Spiritual Gems of Islam , livre ebook

Turner Publishing Company - Imam Jamal Rahman

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140 pages

English

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Refine your heart and mind with the wisdom of Islamic spirituality

"To live a meaningful life—one that brings us joy, contentment and fulfillment—we have to do the inner spiritual work of becoming a more complete human being."
—from the Introduction

Over the centuries, Islamic sages have gleaned timeless spiritual insights and practices from sacred texts, meditation and knowledge of the heart—gems that have been passed down from generation to generation. This book invites you—no matter what your practice may be—to access the treasure chest of Islamic spirituality, particularly Sufism, and use its wealth to strengthen your own journey.

The riches include guidance drawn from the Qur'an, sayings of the Prophet Muhammad and Sufi poets such as the thirteenth-century Rumi on cultivating awareness, intentionality and compassion for self and others. This book also features entertaining wisdom teaching stories, especially those of Mulla Nasruddin, Islam’s great comic foil, to expand the mind and heart. It breaks down barriers to accessing this ancient tradition for modern seekers by dispelling myths about the Muslim faith concerning gender bias, inclusivity and appreciation for diversity.

Regardless of where you are on your spiritual journey, you will find these gems worthy additions to your own treasure chest within.

Introduction ix
Opening Up to the Light
Gem 1 "This Is the Book" (Qur'an 2:2)—"Meditate
on Its Signs" (Qur'an 38:29) 3
Gem 2 “The Qur’an Is a Shy and Veiled Bride”
(Rumi) 11
Gem 3 “I Was a Secret Treasure and I Longed to
Be Known” (Hadith Qudsi) 15
Gem 4 “We Have Not Known You as We Should
Have” (Hadith) 23

Cultivating Inner Spaciousness
Gem 5 “Know Thyself and You Shall Know Thy
Lord” (Hadith) 35
Gem 6 “Die Before You Die” (Hadith) 41
Gem 7 “The Road Is Long, the Sea Is Deep”
(Fariduddin Attar) 46
Gem 8 “In the Name of God, Boundlessly
Compassionate and Infinitely Merciful”
(Qur’anic Invocation) 51
Gem 9 “We Have Made Some of You as a Trial
for Others: Will You Have Patience?”
(Qur’an 25:20) 59
Gem 10 “Ye Shall Surely Travel from Stage to Stage”
(Qur’an 84:19) 65
Gem 11 “Will You Not See? Will You Not Listen?
Will You Not Pay Attention?”
(Qur’an 54:17, 7:204) 68

Purifying and Expanding the Heart
Gem 12 “O My Lord! Open for Me My Heart!”
(Qur’an 20:25) 77
Gem 13 “Bring to God a Sound Heart”
(Qur’an 26:89) 81
Gem 14 “Who Has a Better Dye Than God?”
(Qur’an 2:138) 86
Gem 15 “Embrace Not Only the Ten Thousand Joys
of Life, But Also the Ten Thousand Sorrows”
(Traditional Saying) 94
Gem 16 “There Is Room Inside for Only One of Us”
(Rumi) 99

Remembering Your Sustainer
Gem 17 “Bow in Adoration and Draw Closer”
(Qur’an 96:19) 107
Gem 18 “Truly in the Remembrance of God Do
Hearts Find Rest” (Qur’an 13:28) 115

Doing What Is Beautiful
Gem 19 “Persevere in Doing Good: Behold! God
Loves the Doers of Good.” (Qur’an 2:195) 121
Gem 20 “Ah! What a Beautiful Fellowship!”
(Qur’an 4:69) 126
Gem 21 “Be Just; This Is Closest to Being
God-Conscious.” (Qur’an 5:8) 131
Gem 22 “Confound Not Truth with Falsehood”
(Qur’an 2:42) 138
Gem 23 “All Things Have We Created in Proportion
and Measure” (Qur’an 54:49) 141
Gem 24 “Work in the Invisible World at Least as
Hard as You Do in the Visible” (Rumi) 146
Gem 25 “Move from Knowledge of the Tongue to
Knowledge of the Heart” (Traditional Saying) 151
Gem 26 “Whoever … Believes in God Has Grasped the
Most Trustworthy Handhold” (Qur’an 2:256) 157

Walking on Spacious Paths
Gem 27 “Women Are the Twin-Halves of Men”
(Hadith) 165
Gem 28 “Come to Know Each Other” (Qur’an 49:13) 172
Gem 29 “Be Quick in the Race for Forgiveness from
Your Lord” (Qur’an 3:133) 179

