Spirit Online

June 21, 2009

Thoughts

This is the final week of our worship series, “Many Paths, One God,” through which we’ve been exploring different world religions.  No one religion can capture all there is to know about God, and each religion has its own wisdom and insight into the spiritual realm.  It’s important for us to open our minds to these different perspectives in order to achieve a greater awareness and understanding of God and ourselves.

This week, we’re examining Islam, which was founded in the 7th century by the prophet Muhammad, who was born in Mecca, Arabia.  At the age of 40, Muhammad was divinely inspired, which led to the writings of the holy book known as the Koran.  Islam is currently the second largest religion in the world, with over one billion followers known as “Muslims.”  Muslims live all over the world, representing all races and nationalities.  The majority live in Asia (with the highest concentration in Indonesia); about one-fourth live on the continent of Africa; and less than 10% are Arab.  Roughly six million Muslims currently live in the United States.

The word “Islam” comes from the same root word as “Shalom,” which means peace.  A common Islamic greeting is Salaam ‘Alaykum, which means, “Peace be with you.”  Muslims believe that God created the universe to move in a harmonious nature, and that peace is the natural order of all things.  Muslims also believe that God granted humans free will, so unlike other elements of nature, people can choose whether or not to honor this universal law.  Unfortunately, humans don’t always choose to live in harmony, even though that is God’s intention for us.  We often act in selfish ways and pursue misguided desires that tend to lead us into problems, pain and suffering.  Muslims believe that disorder enters our lives only when we ignore God’s laws in this manner.  Likewise, they believe the only way to maintain peace and reach our highest individual development and fulfillment is to always be obedient and follow God’s laws.

Islam is often viewed as radical, but this is not really true.  Muslims believe their prime directive is to live in peace, surrender their lives to God, and obey God’s laws.  While there are, indeed, some extremists who have engaged in horrific, harmful behaviors, it is simply unfair to judge an entire religion based on the behaviors of these few, or to allow their actions to distort the truth about this religion.  If we explore Islam with an open mind, we can see that there is amazing beauty and truth in this religion.

Muslim doctrine is often summarized in “Six Articles of Faith.”  According to this list, to be a Muslim one must believe in:

#1.  One God.  Muslims believe that Allah, the name of God, is the one source, the eternal, the creator.  There is no other God.

#2. The Angels of God.  Muslims believe in a hierarchy that includes many different types of angels, including the throne bearers of Allah, the cherubim who praise Allah, archangels, Gabriel the revealer, Michael the provider, the angel of death, the angel of the Last Judgment and lesser angels, such as guardian angels.  Muslims believe that God sends these angels for different purposes; for example, it was the Angel Gabriel who spoke to and inspired Muhammad.

#3. The Books of God.  The cornerstone of Muslim faith is the Koran.  This is considered the divine law of God uttered by Allah himself in revelations to Muhammad.  The word “Koran” means, “that which is read or recited.”  Muslims believe that the holy words of the Koran should be read, memorized and recited frequently and consistently.  Additional scriptures of the Islam faith include the Hadith (what Muhammad the prophet said and did); the Sunnah (rules and regulations of Muslim life); and the Torah of Moses, the Psalms of David and the Gospel of Jesus.

#4. The Prophets of God.  Islam teaches that God has sent prophets throughout the ages to communicate his message.  These prophets were chosen people who taught those around them about faith in One Almighty God, and how to walk on the path of righteousness.  Prophets ranged from Adam to Abraham to Jesus to Muhammad.  Muslims believe that Muhammad was the last of God’s prophets, but that all prophets are equal.

#5. The Day of Judgment (or Afterlife).  Islam teaches that everyone will be resurrected and face a final day of judgment.  On that day, each individual will be evaluated on how they moved through the test of life, and will accordingly be sent to heaven (and enjoy eternal peace and happiness) or to hell (where they will experience pain and suffering).

#6. Divine Ordinance.  This final article of faith teaches that the power to do good comes from God, whose intention is only good.  While the poor choices of men can lead to unfortunate consequences, God’s intention for all of us is only good.

Complementing these Articles of Faith are Five Pillars of Faith, which form the foundation of Muslim life.  They are:

#1. Declaration of Faith.  All Muslims attest that there is none worthy of worship except God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God.  This declaration underscores the belief that the only purpose of life is to serve and obey God, and this is achieved through the teachings and practice of Muhammad.

#2. Establishment of Daily Prayers.  Islam places a very powerful emphasis on consistent, regular prayer.  Muslims are required to pray five times a day facing Mecca: at dawn, mid-day, late-afternoon, sunset and nightfall.  Muslims believe that consistent prayer will eventually result in the surrender of their hearts and lives to God, and their absolute knowledge that God is the greatest thing in life.  They believe that prayer gives them the power to move through all the struggles of their lives.  And prayer is the key to gaining greater revelation, inspiration and peace from God.

