The world's Muslim believers and the Jewish people have significant aspects common to their traditions -- notwithstanding the persistence of conflict in the Middle East. Jews and Arabs both trace their lineage to the monotheistic prophet Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic). Jews affirm their descent from Isaac, the son of Abraham and his wife Sarah, and Arabs from Ishmael (Ismail), the child of Abraham's Egyptian slave Hagar.
The posterity of Ismail extends, through affiliation with Islam, to many other ethnicities aside from the Arabs, across the globe. Yet, the Quran, the sacred text of Islam, repeatedly praises Moses (Musa), and Muslims, like Jews, believe that Moses alone, among the prophets, spoke directly to God. In addition, Jews and Muslims both circumcise their male offspring, the former at birth and the latter at or approaching puberty. And finally, the two religions share some dietary and other restrictions, such as a ban on consumption of pork.
Muslims and Jews further possess mystical customs -- Islamic Sufism and Jewish Kabbalah -- that are so close to one another that the presumption of mutual influence is inescapable. Yet the transmission of these spiritual doctrines and practices between them is still historically mysterious. At certain points, there is evidence for direct influence of Sufism on Jewish spirituality. Elsewhere, the path between the two is challenging to discern.
Sufism and Kabbalah alike fall into two general streams: the "theosophical," concerned with explaining the mystical content of the universe and humanity's relationship to God's creation, and the "ecstatic." Both Sufis and Kabbalists ascribe an external and a hidden meaning to their scriptures. But for the "theosophical" mystic, Muslim or Jewish, the mind is concentrated on performance of religious commandments according to their supernatural understanding. By contrast, the "ecstatic" seeks more than a refinement of the soul, and intimacy with God.
A leading Jewish author influenced by Sufism, Bahya ibn Pakuda, served as a Hebraic jurist in the Spanish city of Zaragoza during its Islamic period, before its reconquest by the Christians. Toward the end of the 11th century, he wrote a classic of Jewish ethics that is widely read today, "The Book of the Direction of the Duties of the Heart." Originally composed in Arabic, the common Jewish language in the period the great historian of Islam Bernard Lewis has called "the Judeo-Islamic" era, Bahya's work drew extensively on the writings of the early Arab Sufis, such as Dhunnun of Cairo, who died c.859. Bahya shared with the Sufis the belief that adherence to religious law would not, alone, secure the perfection of the soul, but that the believer must commit to God in the heart. He was not, however, an ecstatic -- he believed in loving God from a respectful distance.
The means employed by the ecstatic Sufis and ecstatic Kabbalists are often identical: absorption in repetition of the Names of God, accompanied by music and physical exertions. The Israeli scholar Moshe Idel, in his 1988 volume "The Mystical Experience in Abraham Abulafia," analyzed the biography of a Kabbalist born in Zaragoza in 1240, after it had been retaken by the Christians. Abulafia travelled through the Muslim and Eastern Christian countries before returning to Barcelona, where he began his Kabbalistic studies. His encounter with Kabbalah stimulated him to new and original ways of studying Jewish law that brought condemnation from the Jewish authorities of his time, although he was later acclaimed as a Jewish thinker.
Abulafia's methods for attaining ecstatic union with the divine had parallels in Sufism, Eastern Orthodox Christianity and yoga. These included reciting the names of God in combination with "a complex technique involving such components as breathing, singing, and movements of the head, which have nothing whatsoever to do with the traditional commandments of Judaism," in Idel's words.
Yet these procedures are widely known in Sufism. Idel notes one element in Abulafia's ecstatic Kabbalah -- a requirement for pronunciation of the divine names while breathing out, rather than taking in air -- and finds a parallel between this and Sufi discipline. In another of his works, "Studies in Ecstatic Kabbalah," Idel wrote on "the hypothesis that Jewish-Sufic tradition existed in the East, and likely also in Palestine." Abulafia's ecstatic Kabbalah, according to Idel, fused with "an unbroken chain of [Jewish] authors ... who developed a mystical trend under Sufic inspiration." This trend was "transmitted" from East to West in "a fascinating 'migration' of Kabbalistic theory." The ecstatic Kabbalah that originated in Barcelona came back to Christian-ruled Spain enriched by its encounter with Sufism. Idel concludes, "Palestine made a great contribution" to Kabbalah. "This contribution, ironically, was nurtured by Muslim mysticism."
