On Friday February 15, 2019, the Imam of my local masjid passed away.  I had been videotaping his khutbahs for the past year or so, and I've started a Tumblr blog to share them.

Please visit:

https://imammuhammed.tumblr.com

Wasalaam,
Ashraf

The flame metaphor

More than any other religion, I think Islam indulges man's faculties for metaphor.
In our most sacred source, The Quran, God (Allah) says to his prophet,
"He it is who has bestowed upon thee from on high this divine writ, containing messages that are clear in and by themselves - and these are the essence of the divine writ - as well as others that are allegorical."

I hope this will allow me to indulge in a metaphor. I think of Islam as a flame, a flame made up of millions of tiny particles of light and flame moving upwards in one direction. Breezes may blow and draw the particles off course, but it is always regained, always upward. We souls, all move towards that one direction, yet some of us are nearer to the center hotter and brighter while others gather around the periphery seeking to gain protection from its warmth, yet unable or unwilling to dwell within the heart of it. But like particles, each individual plays a valuable role, however deep their commitment. Those who burn brightest are only able to exist, to blossom, under the protection and insulation of those who choose the fringe. Like heat and light, there is a gradual transition between true belief and great doubt, and all degrees are not only natural, but desirable. It is when the flame gains control of its direction that it burns best.

Did you know Muslims created the flash mob?

I am sure you have seen 'flash mobs' on Youtube, or in commercials, or maybe you have been lucky enough to have one suddenly break out around you.  If you haven't, or don't know what a 'flash mob' is, here is the Wikipedia entry:
Flash Mob

You can see examples of them here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwMj3PJDxuo

and here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds8ryWd5aFw&list=PLB9F4EA872CFF3908

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_2TBmI8Jws&list=PLB9F4EA872CFF3908

But really what is a flash mob? It is a group of people from varying walks of life coming together at a specific time and place to execute a specific, synchronized physical performance.  As others have said, a flash mob creates excitement, unity and gray area between the performers and the audience.  There is one such 'happening' that occurs 5 times a day, around the world, and has been happening for nearly 2000 years... Muslim prayer.

A musical recitation rings out (the call to prayer), seemingly random people drop what they are doing and converge on a pre-agreed location (the masjid), then, in perfect synchronization, they all execute a specific physical performance to a soundtrack (the imam), then at it's conclusion they all disperse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNX-aMopnJo

Fascinating.

My islam, part 2

I make certain basic assumptions-- before even approaching the Quran. First, that God does exist in some form. That the universe has both randomness and order, but the order is an order of magnitude greater than the chaos. What I mean by that is that even the most seemingly random events when viewed from a great distance take on a sense of order that is a basic principle that not only orders most human sciences, but also all of creation. When I think about the word, "Islam" I think not only about the literal meaning, submission, but also what could be meant by that, to what are we submitting? to God? to God's will? to God's laws? or to God's creation? and what are we submitting? Is it our bodies? our minds? our intentions? our possessions? The seemingly obvious answer, which is also the most widely accepted is that we are submitting our souls to God, but then that seems almost intuitive, our souls belong to God, so how could they not submit to God. It is our actions that we submit by our intentions. I try to take a more comprehensive view. What is the religion? What is God? If we accept that the Quran or other scriptures contain the word of God, thank it becomes evident that religion, as God describes it, is simply a path to return to hiim. so then, what does it mean to submit to a path? I immediately think of the Buddhist metaphor of an arrowing flying towards a target. It's path is straight and true,, as God describes the path of the righteous, and the arrow travels along it without wavering or bending, the arrow could certainly be said to be 'submitting' to its path. I think also of a river running to the sea. It pushes and pushes against obstacles to find the straightest and easiest path to the sea. It may take millions of years, but eventually, the water will wear down any obstacle and create the ideal path. And over time, the river's flow eventually becomes straighter and truer as it erodes the obstacles. I imagine myself as a stone in the river, submitting to its flow, submitting to the force that moves it irreconcilably to the goal. That movement doesn't only move the stone forward, but also pushes the stone against other stones, sometimes violently, which eventually smooths the stone, making it even smoother and rounder. Just as we are refined , defined and perfected by the obstacles in our own lives, by the people we meet and conflict with. Yet we move inexorably towards spiritual perfection.

A first step towards thinking about Islam

I cannot help but think of my faith as rationally as possible. Muslims may believe that their book, the Quran, is the word of God and a fitting first principle, but there is enough of man's hand in even that, that I cannot help but consider the even more primary gift given to us by our creator: our minds. We are, philosophy and observation tell us, a consciousness perceiving all else. All existence may well be nothing more than our imagination, but we know for sure that we exist. I think, therefore I am, as Descartes said. If this can be accepted, that our minds are our most primary given, than we must also accept that it is necessarily our greatest tool in perceiving even the divine. If you believe, as I do, before even rationalization, than you know that our minds too must be God given. Once you accept that, I can begin to make my case...