#3. Almsgiving.  An important tenet of Islam is that everything belongs to God, and is only held in trust by humans.  Every individual must purify their possessions by setting aside a portion for those in need, as well as for society in general.   Much like the pruning of plants, Islam teaches that this “cutting back” balances and encourages new spiritual growth.

#4. Fasting.  During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking or sexual activity from sunrise to sunset.  This practice develops self-restraint and purifies the mind by diverting it from worldly comforts and focusing, instead, on the primary purpose of heightening awareness of God’s presence.

#5. Pilgrimage.  Islam directs Muslims who are physically and financially able to do so to make a pilgrimage, at some point in their life, to their holy land of Mecca.

Embedded in each of these practices is meditation, a key aspect that marks the life of a Muslim.  Islam teaches that the purpose of meditation is to seek peace within each individual, family, community, and throughout the world.  Muslims believe that meditation cleanses the heart, creates a sense of peace, establishes spiritual virtues, and enhances awareness of God’s holy presence.   Muslims also believe that, without meditation, people will act in unhealthy and unwise ways, and that it is dangerous to live a life that is not focused on a deepening awareness of God.

Islam includes many forms of meditative practice: there are relaxation meditations that focus on breathing; contemplation meditations that focus on reading scripture followed by sitting in silence and journaling; and visualization meditations that focus on visualizing sitting in the presence of God.  Muslims place a lot of emphasis on feeling during meditation.  For example, for a health issue, visualization is used to feel yourself healing, and to feel that healing being done for the glory of God.

Sufism is a mystical branch of Islam that focuses on chanting, praying, dancing and breathing exercises as ways to achieve a personal experience of God.  Traditional Islam believes that living a holy life will result in the eternal gifts of peace and happiness on Judgment Day.  But Sufism believes that individuals can experience those God-given gifts throughout their lives.  Sufis believe that you can experience the fullness of your divinity and oneness with God at any time, and you can reach a primordial state of being completely centered from a space of love for God.  Sufism is really to Islam what Unity is to Christianity … because both branches believe that you can experience the kingdom of heaven right here and now, rather than having to wait for an eternal reward in the afterlife.  The fullness of a God-centered life is available now if we are willing to do our spiritual work.

It’s interesting to note the many similarities and differences between all of the religions.  The bottom line is this: no matter what spiritual path we pursue in life – Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism or Islam – the key is to focus on embodying and practicing the spiritual truths that we know and believe.  It’s important not to waste time arguing about who’s right but, rather, to embrace a dedicated spiritual life that seeks a greater awareness of the presence of God.  The only thing that can bring fulfillment to our lives is to go deeper and listen to the still small voice of God.  Quiet your mind, open your heart, and let Spirit move through you in amazing ways.  If you fully engage your heart, mind and soul in meditation and spiritual practices, you will truly experience the peace of God that surpasses all human understanding.

Salaam ‘Alaykum.  Peace be with you!

Prayer

Living, loving Spirit, I surrender to the reality that all I will ever need is right here and right now, because You are here.  I seek to deepen the awareness of my connection to you, to my oneness with Your holy presence.  I open myself to the divine Spirit that dwells within me: that heals, transforms, inspires, strengthens, encourages and nurtures me.  I rest in this powerful awareness of who I am in God and who God is in me.  I am mindful that I have the power to create any experience in life I choose, as long as I am open and receptive to your divine Spirit.  Thank you, God, for Your loving presence that is ever with and all around me.  For this awareness of God, I truly say thank you.  Thank you, God.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  And so it is.  Amen.

Following is a Sufi meditation that you can practice.

Take a deep breath, relax, and open your heart to experience love.  Fill your heart with a feeling of love, in whatever form that comes … a sense of warmth, a sense of softness or tenderness, or a sense of peace or joy.  Feel that love.  Picture someone in your life that you love.  Picture that person in your mind’s eye, and allow it to deepen even more the feeling of love in your heart.  Let your heart be filled with the feeling of love.  Be present to how love feels in your body, in your physical being.  If any thoughts come into your mind, surround them in love.  Don’t resist or judge it – just immerse those thoughts with a feeling of love.  Now think of a situation in your life that isn’t working as well as you’d like.  Take a deep breath and immerse the thought of that situation in a feeling of love.  Feel love.  Let your heart be filled with love in the presence of that situation.  Think of a person in your life with whom you might not be getting along right now.  See their face in your mind’s eye, take a deep breath, and immerse their image in a feeling of love.  Feel love as you see that person.  Love.  Feel love.  Think of your financial situation right now.  Take a deep breath, and immerse your situation in a feeling of love, and ground yourself in that feeling.  Now think of our entire life.  Take a deep breath and immerse your entire life as you see and think about it in a feeling of love.  Feel that feeling.  Love is more powerful than any thought.  Immersing that thought in love can dissipate the power of that thought, open your heart, and bring you into a greater awareness and oneness with God.  Take one last deep breath, and just feel love for yourself.  Feel love for God.  Feel love for all people.  Feel love for the entire world.  Just feel your heart open and love.  And for the gift of this powerful feeling of love, we truly say thank you, God.  Amen.

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