So far Muslims have been less fortunate than Jews in that Sufis continue to be subjected to violent attack by Muslim fundamentalists, while Kabbalah has been assimilated into Orthodox Jewish observance. The religious consciousness shared in dialogue between the Muslim Sufis and the Jewish Kabbalists provides a positive example for the believers in each of the two religions today. We need not idealize this relationship; it may not solve the political problems of Israel and the contemporary Palestinian Arabs. But the links between Islamic Sufism and Jewish Kabbalah deserve to be studied and celebrated, and efforts should be made to resolve the enigmatic history of their parallel and common pathways. Jewish scholars have pioneered in fulfillment of this task; it is time for Muslim scholars to emulate them, from the other direction.
Velveteen Rabbi: Sufism: beyond the veil
The Last Jewish Sufi: The Life and Writings of Ariel Bension [1880 ...
Kabbalah - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The problem with the idea that "everyone is the same" is that it leads people to assume that everyone will respond the same way in similar situations. For example: the Japanese and the Germans thrived after they were conquered after WWII, therefore the Iraqis will, too.
The Monastic prayer and rhythm of Thomas Merton had such strong parallels with Buddhist monastic tradition that he and the Dalai lama became very close friends shortly before Merton's tragic death.
I'd recommend Seven Storey Mountain by Merton to anyone wishing to look into this world. But perhaps above all else comes Julian of Norwich's Cloud of Unknowing; a life-changing book still a best-seller several centuries after it was written. What binds all mystic prayer in the monotheistic traditions is the putting aside of internal dialogue and simply lifting the mind and soul to the still presence of God. Like Moses on the mountain, we find there that God is not in the fire nor the storm but in the whisper hanging on the breeze; in that quiet hush within us all.
It is, of course, the source of wisdom.
What binds us is far stronger than what separates us.
Pax vobiscum in aeternam.
From a jewish disciple of Jesus Christ, the Alpha and the Omega
You could try investigating this while you're there: http://seanrobsville.blogspot.com/2009/12/destruction-of-buddhism-in-india.html
I am now considering going to India to investigate Indian Islamic history and the relations of Sufism and Hinduism. I do note that somewhere in this thread I was asked if anything in Sufism was derived from sources older than Hinduism. I believe that Zoroastrianism is at least as old as Hinduism, though I may be wrong. Zoroastrian angelology -- the "science of lights" -- was introduced into Sufism by Shahab-ud-din Suhrawardi, who was accused of heresy and executed. Suhrawardian illuminationism also appears to have parallels in Kabbalah and, of course, Greek philosophy.
We're all on this spinning rock together, and it pleases me greatly to know Sufism is now finally on the rise again as a source of religious study among intelligent Muslims the world over.
The parallels between Catholic and Orthodox monasticism and Tibetan Buddhist monasticism are remarkable and I would recommend you to read up on the works of Thomas Merton and his engaging of Zen Buddhism prior to his death.
The older I get, the more I realise that what binds us all together is the silence; it is in the silence that we must face God and face ourselves.
Pax tecum, friend of the light!
"Peace to you from our Lord Jesus", as St Paul said to the Greeks.
This ideological fighting, disrespect of each other, views, ideas, and basic humanity has nothing to do with God, imo I would put it in the camp of it's traditional enemy.
Stop fight, stop defending/attacking with this side of the fence is slightly better/righter/more true than that side of the fence, come on, we are human, we do not need to defend truth, truth defended is not true, let truth defend itself.
I am talking about real care for each others humanity, whatever label you need to put on this, just look at your sisters and brothers and open up to each other.
