Quranic Bhakti
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i was reading this evening a book called "Islamic Spirituality Foundations" and in it was an article by Seyyed Hossein Nasr, a brilliant Islamic thinker and author. here is some of what he writes about the Quran
"the Sacred Book of Islam is replete with episodes of sacred history. it speaks of people and prophets of old, of battles, rebellions, love and death, of God's forgiveness and punishment. but the Quran, and with it Islam, is singularly indifferent to the merely historical significance of this sacred history. the Quran is not a book of history and is even less concerned with history than is the Bible. the sacred history recounted in the Quran is in reality the epic of the life of the soul. the forces of good and evil mentioned in its pages are to be found within ourselves, and even the prophets are the objective and external counterparts and complements of the inner Intellect, which illuminates the heart and mind of man. to recite the pages of the Quran is to become aware of the history of one's own being, the forces of one's own soul, and the conditions of the journey of life at the end of which stand death and Divine Judgment. it is to see the Will of God in shaping man's destiny and man's own role in weaving the substance that constitutes our being once the journey of life terminates and suddenly we find ourselves before the blinding Reality of God's Presence."
masha'allah. i find that many of our discussions here focus on logic and reasoning, fact-checking and debate. but for me, the Quran's urgings are more aimed at the heart and at devotion, submission of the self to the One God. and as Nasr so eloquently writes (masha'allah), inviting God, the Infinite and All-Knowing, into the details of our lives.
bhakti is a Hindu word meaning "submission / loving devotion to God". i see a lot of that in the Quran. are there others here who approach the Quran from a devotional view? i was talking a few weeks ago to another brother, about the similarities between the message of the Quran and Sufi thought.
what are your thoughts? i feel that because of the Code 19, a lot of Quran-alone discourse is focused on reasoning and the breaking down of semantics, and logic. what about Quranic bhakti?
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Peace,
"the Sacred Book of Islam is replete with episodes of sacred history. it speaks of people and prophets of old, of battles, rebellions, love and death, of God's forgiveness and punishment. but the Quran, and with it Islam, is singularly indifferent to the merely historical significance of this sacred history. the Quran is not a book of history and is even less concerned with history than is the Bible. the sacred history recounted in the Quran is in reality the epic of the life of the soul. the forces of good and evil mentioned in its pages are to be found within ourselves, and even the prophets are the objective and external counterparts and complements of the inner Intellect, which illuminates the heart and mind of man. to recite the pages of the Quran is to become aware of the history of one's own being, the forces of one's own soul, and the conditions of the journey of life at the end of which stand death and Divine Judgment. it is to see the Will of God in shaping man's destiny and man's own role in weaving the substance that constitutes our being once the journey of life terminates and suddenly we find ourselves before the blinding Reality of God's Presence."
This touched me alot. I'm living in Egypt now, and when the Adhan is called I come to prayer. After the prayer I take out the Free-Minds translation of the Qur'an and begin to read a few Surahs a day. After reading the Qur'an on a steady basis for understanding rather than reciting I've come to a similar conclusion. "The Epic of the life of the Soul" is an excellent way of describing the Qur'an.
One of the most repeated stories in the Qur'an is that of Moses and Pharaoh. When I look out from my balcony in Cairo I can see the Pyramids, relics of the materialistic Pharaoh. I feel like the Qur'an is trying to convey a message and tries many different methods. Sometimes it uses reasoning, sometimes it speaks to your emotions, sometimes to your fears and wants. The more I read the more I realize that I can read this book forever, its endless because as your understanding of the world becomes clearer so do the words of the Qur'an.
As to your original point.
I do believe that a lot of discussion here is based purely on reasoning and logic. Which is fine. I was 15 years old when Layth led me to this message board. Now I'm in my last year of college. Back then I thought this was a blessing from God because all of the Islam I had been taught in the Sunni and Shiite schools I had attended were devoid of using logic or rationale to explain the majority of things regarding our faith. Its only natural that these kind of discussions which have been neglected for more than a 1000 years be touched on again.
