The Importance Of Muslim Unity

Before I begin I would like to point out that this is not directed at all Muslims, as there are many that already have nothing but love for their brothers and sisters from different Islamic traditions, but to those whom still remain in their ignorance and bigotry.

“We must put an end to anything which brings about any Islamic unity between the sons of the Muslims. As we have already succeeded in finishing off the Khilafah, so we must ensure that there will never arise again unity for the Muslims, whether it be intellectual or cultural unity.”

-George Curzon, former British Foreign Minister

As a Muslim when ever I read that quote I get infuriated. There has never before been any moment in history with a greater need of Muslim unity than the present moment. Yet when I think of that quote, no matter how mad I get, I realize Islam does not need any outside force to keep it divided, we do that ourselves. Sure the European nations which colonized the Islamic world divided it up into superficial states that did not exist before hand. However the problems that prevent Islamic unity are religious and theological, and these disputes are caused by Muslims.

At present moment Shia and Sunni Muslims both condemn and kill each other. The animosity between Sunni and Shia is one that has existed since atleast the Abbasid era (1258 C.E). There is a history of violence and persecution of Ahmadiyya by their Muslim brothers. More recently Hadith believers and those who do not accept the Hadith, Quranistⁱ, both denounce each other as not being real Muslims. It is not just sect against sect, it is sometimes madhhabⁱⁱ against madhhabⁱⁱⁱ. Once here in Indonesia I heard an Imam say that Muslims in North Africa don’t have fiqh because they follow the Maliki madhhab. This mentality of, “If you don’t believe just as I do you are not a Muslim, you are not my brother or sister.”, has to stop^iv.

“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

-Abraham Lincoln

Sunni and Shia Muslims praying together in Iraq. Can you distinguish between the two?

The Consequences Of This Infighting

The world is no longer a collection of disconnected nations and peoples but an interconnected global community, which the Islamic world and Muslims are apart of. This is due to the advent of jet planes and the internet. People can travel from one side of the planet to the next in less than a day now and information can circle the globe with the press of a button. When something happens on one side of the planet, it can be known all over the globe almost instantly. Another reality of the modern world is: whether we like it or not, regardless of whether it is fair or not, Non-Muslims judge Islam based on our actions. Every single Muslim, no mater what sect or tradition they follow is an ambassador of Islam to the World.

Whenever one Muslim calls another Muslim, who practices a different form of Islam a disbeliever, insults them, and/or threatens them, this has far reaching consequences. As does assaulting these Muslims or vandalizing their Mosques and homes, even in the most remote lands. In this technologically advanced age of social media and news outlets, news can travel very far and fast. Nothing makes great ratings for a news story quite like violence and hate carried out by Muslims, in the West, where Islamophobia runs ramped. If a Muslim writes derogatory remarks about a fellow Muslim on the internet, it is likely to remain there permanently for all to see. Islamophobes and those who wish to discredit Islam love it when Muslims participate in this type of behavior. It gives validity to their world view.

If you live in an Islamic country or one with a Muslim majority population, you will probably not feel the effects of this type of behavior, but if you are a brother or sister who lives in North America, Europe, or any Muslim minority country you will. As a Muslim who has lived in a small town in the American Southeast, I experienced back lash from this type of behavior. I was told that I believed in a Satanic religion and that I would one day become a full fledged terrorist. When one Muslim disrespects a Muslim of a different variety, Muslim around the world feel it.

Not only does this make the lives of our brothers and sisters who live in Muslim minority countries more difficult, it also makes the work our brothers and sisters who undertake performing dawah^v more difficult as well. Anyone who has ever performed dawah, or who defends Islam from Christian missionaries and apologists, can tell you that the atrocities carried out by supposed Muslims comes up very often. Christian missionaries and apologists use such material to make Islamophobic material, to create hate among Non-Muslims, whom are not well educated, against Islam. When a Muslim disrespects another Muslim or commits acts of violence against them, he or she gives the enemies of Islam ammunition to use against us.

When a Muslim hurts another Muslim of a different sect or background, not only does he hurt that brother or sister, he hurts all Muslims, including those of their own variety, such as his own mother and father. A believer in Islam who does such things is even more Anti-Islamic than the worst Islamophobe, close minded missionary and apologist.

Benefits Of Muslim Unity

If our infighting and hatred harms our religion, then our doing the exact opposite will strengthen it. This could bring with it several benefits for both us as individual Muslims and our religion as a whole.

