Justice and Peace through Dialogue

Justice and Peace through Dialogues                                           

Eliseo “Jun”. Mercado, OMI            

Badaliyya – Philippines

                                                                                                                                               

The advances in Science and Technology and the leveling of frontiers and boundaries have all contributed to a greater awareness of the pluralism of faiths, culture and peoples not only in the world but also in our own community.

Yes, we live amid many and diverse faiths, cultures and peoples. The usual prevailing relationship and culture is one of EXCLUSIVISM and SELF-CENTRISM.   And there are times, our many and different faiths, politic s and cultures lead to HOSTILITY.

 Yet, our traditions and the MESSADE of our faiths tell us that albeit our many differences, we need not be hostile or indifferent to each other.  In fact, these diversities invite us to make a shift in our paradigm from hostility to partnership; from indifference to involvement; and from being closed to being opened to one another.

This relational paradigm teaches us that notwithstanding the differences and diversities we all live together on this planet, in fact, on this piece of land.  The bottom line is the affirmation that we are together in the journey through life.  For better or worse, we are neighbors and we hope and believe that as neighbors, we can be partners in building not only of a better world but more so of a friendlier community where you and I, and our children live as brothers and sisters.

·      The first step is to take our pluralism seriously.  We need to discover each other in our diversities… and discover, too, that our differences enrich us not only as believers but also as human beings and citizens of this community and planet.  By doing so, we, also, discover that notwithstanding our differences, there is that KINDREDNESS amid our MANY DIVERSITIES.

·      Second is to be open to meet each other with respect - learning not only from each other but more so to be able live with each other in HARMONY. Yes, our willingness to accept, to trust each other and to live together as common stakeholders for the good of our community..

·      Third is our commitment to our common humanity - recognizing and respecting the rights and dignity of every person regardless of faith, gender, culture and color within our society/community.

The basis of this commitment is our belief that all peoples even though they belong to different religions, nations and ethnic tribes - all form ONE human family, created by the ONE and same God, living in the same world/community, and destined for a common end.

Quoting from the Holy Book (the Qur’an):

“If God had willed, He would have made you one nation; but that He may try you in what has come to you. So be you forward in good works; unto God shall you return all together; and He will tell you of that whereon you were at variance.” (Sura 5: 48)

In inter-religious relations there is one WORD that can describe our efforts and endeavors – TRUST! Trust is NOT a universal element in human relations.  It has to be slowly, patiently and sometimes painfully built through time.

In conclusion, I take a portion of St. JP II’s address at Casablanca Morocco on 18 August 1985.

                        “People do not accept their differences.

                         They do not know each other sufficiently.

                         They reject those who have not the same civilization.

                         They refuse to help each other.

                         They are unable to free themselves from egoism and from self-conceit.

                         But God created all equal in dignity,

                         Though different with regard to gifts and talents,

                         Mankind is a whole where each one has his/her part to play.

                         The worth of the various peoples and of the diverse cultures must be

                         recognized.

                         The world is as it were a living organism.

                         Each one has something to receive from the others and has something        

                         to give to them.”                                           

St. John Paul II’s Address in Syria in May 2001 reiterates the Church’s commitment to dialogue. “It is my ardent hope that Muslim and Christian religious leaders and teachers will present our two great religious communities as COMMUNITIES IN RESPECTFUL DIALOGUE, NEVER MORE AS COMMUNITIES IN CONFLICT”. It is crucial for the young to be taught the ways of respect and understanding, so that they will not be led to misuse religion itself to promote or justify hatred and violence.  Violence destroys the image of the Creator in his creatures, and should never be considered as the fruit of religious conviction.”

“Better mutual understanding will surely lead to a more objective and comprehensive knowledge of each other’s religious beliefs at the practical level, to a new way of presenting our two religions NOT IN OPPOSITION, as it happened too often in the past, BUT IN PARTNERSHIP FOR THE GOOD OF THE HUMAN FAMILY.”

 “Many serious obstacles remain, yet the first step towards peace must be a steadfast conviction that a SOLUTION IS POSSIBLE WITHIN THE PARAMETER OF INTERNATIONAL LAW AND THE RESOLUTION OF THE UNITED NATIONS. I appeal once more to all the peoples involved and to their political leader, to recognize that confrontation has failed and will always fail.  Only a just peace can bring the conditions needed for the economic, cultural and social development to which the people of the region have a right."