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Isn't the word muslim, touching on the subject of devotion already. Wouldn't a good translation be The Devoted.
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Isn't the word muslim, touching on the subject of devotion already. Wouldn't a good translation be The Devoted.
i think that would be a beautiful translation... i like it a lot. kind of like the Jewish word Hasidim.
Sarat masha'allah, you are able to live in a country where adhan can be heard clearly. and to be able to see where the stories of the Quran happened... it must be amazing. and i understand the need for objectivity and clear thinking. i was not raised as a Muslim, or attend a madrasa- but i do work in one now, and i'm beginning to see the need for more explanation and clarity in explaining faith to children. definitely.
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That's interesting. I read up on Hasidic Judaism. http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasidic_Judaism
Isn't this what 057.003 is all about.
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Peace,
One of the most repeated stories in the Qur'an is that of Moses and Pharaoh. When I look out from my balcony in Cairo I can see the Pyramids, relics of the materialistic Pharaoh. I feel like the Qur'an is trying to convey a message and tries many different methods. Sometimes it uses reasoning, sometimes it speaks to your emotions, sometimes to your fears and wants. The more I read the more I realize that I can read this book forever, its endless because as your understanding of the world becomes clearer so do the words of the Qur'an.
As Salaam Alaiekum
I couldn?t agree with you more! Paying attention to the historical accounts in the Holy Qur?an its significance and relevance to our era becomes apparent. For example the story of Pharaoh and Moses where Sorcerers manipulated and deceived people with all sorts of illusions.
The present sorcery too is based on the manipulation of human psychology, deluding ordinary people. There is no real power, intellectuals, scholars, politicians, media all using PR tactics. What is lacking is a Moses to stand up to this shenanigan.
peace
farida -
That's interesting. I read up on Hasidic Judaism. http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasidic_Judaism
Isn't this what 057.003 is all about.
He is the First and the Last, and the Outward as well as the Inward and He has full knowledge of everything.
oh, masha'allah! that is beautiful, and yes, i believe that is also the essence of much of Hasidic thought. i am actually right now reading a beautiful book called "The Shema", about scholarly and mystical interpretations of Deuteronomy 64-5. i find myself smiling and saying "masha'allah" a lot. here is a quote
the love of man for God that issues from man alone is of no account. for man comes from God and man returns to Him, just as everything must return to Him. there is nothing other than God; He is one, and there is nothing else...
from this point of view we can understand love. this is why it is said "the lord our God, the Lord is one" and "you shall love the Lord your God..." because He is one there is nothing is existence in the world that is separate from Him, for all depends upon and is attached to Him, for He is the foundation of all. and that is why love is relevant to God.
this reads like some really beautiful, subtle Quranic tafsir.
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He is the First and the Last, and the Outward as well as the Inward and He has full knowledge of everything.
oh, masha'allah! that is beautiful, and yes, i believe that is also the essence of much of Hasidic thought. i am actually right now reading a beautiful book called "The Shema", about scholarly and mystical interpretations of Deuteronomy 64-5. i find myself smiling and saying "masha'allah" a lot. here is a quote
the love of man for God that issues from man alone is of no account. for man comes from God and man returns to Him, just as everything must return to Him. there is nothing other than God; He is one, and there is nothing else...
from this point of view we can understand love. this is why it is said "the lord our God, the Lord is one" and "you shall love the Lord your God..." because He is one there is nothing is existence in the world that is separate from Him, for all depends upon and is attached to Him, for He is the foundation of all. and that is why love is relevant to God.
this reads like some really beautiful, subtle Quranic tafsir.
Salaam Ayani
I used to listen to Jewish Radio regularly and there was one Rabbi who talked. I really found his beliefs so similar to Muslim beleifs that I often used to say "He talks more Islamically than the Imams we see in the Mosques. Those who devoutly follow their holy scripture are all from the community of believers.
