Archive for Judaism
Islam: What’s in a Name?
[An edited version of this article was originally published in two parts at ReadingIslam.com]
It is a common practice of Muslim scholars writing on some field of knowledge to define its basic terms; when it comes to Arabic words, this involves looking at their root meanings as well as their usage.
This practice is certainly useful when seeking to understand Islam as a faith and way of life, as there are many things to learn from the very fact that it is so named. Generally speaking, when naming something new, or a new addition to the family, we choose a name that reflects the appropriate and desired meanings.
In this article, we shall explore five significant features of the name Islam, making special reference to how the Qur’an speaks of Islam and being Muslim. We shall note that the word reflects the concept of peace, that it is a name used right from the start, that it was specially chosen by the Creator, that it reflects an action and way of life, and that its meaning has a universal meaning and appeal.
Fridays at the Synagogue
See this video about a “super-unusual” arrangement between the Jewish and Muslim communities in Northern Virginia.
I’m not certain of the juristic positions of the respective faiths on this matter, but I do recall a rabbi mentioning in an inter-faith discussion I attended that he would have no discomfort in performing his prayers in a mosque if welcomed, whereas he would not do the same in a church.
Solidarity in face of atrocity
Words fail me when it comes to commenting on the horrific murder in Germany of the lady dubbed as the “headscarf martyr“. All I wanted to share was this glimmer of hope in peaceful coexistence:
Jewish and Muslim communities united against Islamophobia
Stephan Kramer, the Secretary General of the German Jewish Council, has been one of only a handful of non-Muslim voices in Germany willing to describe the murder as motivated by Islamophobia. Kramer gave his solidarity to the Muslim community and alongside Aiman Mazyek, Secretary General of the Central Council of Muslims visited Elwi Ali Okaz in hospital, ‘We want to send a signal against Islamophobia’, said Stephan Kramer, adding that the ‘meagre’ reaction of the authorities to the murder was ‘absurd’. Muslim and Jewish leaders are due to meet with the Saxon prime minister and the Intercultural Council has called for a public demonstration of solidarity with the victim’s family.
With thanks to PULSE.
Divine Intervention for a Jew
I recently read a book by the Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, on Islamic Ethics in which he narrated the following story from the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), in the chapter discussing the virtue of justice. I felt it worthy of mention because I first heard this story from a Muslim speaker in the UK whom some people are now trying to portray as an “anti-Semitic bigot” – indeed, I have heard him speak numerous times and it seems that in every speech, he takes the opportunity to draw his listeners’ attention to this story…
It happened in the Prophetic Era that a man named Ta’mah ibn Abreeq stole a shield from one of his neighbours called Qatadah ibn Nu’man, then stashed it at the home of a Jewish man called Zayd ibn as-Sameen.
Qatadah asked Ta’mah about the shield, and he denied any knowledge of it; so Qatadah started to search for it until he found it with the aforementioned Jew. When asked about it, he blamed Ta’mah.
Hence the case was taken before the Prophet (peace be upon him), who summoned Ta’mah and asked him, “Did you steal this shield and place it with Zayd ibn as-Sameen?” He denied it, so the Prophet asked Zayd: “Do you have any witnesses to support your claim that Ta’mah planted it on you?” He said that he did not. Meanwhile, the relatives of Ta’mah came and argued on his behalf.
In the midst of this confusion, the Qur’anic revelation came to clarify the truth from falsehood, and to establish justice in the face of impending injustice.
{ Indeed, We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth so you may judge between the people by that which Allah has shown you. And do not be for the deceitful an advocate.
And seek forgiveness of Allah . Indeed, Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful.
And do not argue on behalf of those who deceive themselves. Indeed, Allah loves not one who is a habitually sinful deceiver. } [An-Nisa 4:105-7]Then the Qur’an turns to rebuke those who are ashamed before people but not ashamed before God:
{ They conceal [their evil intentions and deeds] from the people, but they cannot conceal [them] from Allah , and He is with them [in His knowledge] when they spend the night in such as He does not accept of speech. And ever is Allah , of what they do, encompassing. } [4:108]
Then it further rebuked those who advocate on behalf of others using falsehood and deception:
{ Here you are – those who argue on their behalf in [this] worldly life – but who will argue with Allah for them on the Day of Resurrection, or who will [then] be their representative? } [4:109]
Then Almighty God opened the door of repentance for these treacherous folk, made clear that the harmful effects of their actions would only come back to their perpetrators, and issued a warning of a terrible ending to whoever commits what God has prohibited and attempts to blame others:
{ And whoever does a wrong or wrongs himself but then seeks forgiveness of Allah will find Allah Forgiving and Merciful.