The Challenge of Religious Re-Awakening in Asia, Today

The Challenge of Religious Re-Awakening
in Asia Today
by  Fr. Eliseo R. Mercado,Jr., OMI
Notre Dame University – Graduate School
San Beda University – Graduate School of Laws

Introduction

We are living in an interesting age. Everywhere, the slogan of nations is globalization. This is one of the major trends that greatly impact our societies and diverse communities. Briefly stated, this trend paves the way for the collapse of borders, frontiers, and geographical distances as people, trade and resources move more freely and faster. Globalization is poised as the single key factor that levels the playing field. And the leveling of playing field includes among others the homogenization of cultures.

This trend is further enhanced by science and technology, particularly of cyberspace. Cable TV and Internet bring the whole world right at your home.

While the whole world becomes a global village and playing fields get more even, the “believers” see the coming together of nations and communities into truly one humankind. But our coming together albeit cable TV and Internet does not level off cultures and distinct ethnicity.

Asia is a complex continent. Religions, ideologies, culture and poverty are integral features of Asia’s complex realities. It is a home to diverse ethnic groups and major world religions. And if we include the Middle East to the Asian region, all major religions have their origins from the continent. Animism, the diverse Chinese beliefs, Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam find their natural matrix in Asia. The last three had their origin in the desert context and thus consider the environment as hostile – something to conquer, subdue or dominate.  Others emerged from a more environment-friendly matrix thus find harmony and unity with the environment as paramount value to ensure the continuity in creation’s cycle of birth and re-birth.

Religious Re-Awakening

To everybody’s surprise, in this so-called modern age, the new surge of religions and ethnicity and often in their violent forms continues to haunt governments and citizens alike. In fact, religious re-awakening is a major phenomenon in the world today. Religions and ethnicity, despite the much-daunted globalization, continue to endure. In fact, I believe that this new surge of religion and ethnicity owes their new life to the powerful secularizing influence of today’s new “modernism”. 

This new religious re-awakening goes by diverse names and labels. Their many names reveal to us that this awakening is not at all a monolithic movement. They are to be found within a broad range, from militarism to pacifism; and from genuine spiritual renewal to aggressive intervention in political affairs.

The basic root of religious revivalism is also diverse. In a Christian tradition, revivalism has always been associated with a “reaction” to a modernist trend in the living as well as interpretation of religion. The “modernists” or “liberals” advocate for a new worldview and order that no longer reflect a strict and literal adherence to the scripturs. The onset of Darwin’s evolution, Marx’s dialectic materialism and the scientific methodology in human endeavors and morality is perceived as an erosion of the absolute authority of the bible and tradition as the sources of the doctrine and salvation. Moral absolutes based on the literal reading of scriptures are also questioned.

This religious re-awakening is different from the usual “conservatives” in these varied Christian churches and denominations. While the traditional “conservatives” resist these modernizing and secularizing trends, they nevertheless adapt to modern conceptions of the heart of the scriptures whose message is centered on the divine rescue from sin and death.

On the other hand, the new religious re-awakening rejects the present social order and calls the faithful to fully adopt the slogan:  “back to the bible” in its literal and strictest understanding.

The label “fundamentalism” originates from the Christian matrix of re-awakening movements. From its inception fundamentalism carries a tradition of militancy and separatism. It is militant not only in its confrontation of the world and call to be born again but also in its structure and governance. This movement separates itself from the mainstream Protestant denominations known for being “liberals” or “modernists” and their perceived complete absorption by the world.

Re-awakening in Other Religious Traditions

In Islam, religious revivalism is often understood by non-Muslims as Islamic fundamentalism. Yet, the revivalism in Islam is much wider and broader. In fact, the Muslims do not accept the label fundamentalism, because of its Christian derivation. Like their Christian antecedents, the religious re-awakening in Islam is a reaction to the present realities.

First, there is the strong reaction to the domination exercised by the West (understood as Christian) over the Muslims and their territories. The imposition by the West of a secular nation state during the era of colonialism and post independence period is “resented” by the adherents of this revivalist movement.  The concept of nation state is opposed to their understanding of Islamic ummah (community) whose existence is guaranteed only by a government based of the Shari’a (Islamic Law).

