Shia Sunni difference over Prophet's last sermon, what do we do about it?

How do Shia, Sunni and other Muslims come together for common good?
URL -  http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2013/03/shia-sunni-difference-over-prophets.html
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Facts don't matter, it did not matter to President Bush and his followers, and they believed what they believed despite the information available to the contrary. We Muslims are no different, each one of our sect is entrenched with certain beliefs, and our fundamental beliefs will not change. Indeed, accepting change is like making the earth beneath us disappear. If Sunnis accept Shia version as fact or Shias see the Sunni version as the truth, their whole theology collapses, each one will cease to exist, and for that reason, no one will subscribe to each others' "facts". 

Sunnis believe that in his last sermon, Prophet said he was leaving the book (to learn and understand, as we are individually accountable for our actions) while the Shia Muslims believe that he also said he is leaving behind his progeny to offer guidance. Even if we were to recover the real voice and his speech, neither group will believe in it; it amounts to wiping out our beliefs. It is best to follow the guidance from Qur'aan; let you believe what works for you and I believe what works for me, as long as we do not mess with each other's space, sustenance and nurturence. Both will go to Janna if we care about God's creation.
 

Shia beliefs have worked for Shias, Just as Sunni, Wahhabi, Ahmadiyya, Bohra, Ismaili, Salafi, Deobandi and other beliefs have worked for them. Do we see the need for a change? 

Religion is not a football game where the touchdown will be decided if the guy’s foot or any part of his foot was inside the line while catching the ball. Religion is not that precise, a sinful woman can give water to a thirsty animal and earn God's grace, and drunk can share food with the neighbor and get preference over the Namazi (someone who prays all times). Islam is a big universal religion and not defined by petty lines.  All will go to paradise, if you take care of fellow beings, animals and environment - indeed serving and preserving God's creation means serving God.


We have conflicts among us, not real ones, but the ones that do not affect our space, sustenance and nurturance. God has intentionally created us to be different, he created us from a single couple in to many tribes, communities and nations, and he expects us to be different, but he also expects us to know each other, and figure out how to preserve his creation and not mess with it. The best among us are the ones who are righteous, those who care about God's creation, each one of us.


We need to learn about our difference, that is human curiosity, however we need to do our Jihad, our struggle in fighting the temptation to denigrate the other in any fashion. Here again God loves us, and guides us how to dialogue without ever putting each other down.


The Sunnis include all of Prophet's wives as his family, where as Shias limit it to Fatima and her descendents. There are Sunnis who claim that they are descendents of the Prophet, as if to claim special privileges. Islam is about equality and humility and not privileges. No one in Islam is special unless it is for his actions and deeds. The prophet even told Fatima that there is no free ticket to her to paradise, just because she is the daughter of the prophet, so what makes any one think that he or she has privileges? Prophet wiped the privileges completely, as it is arrogant to claim such status, and God does not like it because arrogance messes with his peaceful creation.

Prophet appointed Bilal to the highest position to call Muslims to prayers to shut the arrogant ones that he was a slave; he knocked out the vanity from the wealthy and asked them all to stand in the same line no matter who it was, he liberated women from a chattel (Woman was still a Chattel even in the US until 150 years ago)  to a free individual who is free to marry, divorce, own the property and business; and he said all will do the fasting to imbue a sense of humility. And remember he made Zakat proportionate so all can contribute proportionately. Did he make the Hajj a requirement for all? Heavens no, and this is the only thing that is not mandatory, because of the affordability factor. Islam is never against making money and getting rich as long as you are fair and just to the resources that make you rich.

As a Sunni, I implore fellow Muslims to learn to respect each other's traditions and belief. There is no point in proving each other wrong. Just follow the guidance of Allah and the Prophet - be good to fellow beings. Start going to each other's place of worship and see the devotion each group has in the way they pray. I am blessed to have been in every Masjid including Kaaba, Masjid Nabwi, Masjid Aqsa and Bait-al-Muqaddas, I have prayed and iftaared regularly in Bohra, WD Muhammad, Ahmadiyya, Shia, Sunni, and just about every traditions with the exception of Ismaili Jamat Khana. Insha Allah, God may fulfill me with that wish. I have been there, but never been a part of their prayers, however and whatever it may be. Knocking prejudice out towards fellow Muslims is peaceful, try it, you may cherish it. Alhamdu Lillah, I walk my talk. 

