On Nov. 13, 2012, people around the world will celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights. Although the holiday is mainly observed by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs, I believe that Muslims can also experience personal growth during Diwali by reflecting on its spiritual significance. Light is Diwali's central symbol, and Muslims can therefore open new channels of interfaith dialogue by examining the importance of light within Islam.
In Islam light can be a mark of God's presence. One of Allah's 99 Beautiful Names is An-Nur, meaning "The Light," and many prophets such as Musa (PBUH) and Muhammad (PBUH) reported seeing blinding lights while communicating with Allah. Light also symbolizes goodness; the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) reported that the angels, wholly good beings created by God for a multitude of purposes (including cataloging mankind's deeds and asking Allah to bless the virtuous, among others) are made from light. Finally, light represents Allah's gifts of divine guidance and human intellect to all people, not just Muslims. Indeed, the Quran specifically mentions that the Jewish and Christian scriptures were each "a light and guidance" unto the people (Quran 5:44-46), and that every community in world history received messengers who provided "clear [guiding] light" and "convincing proof" encouraging them to serve God and forbid evil (Quran 4:174 and 16:36).
Islam's conceptions of light are by no means unique; many other religions have similar constructions of light representing God's presence, goodness, or Divine revelation. So how is Diwali relevant to Muslim spiritual growth? The answer lies in one of the most enigmatic mentions of light in the Quran which involves a surprising parallel to Diwali practices.
Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word deepavali, which means "row of lamps," and one of the festival's signature events involves the lighting of many small lamps to signify the triumph of good (represented by light) over evil (represented by darkness). The mystical Quranic verse known as Ayat-an-Nur (the verse of light) explains the light of God through an extended metaphor about the lighting of a lamp. The verse can be translated as:
"Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is a niche wherein is a lamp -- the lamp is in a glass, the glass as it were a glittering star -- lit from a blessed olive tree, neither eastern nor western, whose oil almost lights up, though fire should not touch it. Light upon light! Allah guides to His Light whomever He wishes. Allah draws parables for mankind, and Allah has knowledge of all things." (Quran 24:35)
Quran scholars have debated the meaning of this verse since the time of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The multitude of symbols -- the window, the lamp, the glass, the star, the tree, the oil -- allow for a plethora of interpretations of the extended metaphor. Interestingly, one of the only areas of consensus is that the lamp imagery is a reference to the practices of other faith traditions (Bowering 2001). Although the verse's meaning is elusive, it describes a picture that is possible to visualize. If one has ever experienced Diwali, it's even possible that the picture of a shining lamp in one's mind's eye based on this verse would look similar to the festival's celebration!
In my opinion, this could mean that Allah enjoins Muslims to see God's light in all things, including the possibility of gaining knowledge from other religions. The olive tree is usually a symbol of peace, and its description as "neither eastern nor western" implies that peace is a universal goal for all of mankind. Every time Muslims use God's gift of reason to increase our own understanding of truth, we are casting out the darkness of ignorance in favor of the light of knowledge. Also, every time we use existing knowledge as a foundation for increased learning and contemplation, we can compound "light upon light." We may already understand our own faith, but as long as we have hearts that contain "a lamp" -- a burning passion for more knowledge -- we should strive to gather knowledge from anywhere, including from other religious traditions.
For Muslims, Diwali can be a time to reflect on complex spiritual and theological questions. We should view the festival not only as a chance to learn more about Islam, but also as an opportunity to deepen our understanding of other faiths' practices and religious imagery. The common symbolism of light is therefore an excellent platform for interfaith dialogue and deep philosophical discussion.
The darks of ignorance, bigotry, and religious intolerance may be present in our society, so it is our duty to counter these with the lights of truth, reason, and inter-religious understanding. The Quran also states, "Virtue and evil are not equal. If you repel evil deeds with virtuous ones, you will certainly find that your enemies will become your intimate friends." (Quran 41:34). As we build positive relationships with one another through celebrations like Diwali, we can also continue to repel evil by making light upon light.