From this trend flows the Islamic state movement that strives to re-establish the state governed according to the Islamic Law. And since the Islamic Law originates from divine revelation, it may not be developed or modified, but merely applied.    The strict implementation of the Islamic Law preserves the moral order upon which the integrity of the community depends.

Second, the Islamic revivalism perceives the corrupting influence of Western “materialism”.  The secularizing trend has caught the Muslim youth and erodes the community’s moral and social order that is based on the Shari’a.

Third, it is believed that the society’s blueprint is designed, lived and completed during the golden era of Islam, that is, the Medinan era (622 to 661).  They accept that the vision of Islam is realized during the time of the prophet and the four “rightly guided Caliphs:  Abu Bakr (632-634), ‘Umar (634-644), ‘Uthman (644-656) and ‘Ali (656-661).

The Islamic revivalist movements derive their inspiration from the “nahda” (renaissance) that is stimulated by the teaching of the Salaf (the prophet and his companions).  This is translated as strict adherence to the Qur’an and the Hadiths.  All other traditions are considered as blameworthy innovation and need to be rejected.

Again as in Christian revivalist movement, the Islamic one differs from country to country in their understanding of a return to the basics of the religion.  There are those who are inspired by the ancient grandeur of Islam and want to go back as far as possible to the institutions and   the way of acting and living during the golden era of Islam.  On the other hand, there are those who try to recapture the dynamism of Islam and reconcile it with the exigencies of the modern technological era and the condition of a modern state on which the old rules of the Shari’a cannot possibly remain unaltered.  Then there are those who embrace the Islamic revivalist movement to oppose the increasing secularization of the contemporary society.

Common Characteristics of Religious Revivalism

There are four basic common characteristics of the current religious revivalism.

First, there is the accepted blueprint of societal as well as individual life.  God gives this blueprint in the revelation.  The blueprint is completed and/or nearing completion.  The members of the movement are call back to this blueprint either to hasten the realization of the blueprint once again in our times.

Second, the fact that religious revivalism is a reaction to the contemporary trends that are perceived menace to faith of the individuals and the community.  “Modernism”, secularization and the moral and social “corruption” destroy the very fiber of the traditional moorings of the individuals and societies.  Revivalism is a strong reaction to the present social and moral order that is perceived as new paganism.

Third, religious revivalism gives answer to individual’s need for healing and identity.  No doubt, the “woundedness” and injustice, particularly of the poverty of the greater number of citizens, seek healing and redress.  The re-awakening movement emphasizes healing, wholeness by strict adherence to the imperatives of faith as given.  In the same vein, the growing alienation of people in our contemporary world surfaces the need for identity and belonging whose lines and parameters are clearly defined and delineated.  These parameters are also given and cannot be changed and modified for all times.  The revivalist movement gives this security and identity as well as belonging to a group that is saved and already living under a completed and realized blueprint.

Fourth, the revivalism is an alternative being poised vis-à-vis the arrogance of the state to think and decide for all.  The imposition of a uniform economic and social order destroys the specific character of peoples, nations and communities.  The new religious revival movement takes this power from the state and restores it to God.

There is, no doubt, a very powerful force in religion and ethnicity.  It is a power to create or destroy, life of death, unity or dispersal, segregate or congregate, to call or to expel, and to make peace or war as well.  Often, religious awakening is accompanied by a powerful ethnic centrism that re-enforces a worldview that sees others as foreigners and sources of corruption and defilement. 

The examples are the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Jami’a group in Pakistan and Middle East, Janata in India, the militant Buddhists in Sri Lanka, the Soka Gakai in Japan, the diverse fundamentalist groups in Christianity, the ultra Orthodox in Judaism, the Hezbollah and the Hamas in the Middle East, and the variety of nativistic and millenarian movements in indigenous beliefs. 

Conclusion:  The Battleship and the Lighthouse.

The point I wish to share is better illustrated in a story borrowed from a Navy Journal as quoted by Stephen Covey in his famous book, the Seven Habits…

“A battleship assigned to a training squadron had been at sea on maneuvers in heavy weather for several days.  The visibility was poor with patchy fog, so the captain remained open at the bridge keeping an eye on all activities.  Shortly after dark the lookout on the wing of the bridge reported,  ‘light bearing on the starboard.’ ‘Is it steady or moving astern?’ the captain called out.  Lookout replied:  ‘steady, captain.’  This meant that they were on a dangerous collision course.  The captain called to the signalman:  ‘signal that we are on collision course, advise you change course 20 degrees.’  Back came the signal, ‘advisable for you to change 20 degrees.’  The captain said: ‘said I’m a captain, change course 20 degrees.’  ‘I’m a seaman second class came the reply, ‘you better change course 20 degrees.’  By that time the captain was furious.  He spat out send”  ‘I’m battleship, change course 20 degrees.’  Back came a flashing light:  ‘I’m a lighthouse.’  The battleship and the captain changed course!

