Spirital Learning Center

Islam, Page 3

Praying, in Islam, is a very private matter... One can pretty much spend
his/her whole time praying at home/on the road/plane�?you name it
without stepping into a mosque once. Men (and I guess, in modern age,
it should involve women, too) are required to gather at the mosque
every Friday (the holy day of Muslims), but even that has more to do
with gathering the believers to discuss social issues, and etc. than
praying. I believe that people are required to gather together on that
time, to use the grounds-- in a way-- like a municipality assembly hall of
sorts (this makes sense if you think about the older days, where such
civic spaces generally lacked).

One does not need an imam (leader) to perform the rituals. Anyone at a
mosque (ok, this one might seem a little unfair to women, but that's how
it is) that is, an ordinary man, can lead the prayer-- a cleric's presence is
not necessary, since that person at that moment becomes the leader for
that session.' (I guess somewhat like Quakers?) This gives a lot of
empowerment to individuals in Islam.

As I said, one can pray anywhere and everywhere suitably (meaning,
not in a restroom, probably, but on the side of a highway-- if it suits you
!! :) ) Muslims have to face Mecca when they pray. Therefore, their
direction will change depending on what part of the world they are.
Islam does not contribute any type of special meaning to any of the
directions, except facing Mecca while praying.

Why Mecca?
Because it contains Ka'ba (Qabah) a roughly rectangularity shaped--
empty-- structure, which is believed to be rebuilt by Abraham and his
sons, based on the original construction site that was built by Adam,
when he was first sent to the world.

The Muslims did not always pray facing in this direction. During the
early years of Islam, while Muhammad was still alive--and younger--
they were instructed to face Masjid al-Aqsa (the Dome of Rock) in
Jerusalem. Later, they were instructed to change it to Ka'ba. It is said
that people are given a place to turn to while praying (and not just
facing any direction) in order to 'aid' them. (I guess, this might help an
individual to concentrate better. And imagine everyone around the
world (all Muslims who pray, that is) facing the same place during a
specific prescribed time-- wouldn't that generate one very powerful flow
of energy? I guess it might be helpful in that way to humans�?/P>

Religious service:
Again, as I said, religious rituals are not required to be performed as a
group, though individuals all praying at the same time can form an ad
hoc 'service' of sorts.. It involves some (athletic) gestures of bending and
prostrating one's body before God (in the direction of Mecca). They are
rather short-- can be completed in 5-10 minutes max. And, maybe twice
that time, if you are above 60 and not normally move around much�?/P>

Incense--
No, it is not a required part of prayers. Although one is expected to
cleanse himself/herself (taking a certain ablution that requires washing
the arms and the feet, the face and welling 1/4 of the head-- front part)
before starting to pray. If the person lives in a desert, of course, s/he is
not expected to take his/her ablutions with water every time. A clean
handful of earth can do the job too.. Or, if you are sick/old whatever...
there are some things that make life easier than probably otherwise..

Chanting aloud--
Nope-- praying is a quiet activity for Muslims. But, if Koran is recited in
a group or in person, it is chanted in a special way. One needs to hear it,
because it doesn't sound like any of the other chants that I've come
across-- which is normal, given that all chants have their own unique
feeling to them. Koran has a certain rhythm-- one can hear it while it is
chanted, even if you don't understand the words. That's why you
sometimes come across tiny kids (5-6) who can recite all of it from
memory-- it is relatively easy to memorize. It is not like poetry-- not
obviously rhyming, but its measure has a balance and harmony of its
own. I have seen people-- Muslims or not-- getting very affected while
Koran is chanted. But then, that's what chants in all religions are for, I
guess!! :)

Koran does not refer to Buddha, really�?I guess that might be because
Koran's depiction of life-- and its meaning-- is different from Buddhism.
Now, I'm woefully ignorant, but I guess-- at least in traditional
Buddhism-- people are considered to be in this world to endure pain?
Forgive me if it's not so. Anyway, as I said earlier, Koran urges humans
to be as much invested in today and now, as well as tomorrow. The
motto is "work (to accumulate material wealth) as if you will never die,
and pray as if you are going to die tomorrow." Human beings are
expected to nourish themselves both materially and spiritually-- as that
leads them to balance, it is said..