1. Islam’s Self Image

As I said before, we as Muslims are representatives of our religion, when people see us, they believe they see Islam. Islam is a religion of peace. Islam calls us to better our world, to help our fellow man, not just our fellow Muslims, to establish and protect justice. Yet when people see infighting in Islam, Muslim’s killing one another, it causes doubts. “How can it be a religion of peace, when they kill each other?” Fortunately the opposite is also true, when we live by Islam, and we love our fellow Muslims as ourselves, as the Prophet commanded us^vi, the image of Islam can inspire not doubt, but interest in Islam, even conversion to the faith!

Malcolm X is a prime example of the power the image of Islam has to change people’s lives. When he was first introduced to Islam, it was by the Nation of Islam, a racist, black supremest religious group. He adhered to this view for sometime, but after journeying to Mecca, where he saw equality between Muslims, despite the color of their skin, he renounced his belief in racism and embraced Sunni Islam.^vii

2. A Tighter Ummah^viii

This serves two functions, first with a tighter community we can stand together more firmly. When a crisis strikes, whether man made or natural, community and unity is a must. Members of a community must come together to support one another. As the old adage goes, there is in fact strength in numbers. A community is a lot like a forest, when a wind storm comes the trees support each other, some block the wind, others entangle their roots, but they all support each other. Thus the trees in the forest will have a better chance of surviving, than a lone tree, or disconnected tress.

Secondly with a tighter Ummah comes a more closer knit brotherhood and sisterhood of Islam. Not only can this cause us to build stronger relationships with members of the Muslim community, this can offer us great learning experiences. Though we may disagree on some issues, we agree on many as well, and we could learn how to see these commonalities from different perspectives.

The Commonalities All Muslims Share

We do disagree on some issues, such as the hadiths^ix, and these differences are important ones that we should be able to discuss freely with one another, but we also have many commonalities. These include:

1. Belief in one God Allah.

2. Belief in Muhammad (PBUH) as a prophet.

3. Acceptance of The Quran as authoritative scripture

4. Prayer

5. Fasting

6. Giving to poor

7. Pilgrimage

Can you distinguish Sufi, Shia, Quranist, Ahmadiyya, and Sunni from each other?

We don’t have to agree on everything, but we do need realize that at the core of our Islamic traditions is the same foundation. We may not disagree with these elements, but we may differ in our interpretation of them, and we need to realize and accept that. It is certainly possible to disagree with out being disagreeable.

How Can We Bring about Muslim Unity?

1. We have respect each other as Muslims

Not only must different Muslims and their beliefs be tolerated but they each must be counted as a full member of the Muslim community. More so, we as individual Muslims have to love each other as brothers and sisters in Islam, even if we do not believe the exact same way they do.

2. We have to educate ourselves

We have to educate ourselves, so that we can become more familiar with the beliefs of our brothers and sisters. The more we educate ourselves, the less alien those different from us appear. More so there is much negative, false material out there that demonizes Muslims from various Islamic tradition, this education can give us the ability to shift through this stuff and to defend each other against those that wish to divide us. When you are learning it is important to be critical of your sources. As Krister Stendahl said,

“When trying to understand another religion, you should ask the adherents of that religion and not its enemies.”^x

If you cannot find sources that meet these requirements, then seek those by neutral, mainstream, and qualified scholars^xi, but never trust anything that is written by someone that is biased against a group of people. An even better way to learn is to meet and befriend other Muslims whom come from the different Islamic traditions.

3. We have to educate our children

Just as important, if not more so, than educating ourselves, we have to educate our children. It is cliche to say, but still very true, our children are our future. More so they and their children are our extensions into the future. We need to be very mindful of their education about others, even more than we are with ours. If you befriend believers from other Islamic traditions and they have children, introduce your children to them. Their most important source of education must be from you though. Not your words but your actions. Your children must learn how to respect other Muslims from how you respect them. Be sure you set a positive example for your children to follow, for the world of tomorrow is built by our actions of today, and through our children, we will inhabit that world.

What This Does Not Mean

This does not mean you have to accept, agree with, or believe in what other Muslims, those different from you believe in. It does mean you have to respect their right to believe in it and their right to practice their form of Islam.

