(published inside ” Progressive,reformist Muslims” N.4 on 214.000 entries as you can verify here at 2/7/16 a4 7.00 CET)
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…So how do we go on track and walk the journey of our “spiritual DNA”, which will take us
back to that uncreated Immensity which we have aban
doned when we chose to enter this physical
existence? In his book “Futuh AlGhaib – The Revela
tion in the Unseen” by GhausAlAzam Sheikh
Muhiuddin Abdul Qadir Gilani
he speaks of a roadmap that is essentially instruc
ted by our
spiritual DNA. He speaks of three stages,
Fana, Baqaand Liqa.Fana
is the total subjugation, or rather the prayerful
surrender of our whole being to Allah.
In the language of the Quran,
Fana
is referred to as
Istiqama
. If we could thrive in this, especially
when we are blessed with trials and tribulations, t
hen we could experience the state of Baqa.
Baqa
is when we operate with restraint: not sabotaging
ourselves, violating the rights of
others and disturbing a balance that Allah has crea
ted in all social forms with uncreated Love.
Instead the intoxication of
Baqa
is about operating from a space of Allah conscious
ness, no fear nor
sorrow and ultimately from a place of selfrealisat
ion and alignment with our Divine Source. This
can only but lead to the benefit of the people arou
nd you, humanity and to the rest of creation. In
this way the Quran is extremely astute on the disco
urses of sociopolitical rights (class, race, gender
etc) and even ecological issues, beyond a legal or
constitutional framework.
Liqais the final part of this journey, where belief, a
uthenticity and devotion then become
irrelevant. Instead the experience of engaging with
Allah becomes tangible. In such a condition, the
experiences of our inner wounded child, societal di
stortions and judgement becomes totally
immaterial to our existence. This all becomes a dis
traction from the one true secret of all of creation
and uncreation: just pure unadulterated Divine Love
.
So how and where do we get this spiritual map? I be
lieve that the answer lies in Sura Baqara
V238, where Allah affectionately reminds us: ”Guard
the prayers, especially the middle prayer…”. In
his book, “The Secrets of Secrets”, Sheikh
Muhiuddin Abd AlQadir AlJilani
tells us that the actualsalat
that we daily offer to Allah is the worship of the
material self. There are many movements and
actions involving different parts of our body with
the recitation of Divine Revelation involving our
senses. Hence the word ‘prayers’ in that Surah is in the plural, as prayer is the engagement of
different parts of our physical existence. But the
middle prayer is about prayer of the heart which is
ultimately where the true mosque is built. The cong
regation is our inner faculties, remembering and
meditating on the Names and the Unity of Allah. The
leader of this prayer is our irresistible wish to
align ourselves to our natural course. And finally
theQiblah
of this prayer is towards the oneness
of Allah. Rumi’schallenge to all of us then is his adage: ”Are you
just going to admire the jug or are
you actually going to drink the water?”
Here is a final argument to consider,
Salih of Qazwinonce said: ”Knock and the door will
open.” Rabi’a AlBasri
responded by saying that the door was never closed
in the first place. Rumi
beautifully closes this triangular engagement about
the lover and the Beloved when he exclaimed: ”I
knocked and the door opened, but I found that I had
been knocking from the inside.”
With respect, the title of the book: ”
Comingout and Tawheed or the unconditional love of
Diversity”,
is effectively irrelevant. So is the discrimination
of any form of rank that we engage with
almost all the time on a daily basis, sexuality and
sexual preferences included. What are ultimately
relevant are our engagement with our faith and an a
lignment with our spiritual home. No passport,
no visa, or boarding pass or luggage needed: just o
ur true naked beings!!! By virtue of our creation,
we are already reserved on that journey. All we have to do is to show, feel and act out intent.
LOUIS-GEORGE TIN – France
Most religions want a world of love, peace and sere
nity. Yet everywhere there are men who,
under the guise of religion, spread hatred, violenc
e and tumult. Most religions invite for dialogue,
harmony and justice. And yet men, everywhere, in th
e name of God, impose ban, exclusion and
brutality. Most religions invites to meditation, sh
aring and openness. Yet everywhere there are
“religious” who preach in favor of invective, of se
lfishness and rejection.
These men do not speak of God: they speak of a fict
ional character, full of energy, rage and
malice, a kind of superhuman psychopath, they have
created in their image. A character who looks
more like what they would like to be more than what
could be the divinity itself.
It is found in Islam, as elsewhere. People who know
better than Allah what Allah thinks.
People who in the name of respect for their God, in
sult the men at any time. People talking about that
we should not judge, but who condemn every day, and kill.
