Common Word, Common Lord

In the Name of God, the Compassionate and Infinitely Merciful

The attack at the Boston Marathon is truly personal for me. I was blessed to finish the 2010 Chicago Marathon, in honor of my daughter who died from cancer the year before. I remember the sheer elation, despite being in tremendous pain, of being able to finish the race and cross the finish line in regulation. That medal is one my most prized material possessions.

Thus, whenever I see, or hear about, or read about any marathon, my heart is warm with joy. To learn that someone maimed and murdered innocent people who came out to cheer on complete strangers running a race, it has left a deep, searing hole in my heart.

Whoever is behind the attack – whether it be followers of a twisted mutation of a great revealed religion; or anti-government extremists; or bloodthirsty murderers – the result is the same: innocent life was taken in a most senseless and barbaric manner.

And so I send out my prayers to Boston: that the Precious Beloved shield this great and beautiful city (which I was blessed to visit 2 years ago) from any more vicious attacks; that the Precious Beloved send down His Undying Mercy to those victims who have suffered injury or loss from this tragedy; that He grace every single community with safety and protection from all who seek to cause harm; that He protect us from the fires of hatred, that are already burning, which led to this attack, and those fires of hatred that may rise up as a result of this attack as well.

Precious Beloved Lord our God, be with the city of Boston and her beautiful, glorious people during this dark time of pain and loss.

Precious Beloved Lord our God, be with us all as we mourn this horrific and terrible tragedy.

Although I know that I could never qualify to run a Boston Marathon, on this day, I am proud to say that I am a Boston Marathoner.

In the Name of God, the Compassionate and Infinitely Merciful

This Sunday, billions of Christians around the world will celebrate what is the most important holiday of the Christian spiritual calendar: Easter. It commemorates the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is the central theological tenet of the Christian faith. As a Muslim, I will not be participating in Easter commemorations, per se. Nevertheless, it does not mean that the day means absolutely nothing to me.

Muslims also believe in and revere Jesus Christ. Not as God or God Incarnate, but he still plays a very important theological role in Islam. Yet, more than that, as a Muslim, I can see past the differences in belief between my Christian sisters and brothers and me and focus on the overarching theme: the victory over hatred and evil. And why did he win? Because right is might.

Jesus’ preaching raised the ire of many an enemy, and they sought to silence his – according to them – “dangerous ideas” by crucifying him. Yet, Jesus was doing nothing wrong. He was following God’s will and teaching what God commanded him to do. Moreover, what he taught was not dangerous at all: it called for a greater adoration for God and the attainment of a higher spiritual level. And when his enemies raised their objections, Jesus did not stop. He continued doing what he was commanded to do, because what he was doing was right in every way.

Thus, when they sought to kill him, he ultimately won by being resurrected after death (according to Christians) or raised up before crucifixion (according to Muslims). Still, the theme is the same: right is might.

This same theme applies, in fact, to all of the Prophets’ stories, including the Prophet Muhammad. In each instance, they did what God commanded them to do, despite the ire of their enemies. And all of them, to a tee, were saved by God when their enemies tried to destroy them and their missions. It is as God has decreed:

“God has thus ordained: ‘My apostles and I shall most certainly prevail.’ Verily, God is powerful [and] almighty.” (58:21)

That is because right is might, and God is always on the side of right. So many times in this world, it seems that might is right. Yet, the story of Jesus, Moses, Muhammad, and others shows that the reality is just the opposite. And the lesson we, their followers, should learn is that we must always strive to stay on the path of what is right, as best as humanly possible. It is not always easy to do, and there are many times where we will fail in that task. But, we must try the best we can.

And when we do, I know that God will be there to help us.

A most blessed Easter to all my Christian sisters and brothers and their families.

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Infinitely Merciful

I join the rest of the world – Catholic and non-Catholic – Christian and non-Christian – in congratulating the Catholic Church on electing their new Pontiff, Pope Francis I. May the Lord our God guide him to all that is right and good in all of his actions. I congratulate my fellow Americans who are Catholic on the election of their new Pope, and I pray for them the very best.

