Discovering Islam

The Subject Tonight is Love

by Hafiz (a Sufi poet) translated by Daniel Ladinsky

We are the guardians of His Beauty
We are the protectors
of the Sun.
There is only one reason
We have followed God into this world:
To encourage laughter, freedom, dance
And love.
Let a noble cry inside of you speak to me
saying,
"Hafiz,
Don' just sit there on the moon tonight
Doing nothing--
Help unfurl my heart into the Friend's Mind,
Help, Old Man, to heal my wounded wings!"
We are companions of His Beauty
We are guardians
of Truth.
Every man, plant, and creature in Existence,
Every woman, child, vein and note
Is a servant of our Beloved--
A harbinger of joy,
The harbinger of
Light.

Before this class, I was ignorant about the origins of Islam. Recognizing the Prophet Muhammad and the holy city of Mecca was the extent of my knowledge. For the first time since reading about the history of Jerusalem, I felt hopeful about peaceful coexistence between the monotheistic religions. Islam is the only religion to appear in Jerusalem and be tolerant of other faiths. Like Judaism and Christianity, Islam teaches compassion, kindness, and caring for the poor. In its early history, Islam was more successful in putting these values into practice. Muslims considered themselves as well as Jews and Christians to be children of Abraham. Instead of dwelling upon differences, they unified themselves with the other monotheistic faiths. The teachings of Muhammad did not undermine the teachings of Moses, Jesus, or any of the other previous prophets (221). Unlike other religions, Muslims practiced the principles of their faith. When 'Umar conquered Jerusalem, he didn't kill Christians, raze their sacred spaces to rubble, or expel them from the city. 'Umar peacefully and bloodlessly conquered this holy city. Armstrong writes, "If a respect for the previous occupants of the city is a sign of the integrity of a monotheistic power, Islam began its long tenure in Jerusalem very well indeed"(228). Reading this chapter about the origins of Islam felt refreshing. After reading about so much death and destruction, I felt a renewed sense of hope for the city of Jerusalem. Of course this hope was short lived as intolerance began to grow.
Instead of separating holy from unholy or clean from unclean, Islam purports that everything is holy, "Everything was holy and had to be made to realize its sacred potential. All space, therefore, was sacred and no one location was holier than another"(221). Muslims also believed that because everything came from God, everything was good(221). These beliefs made Muslims embrace the other monotheistic religions. Instead of separating the sacred, everything was sacred. This belief informed the architecture of their places for worship. Instead of separating mosques from their surroundings, Muslims incorporated elements from nature like trees. The Prophet Muhammad said, "'Revile not the world for the world is God;"(226). I connected with this teaching. My sacred spaces are outdoors where I can connect with nature.