ANOTHER WAY TO SAVE THE LIGHT
First Unitarian Church of Alton
October 26, 2003
The Rev Carol M Wolff
It has only been the fairly recent past that we have become accustomed to hearing the major faiths of this country as including Islam along with the usual Christianity and Judaism. The statistics are growing – the number of those practicing the third major faith is reaching proportions that may be surprising to some. There are well over 10 million Muslims in North America and the number is increasing.
We may not be as familiar with their practices and customs as we are with those of Christianity and Judaism because they have been veiled, no pun intended, in mystery and misunderstanding. Basically, the Muslim faith is about seeking peace and following traditions. There is not much to argue with even as a Unitarian Universalist, which we will soon see.
I chose this time of year to present this sermon because it is the holy time of Ramadan, a month of fasting in the ninth or tenth month of the Muslim year commemorating the revelation of the Quran, the Muslim Holy Book to Muhammad, the prophet of Islam.
As an act of atonement, similar to that of the Jewish New Year, Muslims are required to fast and abstain from sexual activity during the daylight hours of Ramadan. Determined according the lunar calendar, Ramadan can fall in any season of the year. It is ordained to occur following a certain crescent moon cycle. The Ramadan fast is considered one of the five Pillars of Islam and the end of the fast is celebrated as one of the most important religious holidays of Islam.
Straightforwardness, simplicity, compassion are all part of the fundamental tenants of Islam, which they call the five pillars. I'll list them with explanatory comments by an American Muslim convert, Robert Frager, and take a more in depth look at them later:
The pillars are:
Bearing witness to the presence of the Ultimate (Frager: In a room lit by several lamps there is only one, indivisible light. How similar to Unitarianism: One source, not multiple sources).
Daily Prayer, which begin by putting ones hands up to one's ears, palms forward. (Frager: In raising our hands, we try to put the world and all our worldly concerns behind us. If we open our hearts, we can feel ourselves in the presence of God, with nothing between us and God. [How like our Unitarian faith, relying on personal experience as the test for truth!])
Fasting, which is undertaken from dawn until sunset each day during a month long period each year, called Ramadan; which begins today. (Frager: This is a demanding practice, designed to help us to become more aware of the conflicting forces of our lower and higher natures. And to know what the poor suffer.)
Charity to those in need. (Frager: At the end of Ramadan, every Muslim household gives one fortieth of its accumulated wealth to the poor. We are only the custodians of whatever has come to us.)
Pilgrimage to the shrine of the Ka'bah in Mecca. (Frager: The pilgrimage is a metaphor for the journey of life. The pilgrimage and the journey both lead to God's house.)
These pillars form the foundation for a vast, culture-adaptive, world-wide religious movement.
The word Islam has two root meanings: To surrender your will to God and to acquire inner peace. For Muslims, which is the proper English name for the followers of Islam for Muslims, the two are intertwined---for authentic, sincere, and open-hearted surrender invariably leads to profound peace in the very depths of one's being, freeing one, then, for intelligent, ethical and liberated action. For those of you with more rational and practical temperaments this kind of language may be hard to follow---though the ethics that springs from it are quite rational; for those with a more intuitive and feeling orientation, you may find an affinity between the opening of the heart in love and the act of surrender; but for all of us as Unitarian Universalists, the religion of Islam raises many questions, questions that are stimulated by our identity as individualists and free thinkers. How can one be a free thinker, after all, if giving up one's will is a prerequisite for membership?!
What gift has Islam brought to us in America and for us as UUs? What price must we pay for its gifts?
We claim, as UUs, to take succor and wisdom from all the world's religions, how have we gained as a religious movement from the presence of Muslims among us?
What ground do we mutually share?
What answers can I have to give to these questions?
The first, "What gift has Islam brought to us in America . . . and for us as UUs?" and the third of these, ". . . how have we gained as a religious movement from the presence of Muslims among us?" have a single simple answer. The gift of global and American Islam is the very presence of its people; the presence of people of integrity, whose faith and ethics has a laudatory discipline of practice in daily life. What more powerful gift can anyone make than that of their simple presence? And when that presence is enhanced by lives lived with integrity, with disciplined contribution, with humility before the vast enterprise of the universe---then the power of that presence is amplified, both in our individual hearts as we encounter such persons face-to-face, and within the society at large where their lives are grounded in the love of community.