Lastly if you ever think about hating a fellow Muslim or if you think that a Muslim is not your brother or sister just because they do not believe and practice exactly like you, and stop and remember this

“We must put an end to anything which brings about any Islamic unity between the sons of the Muslims. As we have already succeeded in finishing off the Khilafah, so we must ensure that there will never arise again unity for the Muslims, whether it be intellectual or cultural unity.”

-George Curzon, former British Foreign Minister

iSometimes called Quran Aloners, Quran Alone Muslims, or by their detractors Hadith Rejectors.

iiA school of usual al-fiqh, which is principals of Jurisprudence

iiiThis is a new occurrence. Historically most of the Sunni schools of Madhhab respected each other and considered each to be valid. Robinson, Francis. Atlas of the Islamic World since 1500. New York, NY: Facts On File, 1982. Print. Pp 29

ivThis issue is not unique to Islam. In Judaism the Ultra-Orthodox Jews considers Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionalist Judaism not to be real Judaism. In Christianity, many evangelical and fundamentalist Christians believe that Catholic and Orthodox Christians are not really Christians and that they are idolaters.

vThe preaching of Islam to Non-Muslims to convert them

vi “None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”, Al-Bukhari, Book 2, Volume 1, Hadith 12

viiMalcolm, X, and Alex Haley. The Autobiography of Malcolm X: With the Assistance of Alex Haley. New York: Grove Press, 1965. Print. pp. 388–393

viiiArabic for nation or community.

ixSunni and Shia do not except all of the same traditions, though there is much overlap, where as the Quran Alone Muslims do not accept any hadiths, as their name suggests..

xStendahl’s three rules of religious understanding

xiSuch as Karen Armstrong.

An Interview With Dr. Thomas McElwain

Recently I had the pleasure to interview the renowned international religious scholar and author, Dr. Thomas McElwain. He discusses his background, his work, and so much more!

Perspectives Of A Fellow Traveler: Can you tell our readers about your Educational and religious background?

Dr. Thomas McElwain: I was educated in Seventh-day Adventist schools from the first grade to the end of college, except for the sixth grade. Monterey Bay Academy in California, Antillian College in Puerto Rico, and Séminaire Adventiste in Collonges, France. Then summer school in Andrews University. I then studied Ethnography in Uppsala University in Sweden through the doctoral level, but did not present a dissertation. Instead, I went to Stockholm and studied Comparative Religion under Åke Hultkrantz and finished a Ph.D. with a dissertation on Iroquois mythology. I completed the grade of docent in Stockholm in 1981. That’s it for education. My parents were Seventh-day Adventists, but I left that as soon as I got old enough to think for myself. My grandmothers were very influential. My mother’s mother had a Quaker background that influenced me highly, especially through the Hicksite tradition and finally back to Edward Elwall, who was a Sufi from a Turkish order. My father’s mother was a Baptist, but whose father was a Sufi as well. She was a vigorous admirer of Imam Khomeini. These two women were the most influential people in my religious world. That’s it in a nutshell. I’m sort of a Quaker hard-shell Baptist Sufi who has practiced Islam for several decades. Just like Edward Elwall, except I don’t wear a turban or 18th-century Turkish dress.

POAFT: What exactly is the Beloved and I?

Dr. McElwain: The Beloved and I is a rhymed verse translation (to the extent I’ve been able to translate from the Hebrew, Greek and Arabic) of the wider canon of the Bible, books of Enoch and Jubilees, apocryphal gospels and Qur’an, all armed with about 8000 commentaries in a verse form combining features of the sonnet and the ghazel. It is a contemplation of the “I” from a Sufi perspective, which may be claiming too much. It takes something approaching a fool or an idiot to need two and a third million words to fail to explain what the English word “I” means. I have written other books, both academic and apologetic, prose as well as verse.

The Beloved and I

POAFT: Not everybody makes a translation of The Bible nor of the Qur’an, to the best of my knowledge no one has ever done both. More so they have never, in their entirety, been included in the same anthology. In addition, you have included a few of the most important works of the Apocrypha and Psuedipigraphia of The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and of the New Testament Apocrypha, What was your inspiration?

Dr. McElwain: To my knowledge, no one has every set either one to rhymed verse either. So my inspiration was probably a lame attempt to get into the Guiness book of records. That must be it, because I surely did not have the temerity to imagine that anyone would ever read all of that. I must admit with humility, however, that a few people actually have. Actually, it was inspired by the practical need of producing a weekly reading for the dhikr in which I participate each week.