Gays, lesbians, bi and trans are victims of these f
anatics, of course. On the occasion of the
World Day against Homophobia and Transphobia, I can
only see, say and repeat it. And I can only
support CALEM, this confederation that unites you,
and that strengthens us.
But religions, it must be remembered, are also victims of these fanatics, who tarnish and
debase the divine message and the world of men. Vic
tims of these people who live more in the
dogma more than faith, in the certainty more than piety, in the belief more than spirituality.
You who are Muslims, you who are simultaneously hom
osexuals, you call to fight against
homophobia. You call to fight against Islamophobia,
too, that plagues Western societies. You call to
wear the colors of hope, courage and dignity. You a
re called to spread this message of peace, which
is the essence of Islam, which is also the essence
of LGBT activism.
In other words, you are called to become the prophe
ts of that time…
ARUS PELANGI – Indonésie
Islam is an important factor in the struggle for ou
r rights; Arus Pelangi does not focus in
particular on religion. Rather we focus on human ri
ghts issues. I am not Muslim myself, though my
colleagues and my life partner are. We are in conta
ct with several progressive Muslim scholars on
the issue of homosexuality and gender identity. Som
e of their writings can be found on our website.
Sometimes we invite them to speak in public discuss
ions to highlight the diversity in interpretations
of the Quran. Indonesia is often seen as a possible
shining example of how Islam and democracy can
work together. Sadly, the reality is that we are fa
r from being a gay paradise. We are living under
constant threat of attacks by hardline Muslim grou
ps, while law enforcement hardly makes any
effort to stop them. Despite the absence of crimina
l laws on homosexuality, the government has until
now refused to acknowledge the existence of LGBTIs
as a legitimate minority with the same rights as
other citizens. That is our biggest challenge.
AMINA WADUD – United States of America
“I had a retreat with queer Muslims and their allie
s. Really the sisters and brothers there put
more heart and soul into our worship together, I th
ought, this is what community is all about”.
“O mankind! Lo! We have created you male and female
, and have made nations and
tribes that ye may know one another. Lo! The nobles
t of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best
in conduct. Lo! Allah is Knower, Aware”.
Islam,
in Arabic means
to be at peace
. It is a grammatical form that implies a process
of being under an
inprogress evolution,
which is theoretically based on the knowledge of
the self, the knowledge of others and the proactive
respect for diversity. Thus, we ask, how
can the knowledge of Islam, especially the represen
tation that “new Islamic theologies” are
trying to develop, help combat homophobia, lesbophobia, biphobia and
transphobia
peacefully? How can knowledge of the
Islamic theology of liberation
, and in particular the
contribution of LGBT and feminist intellectuals or
activists in this field, add value to human
consciousness? In a word, how can the Islamic
Tawheed
doctrine enable individuals
belonging
de facto
to a sexual minority to live better and empower th
emselves?
Tawheed
must be understood as the apex of a humanity able
to transcend
differences; even more, to make it the basis of our
human consciousness. According to the
Qur’anic verse quoted at the opening of this book,
the diversity of human cultures is the
fertile ground in which our human consciousness is
rooted; a human consciousness that is
based on knowledge of the self and others that make
s us, always according to the Qur’an,
beings more valorous than angels of light.
Consciousness of Tawheed, the remedy against the ax
iological dysphoria?
It is said in the Qur’an: “And when thy Lord said u
nto the angels: Lo! I am about to
place a viceroy in the earth, they said: wilt Thou
place therein one who will do harm therein
and will shed blood, while we, we hymn Thy praise a
nd sanctify Thee? He said: Surely I
know that which ye know not. He taught Adam all the
names, then showed them to the
angels, saying: Inform me of the names of these, if
ye are truthful. They said: Be glorified!
We have no knowledge saving that which Thou hast ta
ught us. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the
Knower, the Wise.
And when We said unto the angels: Prostrate yoursel
ves before Adam,
they fell prostrate, all save
Iblis.
He demurred through pride, and so became a disbeli
ever”
Only the Devil the most destructive of our humani
ty, “the momentum of death” refused to
recognize the universality of God’s gift to humanit
y. What argument
Iblis
the “devil” then
used to not kneel before the Divine breath contente
d in each parcel of human
consciousness?
Iblis
, according to the Qur’an, said: “I am better than
him. Thou createdst me
of fire, whilst him Thou didst create of clay”
. The devil used the argument of
nature, that
Adam is made of clay the momentum of life and t
he devil himself, who feels better by
nature, is made of fire the momentum of destructi
on, a symbol also of regeneration among
Zoroastrians, in Japanese philosophy, and for Middl
e Age Christians. One element, however,
is complementary to the other; no socalled human “
nature” shall be considered better than
another. ….
(to be continued on 9/11)
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