A friend of mine — possibly beyond crisis-of-faith mode and now savouring full-blown rejection — regularly sends me videos featuring the idiocy of presumed scholars, past and present, as they mangle religion and make a mockery of it with absolute sincerity and conviction. His contention, I think, is that their lunacy is proof of the degeneracy of our faith as a whole. In sending me these videos, my friend hopes that I will join him in his rejection, embracing disbelief again, liberating myself from the yoke which he imagines constrains me, as he believes it constrained him. Continue reading “In search of truth”
Category: Faith
Learn and act
Sad that being active in attending lectures has become a measure of religiosity. Seek knowledge, yes, good, wonderful. But more importantly: make good use of the beneficial knowledge you have accumulated.
From this day forth
I wish I had lived my life righteously. I wish I had resisted the calls of my soul, instead of succumbing to them. Day and night, my mistakes haunt me. If I could turn back time, I tell myself, I would do it all differently, though of course I know that is not true.
The only consolation is that I’m not dead yet. So from this day forth, I tell myself, I will try to live a better life. I will try to make amends, and try even harder to reform myself. A promise I have made so many times in the past, only to fail. So, yes, no doubt I will be weeping the same laments in another month, year and decade. But for now: from this day forth…
Forests
It sometimes seems to me that we frequently miss the wood for the trees. Continue reading “Forests”
Pride (in the name of love)
Witness the growing chasm between the learned and the commoner. With puffed up pride the former addresses the latter thus: “I am, I am, I am.” Continue reading “Pride (in the name of love)”
Remove harm
By nature, the human being is ignorant, unjust and lazy. We have to really struggle and actively strive not to be unjust to people. If we are constantly on guard and are prepared to correct ourselves, we may be able to transcend our natural state, but it is hard. Part of this is checking the information we have. Always start with a question, for a good question is half of knowledge. Even angels ask, as the saying goes. Continue reading “Remove harm”
One God
Were it not for the question of monotheism, I might well have ended up a Quaker or a Methodist. Had I been seeking an identity, it’s likely I would have chosen a home closer to my character. I might find myself part of a different kind of community: unaggressive, softer, calmer, more progressive, socially constructive. I think about this quite a lot these days. Continue reading “One God”
Living faith
To live a life, holding no malice. These are the sentiments that occur to me, wandering back home from an old man’s janazah (funeral).
He was a good man, always smiling, always friendly. Rarely did he miss a prayer in the mosque. He would be there at fajr, watching the sun rise on his way home with friends. He would be there again at isha, as night fell. To all who knew him, he was a breath of fresh air. Even to the doctors that treated his cancer in his last days stood in awe of his serenity and optimism in the face of pain. He died content, prepared for death, confident that he had wronged no one.
As I wander home these thoughts occur to me: if only I could live a life like that. To live a life holding no malice towards anyone, friend or foe, and to return to my Lord in peace, having done no harm to anyone.
Public opinion
It is not due to envy that I caution today’s sheikhs and public intellectuals about their vast followings online. Some have tens of thousands, others have hundreds of thousands, still others have millions. And maybe that is a good thing: there may indeed be baraka in those followings and great benefit for the masses. Continue reading “Public opinion”
Dissipation
My thought for the day on 7 December 2015:
The delusional smug arrogance of the newly religious dissipates once apologetics have been tested and propaganda unveiled.