Religion and ethnicity are like lighthouses…  We, specialists, theologians, ideologues, politicians and even revolutionaries, are merely captains. Our battleship may have several forms and shapes.  But in the final analysis we have to change course else we find ourselves colliding at lighthouses.

THE HEART - GARDEN OF FLAMES

A sequel to my articler on the Heart is a poem by 'Ibn Al-Arabi who lived in Andalusia, Spain from 1165 to 1240 C.E.

A Garden Among the Flames

My heart is capable of wearing all forms.

It is a pasture for gazelles and a monastery for monks,

A temple for idols and the Kaaba for the pilgrim.

It is the tablets of the Torah and it is the book of the Koran.

I profess the religion of love, wherever the destination of it caravan may be.

That is the belief, the faith I keep.

HEART/QALB

HEART/QALB

By Eliseo “jun” Mercado, OMI

Badaliyya - Philippines

What is at the center of Interreligious Relations?

My long years living in the Muslim communities have taught me that the real key or the path to any kind of true relationship with a Muslim neighbor is through the heart.

The HEART, in fact, is not only the key or path to each other… but it is also the way we encounter God.

I draw a lot of inspiration from the Spanish Mystic - ‘Ibn ‘Arabi who began the journey through the HEART. This is legacy...

• God is extraordinarily close and proximate to the human heart (e.g., at S 8:24, "He passes between the man and his heart"). What truly matters is God’s uniquely all-encompassing divine knowledge of "what is in their hearts" (S 4:66, 33:51, etc.).

• The divine awareness of what is in the heart extends in particular to people's innermost intentions (especially in contrast to their words and ostensible actions). In consequence, ‘Ibn “Arabi speaks of the heart (as more commonly of the soul, al-nafs) as the enduring "self" or ongoing seat of our moral and spiritual responsibility, as at S 2:225: "...He will call you to account for what your hearts have earned...."

• The most obvious in his work is the consistent stress on the divine "responsibility", indeed the ongoing divine Activity, expressed in all the different states of our hearts, including especially our recurrent failures to "remember" God.

• The enlightened or divinely supported heart (whether in this world or the next) is said to be the locus of true Remembrance of God (dhikr Allâh, at S13:28).

• We also see God's sealing, veiling, hardening, locking, binding, closing, or frightening hearts - to hearts that as a result (of their own misdeeds or the divine reaction) are "sick" or "blind" and "suffering."

• There are also references to hearts that "fail to understand" (lâ yafqahûn), far more frequently than those who do perceive the divine "Signs," whose hearts are 'âqilûn.

• Thus there is the need to move from these "negative" or perverse states of the human heart to full awareness of God and the corresponding divine Peace and understanding - "softening" and "humbling" or "purification" and "strengthening" of hearts, to the necessity of a "sound" or "repentant" or "mindful" heart (qalb salîm or munîb).

The journey that is made through the heart, to me, is my understanding of the Beatitude: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God". (Mat. 5: 8)

The Baptism of the Lord

Short Reflection for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (C)

Readings: Isaiah 40: 1 – 5, 9 – 11;Titus 2: 1-14, 3: 4-7; Luke 3: 15-16. 21-22

Selected Passage:  John answered them all, saying, "I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." (Luke 3: 16-17)

Meditation: In our lives, we always try to discover the meaning of being baptized by the Holy Spirit and fire.  The key is LISTENING to the Holy Spirit and then to ACT and become living witnesses to Jesus, the Lord!   With the Holy Spirit in us, we are able to discern in our lives the wheat from the chaff; the right from the wrong; and the good from the bad.

Visit: www.badaliyya.blogspot.com

DHIKR SIMPLE METHOD...