Insha Allah, we will do more intra-faith dialogue and learn to respect each other for what we believe,  and not get hell bent on proving and denying each other's faith.  I will do my personal share of work in bringing unity for common goodness. All it takes is more of us to take the stand and hold such meetings and learn about each other for creating a better world. (Q49:13). Check this out. http://www.worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2013/03/sunni-muslims-at-shia-and-ahmadiyya.html


Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work and social settings. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a strong presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News, fortnightly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything you want to know about him. 

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  FORWARDED BY  ANSAR RAZA 

It is forwarded by Ansar Raza and we need to know the author. I implore Muslims to always quote the source or put their name to it. Never give the impression that it is your writing.

SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT SHIA BELIEFS

 Is Imamat an Article of Faith?
 
The Holy Qur`ān requires Muslims to believe in Allah, Day of Judgment, angels, Divine Books, and Messengers. It declares those who deny any of these articles of faith as extremely misled people.

“It is not righteousness that you turn your faces to the East or the West, but truly righteous is he who believes in Allāh and the Last Day and the angels and the Book and the Prophets…” (2:178)

 “And whoso disbelieves in Allāh and His angels and His Books and His Messengers and the Last Day, has surely strayed far away.” (4:137)

Nowhere in the Holy Qur`an we are required to believe in any human being other than a Prophet/Messenger. However, according to Shia beliefs, Imamat is also an article of Islamic faith. However, the Holy Qur`ān does not consider it as one of the articles of Islamic faith. Hadhrat Alī, while discussing articles of faith in Nahjul Balagha, that is a collection of his sermons, never mentions Imamat as one of them.

 Does an Imam have to be a Prophet First?

Shia interpretation of the verse (2:125) of the Holy Qur`ān is that the Prophet Ibrahīm ^as was first made Prophet, and then he was tried with certain commandments that he fulfilled. Then he was promoted to the status of Imam.  If this is how the Imams are appointed, then our Shia brothers must believe that all of their Imams were Prophets first, then tried by certain commandments and after fulfilling those commandments, they were promoted as Imams. Obviously, this belief completely negates their concept of the finality of the Prophethood of Prophet Muhammad ^sa and implies that they believe in 12 Prophets after Prophet Muhammad ^sa. Another problem they face is that, according to their belief, their Imams are borne as infallible beings. Does it not mean that their Imams first became Prophets, put to trial, succeeded and then promoted to the status of Imam, before their birth?

 Are Wives not Members of the Family?

Shia Muslims do not consider the wives of the Holy Prophet ^sa as his family members sayng that the family members mentioned in the verse (33:34) only include Lady Fatima ^ra, Imam Ali ^ra, Imam Hassan ^ra, and Imam Hussain ^ra. However, in the following verses the Holy Qur`ān mentions the wife of Prophet Ibrahīm ^as and the parents and siblings of Prophet Moses ^as as the members of their families. Angels said to the wife of Prophet Ibrahīm ^as:
“Do you marvel at Allāh’s decree? The mercy of Allāh and His blessings are upon you, O people of the house.” (11:74)
When Prophet Moses ^as, as a child, refused to be fed by any of the women of Pharaoh’s house, his sister said to them: “Shall I direct you to the people of a household who will bring him up for you and will be his sincere well-wishers?” (28:13)

How can Shia Muslims reconcile these verses with their beliefs?

 Qur`ān and Imam Separated?

According to Shia traditions, the Holy Prophet ^sa said in his last Hajj Sermon that he is leaving two heavy things among the Muslims, namely, the Qur`ān and his progeny. He said that as long as the Muslims hold fast to them, they would not be misled. Now the situation is that we have the Holy Qur`ān in our hands but the Imam has disappeared. According to another Shia belief, the real Qur`ān is with the 12<sup>th</sup> Imam. In that case, we have lost access to both the Qur`ān and the Imam. Now, who do we blame if we are misled?