I am looking at your website and I see ( Obey your country's laws, Marje Sistani urges Muslims in West http://www.islamicpluralism.org/1362/obey-country-laws-marje-ali-sistani)
It interesting to note that Al Sistani has a fatwa prohibiting muslims from assimilating in the West. You know why... he claims the west opposes and fights Islam. Is this the new promised thought you are leading us to?
http://www.islamopediaonline.org/fatwa/muslims-assimilation-behavior-and-cultural-norms-non-muslims
A Muslim's Assimilation [in behavior and cultural norms] to Non-Muslims:
Fatwa, posted 4.22.2010, from Iran, in: Fashion and Mode Islamic Dress Code Muslims in the West - GENERAL
Religious Authority: Yusuf Saanei
Website URL: http://saanei.org/
Fatwa Question or Essay Title: A Muslim's Assimilation [in behavior and cultural norms] to Non-Muslims:
[Question: Recently, some of the youth are using the fashion and hairstyles that are inspired from European and [other] non-Muslim countries. In your view, what is the status of using such outfit, noting that this is an example for "assimilation to non-Muslims*"?]
Answer: This is prohibited if it is equivalent to promoting the culture of those who oppose and fight Islam. * Assimilation to non-Muslims is considered prohibited in Islam.
I have to say though, when I saw a video of Khamenei reciting the Ashura recollect of the death of Ali I was moved to see how similar it all was to the Good Friday service we Catholics have. Shia-ism does hold a great many parallels with Catholicism with regard to penance and memorialisation and to see Khamenei in tears just allowed me to peek behind the viciousness of his public, political life. I grew up with members of the Shah's court among my family and so I have enough Persian to follow what he was saying.
The human in me looked past Khamenei's crimes for that moment.
There is an appropriate song relevant to that wish, from which I use the term: "Great Spirit-Parent." It is called Why Fight Over a Name? And you can hear it at http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=9687461
I invite you to join The Coalition of Jews, Christians and Muslims for Peace, Freedom and Justice, at http://cjcmp.org
The greatest element of Catholicism is its vast varieties of faith - Franciscan poverty, Dominican preachers, Jesuit scientists, Salvatorian journalists, and even the Opus Dei with their sense of "Divine Filiation". It's a colossal religion with a thousand angles and its mystics stretch back to the writing of the scriptures themselves.
I, like you, pray that (as Jesus said) "they may all be One".
I believe we're heading for that day regardless of the signs we see all around us. Anyone who loves peace is a Son of God, as Christ said at the Sermon on the Mount.
Pax tecum,
David.
Shaykh-ul-Islam’s Historical Contributions in the Field of Law
http://209.85.62.24/394/36/0/p352478/Shaykh_ul_Islam___s_Historical_Contributions_in_the_Field_of_Law___Minhaj_ul_Quran_International.htm
* Forced the Federal Sharia Court to reverse its decision and uphold Rajm as Hadd.
* Ahmadiyya were disallowed to use for them Islamic terminology and call their worship places as mosques.
* The Blasphemy Law protecting the esteemed station and reverence of the Holy Prophet was also passed for the first time in the history of Pakistan after Shaykh-ul-Islam presented his arguments to the court.
* presented his arguments to determine the quantum of punishment to be awarded to a person guilty of contempt of the finality of the Holy Prophet, He established, on evidence from the Quran and Sunna, that a person guilty of contempt of the finality of the Holy Prophet deserved death sentence and the punishment will be imposed as Hadd.
* Hundreds of un-Islamic clauses from the old civil and criminal laws of Pakistan, which had existed since the period of colonial rule, were amended according to Islamic principles upon the juristic recommendations of Shaykh-ul-Islam.
I think its worthwhile to interject that the Barelvis in Pakistan have joined the Deoband in showering rose petals (literally) on Salman Taseer's killer, Qadri. Barelvis are of course the Sufis of Pakistan, and who are now rabid enough to demand that whatever they perceive as blasphemy should indeed result in the killing of the accused, extra-judicial or not.
