good have we done?"

Those words are still representative of the values of most mainstream practitioners of Islam. It must be a painful thing to bear for Muslims to see their faith high-jacked by fanatical extremists who elevate suicidal martyrdom and the killing of the innocent as a guaranteed ticket into paradise. The Koran specifically forbids suicide and the murder of innocent civilians in battle. Even in war they are to show civilians and noncombatants "kindness and to deal with them justly." Mohammed tells his followers that they are to "neither kill the old, nor children and babes, nor females." And "he who forgives, and is reconciled to his enemy, shall receive his reward from God; for he loves not the unjust doers." Moreover, the Koran teaches, "If you kill an innocent person, to God it looks like you are killing all innocent people on earth. If you save an innocent person, it looks to God that you are saving all human life on earth."

It pleases me that our UU hymnal has some beautiful prayers from Islamic sources, like this one from a writer named Saadi: "To worship God is nothing other than to serve the people. It does not need rosaries, prayer carpets, or robes. All peoples are members of the same body, created from one essence. If fate brings suffering to one member the others cannot stay at rest." I prefer to honor and remember the best in Islamic spirituality rather than to let myself be swayed by those who violate the tenets of their own faith.

(Richard M. Fewkes – President, UU Psi Symposium)