Who is a progressive Muslim?

(note: this blog www.theghousediary.com is exclusively for my writings, however, from time to time, I have included my commentary with an article as my appreciation to the writer of the original article. this is in a letter format)


Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer, I thank you for writing this piece. Your writings have been an inspiration to me since I have known and met you in Dallas some 17 years ago. Several of us have attempted to define the word progressive in so many ways including my friend Mirza Beg and me, who have written similar pieces, but this is a master piece and I am pleased to share this treasure with the Muslims who carry the banner Progressive Muslims. 

A few, just a few traditional Muslim scholars hate the word progressive, they are stuck, kind of stick in the muds (Urdu: lakeer kay faqeers). Progressive means stepping out of the religion to them. Religion to them is their own private club, where they determine who qualifies to be a member and who is not, they are too eager to opine and too quick to deny the Mussalmanity (Muslimness) of others, if the others do not comply with the prescribed length of their pants or the inches of hair covering for women.

The title Progressive could also mean conservatives sticking to the Quraan, a paradoxical way of defining it. Indeed, Prophet Muhammad was also a progressive reformer who changed the world, who changed the ways people lived their lives and who helped them step out of the little fiefdoms in conflicts with each other into a large Aalameen where they all can co-exist with their own cultural uniquenesses.

Each one of us is indeed a part of the big pie, just like the other parts with all the imaginable labels from Wahabbi, Sunni, Sufi, Shia, Ismaili, Bohra, WD Muhammad, Ahmadiyya, WAhle-Hadith, Ahle-Sunnat, Deobandi, Salafi and every possible label. You will find a similar distribution amongst Jews, Christians, Hindus, Buddhist and even among religions with a fewer numbers like Sikhs, Jains, and others as well. A majority of Muslims are moderates and shy away from titles like progressive. We need to understand the word progressive and you have done a fabulous job, it is not a separator! Thank you.

When I chose to label myself as Muslim, I chose the label “Muslim” and nothing but Muslim. After 9/11, we fought hard about the prefixes like Terrorist and other uncouth and reckless words.

I had resisted all temptations to be labeled with a pre-fix. However, when I was attacked by a few among us while defending another label, I yielded to add Sunni to my label to let them know that I am not an Ahmadiyya-Muslim, but I am right in defending their right to believe and practice their tradition.

All of us are one of the 73 tribes that Prophet Muhammad had rightfully predicted based on human fitra (nature). We need to respect that and honor the Prophet, he could not be wrong. The arrogant ones among us believe that they are the righteous ones and the other 72 are not. What was said was that all the 73 have to compete in doing good, only one will be the first rank and the other 72 will pass the exam in the school at varying grades. How many times you have been surprised that in your school, the one you thought will not make it did make it with “flying colors”. Let Allah be the judge and remember we have to be free from Prejudice that is what makes us Muslims and this was one of the many driving reasons for me to be a Muslim.

As an activist, I humbly request fellow Muslims to resist the temptation to label yourselves or label other Muslims when you talk about them. Can you do that? Don’t worry what others do, do your duty and let God be the judge. We need to come together to create a better world for the entire humanity, lets us become Mukhlookhul Aalameen. Amen!

Jazak Allah Khair
Mike Ghouse
Muslims together committed to building cohesive societies.
www.Islamtogetherfoundation.com