The West is currently being changed by other type of Islamic sects ranging from Salafis to Sunnis to Shia and Sufis all claiming love and peace and trying to spread as much as possible. Among them is the Sufi Imam who issued the fatwa against violent Jihad whom when we check his background appears to be a strict radical himself with a total different attitude back in Pakistan. He is responsible for some of the strictest interpretations of scriptures.
The Funny part is that all sects condemn each other’s with different accusations. Take for example the Salafis attacking Sufis, Ahmadiyya and Bahaais. Not to mention Sunni Shia conflicts. We are also seeing Saudi money used to plant mosques all across the west.
Whom should we believe and trust? I am afraid none.
No person of any religious faith can possibly claim to "know God" or even "be spiritual" if they do not have a basic sense of compassion and kindness. As a Catholic, my faith and my Church teach me and the other 1.4 Billion Catholics that "That which is true in any faith comes from God", in other words we seek to see God in all that breeds kindness or brotherhood in truth.
Ask yourself if it is necessary for you to feel angry all the time.
Even here in the US were one can't turn on the TV without hearing some Islamophobe ( it is now even a word) putting in his 2 cents.
Always wondered why if Hinduism is the oldest religion, how come it has stayed in South Asia, even now with information traveling so fast around the world it is the still Indians and people of Indian ancestry who mostly follow it?
Hindus don't go around trying to convert others. A Hindu, by definition, is someone with ancestry among South Asian peoples, and who has not converted to another religion.
as for Hindus not converting people to the religion does the caste system have something to do with it? Like the Jews, those in Hindu upper class think people are not good enough to be Hindus.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCvuU6hoCdM
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It depends on how one defines hatred of Islam.
As I understand the mainstream Sharia definition*, once an unbeliever has received dawa the unbeliever either converts, accepts dhimmi status if living in a Sharia society, or self identifies as a hater of Islam who must eventually be subdued by force.
*Koran 9:29
*o9.0 in http://www.shafiifiqh.com/maktabah/relianceoftraveller.pdf
What Sharia defines as hatred of Islam, others think of as a simple rejection of the invitation to join the religion. What Sharia defines as vilification of Islam, others consider to be ordinary criticism to which any ideology is subject. This aggressive and intolerant mindset, which you typify, is very unattractive.
Obviously, the Khorasani Sufi tradition that produced Molavi was influenced by Buddhism and probably also by Taoism.
Amir Subuktigin's Second Invasion of Hind
“The Sultan therefore sharpened the sword of intention [to remove] impurity and rejection of Islam. Relying upon the one God...he arrived with his troops in the country of Hind, and killed everyone who, on the part of Jaipal, came out to oppose him.
"The Amir marched out towards Lamghan, which is a city celebrated for its great strength and abounding in wealth. He conquered it and set fire to the places in its vicinity which were inhabited by infidels, and demolishing [p. 19] the idol-temples, he established Islam in them. He marched and captured other cities and killed the polluted wretches, destroying the idolatrous and gratifying the Musulmans. After wounding and killing beyond all measure, his hands and those of his friends became cold in counting the value of the plundered property..."
Tarikh Yamini, or Kitabu-l Yamini of Abu Nasr Muhammad ibn Muhammad al Jabbaru-l 'Utbi, scribes for the Muslim invaders into Central Asia and India.
In The History of India as Told by its own Historians.
http://www.infinityfoundation.com/mandala/h_es/h_es_futuhu_frameset.htm
I wrote a text about Jews and Muslims and I object to the discussion of it having been hijacked by people obsessed with unsettled historical issues in India as a pretext for Islamophobic agitation.
I object to people with pretensions to what seem New Age enlightenment lending themselves to Islamophobia.
I note that kodimirpal, another poster on this site, has commented further down:
"As you point out wrongs have been committed by the followers of all religions. However such wrongs are not approved by the laws of God Almighty.
"What do people say about the following
"The Brahmins performed a great Puja and earnestly prayed Lord Shiva to stop the progress of Jainism. Accordingly Adi Shankaracharya was born.