Dhikr is an Arabic word for remembrance. In the “tariqa” (the way) movement, dhikr developed into a form of prayer… It is a prayer of the heart… following three simple steps:

1.    Write in one’s heart a certain passage of the Holy Writ…

2.   Make the same passage ever present in one’s lips. 

3.   Then wait for God’s disclosure on the meaning of the passage…that interprets one’s life NOW…!

It takes a week of remembering (dhikr)…or even more days to relish the beauty of this method…

Towards an Islamic Spirituality

Towards an Islamic Spirituality…

Eliseo R. Mercado, Jr., OMI, PhD

San Beda University – Graduate School of Laws

Notre Dame University – Graduate School

A.  Introduction

In the search for a new spirituality in our contemporary world, it is always preferable to draw from our rich religious and cultural traditions.  Religious as well as followers of many and holy paths are, once again, “mining” their living traditions to retrieve the “fire” and the “spirit” that have imbued our spiritual forebears.  The “fire” has mutated through the years, no doubt, this is the same ‘fire” that now enflames the new “seekers” that seek to meet and respond to the present spiritual crisis of our age. 

The present paper is not a guide through the spiritual classics of Islam, that is, the Giants of the “Sufi” tradition like Hassan al-Basri, al Hallaj, al- Rumi, ibn ‘Arabi, etc.  The presentation is akin to a choice between the “Big” and “Small” paths or a choice between the two Theresa’s of the Carmelite Traditions – St. Theresa de Avila and St. Therese of Lisieux.  As people can easily identify with St. Therese and her so-called “little way”, the paper is a presentation of Islamic spirituality in the “little path” tradition.

B.  The Familiar “Landmarks”

A good road map for the journey through the “little path” is to look for familiar “landmarks” that are common to the three Semitic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam).  The more prominent so-called “landmarks” are the themes that relate to (1) the Desert, (2) the Guide and (3) Path.

1. Desert. 

For the three Semitic religions, the desert is a common MATRIX.  It is no accident that the spiritual traditions of the three above monotheistic religions are rooted in this very harsh condition.  The desert is a vast arid and inhospitable land and no amount of glamour and romanticism even from the ancient “spiritual writers” can change its cruel and harsh realities. 

As a young religious, I had always wondered why our religious life had its deep roots in the desert.  I tried to fathom this mystery by actually venturing into the harsh desert of Upper Egypt in 1981.  With a guide I visited the caves of our ancient and venerable Desert Fathers. There I sat in one of the caves to simply get a physical and spiritual “touch” of the environment that gave birth to a spirituality tied to the beginnings of monasticism.  The caves showed many crude stone carvings of crosses made by people that tried to “find” God in the desert. Being brought by a tradition of touching holy and sacred grounds, I began milling around and touching the cross carvings in the walls as I relished the memories of the holy men and women who lived in these caves.

It was there that I discovered the meaning of asceticism.  There was no way to survive the desert without being ascetic.  The desert’s harsh environment imposed a regimen on life that reduced needs to the barest minimum.  The very environment, i.e., the desert, had become the “enemy”. In such a place, one would readily discover that the sole reliance would be on God. Discipline and ascetical practices were introduced to reduce want and needs, understood then as the “tools of the devil”.  An ancient Arabic saying goes this way:  “anyone who ventures into the desert and comes out becomes either a saint or a fool”. 

The desert is one of the powerful symbols in Islam.  The prophet Muhammad was often drawn into the cave of Hira in his search for the true God.  It was in one of his journeys into this cave that the first revelation (Sura 96) was made.  The experience with the “divine” was so moving that tradition celebrates the event as the “night of power” (laylat-ul qadr) during the month of Ramadhan (the 9^th lunar month of the Islamic Calendar). 

The first revelation is an invitation to “Read” or “Recite” (iqra) in the name of God, the Lord of creation.  The strong emphasis on the invitation to “recite” shows that the initiative in the journey to God is begun by God. It is an invitation to a relationship that begins in the acknowledgement of God’s Lordship (Rabbika) thus a true worship (‘ibadat) of God necessarily must begin with being God’s “reader” or “reciter”.  In time, through faithful “reading” and “recitation” of God’s word, the reader becomes “nearer” to God and this would bloom into “friendship” (Siddique).  The person who is close to God becomes a friend of God.

The first revelation in the desert is an invitation to become a “reader” in the midst of that harsh and cruel environment.  A reader responds to a call to life.  Here we hear the echo of Psalm 95:  “Today, listen to the voice of the Lord: do not grow stubborn, as your fathers did in the wilderness”.