POAFT: Of The Texts not included in the Bible, why did you chose these to include as opposed to the countless others?

Dr. McElwain: chose all of the texts in function of one criterion: the text must state or imply adherence to the Decalogue [Ten commandments]. I see the Decalogue as a brief and comprehensive expression of Abrahamic faith. It is the only such text in all of the classical scriptures of the world that claims to have been spoken by God directly to a large, representative segment of humanity, without the medium of an angel, prophet, or vision. That gives it an objective distinction. So I have used it as a criterion or rule of thumb. Obviously, I have not been able to include all texts that might fit the criterion. But I think all that I have included do so. The first “commandment” I find to be fundamental, from which all else is derived: Thou shalt have no other gods but Me. I think that the principles of the Decalogue are foundational to all religious traditions, though all of them might not affirm everything in the Decalogue of Exodus 20. All religions prohibit murder, thievery, false testimony, etc.

POAFT: Is there any benefit to studying these texts together?

Dr. McElwain: Both believers and scholars have tended to focus on their differences. This is a skewing of reality. There has to be a fundamental consistency at some level, or they would never have been compiled together in the one book of the Bible, nor would the Qur’an have referred to the earlier Scriptures in confirmation of its own validity. It seems strange to me that this obvious fact is rather often ignored. Study of these texts in view of finding such fundamental consistency and focusing on it ought to contribute to both understanding other people and their faiths and fostering peaceful existence among them.

POAFT: Have you received any criticism for grouping these texts together?

Dr. McElwain: Yes. I’ve lost all my friends!

POAFT: Is there any text not currently in The Beloved and I that you would like to add to it?

Dr. McElwain: Yes. The Gospel of Barnabas. The battle of the books, which I earlier saw as serving at least some good purpose in keeping controversy focused on texts rather than killing each other, has not succeeded in keeping peace. Physical violence between so-called Muslims and so-called Christians has increased. Given the recent events in the world, I think the recognition that The Beloved and I gives to the common foundations of humanity is more acutely important than ever. The defense of one segment of the Abrahamic Scriptures, coupled with an attack on another segment of them, is misguided and contributes to an atmosphere of suspicion and eventually physical violence. It is unacceptable. My refusal to engage in anti-Bible or anti-Qur’an activity has aroused some opposition and hatred. I do not for a moment see myself as a victim or a failure. It is a simple fact that I lost my Christian or Baptist audience when I wrote Islam in the Bible. I lost my Muslim audience when I wrote The Beloved and I, even though it consistently supports Islamic views. My work does not support the general trend towards polarization and violence, and for that reason is not popular or even acceptable today. That may or may not change in future. I have done my duty and am satisfied.

POAFT: Why do you think people are attracted to polarization and violence?

Dr. McElwain: The surface reason is because of business interests determining government policy and the need to manipulate the population to accept that. The fundamental reason of course lies in a spiritual issue. The spiritual issue is the fact that God has given the divine gift of self-consciousness to each individual. That results in either experiencing oneself as god and feeling threatened by other people or in seeing the divine in every other individual. The former experience is the root of all violence.

A young Dr. McElwain

POAFT: From my experiences with languages I know that between two languages there are rarely word for word equivalents. Translating is no easy task, and translating is largely interpretation. Would you agree with this?

Dr. McElwain: Definitely. That is why I think Jews and Muslims are wise to maintain the original-language recitation of Scripture, and Christians unwise to relinquish it.

POAFT: Can you describe how much more difficult it is to translate something into poetry than prose?

Dr. McElwain: I think it depends on the person. The craft of versification can be acquired by anyone, but it must be acquired. I actually expected versification to be a greater challenge than it was. My translation of the Bible into verse is often actually more literal and word-for-word faithful to the original than most modern prose translations.

POAFT: How long did it take to complete The Beloved and I?

Dr.. Mc. Elwain: Nine and a half years.

POAFT: What are some of your favorite verses from the Beloved and I?

Dr. McElwain: Surah 1 Al-Fatihah or the Opening

1 In the name of God most gracious, merciful,

2 All praise is God’s, Lord of the Universe,

3 Most gracious Lord and Lord most merciful,

4 King of the Day of judgement, 5 we rehearse

To You alone our worship and petition.