Works Cited
Bowering, Gerhard. "The Light Verse: Qur'anic Text and Sufi Interpretation." Oriens. 36. (2001): 113-144 (accessed November 8, 2012).
Happy Diwali! How are you celebrating Diwali this year? Share your story with us. Email your photos and reflections to us at religion@huffingtonpost.com. Text submissions should be 300-400 words in length. We will accept them until Nov. 15, 2012. Check out our Diwali liveblog.
Allah's rants came to him when he was
about to have a seizure.
it's a playbook for getting what you want through
violence and terror ... it goads not only soldiers
but all followers to join the holy war against the
rest of the world ...
what about the non-violent passages in the koran
that call for mercy, charity, forgiveness, treating
others as you would like to be treated, and so on ...
for one thing there is not a word in them that the
world previously did not know ... islam has nothing
positive to offer ... those be-good do-good verses
were put in there by the scribes not with intent of
asking muslims to practice them but to give islam
the veneer, the facade that it is some kind of religion ...
11/12/2012
Malik’s Muwatta’ (Book #41, Hadith #41.1.5)
Malik related to me from Yaqub ibn Zayd ibn Talha from his father Zayd ibn Talha that Abdullah ibn Abi Mulayka informed him that a woman came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bles him and grant him peace, and informed him that she had committed adultery and was pregnant. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to her, “Go away until you give birth.” When she had given birth, she came to him. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to her, “Go away until you have suckled and weaned the baby.” When she had weaned the baby, she came to him. He said, “Go and entrust the baby to someone.” She entrusted the baby to someone and then came to him. He gave the order and she was stoned.
Short URL: http://www.faithfreedom.org/?p=44016
not read and write as his Messenger. A learned man
would have rejected Allah's revelations as insane.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
No evidence of that in the Koran.
There are more. Learn before you post something you have no knowledge of. May GOD guide you.
And then he says more! Cannot keep himself from posting more hatred.
The highest book of the hindus is Geeta. It begins by describing two armies facing each other ready to fight. The head of one of the armies, Arjun, begins to loose his conviction. “There are friends and relatives on the other side”, he says. “How can I kill them”.
God in human form, Krishna, convinces him that he must fight, and that the second thoughts Arjun was entertaining are from the devil.
Perhaps more needs to be read than said.
“Right” and “Wrong” have always existed regardless of the name each took for itself. Groups will line up on both sides to fight the other. One of the weapons used in the struggle is dehumanizing the other.
Wars are not extinct. Nowadays, they are waged for the sake of democracy, or to find WMDs, or oil.
Islam started as a religion … then others changed the definition of the word, ‘religion’.
Islam stayed what it was, even at the risk of being called ‘not a religion’. It is the only religion that has stayed the same.
Its basic message: all religions used to believe in what Islam believes. Others have now moved away from what they used to be.
Let me finish that: "Its basic message is that all religions used to believe what Islam believes. It is therefore necessary that Muslims fight against all other groups until they also believe what Islam believes. If they refuse to believe what Islam believes, they're to be subjugated or murdered. Muslims are to do this until 'Islam prevails over all religions".
What is shocking to me is that your interpretation of the ayat al nur is based on the work of Gerhard Bowering. You ignore the volumes of work and analysis that islamic scholars have done and instead rely on the work of a Jesuit priest. No offense meant, but if you wanted to learn mathematics, would you consult a history scholar? This is the tragedy of the modern 'interfaith activist.' You strike me as a good person with good intentions and really poor knowledge.
Just to add, your interpretation of the ayat al nur goes against every scholarly work and tafsir that discusses the merits of this verse. If you're interested in understanding the Qur'an, pick up an authentic tafsir. The theory that Allah wanted us to learn from other religions is so fantastic and wrong that I can only hope that you first understand Islam and the work of scholars before us, before you engage in inter-faith dialogue. Islam has made it clear that Allah perfect the faith for us through the Qur'an and the life of our prophet.
I know you're an interfaith activist, so more power to you. However, interfaith attempts should not end up diluting your own faith. And that's precisely what you've done. If there was one thing that the Qur'an emphasizes over and over again, it is the evil of shirk. For every mystical verse (you quote the glorious ayah of al-nur) you obfuscate yourself with, there are clear injunctions against shirk and idolatry.
