Here is a track by Maher Zain that ought to be shared as widely as possible. Not only for its lyrics, but for the video. Another master piece by the very talented Lena Khan, spreading vital information about what Muhammed (may peace be upon him) was really like. For his kindness, generosity, magnanimity, consideration..he was known for his truthfulness and trustworthy-ness first. Yes, first, way before he was called to prophet-hood. Here’s another humble and sincere attempt to clear his name.
Category: Interfaith
Happy times!
Assalamu alaikum! (Peace be upon you)
Alhamdulillah after a gorgeous restful day I was enjoying some beautiful pieces of music and thought I had better share it.. as ‘sharing is caring’ right 🙂
The first is Kareem Salama’s ‘A land called paradise’.. I love the video, its so representative of the Muslim community in North America and breaks down false preconceptions so well. Isn’t it amazing what art can do and how art talks to all people, so easily overcomes barriers. I also love the lyrics, its true that there is a great deal to thank God about for the place we live in. I grew up in the east and now call Canada my home. I feel so blessed… and I want to emphasize blessed… to be here. Subhahanallah, such a beautiful place and where there is social justice (I understand there are many issues yet to be worked on, but the emphasis is on the fact that there is a method allowing us to work on them. If you want to effect change, you are given the space to do so, this is precious). Before going on too long, I was walking in the woods and felt how grateful I was to be in a country with a serious Park Board that looks after these parks. Where people actually do pick up their own litter! Very ‘Muslim’ 🙂 MashaAllah
Here is the song.. interestingly Kareem Salama is an American of Egyptian parents who sings country music! He has a gorgeous song called ‘generous peace’ (the meaning of his name) and one on Mariam (alaihi salam), Mary, may peace be upon her. One of the best of woman-kind and our beloved, who according to the Muslim belief, will be one of the first women to enter Paradise. It’s a beautiful song called ‘Lady Mary’. Easily youtube-able.
The other song is ‘out seeing the fields’ by the time-less peace of Dawud Wharnsby Ali. I sometimes think if he hadn’t become Muslim early, he’d have been the new Cat Stevens! I especially love the line in this song where he says ‘I only feel guided when I’m free to question why’
Subhahanallah! and the best way to learn is to question is it not? 🙂
Enjoy!
Rev. Deborah C. Lindsay’s sermon on Islamophobia
This is not good… I intended to write once a week and its now creeping close to two since I was last here. hmm…must do something to stop this. Don’t I recall it being said that those actions most pleasing to Allah are the consistent ones, no matter their size. Of course only good actions are included and InshaAllah these simple posts fall under that category! 🙂
And indeed it’s not hard to see the goodness manifested in this beautiful sermon delivered by Rev. Deborah Lindsay. What a joyous and wise leader. May God protect and bless her!
Click here to watch
What happened to Poetry…
It’s been a few days since I last wrote. The post Ramadan blues have hit and taken a few days to re-adjust to not having the disciplined ways that brought such closeness to the God-head. I see now the other realm of blessing in having the 6 days of fasting in Shawwal such a strong advice. Indeed, fasting again in Shawwal would remind what Ramadan was all about. And would help cement the (hopefully) newly found better habits of Ramadan.
But Alhamdulillah, today, while baking some goodies to take to work tomorrow (sharing Eid spirit..yay!) I came across this gem of a short talk by Hamza Yusuf. Talking about the place of poetry. It reminded me of the love of literature born in those long gone days of schooling when a teenager. Sitting in those classroom open to the breeze from the Indian ocean and listening to teachers from an old school, spinster teachers who dedicated their life to being ‘our second mothers’…beautiful generous souls whose piety transcended religion, who loved God, and loved humanity and served endlessly. How blessed I was to be taught by them. To have known them. I guess growing up in an island forgotten by the world (yes, even despite desperately needing assistance to end a brutal civil war) had its advantages. I may be old fashioned, but I sure do thank God for my old fashioned education! My English literature teacher, in her seventies at the time, still wearing frocks as they wore in the 40s… who used to walk about the school premises and feed the cats milk in saucers.. My English literature teacher, who taught me to be compassionate to prostitutes through a Beatle’s song, who taught me to see the love of a civilization in the music of a guitar, who taught me to love truth and be courageous in fighting falsehood.. how blessed I was to have her. Stumbling across this talk reminded me of those days, reading Shakespeare, reading the Quran slowly everyday, pondering deeply. How much poetry there is in the Quran. How much truth. Indeed it is all truth. And real poetry speaks universal truths.
The written word is magical. And so God swears by the pen, by language, by reading.. in the first revealed words. ‘Iqra’! Read!
I had many wise things to say, but rather than bore you with pithy cliches, let me just link here the fabulous talk and hope you all get to watch it. Please do.
And I’ll copy one of my favourite poems of all time too 🙂
‘I had no time to hate, because
the grave would hinder me,
And life was not so ample I,
could finish enmity.
Nor had I time to love, but since
some industry must be
The little toil of love, I thought,
Was large enough for me’
– Emily Dickinson
“If They Can Burn It, We Can Read It.” A UCC Minister’s Response to Burning the Qur’an. (via The Creative Seminole)
This is essential reading 🙂
Such a great idea and so many many thanks creativeseminole for writing this.
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