I am beginning to relax, my wounds are in the final stages of healing, feel comfortable and no longer in awe of my surroundings – this five star hotel in Medina, Medina, the place so treasured by the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) I have located my friends, brushed aside acquaintances and feet, as the expression goes. Fat and Happy. I see with a large degree of humbleness and a sense of reality – that I am a novelty for many of the staff and guest. That work came to me, decided to look it up.
Novelty has three definitions, one of which is totally inapplicable. I could never be considered a small and inexpensive toy or ornament. LOL. I could have the quality of being new, original, or unusual. The use of the word in a sentence is very amusing given my situation: The novelty of being a married woman wore off. Another definition: a new or unfamiliar thing or experience. That also describes my predicament as it denotes something to be amusing as a result of its new or unusual quality.
The origins of the word also bring clarity: late Middle English: from Old French novelte, from novel ‘new, fresh. New and fresh is a rather strange way to describe an eighty year old woman but it does have applicability
It does not take much of an imagination to discern that people might have a difficult time relating to a novelty. This I have found.
The synonyms help to explain novelty and the difficulty people may have: newness, freshness, unconventionality, unfamiliarity, unusualness, difference, imaginativeness, innovativeness, innovation, modernity, modernness, break with tradition, originality.
This is penned on Saturday, December 9, making me realize that yesterday was Friday and I have not written nor conveyed my Friday sermon. Learned yesterday from Hammad that the ‘sermon’ beamed to thousands in the Prophet’s Mosque was only in Arabic, with no English translation – which is rather unusual in his experience. Even if I would have gone to Friday prayer at the Prophet’s Mosque, it would have been totally useless listening to the sermon as I would have understood not one word HE (not SHE) was saying. Therefore my plan of making a makeshift prayer seems, quite simply. Inspired. It brings meaning to my life, it addresses the essential requirements for Friday prayer. It does not just pay ‘lip service’ to the mere form of Friday prayer.
If you have not read the Introduction found in the November 17,2023 blog and the continuation found in the November 26, 2023; you SHOULD. But you probably will not, and the good news is that it is not entirely essential for an understanding ofnwhat is about to be said,
This quotation from my November 26th blog will serve as the Introduction to the third and last chapter of the ‘sermon’
I must keep my commitments. Last week I promised to speak of my ‘make shift’ Friday prayer. The Believer begins prayer, then listens to a ‘sermon’ offered by the Imam. This is the substitute ‘sermon’ usually provided by the Imam (which for some reason is always a male, except in China and Copenhagen (more about that later). This ‘sermon’ is found in John Renard’s Ph.D. The Handy Islamic Answer Book. The title of this article : How do classic Islamic sources describe what it means to be “authentically human?” The chapter began Over a thousand years ago Abdu Said al-Kharraz (d.c.900) wrote The Book of Authenticity, one of the earliest words of Islamic pedagogy.’I urge you to go back to the November 17 blog and read the “Sermon” Introduction.
This chapter is called: What is an example of this classic spiritual mater’s “voice”m—to give a sense of how he actually communicated about such subtle themes?
Here’s an excerpt.from Kharraz, to offer a sense of his ‘pedagogical’ style.
“Now the beginning of (all) actions is sincerity. You are required to believe in God and to know, confirm, and testify that there is no god but God alone, and he has not partner, and that he is the ‘first and last, the manifest, and the concealed,” the creator, the fashioner, the shaper, the sustainer, the giver of life and death unto whom ‘matters return: that Muhammed is his servant and massager who brings truth from the Truth’ that there are truly prophets entrusted with a message and of eminent counsel; and that the Garden is reality, as are the resurrection and the rerun to God Most High, who ‘forgives whom he will and chastises whom he will.”
Kharraz sums up: “Let that be.your unswerving and unstinting conviction expressed with your tongue while your heart rests, it agreement with what you have assented to an confirmed. In that way no doubt will assail you concerning what has come to you from God on his Prophet’s tongue, may God bless him and give him peace, in all that he has mentioned from his Lord, exalted and glorified “
The last chapter: How did Kharraz deal with the problem of ‘“shame”? How can it beneficial?
Kharraz uses the framework of a “dialogue between student and mater to discuss the difficult but essential experience of ‘shame’ —that is, admission of one’s failings.