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Who is a Progressive Muslim

By Asghar Ali Engineer AT the Asian Muslim Action Network (Aman) assembly which took place in Pattani, Thailand in February this year, a discussion took place as to the prerequisites of being a progressive Muslim. I was asked to speak on the subject, and the following is what I had to say. A progressive Muslim is one whose actions are firmly grounded in the Quranic values of truth (haq), justice (adl), compassion (rahmah), wisdom (hikmah), and he or she does service to others rather than being served by others. A progressive Muslim does not believe in sectarian Islam (Sunni, Shia or Ismaili, Deobandi or Barelvi, Ahl-i-Hadith or Salafi streak), but rises above all these sects and gives importance to the Quran above everything else. Adhering to progressive Islam one does not adopt a sectarian approach, but is respectful of entire humanity, and of human dignity as per the Quran: “We have honoured the sons of Adam; provided them with transport on land and sea; given them for sustenance things good and pure; and conferred on them special favours, above a great part of our creation” (17:70). Thus, one leaves ideological and theological differences to Allah alone and does not condemn anyone who differs with oneself as kafir, as often many sectarian-minded Muslims do. Such an approach widens the differences and intensifies conflict. A progressive Muslim uses, as per the Quran, wisdom (hikmah) and goodly words (mawizat al-hasanah) in discussions. He does not try to be judgmental. A progressive Muslim is least influenced by personal prejudices and always gives more importance to knowledge than his own opinion. The Quran condemns prejudiced opinion (zan) and promotes knowledge (ilm). Also, openness of mind is a seminal quality which helps avoid arrogance born more out of ignorance than knowledge. Those who have little knowledge are more arrogant and those who have a greater degree of knowledge know the limitations of their own knowledge and hence tend to be humble. A progressive Muslim first of all studies his/her own religion in depth and tries to understand as objectively as possible the causes of differences between different religions while showing full respect to the beliefs of others. It is those who do not know their own religion, much less that of others, who condemn the religion of others. The Quran says, “And abuse not those whom they call upon besides Allah, lest, exceeding the limits they abuse Allah through ignorance” (6:109). Further in the same verse, Allah says, “Thus to everyone people have We made their deeds fair-seeming; then to their Lord is their return so He will inform them of what they did.” Thus ultimately it is Allah who will judge. We human beings, when we judge, we judge more out of ignorance and arrogance of our own ego than based on knowledge and selflessness. The key words in this verse are that for ‘every people’ ‘We made their deeds fair-seeming’ to ‘them’. Then who are we human beings to condemn the beliefs and deeds of others? Let Allah alone be the judge of who is right and who is wrong in their beliefs. A progressive Muslim celebrates pluralism, as diversity is the creation of Allah. If Allah had desired He could have made entire humanity one community. (5:48). The Quran also says, “And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your tongues and colours. Surely there are signs in this for the learned.” Thus, a progressive Muslim will never have any prejudice against the speakers of any language or the people of any colour or creed, for they are all creations of Allah. Likewise, both men and women are the creation of Allah and both need to be treated with the same degree of dignity. Allah has created all species in couples and it is necessary for survival of all species. No species will survive unless it is created in couples. Thus the feminine of the couple is as important as the masculine, and in human beings both genders must be treated equally. Gender relations reflect social and cultural constructs while equality and fair play are Islamic values. A progressive Muslim knows this and treats both men and women with equal dignity, ensuring equal rights to both. In today’s context, gender equality becomes a crucial test for a progressive Muslim. Female servitude was purely a feudal cultural creation; Islam opposes it and pronounces the doctrine of gender equality in clear terms (2:228). A progressive Muslim knows that certain Sharia provisions establishing male superiority were in response to the cultural needs of a patriarchal society rather than based on the Quran and Sunnah. Thus, a progressive Muslim will give importance to Quranic pronouncements in gender-related matters and not condone the feudal female servitude, considering such provisions of existing Sharia laws as eternal and unalterable. A progressive Muslim, therefore, would strive to reconstruct Sharia laws today in order to accord rights to women which the Quran gives them. One believer cannot be superior to another believer. Male superiority is a human construct and human construct cannot override divine injunctions. Also, physical differences, i.e. bearing children, etc. should not result in determining who is superior or inferior. A progressive Muslim would also accord seeking knowledge priority, as knowledge has been equated with light, and ignorance with darkness (zulmat). Allah brings out believers from darkness to light. The Prophet (PBUH) has said that a moment’s reflection is more important than a whole night’s worship (ibadat). Thus knowledge has priority even over worship. These are some of the characteristics of being a progressive Muslim. Those who imbibe these characteristics will survive the challenges of time and not face difficulty in keeping pace with changing reality. Source: The Dawn

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Day 19 of Ramadan 2011

Day 19 of Ramadan 2011 at Lovers Lane United Methodist Church

http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/08/day-19-of-ramadan-2011.html

Friday, August 19, 2011 | Ramadan 19, 1432

Terminology: At the bottom of this write up.