The voice of God is an invitation to read and recite (iqra) that God is a mighty one and the Lord over all the gods.  It is a call to listen to God and to be taught by Him. In chapter 96 (Sura) the reader proclaims that it is “thy Lord who taught by the pen and taught man that he knew not”.  It is an invitation to abandon all the idols of the world and cling to the one Lord for unto Him is the Great Returning!

The desert is also a powerful symbol of detachment from the cravings of the more mundane aspects of human beings, that is, comfort and good life.  Though legitimate good life is never considered “forbidden” (haram) in Islam, yet a sort of counter movement is occurring within the community through the examples of men and women who are “passionately” taken by God.  These “spirituals” under one or more shayks invite people to a much simpler life style that reduces dependency on many things.  In fact early ascetics in Islam were also attracted into the desert for reading and meditation of the Qur’an while waiting for the disclosure of the hidden meaning of the word of God. 

2. The Guide (Shayk). 

The discernment of God’s invitation/call requires a GUIDE (Shayk).  This is the reason that God continues to send messengers and prophets through the ages.  They ‘recite’ and ‘proclaim’ God’s word and they point to the people the path to God.  The need for guide is even made more urgent in the desert environment.  No one ventures into the desert without a guide.  The guide knows the way to the life-giving oasis.  To go through life without a guide is to be a fool.  In the desert, without a guide, one is lost and dies. 

In a more spiritual tradition, a person desiring to be God’s friend joins a path always associated with a shayk. (1) The shayk guides the “initiate” in the reading and meditation of the God’s word.  The purpose of the shayk is to help the initiate discover the “hidden” (batin) meanings of the Word of God as contrasted to their latent or literal meaning. 

The performance of the Hajj (Pilgrimage) is one the clearest demonstration of the indispensability of shayk in a spiritual journey.  No one joins the annual Pilgrimage (Hajj) without a Guide, else the pilgrim simply moves and moves around without visiting the House of God.  Likewise, in the journey towards spirituality, a “spiritual director” (a shayk) is not an option but an OBLIGATION. A quotation from Rumi reminds the travelers that “whoever enters the Way without a guide will take a hundred years to travel a two-day journey... Whoever undertakes a profession without a master becomes the laughingstock of city and town.” (The Sufi Path of Love: The Spiritual Teachings of Rumi, p. 123)

3. The Path/Way. 

It is fascinating to note that all our desert religions point to the way/path.  In Islam the path is always identified to the “straight path”   (sirat-al-mustaqim) “the path of those whom Thou hast blessed, not of those against whom Thou art wrathful, nor of those who are astray”  (Sura 1).  That right path is the Law of God (Shari’a).  The faithful observance of the Law of God is to walk through the straight path that leads to life as symbolized by the spring of water or well (oasis) in the desert.  In the daily life, one faithfully observes the Law of God, particularly in the worship of God  by the Confession of Faith (Shahadat), Prayer (Salat), Giving a portion of your wealth to the poor (Zakat), Fasting in the month of Ramadan (Sawm), and the Visit of God’s House (Hajj) at least once in a lifetime.

The Islamic Law (Shari’a) to non-Muslims appears harsh, especially the Criminal Law (Hudud), the most glamorized aspects of the Islamic Law in “western media”.  Yet to Muslims, the Islamic Law lays the right movements of rituals, the right behavior and relationships in community. The Law, above all, indicates duties and obligations to God and neighbors.  Thus it is the rudder that keeps the boat in the right path and keeps it from keeling.  The person who desires His Holy Will faithfully observes the Law.  The faithful observance of the Law leads to a resting place - to freedom and life as well.  Among the initiated to the path (Tariqa), a fire is given (HUWA which means He forming a lighted lamp).  He (God) is the fire that illumines the Path.

C. A Path (Tariqa) of the Ascetics (2).

The Path in some Tariqa circles (“fellowship” of Ascetics) is the journey to God.  In a more traditional way, this is often described as passing through several stages.  These stages describe the progression of the soul as she journeys towards God.  There are particular challenges and virtues at each stage as the soul ascends to God.