6 Guide us, O Lord, in Your right admonition,

7 In ways of peace in Your bounties’ fruition,

Not in their path who know Your wrath

Nor in their way whose steps go to perdition.

Surah 112 Al-Ikhlas, or Purity (of Faith)

In the name of God Most Gracious, Merciful.

1 Proclaim alone He God is one.

2 God without need of anyone.

3 He is not born, He sires no son,

4 There is none like him, no, not one.

[Commentary To Surah 112]

Truly, my Beloved, there is none like You!

The One and Only, Allah Allah Huu!

Eternal, Absolute, in need of none,

Truly, my Beloved, You alone are One!

For You give birth to nothing I may know,

In You there is no change, no come and go,

You have no birth, You have no source at all,

Time, place, inside or out the earthly ball.

Creation is an idol if by it

I might attempt to give You space or fit.

No weight or colour, sequence, sour or sweet

Can touch Your essence, trace Your hands and feet.

Invisible to eye and mind above,

I cannot know You, I can only love.

POAFT: Other than The Beloved and I, what are some of your favorite English translations of the Bible, The Quran, and the Other texts? And what is it about these that you like?

Dr. McElwain: I like the elevated language of the King James Version of the Bible. For the same reason I like Pickthall’s translation of the Qur’an.

POAFT: You have also authored several more books have you not? what are they?

Dr. McElwain: Islam in the Bible, London Lectures, Secret Treasures of Salaat, Invitation to Islam are some apologetic works that come to mind. I recently did Psalms in Brief. Academic books are Mythological Tales and the Allegany Seneca; Our Kind of People; and Adventism and Ellen White. I have pretty much turned away from public dialogue in recent years, as any discourse at all seems to feed violence in the present atmosphere. I do dhikr and wait for change. May Allah have mercy on the world, since humankind does not.

POAFT: Unfortunately I have not read all of your work, but I have read your Islam in the Bible. I knew Judaism, Christianity, and Islam was linked and as a Muslim I believe that God sent prophets to teach his message long before the advent of the prophet Muhammad. I was also aware of the practices of ancient Israel. However, it did not dawn on me that there was overlap between their practices and the pillars of Islam, other than the belief in strict monotheism. Is it common for people not to see this? If So why do you think it is?

Dr. McElwain: Jews are generally aware of this, while Christians are not. I suspect it has something to do with the Christian habit of reading the Hebrew Scriptures allegorically and not taking the literal meaning seriously. They would be likely to skip over the literal similarities, then, as most of them are in the Hebrew Scriptures, or the Old Testament, as it is called.

Islam In The Bible

POAFT: What inspired you to write Islam In The Bible?

Dr. McElwain: I was asked to lecture about the Bible in various Islamic venues in several countries. I used the material from those lectures then to produce the book.

POAFT: Do you think it is possible to be a practicing Muslim and to read and study the Bible?

Dr. McElwain: It is possible to be a practicing Muslim and study and read all of the classical religious books of the world. Al-Biruni is certainly one of the major founders of the science of comparative religion, which is thus to be considered an Islamic science. The fact that comparative religion is no longer seen as an Islamic science merely shows that current Islam is deficient and no long represents the original flowering of the faith. This is precisely one of the central flaws of contemporary Islam.

But the Bible is the most important pre-Islamic source for Muslims. The Bible was read and studied by Islamic scholars in all of the medieval Islamic empires as well as in the Ottoman Empire, where a knowledge of the Bible was required of high level clerics. Probably one of the best translations of the Bible into any language is that of Ali Bey, who was a revert and functionary in the Ottoman Empire. His translation, with some adjustment, was used by Christians until recently. The Evangelical translation into Turkish that is now replacing it is noticeably inferior. One of the major changes is the replacement of the Ottoman Turkish word Allah with Tanri. This feeds the abusive and divisive trend in current discourse which maintains that Allah has nothing to do with the God of the Bible and is merely a pagan moon god. Using Bible translation to affirm such nonsense is immoral.

POAFT: Does studying the Bible benefit Muslims in any way?

Dr. McElwain: It provides them with a realization of the continuity of revealed faith. It also provides the foundation upon which the Qur’an stands. Much of the Qur’an is a commentary or an extension of the Bible. Without a knowledge of the Bible, much of the Qur’an is subject to misapprehension.

POAFT: Do you think Jews and Christians should read the Qur’an? If so do you believe it is beneficial for them in any way?