Church: Lovers Lane United Methodist Church, Dallas
Sahri (Pre-dawn meal at home): Cereal with Yogurt
Iftaar (refreshments): Straight Dinner
Iftaar (Dinner): Salad, Rice, Non-spicy stew like lamb, Dolma (Grape leaf rolls stuffed with minced meat and rice) and Baklava for dessert.
Culture: Interfaith Dinner- Christians and mainly Turkish Muslims, perhaps I was the only Subcontinentan there.

PURPOSE: To share and appreciate the diversity within Islam.

THE PLAN: Visit a mosque a day and be with every denomination including: Ahmadiyya, Bohra, Ismaili, Shia, Sufi, Sunni, Warith Deen Muhammad, Wahabbi and others. You are welcome to join me or experience it yourselves, we have to learn to respect the differences and appreciate the uniqueness of each tradition. God says the best among you is the one who knows each other for peaceful co-existence.

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If you think of sharing your own Ramadan experience, time is to start now.

The Dallas Islamic Center, an organization supported by Fateh Gulen, a Turkish Muslim reformer is doing a great job in the Islamic theme of “knowing each other” to create a better world. http://www.dallasislamiccenter.org/

A few pictures at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157627477918142/show/



Hamidullah, Imam Yesil
and Mike Ghouse

Over the years they have done a fabulous job of reaching out to neighbors, conducting interfaith dialogue, dinners and classes on Quraan. I am yet to visit their center in Richardson and now I have the incentive to really be a tiny part of the good work they do. I discovered today that Imam Nihat Yesil and I have met some 4 or 5 years ago, fortunately both of us remembered my effort to connect him with Dr Kavakci, another Turkish Imam whom I brag about.

Now this is a different experience altogether for Muslims.

About 250 people attended the dinner event, mostly the guests were the congregation of the United Methodist Church and some 50 Turkish Muslims and few others including me, perhaps the only one from the subcontinent ethnicity.

Yasin moderated the event, he was amazing when he walked up on the stage and shared the three things Pastor Dr. Copeland had talked about in their meeting originally at the Dallas Islamic Center. (OMG, I had that last night, and I have lost it this morning). I will add back if it comes to the mind.

Hamidullah, a PhD student from Afghanistan opened the evening with Azaan. I wish I had recorded it, it was simply beautiful. It is an art in how you call the prayers in a melodious voice and I loved ever moment of it.

Ok here is a major difference in pronunciation. Much of the world calls the prayer call “Azaan” including Turkey, Iran, the Central Asian Muslims, the Subcontinentian Muslim and elsewhere in Philippines and Indonesia. Whereas the Arabic speaking people call it “Adaan”. The pronunciation of the word “Ramadan” in Arabic is “Ramzaan” in most of the world. All the speakers were toggling from one pronunciation to the other as most Americans respond to the word Ramadan rather than Ramzaan.

Pastor Copeland gave a beautiful sermon relating to the hospitality of Abraham, the fountain head for the three religions. It was that hospitality we are carrying forward, to share a meal with others. He mentioned that most of the congregants may have Google Ramadan before entering the hall and he shared the basics with the friends.

The traditional breaking of the fast followed by Prayers and dinner was modified to suit the audience, or perhaps that is the Turkish tradition. If you know about it please share and I will make an effort to learn about it. I was thrilled to find myself not knowing the tradition, and it made sense for me to know about the others. Indeed, I am driven by working and developing cohesive societies, and the emphasis in Quraan to know each other to create a better world excites me.

Imam Nihat Yesil, like Imam Dr. Kavakci, breaks the stereotyping of Muslims about their appearance. He did not have a beard nor wore a Muslim garb (Juan William, there is no such thing) or the cap. He wore a suit. Muslims are not a monolithic lot, each one is different with different traditions and practices, each costume is beautiful to the person who wears it and we cannot but appreciate the uniqueness. The year 2010 witnessed a dramatic change in Muslim presence in the media. Till them, a typical Muslim who spoke on national TV wore a beard and a cap as it had become a trade mark. 201o changed it all, Bill OReilly brought in Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, Harris Zafar and Sean Hannity pulled me in and you saw Raza Aslan on CNN and ABC, NBC pulled in Irshad Manji, Asra Nomani and whole new breed of Muslims were added to the Muslim spectrum which truly represented the diversity in Islam. We need more of our young men and women to pursue a career in Journalism and add the accentless category to the spectrum.