Does Koran mention witchcraft?
Yes, it does.. It condemns everyone who uses witchcraft to inflict *evil*
to another person, or to affect his/her judgment. One is expected to
work hard and pray hard to get one wants. The latter one, in my
opinion, is a spell of sorts, though...

Pagans are condemned in Koran, because of 1) their belief in other gods
or beings that they equate with God, 2) their over-devotion to the
creations on earth, which prevents them from admiring what brought
them into existence in the first place. Say, if you worship Sun, from the
perspective of Koran, you are misled, because Sun itself did not exist on
its own, but was created by some other power in the first place.. Just
like the elimination of any individuals between the believer and God as
the intermediaries, these factors are also eliminated, too.

My personal grievance with my holy group-- you mean my pet peeves
concerning my fellow brethren? I can count gazillions of them!! Take
the lunatics who attacked the WTC-- thanks to *them* Islam is
regarded with even more skepticism than before... If those guys are not
going into hell -- and I don't care whether they are Muslims or not-- I
don't know who will... They pissed me off so bad!!!!! Pretentiousness--
imagining that heaven is the exclusive property of Muslims and no one
else’s-- they know that they cannot judge anyone except for God (even
though it does write that hellfire awaits the 'non-believers'). Who's
going to decide on that? Certainly not Muslims... Narrow mindedness--
we are now in the 21st century, and look at the Muslim world: the
majority of it still treats women as if they are some sort of bugs-- of
lesser beings. Well, I refuse to receive that kind of treatment, and
nobody's going to be able to convince me that it is what Koran
prescribes... No way!! We are humans, and our worth depends on our
morality and achievements-- not on our sexes..

I could go on-- as always-- forever. But let me send this portion first...

From: Serene Sent: 11/18/2001 9:33 PM
Thank you for showing interest in this thread on Islam, Czech... I am
happy that my perception of Islam is more palatable to you than what
you've seen/heard so far...

Now.. To Intense's questions:
Conversion and Missionary work in Islam:
Unlike, say, Judaism, Islam is a world religion, meaning that anyone
who *chooses* to do so can become Muslim. There are not introductory
rituals or stuff: if one repeats that I believe that there is no god other
than God, and Muhammad-- his prophet and messenger, one can
declare himself/herself as Muslim. No other person can contradict that
individual for not being so...

Islam allows its followers to explain it to other people, if they ask them
questions, or are curious to know. But, they can never, ever force
anyone to convert forcefully. If they do so, they are violating probably
one of the most crucial laws of Islam, that emphasizes ("your religion is
yours and mine religion is mine"). Meaning, everyone has to respect
each other's beliefs, even if they personally don't believe or follow
them...

Missionary work is not a crucial part of Islam. Although it is hoped that
everyone will become 'Muslims' one day, believers are not expected to
knock on doors to proselytize it, and so forth.. The idea is, if it is asked,
believers would explain, but otherwise, they would not *actively* try to
convert a person from one faith to another. That is a thing that that
person has to arrive himself/herself. In Koran, it is said that, if God
wanted, it would have created all beings as Muslims-- of a single
religion, but that denies the free agency of humans.

Btw, the free will of humans also make them higher in hierarchy than
angels-- angels are 'good' and believe and praise God, simply because
they can't act any other way. But humans should decide whether they
'want' to be 'good' and 'moral' or 'evil' or whatever... They have to
weigh the pros and cons in their heads-- a tough process on its own.
Hence, a really good/moral human being is considered as even better
than angels!

Afterlife-- who gets to burn in the cauldron??

Aaahh... that's the 'jackpot' question, eh?! lol

Technically speaking, all who believe in God can expect to enter heaven
one day, it is said. And no, if you are living in the jungles of Borneo and
haven't even seen a car in your life, obviously, you are not expected to
go to hell -- how can you, if you weren't aware of what's going on that
was beyond your perception? It is believed that these people will be
judged within their own conception of religion, universe and God.