And why wouldn't we, a nation and a religious movement founded in their most fundamental ideals (no matter how roughly they have been treated) on pluralism and faith in the human spirit, why wouldn't we want to welcome the entry of a people whose faith has captured the hearts, largely of peoples other than European ancestry? Why wouldn't UUism, a largely white, Euro-American, intellectually heavy religious movement, welcome people of a religion that launched modern mathematics---yet whose faith calls them to simplicity, charity, and reflection--which are the central requirements of the holiday of Ramadan.
These are gifts we must welcome---if we want our religious movement, UUism, to grow in number and develop in creative energy. It is not that we must seek Muslim converts, but that we suffuse our own faith stance with integrity when we are accepting and affirming of others---and when we stand firmly against the kind of ethnic and racial profiling that our government is now promoting with such ferocity in the name of fighting terrorism.
Another question posed is, "What price must we pay for its gifts?" And again, the answer is a simple one: Humility and openness. To receive the gifts that any other faith have to offer ours, and to offer each of us as individuals, humility and openness are required---that means we must pay with whatever arrogance we carry in believing that our way is THE right way for everyone (who among us doesn't wrestle with this?). Practicing positive interfaith relationship between UUism and Islam, and the entry into our ranks of people whose own ethics and faith are powerfully informed by Islam, is a spiritual practice we must practice, and to the degree that we are able to do so, to that degree are our own ethics strengthened and broadened."
Lastly, I asked, "What ground do we mutually share?" Well, of course, there is a lot of ground that we do not share. There are many issues, such as the place and role of women, the belief that Mohammed asserted that Islam was the last authentic prophetic vision, the belief that our greatest reward for life here on this planet is in the afterlife---but my purpose today has been to lift up what is connective. So here's a list to end the sermon. The ground we mutually share is:
A love of truth and truth seeking. The belief that human beings are capable of good. The conviction that we can, and are obligated, to exercise our wills to choose how we will behave. A deep sense of generous charity and the moral obligation to help those who are in need. And lastly, for our time today, in the words of the prophet "making friends with people is half the wisdom, and asking good questions is half the knowledge." May we find solidarity in truth, love and the determination to do good with our sisters and brothers of the Muslim world. May our faith give us faith to reach across the borders of our differences. And may we, gathered here today, live from the flame of authentic charity and courage.
The word Islam is from the roots of words which mean both "peace", and "submission or surrender to God." Even in it’s name Islam contains a paradox – how one can surrender one’s own will, and experience peace.
The second major feast or holy day in Islam comes at the end of Ramadan, the month-long celebration of the revelation of the Qur’an to Mohammed. It is the Eid al-Fitr (EED al-FITR), the Feast of the Fast-Breaking. Muslims around the world will celebrate the end of a month of fasting during daylight hours. In this country alone, six million Muslims arise very early to go to the special prayers which precede the feast. After praying, they will go to the homes of friends and relatives to celebrate. Everyone dresses in their best clothes and special foods are prepared, especially sweets. Children will receive many gifts, sometimes earning them by reciting verses from the Koran or answering questions about Islam and Ramadan. It sounds much like Christmas, doesn’t it?
When I was in Divinity School, we were required to take courses in comparative religions. We were told, "If the only religion you know is your own, you don’t really know it." In other words, we need to look at our own religion in comparison with others. What do others have or require that ours does not?
As I studied about Islam and Ramadan this week, I was struck by the very great contrast between Unitarian Universalism and Islam. Islam is a highly pre-scribed religion, while Unitarian Universalism has very few, if any, requirements. The five pillars of Islam, -- the confession of faith, prayer five times a day, fasting, charity and pilgrimage to Mecca -- are not optional. They are, in the words of Diana Eck, "foundational to many religious traditions, but in Islam they are lifted up as obligatory, for they are literally the pillars of a strong house of faith."(A New Religious America, p 269.) Let us look at a few of these individually again with a wider interpretation and reference to our way of faith.
First, the confession of faith. If we Unitarian Universalists have anything even approaching that, it is an affirmation of our Principles and Purposes. To convert to Islam, one simply makes shadahah (shah-HAH-dah). That is, one simply affirms "There is no God but God, and Muhammad is God’s messenger."