Imam Nihat Yesil shared Rumi’s story about humility, how he met a pastor in the market place and bowed to him for his knowledge and did not want to lose the humility. I am losing my mind ascribing the following story to either moderator Yasin or Imam Yesil. It’s about the responsibility to reach out to the neighbors. The neighbors were defined by 4o homes around you and one must reach out to them. The other versions are 7 neighbors around you, and then the circle expands to the town, region, and the whole wide world. He was sharing the origins of Adan to call for prayers to reach the neighborhood and the whole town… and added with a chuckle that if KERA radio relays the Adan, the entire listenership would become our neighbors.

I was thrilled when they showed the translation of the Adan on the big screen, something I had always wanted to do and have debated extensively on the content and the meaning of it. The non-Muslims who object to this, really would appreciate if they really know the meaning of it.

Enjoy this beautiful Adan, there are plenty on YouTube, I picked this one as it shows beautiful mosques around the world, it is a delight to watch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUHDYlJHaOQ&feature=related

Here it is:

4x	الله أكبر	Allahu Akbar = God is Greatest
2x	أشهد أن لا اله إلا الله	Ash-hadu al-la ilaha illa llah = I bear witness that there is no God except the One God3	.
2x	أشهد أن محمدا رسول الله	Ash-hadu anna Muħammadan rasulullah = I bear witness that Muhammad is God's Messenger
2x	حي على الصلاة	Ħayya 'ala-salah = Come to salat (prayer, worship)
2x	حي على الفلاح	Ħayya 'ala 'l-falaħ = Come to success
2x	الله أكبر	Allāhu akbar = God is Greatest
1x	لا إله إلا الله	La ilaha illallah = There is no god except Allah.

One of the many purposes for me to visit different Mosques and do my Iftaar is to open up myself and share the experience. We have to learn to accept the diversity, no one worships in a weird way, that language needs to be respectfully replaced with … each one of us has our own unique way and each should be respected. To paraphrase what Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) would have advised “Respect your brother or sister as you respect yourselves”. That is the key to successful communities.

I pray that in this holy month of Ramadan we Muslim shed our biases and believe that God alone can judge what is in one’s heart; and let’s not burden ourselves with misunderstandings and myths about others. Let everyone live their life as they wish and let’s make an effort to live a regret free life in the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad.

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, writer and a thinker nurturing the pluralistic values of Islam. More at: http://www.mikeghouse.net/MuslimSpeaker.MikeGhouse.asp
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MESSAGE: http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/07/ramadan-message.html
POLITICS OF RAMADAN: http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2011/08/politics-of-ramadan-on-moon-sighting.html

Coming up – Rituals of Ramadan and Spirit of Ramadan
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TERMS:

Sahri - Pre-Dawn meal before early Morning Prayer (fajr).
Iftaar - Sunset Meal as a conclusion of the fast.

Sawm - fasting from sunrise to sunset - No food, no water, no nothing and no intake of any food or water. More critically it is a practice to abstain from ill-will, malice, anger, temptations and human desires. Don't hear, see, speak or act less than goodness.

Rituals - There are several variations in rituals and they vary from place to place. In Bangalore where I am from, the whole family gets up early around 4:00 AM and together cook extensive meals for Sahri /Suhoor, while others choose to cook earlier night and just warm it up and eat in the morning. The Iftaar is done elaborately at mosques, homes or other gatherings where friends from different faiths are invited to break bread and nurture goodwill.

Prayers - The ritual Muslim prayers involve several postures... I will update the details before the end of Ramadan.

