Post by thracian08 on Nov 23, 2010 14:18:49 GMT -5
Dialogue and understanding: Lessons from Islam’s Prophet during hajj
I have spent the past 10 days in the Muslim holy sites of Mecca and Medina completing the hajj, a pilgrimage performed by close to 3 million Muslims each year from all over the world, representing a diversity of ethnicities, colors and nationalities.
In addition to self-reflection, one feels quite overwhelmed in following the steps of the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (peace be upon him). In the middle of the Arabian Desert you are considerably exposed to the richness of multiculturalism and multi-ethnicity as part of a larger Muslim community transcending national boundaries and continental distances.
For many who have never travelled abroad and have lived most of their lives in local communities, this journey provides a crash course squeezed into a few days during which Muslims discover common themes as well as differences, and they also share unity in one common goal in these holy lands, which is ultimately to please God by replicating the acts of his messenger, Muhammad.
Here the rules are quite simple and apply to everybody no matter where you are from, what the color of your skin is or what position you hold. You are not to harm anyone in the sacred lands and you have to be respectful of everyone. You are not allowed to lose your temper or use foul language. Everybody dresses in two-piece plain white sheets, leaving behind all worldly possessions and positions. You feel secure and safe among millions descending in a small stretch of land in the holy city of Mecca.
Not quite similar, but I recall a familiar experience back in my graduate years at Columbia University in New York. The university is located on 116th Street and is very close to Harlem, a predominantly African-American neighborhood. I had been fed all kinds of horror stories in those days and warned repeatedly to stay clear of back alleys. I’m sure some of those concerns may have been well founded. But here is the “but”: Just like any practicing Christian wanting to attend Sunday mass, I wanted to attend Friday prayers in a real mosque attended by people from the local community. The common hall temporarily assigned by the university at the request of the Muslim Students Association was a makeshift space for Friday prayers and just did not cut it for me. I found out that one of the closest mosques was located on the other side of Morningside Park. The Malcolm Shabazz Mosque on West 116th Street was quite a walking distance and was mostly attended by African-Americans. However, I never felt out of sync with the attendees of that mosque and was never treated differently despite my ethnicity.
Interestingly enough, Malcolm X, who preached at this mosque until his assassination in 1965, unfortunately did not feel the same in the place of his birth. Instead he found solace and understanding when he made the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina. Malcolm X, who experienced the hajj just one year before he was gunned down, noted: “There were tens of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world. They were of all colors, from blue-eyed blonds to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same rituals, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe never could exist between the white and non-white.”
I think that if you believe there is a higher authority out there watching and recording everything for Judgment Day, then your actions and reactions will be adjusted accordingly. I am Circassian in ethnicity and Turkish in national identity, my family migrated from the Caucasian mountains many generations ago. I had no choice in my skin color, roots and birthplace, so I have no authority to claim superiority over any other race or color nor should I feel inferior to any.
Seeing how today’s world is still struggling to cope with diversity and multiculturalism, one might understand that the hajj is established as one of the most important of the five pillars of Islam. This once-in-a-lifetime obligation for all capable Muslims is certainly a life-changing experience for everybody who participates in the hajj journey. You can see plainly and clearly why the Prophet Muhammad wanted to deliver his last important message on the plains of Arafat during his farewell hajj on the outskirts of Mecca.
We are still trying to put into practice today his words echoing from 1,400 years ago representing international values and universal rights. He said, “All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action.” The Prophet Muhammad not only preached these words but also put them into practice in a state that he built in an amazingly short period of time.
It is very unfortunate that many of these values are not being implemented today in countries where the majority of the population is Muslim, even where the state ideology claims to subscribe to Islam. In sharp contrast, however, you can find good examples of countries, whose populations mostly subscribe to other religions, complying much better with some of the values voiced by the Prophet of Islam many centuries ago.
Preaching is something, but walking the distance is something else. The hajj reminds us all of these forgotten values taught by Islam’s Prophet 14 centuries ago. They are valid today more than ever and needed much more in this distressed, sad state of world affairs.