As a muslim, I have several Hindu friends and will continue to do so. I am not a bigot and I don't hate hindus, but I cannot and will not accept idolatry and shirk as something that muslims can "learn from."
So yes, I hope all my Hindu brothers and sisters have a prosperous Diwali and enjoy it with their families. But let them also know that Islam doesn't condone Diwali.
Joseph Campbell: "You know the nature of exclusive religion, don't you?... "You worship God your way and I'll worship him in His."
First of all, happy Diwali or Deepavali to you and your family.
I'm not saying Hindus shouldn't celebrate Diwali. On the contrary, I'm saying that Islam does not accept idol worship or the worship of demi gods such as Rama or Krishna, which is what celebrating Diwali is about. Yes, there is an 'inner light' aspect to it, but you know as well I do that Diwali doesn't mean that to 99% of the people who celebrate it.
Secondly, worship as you please. But don't always expect others to accept your ways of worship. You may think that idol worship is ok, but I don't. And rather than make up some obfuscating mumbo jumbo just so we can be friends, lets understand that sometimes friends disagree.
allah and mo are lightweights ...
"It is stated in the third line of Bereishit (Genesis) 'And God said let there be light and there was light.'" Reb Nosson replied, "Such an important verse why was it only the third one and not placed at the beginning?" Reb Chiyah interjected, "But before the beginning there was only light and darkness had to enter for there to be creation." "And so it is the occultation of this light that provides this foundation for existence," replied the Chacham of Illyria. "Not so!," countered Reb Ariel. "That light shines through the darkness. It takes one to open his eyes and see it."
Thank you for your blog. Even one such as myself, an outsider who has yet to set foot in the places where Diwali is celebrated can appreciate the significance of light in all of its symbolism.
they are both exposed by brave hindu women
http://mercyandmessiah.blogspot.ca/2012/11/through-eyes-of-children.html
"Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians -- whoever believes in God and the Last Day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord. And there will be no fear for them, nor shall they grieve" (2:62, 5:69, and many other verses).
"...and nearest among them in love to the believers will you find those who say, 'We are Christians,' because amongst these are men devoted to learning and men who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant" (5:82).
"O you who believe! Be helpers of God -- as Jesus the son of Mary said to the Disciples, 'Who will be my helpers in (the work of) God?' Said the disciples, 'We are God's helpers!' Then a portion of the Children of Israel believed, and a portion disbelieved. But We gave power to those who believed, against their enemies, and they became the ones that prevailed" (61:14).
Muhammad himself is protected by a Christian king in Ethiopia early in his ministry
In the case of today somone like sheik Jawdat Said would argue that today many Empires worship military might:
"Weapons are now the means by which the wicked control the ignorant. Believing in arms and force, and seeing this as the only path, is our own modern idolatry. It is a new polytheism, which renders all our good works obsolete. In all our diverse traditions, schools and juristic ways we let go of reason when we decided to let go of freedom of belief and sanctioned the killing of apostates."
Valmiki then composed the Ramayana, where Rama preferred to undergo hardship rather than act against ethics and duty. As part of the story, Rama, his wife Sita and his brother Lakshman are exiled into the forest for 14 years, undergo many trials, emerge intact with their virtuous qualities in defeating the tyrant Ravana, who had been making countless lives difficult due to his degenerate desires and abuse of holy power.
At the end of the 14 years, there is the return to the kingdom of Ayodhya, and the city is decked out in lights as a welcome. This is Diwali. To this day, this story is played out, listened to, acted out, danced on stage, and India becomes decorated in lights in hopes of welcoming Rama once again, those virtues which can save the world.
Ramayana... all 78 episodes which aired on Indian TV in the late 80s... http://www.bharatmovies.com/tv/ramayan/ramanand-sagar-ramayan-watch-online.htm
myths are mthys
----------------------------------------------------
you think allah mo and the mullahs of islam understand any of your philosophical stuff? ..