The first stage is nafs amara or the soul of the flesh.  In this first stage, the faithful observance of the Shari’a is crucial since this is the way of the beginners.  The Law gives the road map as one embarks on a journey to God.  As people live by the flesh the more they need the Law.  The Law sets boundaries to what is legitimate (halal) and what is forbidden (haram).  The first stage is actually the state of the great majority of believers.  Through the observance of God’s Law, the believers receive their eternal reward.

The second stage is nafs alawama or the spirit of test.  This is the narrow road and the way of the penitent thus it requires a discipline.  At this stage the “initiate” chooses a guide (shayk) – very often a person in the community that is known for his ascetic practices.  He/she begins some ascetic practices under the guidance of a shayk. Fasting and Abstinence are the two common characteristics of people who journey this path.  The color of this particular stage is yellow (the light), the outlook of ascetics. 

The third stage is nafs al-mulhamat or the listening spirit.  This is to train oneself to listen and to receive inspiration. There are two aspects of the Word of God: the “Evident” and the “Hidden”.   The third stage is for inward looking and probing – a journey through the “Hidden” meaning of God’s Word. At times, this is describes as the beginning to journey into the heart.  Meditation and Prayers are the two practices associated to this path.  The color is Red.  "Surely there is a Reminder in that for whoever has a heart, or listens attentively, while he is witnessing..." (Qur'ân 50:37)

The fourth stage is nafs as-salima or the tranquil soul.  A disclosure occurs and the self is found and the reality as well.  He/she wakes up in full awareness of God and the corresponding divine Peace and understanding.  This is the beginning of experiencing one’s closeness to God - the Truth (al-Haqq).  Discernment and a discerning spirit are the attitudes assumed by the persons in at this stage.   The color is white.

The fifth stage is the happy Soul or nafs aradit.  This is the beginning of a journey within God.  The knowledge that is hidden is penetrated. God is filling one’s nothingness. The state of emptiness is experienced.  God becomes one’s fulfillment and joy. The color is green.

The sixth stage is the soul seeking approval or nafs mardiya.  In the traditional spiritual journey, this is describes as “going away from God”. One, in a strange way, goes back to the way of the Shari’a but only this time living the essence of the law – the HEART of the law.  The color is Black.

The seventh stage is the soul of perfection or nafs kamilat.  The journey is God.  The journey is UNION with God.  It is not strange that at the last stage, it is colorless.

D. A Path and the Pilgrims.

Spirituality is the journey through the Path that leads to life.  This is physically lived during the performance of the Hajj.  (An account of the Hajj by a devout Pilgrim… The preparation to perform the pilgrimage begins in the “intention” to visit the House of God. What follows is the material preparation and they are many as requirements from travel papers to actual fares continue to multiply.  But all these preparations are being undertaken with great patience and expectation for the coming of the actual day when the pilgrim embarks on a journey.

The Pilgrim needs a guide (shayk). As pilgrims arrive in waves, they are “welcome” by a continuing thunder of human voices crying “here am I Lord, I am about to visit your abode” (Labbayka). Then the ritual of entering into the state of purity (ihsan) commences as the Hajj begins. Other rituals follow – the circumbulation around Ka’ba, the re-enactment for the search of water by Hagar, to stand in His Presence and to touch the black stone of Ka’ba , then onward to Mina with readiness to wait and heed his bidding,  then the “lapidation” of Satan follows and the ritual concludes with the Great Sacrifice (‘Idul-Adha).

The state of purity that is required upon embarking on a journey is similar to the biblical call: “Blessed are the pure of Heart, they shall see God” (Mt. 5:8). It is the singular devotion to the One True God and thou shalt NOT associate anything with Him.  Singular devotion to God is not fundamentalism of sort that is often associated to fanaticism.  The Qur’an speaks that “It is not piety, that you turn your faces to the East and to the West.  True piety is this: to believe in God, and the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets, to give of one’s substance, however cherished, to kinsmen, and orphan, the needy, the traveler, beggars, and to ransom the slave, to perform the prayer, to pay the alms” (Sura 2: 172).

E.  The Reader

A very powerful symbol of a person nearest to God’s Word is the one who reads His Word (the Qur’anic reading).  He recites the Word of God from the heart and uses the Book (Kitab) as his guide.  God’s Word absorbs the person in his whole being and this, in a way, expresses the “union” between the believer and the living Word of God. A similar event occurs in Christian tradition when a believer partakes of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. The first command given to the prophet is “Read” (Iqra) what God has revealed.