2010-11-23
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have spent the past 10 days in the Muslim holy sites of Mecca and Medina completing the hajj, a pilgrimage performed by close to 3 million Muslims each year from all over the world, representing a diversity of ethnicities, colors and nationalities.
In addition to self-reflection, one feels quite overwhelmed in following the steps of the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (peace be upon him). In the middle of the Arabian Desert you are considerably exposed to the richness of multiculturalism and multi-ethnicity as part of a larger Muslim community transcending national boundaries and continental distances.
For many who have never travelled abroad and have lived most of their lives in local communities, this journey provides a crash course squeezed into a few days during which Muslims discover common themes as well as differences, and they also share unity in one common goal in these holy lands, which is ultimately to please God by replicating the acts of his messenger, Muhammad.
Here the rules are quite simple and apply to everybody no matter where you are from, what the color of your skin is or what position you hold. You are not to harm anyone in the sacred lands and you have to be respectful of everyone. You are not allowed to lose your temper or use foul language. Everybody dresses in two-piece plain white sheets, leaving behind all worldly possessions and positions. You feel secure and safe among millions descending in a small stretch of land in the holy city of Mecca.
Not quite similar, but I recall a familiar experience back in my graduate years at Columbia University in New York. The university is located on 116th Street and is very close to Harlem, a predominantly African-American neighborhood. I had been fed all kinds of horror stories in those days and warned repeatedly to stay clear of back alleys. I’m sure some of those concerns may have been well founded. But here is the “but”: Just like any practicing Christian wanting to attend Sunday mass, I wanted to attend Friday prayers in a real mosque attended by people from the local community. The common hall temporarily assigned by the university at the request of the Muslim Students Association was a makeshift space for Friday prayers and just did not cut it for me. I found out that one of the closest mosques was located on the other side of Morningside Park. The Malcolm Shabazz Mosque on West 116th Street was quite a walking distance and was mostly attended by African-Americans. However, I never felt out of sync with the attendees of that mosque and was never treated differently despite my ethnicity.
Interestingly enough, Malcolm X, who preached at this mosque until his assassination in 1965, unfortunately did not feel the same in the place of his birth. Instead he found solace and understanding when he made the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina. Malcolm X, who experienced the hajj just one year before he was gunned down, noted: “There were tens of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world. They were of all colors, from blue-eyed blonds to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same rituals, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe never could exist between the white and non-white.”
I think that if you believe there is a higher authority out there watching and recording everything for Judgment Day, then your actions and reactions will be adjusted accordingly. I am Circassian in ethnicity and Turkish in national identity, my family migrated from the Caucasian mountains many generations ago. I had no choice in my skin color, roots and birthplace, so I have no authority to claim superiority over any other race or color nor should I feel inferior to any.
Seeing how today’s world is still struggling to cope with diversity and multiculturalism, one might understand that the hajj is established as one of the most important of the five pillars of Islam. This once-in-a-lifetime obligation for all capable Muslims is certainly a life-changing experience for everybody who participates in the hajj journey. You can see plainly and clearly why the Prophet Muhammad wanted to deliver his last important message on the plains of Arafat during his farewell hajj on the outskirts of Mecca.
We are still trying to put into practice today his words echoing from 1,400 years ago representing international values and universal rights. He said, “All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action.” The Prophet Muhammad not only preached these words but also put them into practice in a state that he built in an amazingly short period of time.
It is very unfortunate that many of these values are not being implemented today in countries where the majority of the population is Muslim, even where the state ideology claims to subscribe to Islam. In sharp contrast, however, you can find good examples of countries, whose populations mostly subscribe to other religions, complying much better with some of the values voiced by the Prophet of Islam many centuries ago.
Preaching is something, but walking the distance is something else. The hajj reminds us all of these forgotten values taught by Islam’s Prophet 14 centuries ago. They are valid today more than ever and needed much more in this distressed, sad state of world affairs.
2010-11-23
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------