Dr. McElwain: It is certainly beneficial for them, if they read it with the intention of discovering what Islam teaches. If they read it with the intention of finding excuses to incite genocide against the Muslim population, then they had better not read it. Reading the Qur’an without malice can only be beneficial.

POAFT: Does studying the Apocryphal Books and Psuedepigraphia have any benefits for Jews, Christians, and Muslims?

Dr. McElwain: There are two major benefits. The Apocryphal and Pseudepigraphical writings illuminate history and the faith configurations of the times in which they were written. Secondly, they are often very spiritual in content and provide real devotional material. For example, the Gospel of Barnabas, is a case in point. It is generally read either to disprove it and show it to be a fraud, or to prove that Muhammad was predicted before hand or to prove that Jesus did not die on the cross. I have never seen anyone quoting it for any other purpose. And yet, it contains a great deal of material of the highest spiritual quality. I would say that hardly any other single writing has impressed me so much in a practical way as this book.

POAFT: I have started reading your translation of The Writings of Edward Elwall. He seems like a very interesting fellow. Can you describe who he was for our readers and tell us what inspired you to translate his work?

Dr. McElwain: Actually, it is not a translation, but simply a copy. I visited the Dr Williams’s Library in London where most of his writings are found. I copied them into a computer file and finally posted them on the internet, where people could access them. Edward Elwall has been rather much my mentor for a long time. He is listed as a Unitarian Quaker who lived at the beginning of the 1700s, but he was also a member, apparently of the Mill Yard Sabbatarian Baptist Society in London and the Presbyterian church in Wolverhampton. But he belonged to a Turkish dervish order and commonly wore a turban and Turkish dress.

POAFT: Is there any subject you would like to write about one day that you have not yet written?

Dr. McElwain: Rather many! I’d like to write an acrostic on the Vulgata, every letter forming the first letter of each line of rhymed verse! I wonder how long it would take… (laughs)!

POAFT: (laughs) All of your works are available online, one can purchase a printed edition or get a pdf copy for free right?

Dr. McElwain: That’s right, although I’ve had complaints about not being able to download. In that case, I just send people a pdf file.

POAFT: Thank you very much Dr. McElwain for taking the time to talk with me, it is always a pleasure to talk with you. I hope we can do it again soon.

Dr. McElwain: My pleasure!

Once again I would like to thank Dr. McElwain for his time. Be sure to check out Dr. McElwain’s work and get your copy of The Beloved and I at http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/thomasmcelwain

For The Respect Of God: The Etiquette Of Sacred Texts

I wrote the following short piece in 2011 after observing how some people handled their sacred texts. In this same time period I saw one used as a drink coaster and another laying on someone’s lawn. With this post, I wish to devote all my Friday posts, until further notice, to religious texts.

There is something very peculiar that strikes me about my Jewish friends, no matter where we go, if there is change on the ground, they will pick it up, even single pennies. There is a common, but untrue stereotype about the Jewish people being obsessed with money. To the uniformed spectator this may seem to be that stereotype in action , however the reason behind this is both simple and profound. They do it out of respect for G-d. On every coin and bill of U.S currency is the phrase, “In G-d We Trust”, and for the word G-d to touch the ground is a sign of disrespect for the Almighty, the creator.

This respect is lacking among a lot of individuals in the western world. Before I proceed I would like to note two things, A. This is not meant to condemn the atheist or the unbeliever, but instead to rectify a mistake committed by some of the Children of Abraham (Jews, Christians, and Muslims), B. I believe this mistake is in fact an innocent mistake, and that those that commit it are not aware that they are disrespecting G-d.

There are many fine examples of pious believers respecting G-d directly. We respect him by offering him prayers, obeying him, and loving our fellow man. Some specific examples of this include Jews saying HaShem in conversation and Addonai in devotional settings instead of saying G-d or his name, and Eloqim instead of E*ohim, and Muslims saying “Glorified and exalted be He, may He be glorified and exalted.” (often abbreviated as “SWT”) after saying the name Allah. Most pious believers have no problem in this area.

A Jew reading a Torah scroll with a pointer. A Jew, out of respect would not touch the scroll directly.