Being in the Mystery
Gem 30 “Praise Be to Allah … Who Made the Angels
Messengers with Wings” (Qur’an 35:1) 187
Gem 31 “What Is This Love and Laughter?” (Hafiz) 193
Gem 32 “To God We Belong and to God We Are
Returning” (Qur’an 2:156) 199
Gem 33 “A Lovesick Nightingale among Owls” (Rumi) 203
Acknowledgments 210
Notes 212
Selected Qur’anic Passages and Hadith 216
The Most Beautiful Names of Allah: Asma al-Husna 225
Bibliography and Suggestions for Further Reading 229

Sujets

Islam

Religion

Philosophie et théologie

Sacred Writings

Koran

Informations

Publié par	Turner Publishing Company
Date de parution	01 mars 2013
Nombre de lectures	17
EAN13	9781594735271
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,1000€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Dedicated to the memory of my beloved parents, Ataur and Suraiya Rahman,who were my most treasured teachers.

CONTENTS
Introduction
OPENING UP TO THE LIGHT
GEM 1 This Is the Book (Qur an 2:2)- Meditate on Its Signs (Qur an 38:29)
GEM 2 The Qur an Is a Shy and Veiled Bride (Rumi)
GEM 3 I Was a Secret Treasure and I Longed to Be Known (Hadith Qudsi)
GEM 4 We Have Not Known You as We Should Have (Hadith)
CULTIVATING INNER SPACIOUSNESS
GEM 5 Know Thyself and You Shall Know Thy Lord (Hadith)
GEM 6 Die Before You Die (Hadith)
GEM 7 The Road Is Long, the Sea Is Deep (Fariduddin Attar)
GEM 8 In the Name of God, Boundlessly Compassionate and Infinitely Merciful (Qur anic Invocation)
GEM 9 We Have Made Some of You as a Trial for Others: Will You Have Patience? (Qur an 25:20)
GEM 10 Ye Shall Surely Travel from Stage to Stage (Qur an 84:19)
GEM 11 Will You Not See? Will You Not Listen? Will You Not Pay Attention? (Qur an 54:17, 7:204)
PURIFYING AND EXPANDING THE HEART
GEM 12 O My Lord! Open for Me My Heart! (Qur an 20:25)
GEM 13 Bring to God a Sound Heart (Qur an 26:89)
GEM 14 Who Has a Better Dye Than God? (Qur an 2:138)
GEM 15 Embrace Not Only the Ten Thousand Joys of Life, But Also the Ten Thousand Sorrows (Traditional Saying)
GEM 16 There Is Room Inside for Only One of Us (Rumi)
REMEMBERING YOUR SUSTAINER
GEM 17 Bow in Adoration and Draw Closer (Qur an 96:19)
GEM 18 Truly in the Remembrance of God Do Hearts Find Rest (Qur an 13:28)
DOING WHAT IS BEAUTIFUL
GEM 19 Persevere in Doing Good: Behold! God Loves the Doers of Good. (Qur an 2:195)
GEM 20 Ah! What a Beautiful Fellowship! (Qur an 4:69)
GEM 21 Be Just; This Is Closest to Being God-Conscious. (Qur an 5:8)
GEM 22 Confound Not Truth with Falsehood (Qur an 2:42)
GEM 23 All Things Have We Created in Proportion and Measure (Qur an 54:49)
GEM 24 Work in the Invisible World at Least as Hard as You Do in the Visible (Rumi)
GEM 25 Move from Knowledge of the Tongue to Knowledge of the Heart (Traditional Saying)
GEM 26 Whoever ... Believes in God Has Grasped the Most Trustworthy Handhold (Qur an 2:256)
WALKING ON SPACIOUS PATHS
GEM 27 Women Are the Twin-Halves of Men (Hadith)
GEM 28 Come to Know Each Other (Qur an 49:13)
GEM 29 Be Quick in the Race for Forgiveness from Your Lord (Qur an 3:133)
BEING IN THE MYSTERY
GEM 30 Praise Be to Allah ... Who Made the Angels Messengers with Wings (Qur an 35:1)
GEM 31 What Is This Love and Laughter? (Hafiz)
GEM 32 To God We Belong and to God We Are Returning (Qur an 2:156)
GEM 33 A Lovesick Nightingale among Owls (Rumi)
Acknowledgments
Notes
Selected Qur anic Passages and Hadith
The Most Beautiful Names of Allah: Asma al-Husna
Bibliography and Suggestions for Further Reading
About the Author
Copyright
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INTRODUCTION
We humans seem to have a universal need to understand and describe our sojourn on Earth. This need has given rise to many spiritual paths and countless metaphors over the millennia. Out of this boundless supply of metaphors, two favorites guide my personal journey and provide the foundation for this book.
The first is a Qur anic verse about spaciousness: God has made the Earth a wide expanse for you so that you may walk thereon on spacious paths (71:20). From my beloved parents, as well as from Islamic sages and Sufi mystics, I have learned that walking those spacious paths means walking softly and humbly on Earth, giving freely of what we love, and striving to transform an enemy into a friend. These are not the musings of a poet; they are Qur anic injunctions from God. But this prescribed outer spaciousness is impossible to accomplish unless we acquire an inner spaciousness, an inner capacity to encompass our joys, sorrows, anger, paradoxes, and bewilderment in a manner that opens our hearts to the oneness of all creation. This inner work is also a path, according to the Holy Book, and while it may ultimately be spacious, at the beginning it can be steep and difficult. Once we awaken to the reality of our higher self, our first tentative steps along the path will grow ever stronger and more certain as we engage in the lifelong process of freeing the ego from its self-attachment and surrendering to the Divinity at the core of our being.