Masahallah you have initiated a good thread
farida
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Salaam all,
what are your thoughts? i feel that because of the Code 19, a lot of Quran-alone discourse is focused on reasoning and the breaking down of semantics, and logic. what about Quranic bhakti?
For me It's fine to reason and breaking down semantics and logic, it can increase our faith. The problem is, some are just too caught up/focused to break it further, and ended with confusion and maybe straying. I like to take an example of late Rashad Khalifa, his story taught me a lot. He founded the code 19 which is great (it did opened my eyes and interest in Quran). But he dig too much, focussed too much on the code, up to the level of rejecting some of the verses of Quran, forgetting the true meaning of it and declaring he is the messenger. Look at some of his findings later on. The more he dig, the more he looked strayed. It's like he is not thankful enough for the blessings and guidance that God had gave Him. But i believe God did save (murdered) Him from straying further. It also shows that there are still peoples nowadays that would kill anyone who claimed to be God's messenger. (There is a verse somewhere that tells about killing the prophet/messenger)
So I always advice myself when praying, not to ask too much (worldly stuff), because, me being alive and breathing healthily revering and remembering Him is the best blessing that I got.
Peace
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Surah 16. The Bee
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When thou dost read the Qur'an, seek Allah.s protection from Satan the rejected one.
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No authority has he over those who believe and put their trust in their Lord.
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His authority is over those only, who take him as patron and who join partners with Allah.
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Surah 16. The Bee
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When thou dost read the Qur'an, seek Allah.s protection from Satan the rejected one.
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No authority has he over those who believe and put their trust in their Lord.
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His authority is over those only, who take him as patron and who join partners with Allah.
Salaam
AAbsolutely!!! this is our faith. However a believer should at the same time warned about the evil around us and should make everyone aware of it .
peace -
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Fadhli ~
you may well be right... the Quran is clear that the person who takes his own reasoning, ideas, and ego as the idol of his life is indeed astray. there is a lot to be said for scholarship and intelligent writing / thinking, shukranallah. but pride and an inflated sense of self... and remember that
Mohammed is but a messenger, like many messengers that have passed before him. if he dies or is killed will you turn back on your heels? and whoever turns back on his heels, he will not harm God in the least. and God will reward the thankful. 3144
all praise is due to our Lord and Sustainer, and God knows best.
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Thanks sis Ayani.
It is pride. Yes That's the word. Pride of his/her name, Pride of his/ her wealth, Pride of his/her position, Pride of his/ her progeny, Pride of his/her religion, Pride of his/her scripture. If one is not willing to let this go.... <you know what happen >
Which comes to another question. What about the pride of worshiping our God? Should there be pride? Or is it humbleness? < i guess i answered my own question ;D>. Humble is the answer... How much humble should one be (to another human)? Depends on situation i guess.
Peace
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Fadhli ~ ya, as to pride in worshiping God... i think we should still be humble, with God's help. after all, we might be talking to someone who strongly believes in God and not know it, or to someone who God will someday guide to Him.
we should try to be friendly and polite with one another, that seems to work best.
also, i'm wondering, has anyone read Hazrat Inayat Khan? or other Sufi thinkers? did you enjoy reading them?
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Dr. Nasr writes in The Garden of Truth that Christianity is primarily a bhakti path Love God, love the neighbor. There is also the path of righteous action (karma) and the path of illuminative knowledge (jnana). And these are like three lanes of a highway leading to spiritual realization.
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Dr. Nasr writes in The Garden of Truth that Christianity is primarily a bhakti path Love God, love the neighbor. There is also the path of righteous action (karma) and the path of illuminative knowledge (jnana). And these are like three lanes of a highway leading to spiritual realization.
i've always loved that Hindu approach... respecting and providing for man's differing religious inclinations.
Allah guides with it all who seek His good pleasure to ways of peace, and leads them out of darkness, unto the light, and He guides them to a straight path. 516