The problem comes from respecting G-d by respecting his books. Before we look into this matter, let us observe some ways in which believers show G-d proper respect by respecting his books. A pious Jew out of respect for a Torah scroll, would never touch the scroll directly. To show respect for the Torah, a Torah scroll is carried around the Synagogue and believers kiss books and touch the scroll with it. Out of respect, it must never touch the ground, and if it does the entire congregation must fast for forty days. Also a pious Hebrew would never set anything on top of a copy of the TaNaK (The Hebrew Bible) nor would they set anything on top of it. Likewise pious Christians would never set anything on top of a Bible or set it on the ground. The same is true of righteous Muslims, whom would never do these things to a Bible or a Quran, and additionally would not touch either book without performing ablutions (ritual washing, to be in a pure state).

A Quran sitting on a holder. A pious Muslim would never let the Quran touch the ground.

The problem is this: Believers unintentionally disrespect their books. They set them on the ground and place things on top of them. Often I see people place cans of Coke or cups of coffee on top of a Bible, or they leave it exposed to the elements. 

It is a miracle we have these books, they truly are a gift from G-d, and one should respect them as such. I also would extend this to the Talmud, the writings of the Early Church Fathers, the Hadith, and the parrabiblical books (The Psuedipigrapha and Apocrypha). It is truly a miracle we have some of these texts (The Gospel of Thomas, for example survives complete in only one copy, where as many others such as the Gospel of Mary or Judas survive only in fragmentary forms, many did not survive at all.) So let us treasure our gifts from G-d and respect Him by respecting his books.

The only complete manuscript of the Gospel of Thomas.

The sole fragmentary manuscript of the Gospel of Judas

What Theists Can Learn From Atheists

“Who is wise? The one who learns from every person.”

-Ben Zoma, Ethics Of The Fathers 4:1

What can theists, particularly those of the Abrahamic variety learn from Atheists? Actually quite a lot. I am not an Atheist, I am a strongly convicted theist of the Islamic brand, however I do believe we could learn a great deal from moderate Atheists, to make ourselves better. These ideas of theirs, once seen heretical by the masses and still are by Fundamentalists are Skepticism and a belief in action over prayer.

Skepticism among many religious believers, especially those whom are conservative and those whom are extremists view skepticism as something dangerous, something to be avoided. These type of people believe that doubting will lead people to questioning their faith and may even cause them to abandon their faith. While it is true that such a mind set has led some to abandon their beliefs, it has led many to deeper levels of belief.

I experienced this type of thinking first hand growing up. When I was a kid my family was very fundamentalist in their beliefs as Christians, and myself had a passionate interest in Science. My family was aware of my passion and my interests in studying about subjects they considered taboo, such as evolution, was not allowed.

However questioning our beliefs is the only way one can perceive the truth deeply. Many theists, especially those of us whom come from countries and cultures where our religious beliefs are the majority, take our religions for granted. We may know the basics (and many do not know that.), but very seldom do most people dive deeper than that. If we truly want to appreciate our faith and develop a much more profound understanding of it, we have to be able to ask questions, to seek knowledge. Peter Abelard Said it best,

“By doubting we come to inquiry, and by inquiry we perceive the truth.”

This questioning nature is something that we should not only practice in our religious lives, but the lives we live on Social media as well. All too often, especially during conflicts such as the recent Gaza conflict when emotions run ramped, we share stuff without verifying whether it is true or not, especially regarding something negative. Often times among fundamentalist or conservative religious groups you will find deceptive material is passed around about groups they wish to vilify. Sometimes even moderate believers will share these items without questioning their truthfulness. This material hurts their targeted victims by furthering negative, false stereotypes. One example of this was a picture that was past around by the right wing website, FreePatriot.org which it claim depicted a Christian woman falling to her death because she was pushed by Muslim extremists. However this picture was actually a cropped picture of a schizophrenia patient from Shanghai, China who fell on her own.

This is the original unedited photo.

This is the cropped image which was posted to FreePatriot.org

Skepticism is much like the water of our spiritual lives, in the right amounts it is healthy, and even necessary for life, but too much of it can kill us. We need to be at the level where we do not take everything we see on T.V or shared via social media or everything we hear from a Rabbi, Priest, preacher, minister, Imam, Sheik, or Ustad at face value. Many of these people are well meaning and would never purposefully feed us false information, however there are some who use their pulpit to do such a thing, to spread hate and fear. So I encourage everyone to fact check what their religious leaders are telling them. Even if they are telling the truth this can lead to a much more profound understanding of the truth.