And how shall we accomplish this lofty goal? This is the subject of my other favorite metaphor: The sages say we must polish our hearts and minds as if they were rubies in the rough. For our divine ruby light to shine from within, we must continue and never cease the work of refining all facets of our intellect and heart. If we stop polishing because we get irritated by every rub, how will we ever smooth our rough edges? 1
Tapping the Wellspring of Islamic Spirituality
No matter what metaphor we use, there is no escaping the stark truth that to live a meaningful life-one that brings us joy, contentment, and fulfillment-we have to do the inner spiritual work of becoming a more complete human being. This book is a practical guide for spiritual seekers of any religion, or none, who wish to live life with the awareness and intentionality that can come from perennial wisdom and insight. There are, of course, many spiritual paths open to sincere seekers, but closest to my heart, because it is the religion of my birth, is the wellspring of Islamic spirituality. Over the centuries, Islamic sages have gleaned timeless spiritual insights and practices from sacred texts, meditation, and knowledge of the heart. These have been passed down from generation to generation, and I invite you to use this wisdom to nurture and nourish your own spiritual path.
Regardless of where you are on your spiritual journey-whether you are already committed to it or are just beginning to think about it-this book will be helpful to you. If you are on a path that you believe is the only way to find God, you may be moved to find that countless others are seeking the same personal goal of salvation, freedom, or surrender via other steep paths and they may even have some climbing tips for you. If you are rooted in your own tradition but open to learning about the beauty and wisdom of others, you may discover insights that deepen your love of your own tradition as well as your appreciation of fellow travelers on different paths. If you are one of the many who say, I m spiritual but not religious, the metaphor of bees collecting nectar from a variety of flowers may resonate for you. And even if you are firm in agnosticism or atheism, at the very least you may find that many of the reflections and practices will nourish your being and help you become a more centered and complete individual.
Spiritual Nourishment
To God belong the most beautiful names, says the Qur an (59:24), and according to Islamic tradition, the divine names number ninety-nine. Any factor of ninety-nine is said to be graced by a mysterious sacredness. Thus, this book is a series of contemplations on thirty-three gems of Islamic spirituality: a personal choice of verses of beauty and wisdom from the Qur an, sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, and the works of Sufi poets, especially the thirteenth-century mystic Jelaluddin Rumi. Also woven into the contemplations are teaching stories, especially those of Mulla Nasruddin, Islam s great comic foil. Some include vignettes drawn from my life and work.
The outline of the thirty-three gems is as follows:
Gems 1-4 introduce us to the mysteries of the Qur an, the purpose of life, and God.
Gems 5-11 delve into the essential inner work of transforming the ego, and cultivating compassion and awareness.
Gems 12-16 continue the inner work of purifying and expanding the heart, and surrendering to divine will.
Gems 17-18 explain the spiritual practices of prayer and remembrance of God.
Gems 19-26 elaborate on the need to do what is beautiful: participate in righteous deeds, create authentic community, practice justice, maintain balance, and deepen one s faith.
Gems 27-29 encourage us to walk on spacious paths by helping us to overcome gender bias, celebrate diversity, get to know the other, and learn to forgive.
Gems 30-33 ask us to be present with the mysteries of the invisible world, death, and the afterlife.
Qur an, Hadith, and Rumi
Qur anic translations are primarily from The Meaning of the Holy Qur an , translated by Yusuf Ali. Other translations used are from The Message of the Qur an , by Muhammad Asad, and The Light of Dawn: Daily Readings from the Holy Qur an , by Camille Helminski. These books are listed in the Bibliography.
In the history of Islam, there were many scholars who collected sayings of the Prophet Muhammad ( hadith in Arabic). Hadith are the Prophet s own words, and hadith qudsi are God s words communicated to the Prophet, usually through a dream. Since all these collections are based on hearsay, it is hard to verify w