I have a friend - Muslim rebel (mujahid) who in times of great distress finds rest/solace in the reading of the Qur’an.  He would retreat in a corner and sits on his prayer mat with the Qur’an in front of him and begins his beautiful recitation of the Word of God.  He and the people around him are transformed and mesmerized by the power of the Word.  Yes, it works like magic and it is a miracle! This same reading of the Word of God in the Book echoes the way a devout Christian eats the Word of God made flesh in the Eucharist. No doubt in both cases, the Word of God is the source and fountain of Holiness. As the great Chesterton said: “Yes, a tree grows fruit because it is a magic tree.  Water runs down because it is bewitched.  In the same way why do eggs turn to birds or leaves fall in autumn or as Cinderella asked her fairy godmother why mice turned into horses or her clothes fell from her at twelve o’clock.”

F. Ahl al-Dhikr (The people of Remembrance). 

The “seekers” of holiness in Islam find home among the people of remembrance. These are the people who are ever attentive to the Word of God.  They are initiated into the practice of remembrance (Dhikr) and they are called ahl al-dhikr.  They meditate on the Word of God and wait for the disclosure of the hidden meaning (batin) of the Word.  The second characteristic that informs the group is their life devotion to the Divine pleasing (ridwan-lillah).  Holiness is to “remember” and act what is pleasing to Him.  It is both a lifetime of remembrance of God and a life style that is pleasing to God!

Tradition has it from some of the “Knowers” of God that dhikr (remembrance of God) has seven aspects: (4)

• dhikr of the eyes, which consists in seeing &  weeping (buka');
• dhikr of the ears, which consists in listening (isgha');
• dhikr of the tongue, which consists in praise (thana');
• dhikr of the hands, which consists in sharing & giving (`ata');
• dhikr of the body, which consists in work & fidelity (wafa');
• dhikr of the heart, which consists in love and hope (kawf wa raja');
• dhikr of the spirit, which consists of utter submission and acceptance (taslim wa rida')."

In conclusion, the “little way” of holiness flows from the desire of every seeker to be with God.  It is a journey that traverses through the often tedious daily chores of life with the faithful observance of his Law as the first light.  And as the seeker finds a shayk, he/she is initiated into the path that calls for meditation and attentiveness to the Word of God.  The Benedictine’s “ora et labora” echoes the Dhikr and the divine pleasing that are practiced within the “fellowship of remembrance”.  Let me end this “excursus” in Islamic spirituality with a quotation from the great Spanish Mystic, Ibn Arabi (5).

“You are the receptacle (anta al-inâ') and I am I (wa anâ anâ). So do not seek Me in yourself, lest you suffer and toil; and do not seek Me outside yourself, or you will have no pleasure. Never stop seeking Me, or you will suffer torment. So do seek Me until you find Me, and then ascend! But follow the right adab in your seeking, and be ever-present (with Me) as you set out on your way of going...."

Notes:

1. Danner, Victor. Ch. 4 "The Spiritual Path of Sufism," pp. 84-109 in The Islamic Tradition. Amity, NY: Amity House, 1988.
2. Trimingham, J. Spencer. The Sufi Orders of Islam. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971.
3. Morris, James. Listening For God: Prayer And The Heart In The Futûhât.  Volume XIII of the Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi Society.
4. Fakhr al-Din al-Razi. Dhikr of Allah. On line

5. Ibn 'Arabî. Extract from the Book of "Meccan Openings" (al-Futûhât al-Makkîya). On line

Very Good Books on Islamic Mysticism:

1. Arberry, A. J. Sufism: An Account of the Mystics of Islam. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1950.
2. Nicholson, Reynold A. The Mystics of Islam. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1963.
3. Schimmel, Annemarie. Mystical Dimensions of Islam. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1975.
4. Kalibadhi, Abu Bakr al-. The Doctrine of the Sufis. Translated by A.J. Arberry. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1977.
5. Qushayri, Abd al-Karim ibn Hawazin al-. Principles of Sufism. Translated by B. R. Von Schlegell. Berkeley: Mizan Press, 1990.
6. Ibn al-`Arabi, Muhyi ad-Din. What the Seeker Needs. Translated by Shaikh Tosun Bayrak al- Jerrahi and Rabia Terri Harris al-Jerrahi. Putney, VT: Threshold Books, 1992.