Secondly Atheists focus on action, rather than prayer. One of my Atheist friends once shared a picture comparing a warehouse full of food for the poor to an empty warehouse full of “prayers” for the poor. It really struck a chord with me. I believe in prayer, I FIRMLY believe prayer works (If I did not believe in prayer this former minimum wage slave would not be writing this from East Java, Indonesia but would still be holding a sign for a third rate Pizza chain.), and I just as passionately believe that it is prayer is a must for every believer, to have a deep relationship with God. I believe it is essential, but I believe action should not be neglected. While I do believe God is perfectly capable of super natural acts, I believe that God works through people.

I believe the following story illustrates this point excellently:

There was once a man whom was caught in a flood. The flood had risen so high that he had to climb on top of his house, and it had continue to rise. The man then prayed and asked God to save him and God had told him he would. Moments later someone on raft came by and told the man he was there to save him. The man refused to leave with him, saying that God said he would save him. Then someone else came on a motorboat and told the man that he was there to save him, but again the man refused, saying God would save him. Next came someone on a helicopter, but again the man refused saying God would save him. Finally the waters raised so high that the man drowned. When he went before God, he asked God why he did not save him.

God replied, “I sent someone to save you with a raft, with a motorboat, and with a helicopter, but you refused all of them.”

Our religious traditions are full of examples of God acting through people. The sheer fact that God uses prophets to communicate to us is evidence of this, but the laws these prophets give us reinforces this. These laws, the ones focusing on social justice, call us to action to help our fellow man. Take the following for example:

“Have you considered the person who denies the Judgement? It is he who pushes aside the orphan and does not urge others to feed the needy.”ⁱ

“You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice; you shall not take a widow’s garment in pledge.” ⁱⁱ

“But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.”ⁱⁱⁱ

All of these laws deal with proper treatment of the vulnerable in society. When we observe these laws and fulfill them, God is acting through us and is using us to do good in the world.

I am not saying that we should not pray for these people, undoubtedly we should, but if possible our prayer should be matched with action. Every action counts too, no mater whether you can only spare a dime or give thirty minutes of your time. Little by little, drop by drop, even the mighty ocean is filled with water. I am also not saying that people who can not do anything, should not pray for their less fortunate brothers and sisters, what I am saying is that those who are perfectly capable of doing both, should. Prayer is an act of faith, we pray and have faith God hears us. The author of the Epistle of James said it best,

“For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.” ^iv

When you help your fellow man, make sure you help them because it is what God asks of you or because you feel compassion towards them, not to promote your religion or to showoff. Showing off by helping others is condemned and the opposite is praised,

“…Then will be brought a man whom Allah had made abundantly rich and had granted every kind of wealth. He will be brought and Allah will make him recount His blessings and he will recount them and (admit having enjoyed them in his lifetime). Allah will (then) ask: What have you done (to requite these blessings)? He will say: I spent money in every cause in which Thou wished that it should be spent. Allah will say: You are lying. You did (so) that it might be said about (You):” He is a generous fellow” and so it was said. Then will Allah pass orders and he will be dragged with his face downward and thrown into Hell.” ^v

“So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”^vi

“A man who gives charity in secret is greater than Moses our Teacher.”^vii

It is perfectly fine to share with those you are helping that God loves them and to invite them to a religious service. However, it is never ok to ask people to accept your beliefs or to attend a service in order for you to help them. In none of our scriptures is there a verse that says do not help anyone unless they believe as you do. Need knows no creed. Starvation, knows no religious orientation. When you help people, this is an opportunity to let God’s love and light shine through you to those that need it the most. Do not spoil it by trying to force your beliefs on people, rather let your actions and motivations speak for themselves.

Though I may not agree with their theology or lack thereof, I do believe there is much we could learn from moderate atheists. One does not have to agree with everything a person or group says or believes to believe that some of their ideas and practices are good. A touch of skepticism and being more active in helping your fellow could not hurt anyone. I challenge every theist who reads this to try it out for themselves.

i Quran 107:1-3, Haleem translation

ii Deuteronomy 24:17, NRSV

iii Luke 14:13, NRSV

iv James 2:26, NRSV

v Hadith Sahih-Muslim, 20, 4688

vi Matthew 6:2-4, NRSV

vii Talmud – Mas. Baba Bathra 9b, Soncino Translation