Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church--Unitarian Universalist

East is East and West is West

Rev. David Takahashi Morris

November 5, 2006

 

 

Exploring Islam

 

There are approximately 6 billion people on the Earth. 

 

Some 1.3 billion of them are Muslims.

 

There are approximately 3 hundred million people in the United States. 

 

Between one and two million people in America identify as Muslim; estimates of Muslims who prefer not to respond to surveys run as high as 5 million.

 

Some 700,000 Americans identify as Unitarian Universalist. 

 

Just as a point of reference.

 

Islam is a growing faith, by many estimates the fastest-growing faith in the world and one of the fastest-growing in America.  If we avoid the arrogance of assuming that all religions other than our own attract people through appealing to their fear or their ignorance, what is drawing all those people to this religion?  

 

We seek wisdom from all religions of the world.  What does Islam offer?  What does it invite us to understand about ourselves, about the world, about the Holy?

 

Tawhid

 

Unity.

 

Islam’s most important doctrine is Tawhid, the belief that Allah—God—is One, and that unity with Allah is the ultimate goal of humankind and of all existence.  The way to unity for human beings is Islam, which comes from the word for submission:  Following Allah’s wish for our way of life, accepting the revelation to Muhammad as it is recorded in the Qur’an, and seeking to draw ever closer to God within our selves.

 

The Qur’an

 

The word means “recitation.”  Muhammad heard the entire Qur’an in a series of visions, and recited it for his followers, who wrote it down and in turn recited it to others.  The true Qur’an is always in Arabic, and for a Muslim to read or recite its Surahs, or chapters, and verses is to encounter Allah’s voice through the words on the page and within our hearts. 

 

Muslims do not worship Muhammad, nor do they think he is the only prophet; they do honor him as the ideal man, and believe that his revelation was Allah’s last, most complete word.  They do not worship the Qur’an, nor do they think it is the only holy scripture, but they respect it and honor it as a sacred opportunity to encounter Allah.

Shahadah

 

The declaration of faith.

 

To become a Muslim is to make a public declaration: 

 

There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet. 

 

This declaration of faith, to be made aloud and publicly at daily prayers and elsewhere, is the first of the five Pillars of Islam, the foundations on which a believer’s life is built.

 

Salat.

 

Formal prayer.  The second of the Five Pillars.

 

The Qur’an instructs Muslims to pray five times each day, at dawn, noon, midafternoon, evening, and night.  The prayers are performed facing the Kaaba in Mecca, in a formal way that includes purification before prayer, words, movements, and recitations from the Qur’an.

                       

Sawm

 

Fasting at Ramadan.  The third of the Five Pillars.

 

During the holy month of Ramadan, the month that celebrates the first revelation of the Qur’an to Muhammad, Muslims fast throughout the day:  No food, no water, no smoking—Muslims never drink alcohol—and no pleasures of the flesh, from sunup until sundown. 

 

The Muslim calendar of months is lunar, so Ramadan moves.  Sometimes it is in the hottest of summer months, and avoiding water for the whole day takes great discipline and dedication.  After sundown there is feasting and celebration.

                       

Zakat

 

Giving alms.  The fourth of the Five Pillars.

 

The Qur’an instructs Muslims to contribute a fixed portion of their income to support the work of charity and of justice.  Creating a just society that cares for all its members is the most important goal of Islamic community.

 

Hajj.

 

The pilgrimage.  The last of the Five Pillars.

 

Once in their lifetime, during the 12th month, Muslims are expected to travel to Mecca and Medina, where Muhammad first had his revelations and began the first Islamic community of faith.

 

Pilgrims dress alike, and there are no special accommodations for people of wealth or high public or social status.  All are equal as they commemorate the Prophet’s life and journeys in the holiest of cities.  Returned pilgrims are highly respected.

 

Jihad

           

Struggle.

 

The word has been taken over by those for whom it means war, violence, and accepting or causing death for the faith.  In the Western press that is the only meaning we see.

 

But jihad means struggle and striving in faith—the effort to make faith real, the effort to build a community of faith in a harsh world, the effort to overcome our own internal failings and ignorance.

 

The spiritual life of a Muslim can be lived on three levels:

 

Islam

 

Surrender.  Accept Allah and discipline your life to meet the instructions and expectations of the Qur’an. 

 

Iman

 

Faith.  Commit yourself intensely to Allah and the holy life.

 

Ihsan

 

Beauty.  Seek the spiritual perfection of living constantly with the awareness of God’s presence in this moment, in you, in this encounter with another person.

 

Islam.  Iman.  Ihsan.

 

Surrender.  Faith.  Beauty.

 

We seek wisdom from all religions of the world.  What does Islam offer?  What does it invite us to understand about ourselves, about the world, about the Holy?