"He was the arch foe of Buddhism and the principal architect of its downfall in India (Author: Pande: He is a Hindu of Hindus: 1994: p. 255).
"Adi Shankara, along with Madhva and Ramanuja violently revived Hinduism.
"The historians like Vincent Smith suggested that it was due to Adi Sankaracharya there was decline of Buddhism in India.
"Nalanda was routed and the library there was burned and thousands of Buddha viharas were destroyed subsequently by the Hindus.
"Shashanka was the Shaivite Brahmin king of Bengal.
"He was manipulated by the Brahmins to become a ferocious oppressor of the Buddhists.
"He had destroyed the Bodhi tree of Bodh Gaya and ordered the mass destruction of all Buddhist images and monasteries in his kingdom.
[Continued in next note]
Continuing from kodimirpal:
"Are these lies or part of Hindu history of persecution of rebellious Buddha against the apartheid Caste system that has scriptural approval and the dalits of India even today can not drink coffee in shops from the same cups as used by the upper caste."
I brought up the caste system and its injustices several times and none of the Hinduphiles in these threads responded.
I therefore conclude that further participation by me in this thread is wasted. I will add three further comments and then have other matters to attend to, involving neo-fundamentalism in Turkey and its complicity in the persecution of Sufis.
First, it is absurd and dissonant to, as so many do, that Sufism was derived from Hinduism and, at the same time, that Hindus were forcibly converted en masse to Islam. Either the Muslims respected Hindu wisdom or they didn't, but the question cannot be posed in a linear, ahistorical fashion.
Second, Hindu intellectuals tell me that there is a whole genre of Islamophobic pseudo-history in India today that is considered disreputable. I will find this out for myself.
Third to come and then selams to all of good heart.
"What history is there of millions of forced conversions In Islam? Compulsion in religion is barred by Quran. And I mean history, not mythified, malicious gossip."
part 1
http://www.infinityfoundation.com/mandala/h_es/h_es_futuhu_frameset.htm
Written by the scribes that accompanied Arab invasions eastwards -
Tarikh Yamini, or Kitabu-l Yamini of Abu Nasr Muhammad ibn Muhammad al Jabbaru-l 'Utbi. In The History of India as Told by its own Historians. The Posthumous Papers of the Late Sir H. M. Elliot. 1st ed. 1867. 2nd ed.,1956, vol. 1, pp. 12-47.
Excerpts deal with the numerous raids of Amir Subuktigin of Ghazni (in modern Afghanistan) and his son and successor, Sultan Mahmud. Amir Subuktigin made his first of many raids into India in 376 H. (986-87 CE), and his son Mahmud, After succeeding his father to throne of Ghaznî, in 997 CE, [Mahmud] continued his father's policy, conduct[ing] many more raids until his death in 1030 CE. His numerous incursions into India were to capture spoil in material wealth, slaves and livestock.
He is portrayed as a zealous Muslim eager to destroy "idol temples" [as] justification for pillage, [which] contravened the earlier Arab policy of granting Hindus and Buddhists dhimmi status... His incessant raiding over the course of almost thirty years, however, clearly destabilized Northern India and paved the way for the Muhammad Ghûrî's invasion of northern India in 1175 CE...
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In this case, the references I have provided are historical documents translated from Arabic and Persian, written by scribes in the employ of Muslim invaders, at the time of, or shortly after specific events.
Buddhism, a then-widely extant cousin of Hinduism, did not survive the Islamic onslaught, due perhaps to its highly visible monkhood and monastaries. In Hinduism, individual families and yes, caste and the village system of governance, carried the lineage.
You have made some statements which have been challenged, which is different than your blog being 'hijacked'. This portion of the comments now has to do with you calling historical sources, references, information as fairy tales. You have moved from 'cliche' to 'fairy tales' now. Please have a study of the materials yourself and write a blog on that, if you wish. I will look forward to that.
Its fine to bring up caste based discrimination, and which has been and still is an issue in Hindu society. No one here is calling that 'fairy tales', that's one big difference between what your approach has been to unsavory aspects of history being brought up and the various commenters here.