It is quite interesting that the new Pope is a Jesuit, and that this new Pope took on the name of the head of another Catholic Order, the Franciscans. I pray that this sense of unity and tolerance permeates all communities of faith in the days, weeks, and years to come. I was honored to witness his announcement, and I was happy that a Jesuit became Pope. I attended Marquette University, a Jesuit institution, and I was amazed by how wonderful of teachers they are. I always have a soft spot in my heart for the men who take on the tremendous challenge of being members of the Society of Jesus.

As a Muslim, who worships the very same Lord our God, who venerates and honors our Master Jesus Christ, and who loves and honors his mother, I pray that this same sense of tolerance that the new Pope has shown spreads between our two faith communities. We may differ in our theologies, but we are still brothers and sisters in Adam, upon whom be peace. We may differ in how we worship, but we still – nevertheless – call upon the very same Deity as our Lord and Sustainer. We may look at Christ in very different ways, but we still both love and honor him nonetheless.

Indeed, I am not a Catholic or even a Christian, but I still would be blessed to be a member of the “Society of Jesus,” by which I mean a world society in which the principles of Jesus Christ – and all of God’s Prophets – are followed and implemented. Indeed, Christ’s principles are the very same of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and the Sermon on the Mount could have just as easily been given by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as it was by Christ (pbuh).

I pray that – with the election of a new Pope, Francis I – our two faith communities come together and work for the common good; to champion the rights of the less fortunate, as Cardinal Bergoglio was known to do; to work together to bring peace, prosperity, health, and wealth – both material and spiritual – to all of the world’s people. I echo the words of God, as revealed in the Qur’an, to the new Pope on this day of his election:

Unto every one of you have We appointed a [different] law and way of life. And if God had so willed, He could surely have made you all one single community; but [He willed it otherwise] in order to test you by means of what He has vouchsafed unto you. Compete, then, with one another in doing good works. Unto God you all must return; and then He will make you truly understand all that on which you were wont to differ (5:48).

Congratulations to all of the world’s Catholics on the election of their new Pope. God be with him, and you, and with us all. Amen.

In the Name of God, the Compassionate and Infinitely Merciful

Given that is the time of year for love, sort of, I had blogged about a particular song, “Lullabies” by singer/songwriter Yuna (a Muslim woman who wears the headscarf, by the way). I wrote about how the song reminds me of someone who wanted to “go away” with the Lord but then decided not to, only to regret the decision later.  I had concluded that:

we should never let go of the Beloved, who is truly our “First Love.” He loved us first, and one of the greatest manifestations of this Divine Love is that He gave us life when we were dead. Thus, we cannot help but love Him in return. And we must love Him first, for He loved us first. Thus, He is always our “First Love.” And we should never let Him go.

Yet, say – for whatever reason – someone does let go of his “First Love”? Say, for whatever reason, someone forsakes the path of God and takes his own? Say, for whatever reason, someone decides not to walk with God, but rather walk with someone or something else? Does God go anywhere?

Absolutely not.

The Lord always remains there, waiting patiently for the person to come back to Him. That is part of His Beauty; that is part of His Mercy; that is part of His Grace. So, even though I see that song’s narrator as lamenting the decision to forsake the Lord and His path, and as the song says:

Like lullabies you are,
Forever in my mind.
I see you in all,
The pieces in my life.
Though you weren’t mine,
you were my first love.

That doesn’t mean that you can’t come back. Yes, I said we should never let Him go in the first place. Nevertheless, for those who have – for whatever reason – they can always come back. The Lord will not go anywhere. He will always be there. His love will always endure, always be strong, always be there to comfort and soothe.

That is why He is such an Awesome God. That is why He is so worthy of worship. That is why He is so Wonderful a Master. His Name be praised for ever and ever, Amen.