And whoever commits a sin only earns it against himself. And Allah is ever Knowing and Wise.
But whoever earns an offence or a sin and then blames it on an innocent [person] has taken upon himself a slander and manifest sin. } [4:110-12]Then these verses are sealed with mention of the great favour of God upon his Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him):
{ And if it was not for the favour of Allah upon you, [O Muhammad], and His mercy, a group of them would have determined to mislead you. But they do not mislead except themselves, and they will not harm you at all. And Allah has revealed to you the Book and wisdom and has taught you that which you did not know. And ever has the favour of Allah upon you been great. } [4:113]
Certainly whoever ponders deeply on these noble verses will see that they guide mankind to justice which is swayed neither by desires, nor by tribal loyalty. It does not depend on love or hate, and is applied even if the person in the wrong is among those professing Islam, and the party in the right is non-Muslim.
Do you see a form of justice coming close to this in its nobility, purity and upright methodology?
Protecting Synagogues and Mosques
Effective dialogue is based not on words alone, but should be manifested in actions which further mutual understanding and cooperation. One such action between faith communities is to show solidarity in the face of hostility, such as when a place of worship is attacked.
That was the reaction of the Scottish-Islamic Foundation in March 2009, when news reached them of vandalism against Edinburgh’s synagogue, apparently by two young Muslims who may have considered it some sort of ‘revenge’ on behalf of victims of Israel’s recent brutality against the people of Gaza.
Muslim leaders offer to guard synagogue (The Scotsman)
I am proud to say that by expressing solidarity in the way they did, SIF managed to shift the way newspapers would have otherwise covered the crime, as it could have been portrayed as a sign of overt tensions between Muslims and Jews in Scotland, which is of course far from the truth.
They also underlined the key fact of the distinction between Judaism and Zionism. Not all Jews are Zionists, and not all Zionists are Jews. And even if particular Jews can be defined as Zionists, not all Zionism is the same, and it certainly doesn’t justify any sort of violence against them.
They proved with actions what they also stated with clarity. I helped to draft the guidance notes which were distributed to Edinburgh’s imams, several of whom made a point of condemning the crime in their sermons or announcements, and clarifying Islam’s stance on the issue.
While the private response from the synagogue was positive, unfortunately a rather negative comment appeared in the Jewish Telegraph from the spokesman of the Community Security Trust, which “provides physical security, training and advice for the protection of British Jews”.
Bismillah (in the name of God)
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful…
Welcome to a new blog which has existed in my mind for quite some time. My intention here is to explore and expound the principles of meaningful, effective dialogue on the subject of religion. Please see the About page for more details of the spirit of this diablog.
Since I have started in the name of God, it seems fitting to share a thought-provoking article by Dr Umar Farooq Abd-Allah:
“One God, Many Names” (PDF download)
It is a fairly brief exposition of the use of the name “Allah” to refer to the One God, and corrects a number of misconceptions that exist surrounding this.One of them is the hesitance some Muslims have to use other names in reference to Allah, such as the standard English term God (with a capital ‘g’).
More significantly, I have found many Christians (usually more among those with a keenness for evangelism) who believe that the names “God” and “Allah” have two different referents, so one of them is the true “God of the Bible” (Who of course is referred to by other terms in the Bible’s original language) and the other is a “false god” – or even, according to one particularly wild theory, the “moon god”. We often find the media manipulating this perception in the minds of the public by translating a whole speech by some fanatic or other but not translating the term used for God, Allah. We always read of extremist Muslims who “kill in the name of Allah” – this phraseology obviously being chosen to imply a particular fanaticism among those who use this term to refer to the same God, in Whose name(s) other people do kill.
It is a very crucial point that Jews, Christians and Muslims (and of course we can extend this list) worship the same God, even if their doctrines differ sharply in numerous ways. My Christian friend believes that God is a trinity, made up of Father, Son and Spirit. I point out that the only one of these Who is God is the One he is describing as “Father”, while the others are not equal persons. But more importantly, I emphasise that we may have different beliefs and descriptions of God, but that does not mean we are referring to two different entities. Both of us are saying that we worship the One Who created all things, and neither of us would admit that there is any more than One Who can be truly described as such. So our monotheism (however different its expression) leads us to the conclusion that there is One God upon Whose description we need to work to agree, in the pursuit of true belief and worship.