Day 18 of Ramadan 2011

Day 18 of Ramadan 2011 at Dallas Islamic Center, Richardson
http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/08/day-18-of-ramadan-2011.html

Thursday, August 18, 2011 | Ramadan 18, 1432

Mosque: Richardson Mosque, the first Mosque in Dallas, Texas
Sahri (Pre-dawn meal at home): Oatmeal and Fruits
Iftaar (refreshments): Dates, Fruits, punch and water
Iftaar (Dinner): Salad, Rice, Broiled Fish and Halwa (Sweetened Lentil Paste)
Culture: Interfaith Dinner- Christians, Sikhs, Jews, Hindus and others

THE PLAN: Iftaar at a mosque from every denomination including: Ahmadiyya, Bohra, Ismaili, Shia, Sufi, Sunni, Warith Deen Muhammad, Wahabbi and others. You are welcome to join me or experience it yourselves, we have to learn to respect the differences and appreciate the uniqueness of each tradition. God says the best among you is the one who knows each other for peaceful co-existence.

PURPOSE: To share and appreciate the diversity within Islam.

11 PICTURES AT: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157627474310570/show/

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Alhamdu Lillah, all praises to the creator for blessing the world with diversity. I am pleased to highlight the uniqueness of each tradition on a daily basis and I hope we can cherish it. If you think of sharing your Ramadan experience, time is to start now.

The Richardson Mosque has been in the forefront of dealing with a majority of issues since bombing of the Federal building in Oklahoma. This mosque has been a community center for the people of Dallas/Fort Worth fro nearly thirty years. The community has grown in size and we have nearly 30 Mosques and Mussallas (Temp) in the area.

Dr. Imam Yusuf Zia Kavakci has been a pillar of this mosque for over 20 years; the mosque opened its door in the early 80’s. We are blessed to have his wisdom; he is recognized as one of the 500 Muslim scholars around the world.
He and I have had several beautiful interfaith moments over the years and I hope to put them all in the upcoming book. He is also one of the first Imams that we have encountered who wore three piece suits, no beard and no head gear. But over the last several years, he has started wearing the cloak, beard and the cap. He has gone through quite a lot of media scrutiny after 9/11 and particularly in 2003. We had organized a group of 30 people into a group called MRRT, Muslim Rapid Response team to deal with the media and we had over 50 letters published that year in the Dallas Morning News. It was a rough time.

After 9/11, with the leadership of Muhammad Suleman, this Mosque had initiated the Open Houses on Sundays. I was able to contribute in the open house by reminding the organization to coach the volunteers not to jump and start talking the differences when people visited. I remember a few of them welcoming the Christians with a note that “We don’t believe that Jesus was a son of a God but a Prophet”. All of that has improved over a period of time and interfaith understanding has matured since then.

It was also the first time in a US Mosque history that Hindu prayers were chanted along with others and thank God, except one or two Muslims most were gracious. The fingers of course were pointing at me. I have been in just about every place of worship including the Native Americans, but frequently in the Hindu Temples and a few had repeatedly said to me that Muslims don’t invite them to the Mosques and few even wrote in one of my groups; Dallas Indians, that they will not be allowed in a Mosque, that is a myth and perhaps is true in a few places in Asia, but it is not common. So I extended the invitation to ten with a personal note to a few, unfortunately they all had commitments. Next time, I had make the time to call.

I believe until we listen to God’s wisdom – where he says his creation is intentionally diverse, and the best among us are the ones who take time to know each other – so that we can mitigate conflicts and nurture goodwill and learn to respect the otherness of other for creating peaceful societies.

Brother Muhammad Suleman pulled off a great gathering this evening and it was such a delight to see so many people out there from different faiths. Glad to see a few Hindu friends in particular, we need to pull all of us into the same tent.

Food service by the volunteers was exemplary, they carried huge trays with several plates on it and delivered the food to nearly 300 people in no time. The Boys and the girls, the men and women had a genuine smile on their faces. It was nice, very nice for Dr. Hind Jarrah and Dr. Nia McKay to get down and serve. As an individual and as a member of the community, I want to appreciate the volunteerism of every one whether some one mentions their name or not. Jazak Allah Khair.