I asked: And what rouses shame: He said: Three aspects: the unceasing beneficence of God Most High toward you in spite of your lack of gratitude and your continuing sinfulness and excesses. Second, that you are aware that you will be in God’s sight, exalted and glorified, I your final dwelling (literally, the place of overturning and being buried I.e.the grave. And third, mindfulness that you will stand before God, exalted and glorified, and that he will interrogate you about the small and the great. I asked: And what redoubles his same and strengthens it? He replied: Fear of God, exalted and glorified, when the passing moment of passion descends upon the heart and the heart is terrified and desolate. For it knows that God most high sees what is in it. Thus the shame (in the presence of) God is established and if it continues in that vein, the shame increases and strengthens. I asked, And what is it that gives birth to shame? He said Anxiety that God most high will turn away from one in disgust and displeasure with one’s deeds.
Please remember when this was written – it is so timely, addressing the fundamental questions that haunt Believers to this very day. This is the beauty of the Islamic Faith, a beauty not appreciated, not acknowledged nor even known by those born in the Muslim faith. Those, whom I have variously called UpTight Muslims, Marginal Muslims, Traditional Muslims. Attempting to discover the names I had used to describe ‘traditional muslims’ I used the search engine, typed Muslims – to discover 203 blogs. One might say that I was serious about this topic. It is all rather fascinating to read the oldies, but the goodies. December 10, 2019 is most amusing and does prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that I did indeed meet the Crown Prince of Dubai (Fazza) in London in November of 2019. What makes that incredibly funny is that he is the first Arab man I ever saw, ever met. People, I know, do not believe me when I tell them that.
But you see, I do not want to suffer shame – do not want to suffer shame which is the Anxiety that God would turn away from me in disgust and displeasure with my deed. I tell the Truth, which is highly valued. Knew I had written about Truth – typed Truth, found that on February 13, 2023 I had written:(I put quotation marks around myself, not sure if that is proper.)
“Speaking of the Islamic faith is entirely different as it is a religion of truth. It values the truth. Quran 34: 48-49 Surely my Lord hurls the truth ‘against falsehood”. He is the Knower of all unseen.” Say, “The truth has come, and falsehood will vanish, never to return.” Therefore, it is abundantly clear that a retreat from the world of politics and placing one’s focus on the faith is an excellent idea”
That is absolutely brilliant, I am forced to admit. It is even more true today than it was then. The blog is, incidentally ,most amusing. Go read it! I dare you! I think I will just do what I am doing today. Think of a concept, a word or an idea. Type it in the search engine of the blog – and there you go. (There You Go is what Canadians say to absolutely everything).
Type in Islamic Faith and 413 blog entries emerge. So incredible weary am I of Traditional Muslims, when learning that I am a recent revert, attempt to inform me of the most basic and elemental precepts of the faith – like eating with the right hand instead of the left, telling me that the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) was a nice guy, or something similar. . I divined a new response..
Me: Thank You. I have made extensive studies of the Islamic Faith. Here is my blog card. Type Islamic Faith into the search engine and you shall fine 414 entries. (Please note I added one, because of today’s blog).
The photographs that accompany this blog are ones taken at the Paths to the Soul, the exhibit at the Medina Museum. I am happy to report that the exhibit has been extended, and shall be there in all of its glory until the end of January. One photo is a 17th AD century Quran from China. Another is an exquisite mosque lamp from Raqqa Syria, from the first half of the thirteenth century AD. This so-called ‘Mosque lamp’ with a globular body is long, flared neck and low folded fook is quite rare in earthenware. Then there is a photo of an agate pendant inscribed with the 99 names of God. From India 1750-51 AD. You shall also see a Lantern, from the Great Mosque of Kairouan, Tunisia dating from 1032-51 AD.
Such beautiful objects, found in the Light section of the exhibit. I quote from the Exhibit book, gifted to me on a prior visit. “Light gives life to earth and at the heart of this Creation, human beings capture another form of light, that at their innermost core, beings them knowledge, wisdom, faith. This intangible light, which is first conveyed in the spoken word, has subsequently been transposed in writing for over six thousand years. “
I intend to return to Paths to the Soul multiple times because it is so inspirational in every way. Soon I shall force myself to write of the Medina Prophet’s Mosque, My visits there have been, and will continue to be, limited. The WHY of that will be reluctantly explored. Reluctantly as I am known for my positivity, my optimism, my hope, my good-naturedness, my laughter. The existing conditions at the Medina Prophet’s Mosque bring forth none of those emotions, none of those qualities or capabilities. However, something MUST be done. Speaking in truth of the conditions is the very first step. One that it appears, must be made by me and on this blog. I dread it. An attempt at humor: It is dirty work, but somebody has to do it.
Why has two definitions which apply to the WHY of the Medina Prophet’s Mosque. 1) For what reason or purpose. 2) an exclamation expressing surprise or indignation . Both shall be explored,