Many UU’s are not sure about God, and if we believe in God, we tend to believe there are many messengers or prophets. In Islam, prayer is prescribed or commanded five times a day. And these are not prayers made up by the adherents. These prayers are spelled out, certain words are to be said. They also have prescribed movements. Each unit of prayer or salat (sah-LAT) requires certain movements to accompany specific words. First one recites the first Chapter of the Qur’an, which one has memorized. Secondly, one bows, saying Allahu Akbar, which means "Allah is most Great." Then, still bowing, one says three times, "Glory to my Lord, the Great". Third, one stands up, saying, "Allah hears those who praise him. Our Lord praise to you." Fourth, one kneels with feet, hands, and forehead touching the ground, and says, "Allahu Akbar, and again, three times: "Glory to my Lord, the Highest." Fifth, and last, the adherent sits with knees bent and palms placed on them. He rests for a moment, says Allahu Akbar, and begins the cycle over again." After the required number of rakah (rah-KAH) or units of prayer, the adherent may add personal prayers, asking Allah for guidance. The adherent does this five times a day, facing Mecca – before dawn, at midday, midafternoon, just after sunset, and at night.
Fasting during Ramadan is the third pillar of Islam. Fasting occurs in many traditions. In some, all food and drink is given up, and in others only a few foods are prohibited. If you grew up Roman Catholic, you may remember meatless Fridays or giving up sweets for Lent. Fasting is still required of Catholics on Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, and Good Friday, the day of Jesus’ crucifixion. If you are Jewish you may fast for Yom Kippur. If you are Unitarian Universalist, there are no restrictions about food – except for those who have become vegetarian for ethical or spiritual reasons. But if you are Muslim, from the time you are quite young, until you are quite old, unless you are pregnant, you will refrain from eating or drinking during daylight hours for a whole month.
Why fast? In Roman Catholicism, giving up something for lent is sort of an individual penance or a discipline. In contrast, Thomas W. Lippman describes the reason for fasting in Islam:
Islam is not an ascetic religion. The Koran encourages the use and enjoyment of the blessings that God has bestowed on humankind. But Islam does teach control of the appetites and discipline of the passions. The requirement of fasting, laid down in the Koran, contributes to the Muslim’s mastery of his worldly concerns and to the community’s collective sense of conforming with God’s commands. The fast fosters compassion for the hungry and thirsty. (Understanding Islam, p 19-20)
Diana Eck describes the reason for fasting as
Closer to the Lenten discipline of Russian Orthodox people. . .in which the whole community gives up eating meat, fish and eggs for the entire period of Lent. Fasting in Ramadan is not only an individual but a community obligation. Muslims speak of the deep sense of sustenance and energy they feel, realizing that the same fast is being observed throughout the entire Muslim world by nearly a billion people. The fast becomes especially arduous when the month of Ramadan, which moves gradually through the year on a lunar calendar, falls in the summer when the days are hot and the time from sunrise to sunset very long. (276) An Imam, a Muslim priest, described the fast as almost a practice for death. When Mohammed died he told his people that he was leaving them two teachers: one who spoke and one who silent. The Qur’an is the teacher who speaks, and death is the silent teacher. The Imam noted that fasting is a little like death, when one does also does not eat of drink.
Ramadan rich in religious meaning – in the depth of its prayers and self- examination; in its fasting to experience hunger and thirst, so that one will have compassion for the poor; in its joy of breaking the fast with family and friends; in its giving of alms for the poor. Its extensive practices point up the lack of such things in Unitarian Universalism. As our movement developed in reaction to what it saw as unthinking superstition, it sought to make reason its highest value. In so doing, it may be that we lost the things beyond reason that can also bring meaning to us – myth and Ritual and disciplined religious practice that can bring depth to our spiritual experience.
Eck writes that there is "high consciousness" of Islam in our country, but "low knowledge." Islam has suffered from three primary negative stereotypes – extremist terrorism, saber-rattling jihad, and the oppression of women. I have not particularly ever focused my attention on the study of Islam, probably because I have been particularly disturbed by the treatment of women. In fact, as a woman cleric, I’m sure it hooks my anxieties, so I have probably avoided it. Although to be fair, women have not fared so well in much of Christianity or Orthodox Judaism, where they are also forbidden to serve in clerical roles. Nevertheless, the recent world events compel us to seek to better understand and even appreciate our Muslim neighbors. There are now more Muslims living in the United States than Episcopalians or Presbyterians. At last count there were more than 1400 mosques and Islamic Centers. The beautiful St Louis Islamic Center opened just a few years ago.
Muslims greet each other with the words, salam alaikum,. It is from the same root as the word Islam. It means "peace be with you." It is my hope that we can move toward greater understanding of our Muslim brothers and sisters, and sincerely say when we greet them, salam alaikum, and may peace also be with you.