One of the nicest things the Islamic Center did was to honor Peter Stewart who is a pioneer in the intercultural movement. His dream to have a cultural center where all people can come together and pray or share a meal came true 50 years ago in the form of Thanksgiving Square. It was good to see Imam Yahya, who was a leader during the 70's is back in Dallas. Indeed, he led the Friday prayers at Thanksgiving Square some 25 or 30 years ago. Thanksgiving Square is One of our landmarks. I am so happy to see this moment.

Dr. Imam Yusuf Zia Kavakci did something extraordinary… after breaking the fast, he stayed with the group for dinner and many stayed including me instead of going to the Maghrib (evening) prayers with the intention of praying later. I was giving company to Chris Slater, the Executive Director of Thanksgiving Square, loved his spirit of interfaith. Dr. Kavakci understood the priority of the moment and this is a good step forward.

When we break the fast, it is usually with fruit, in particular a date, if you are driving and got stuck in the traffic, you can sip the water (I keep water in my car all the times).

Like most things of life, we have to verbalize our intentions. God knows it, but verbalizing defines our intentions. It is a common practice in all faiths, God wants you to ask him. and how to frame the asking was a full sermon on the American Family Radio, they were promoting a book on the topic. Those who are skeptics can ask a psychologist, he or she would perhaps say that verbalizing clears the dust and brings clarity to oneself; a big relief indeed.

So when we break the fast we always say the grace, a short prayer. The Shia and Sunni versions (Ahmadiyya is same as Sunni) are very similar with a variation in few words. There is a slight variation within the Shia denominations, the Dawoodi Bohra verses are little different as well. This is a mere statement of Intention in Arabic. I used to do that in Urdu language and now I say that in English.

(APOLOGIES - I gave up adding the Arabic version of the short prayers, here it was just not coming through)

Allahumma! Laka sumtu wa 'ala rizqiqa aftartu wa a'yalyka wa alayka tawakkaltu. O my Allah, I fasted for You and I believe in You and I break my fast with Your sustenance

Allahumma! Laka sumtu wa 'ala rizqiqa aftartu.
"O Allah! For you I have fasted, and with what You give me I break my fast."

Allahumma! Laka sumna wa 'ala rizqiqa aftarna, fa-taqabbal minna. Innaka antal-sami al-'alim. "O Allah! For you we have fasted, and with what You give us, we break my fast, so accept it from us. Indeed, You are the one who hears, who knows."

One of the many purposes for me to visit different Mosques and do my Iftaar is to open up myself and share the experience. We have to learn to accept the diversity, no one worships in a weird way, that language needs to be respectfully replaced with … each one of us has our own unique way and each should be respected. To paraphrase what Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) would have advised “Respect your brother or sister as you respect yourselves”. That is the key to successful communities.

I pray that in this holy month of Ramadan we Muslim shed our biases and believe that God alone can judge what is in one’s heart; and let’s not burden ourselves with misunderstandings and myths about others. Let everyone live their life as they wish and let’s make an effort to live a regret free life in the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad.
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, writer and a thinker nurturing the pluralistic values of Islam. More at: http://www.mikeghouse.net/MuslimSpeaker.MikeGhouse.asp
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MESSAGE: http://ramadanexclusive.blogspot.com/2011/07/ramadan-message.html

POLITICS OF RAMADAN: http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2011/08/politics-of-ramadan-on-moon-sighting.html

Coming up – Rituals of Ramadan and Spirit of Ramadan
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TERMS:

Sahri - Pre-Dawn meal before early Morning Prayer (fajr).
Iftaar - Sunset Meal as a conclusion of the fast.

Sawm - fasting from sunrise to sunset - No food, no water, no nothing and no intake of any food or water. More critically it is a practice to abstain from ill-will, malice, anger, temptations and human desires. Don't hear, see, speak or act less than goodness.

Rituals - There are several variations in rituals and they vary from place to place. In Bangalore where I am from, the whole family gets up early around 4:00 AM and together cook extensive meals for Sahri /Suhoor, while others choose to cook earlier night and just warm it up and eat in the morning. The Iftaar is done elaborately at mosques, homes or other gatherings where friends from different faiths are invited to break bread and nurture goodwill.

Prayers - The ritual Muslim prayers involve several postures... I will update the details before the end of Ramadan.