Or take poor little babies or children who die so very early in life-- do
they go to 'hell' because they were not 'Muslims'? Nope-- they are
regarded as innocents, and they are not expected to understand or obey
the rules-- they probably just become angels in the sky.. Ditto for the
mentally disabled individuals, or those whose psyche crumbles apart
under the pressures of this world...

Those who live in the modern world-- what will happen to them? My
best friend here, for instance, who is a Christian-- will she go to hell? Or
a Buddhist?

God does say that he will punish 'unbelievers' but I have a feeling that
this description of 'unbeliever' goes pretty beyond any petty perceptions
of 'my religion beats your religion' attitude.. As I said earlier, Muslims
or not, I can't imagine those monsters who did the recent attacks going
to the heaven.. On the other hand, what about, I don't know, Louis
Pasteur, whose vaccination and tons of other discoveries/inventions
saved millions of human lives? Is he condemned to 'hell' just because he
is "Christian"? Please!... The Book that I believe in, I think, is far more
subtle than making such ham-fisted judgments. And, I believe that is
also why it seems better to leave such judgments to God, rather than
ourselves, or other beings... I personally believe that God's mercy and
forgiveness is infinite, and that's one of the reasons why that being is
God... When I read my Book, I am not terrified, or just senselessly run
into ecstasy-- but rather I tend to be awed by what it reveals me-- each
and every time, something different.. As I grow, I feel that it reveals me
a different facade of itself...

Pork-- sanitation-- prohibition:

What you say, Intense, about pork and the poor sanitation conditions of
the time makes much sense. I agree with you that probably eating pork
today is far less dangerous than back in those old days...

I myself don't eat pork-- as most Muslims (even those who'd drink,
ironically, would avoid pork for some reason) do. For me, it need not
have any 'rational' reason-- because religion need not be 'rational' at all
times for me. It is how I feel... I've continued practicing Islam not
because I was born in a Muslim family. But because Islam, to me, means
a lot more than the set of practices that I am expected to follow.. It also
means my spiritual ties with my family...

Years ago, when my maternal grandmother was still alive, and (when
Serene was still a little child! :) ) I used to go near her as she prayed,
and while she read the Koran.. I remember myself imitating her
postures-- putting my forehead on the floor as she did, to rise and bend
and sit as she did. At the end, "praying" with the insides of the palms of
my hands raised and turned toward my chest (I must have looked
hilarious with my dead serious attitude all the while!! lol) .. To a little
girl-- me-- at the time, these gestures did not only mean trying to reach a
higher Being that I was still somewhat unclear about. It also meant
becoming one with my dear old grandmother, whom I loved so very
much.. It gave peace to my heart, and took my childhood fears (and you
know that children's fears can be far more terrible than those of adults)
away from me for a while. That feeling of peace always remained with
me, and I guess that is why I never wanted to leave my religion for some
other one. Sure, other beliefs might have provided me as much spiritual
ecstasy as Islam-- considering their complexity and so forth-- but I guess
they would not have been able to fill the space that is such a private part
of me that has remained ever since.. Islam, to me, is like your favorite
faded, old pair of jeans that feel so comfortable that you can't give up,
no matter what...

Same thing with circumcision-- yes, Muslim boys are required to
undergo it when they are still young (although not necessarily at the
same time that is prescribed in the Jewish faith). I'm sure it has certain
good health reasons behind it. But I guess I would have been inclined
my children-- if I ever had one-- to go through it, regardless of being
scientific or not, because it's one of those symbols that makes you feel a
part of the 'community' (just like the initiation ceremonies among
natives in different parts of the world).

Yeah, I do get sentimental when it gets to spirituality.. I guess I'll never
be 'rational' in the way it is usually described. Oh well.. who cares-- I'm
still having *fun* !!

Blessings,
Seren

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