Intra-faith

Bohras help War-ravaged Kufa get back its glory – The Times of India

Bohras help War-ravaged Kufa get back its glory – The Times of India. A sprinkling of Dawoodi Bohras, with their white and gold pillbox skullcaps, stand out among thousands of pilgrims paying obeisance at one of the holiest Islamic shrines — the Great Mosque at Kufa in Iraq. But hardly anybody among the faithful knows that the small trading community from Mumbai has single-handedly rebuilt the site at the peak of strife in the beleaguered Arab country.

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Intra-faith

I Wish I’d Been There: The Mind of Yazid, the Faith of Hussein « Simerg

There are so many moments in history that I would love to be a part of. To be near the Prophet (SAWS) when he received the first revelation; at Ghadir-e Khumm; at the battle of Siffin; at Karbala; when Imam Jafar (AS) refused to be an Abbasid figurehead; with Hasan-i Sabbah at Alamut; to witness Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah’s (AS) move to consolidate the community again. I think that eventually these stories will be told better. That is the job of the historian. Continued at: I Wish I’d Been There: The Mind of Yazid, the Faith of Hussein « Simerg.

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Inter-faith Intra-faith Religion

God in a 100 Words

Patheos asked to describe God in 100 words. They compiled all the responses they received to this “theoblogger” challenge, and the results are interesting. Check out the site. I am one of two Muslims, the other being Svend White from Akram’s Razor, and without speaking to each other about the challenge, we focused on God’s immanence and transcendence. Nice complement. How would you describe God in a 100 words?

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Inter-faith Intra-faith

Service and Interfaith (#MuslimServe)

Earlier this year Pres. Obama asked us to dedicate ourselves to national service. The result was Serve.gov. In particular, Aug. 31 – Sep. 6, 2009 is meant to be be a week dedicated to interfaith service. Ultimately, the call to service will transform 9/11 into a National Day of Service and Remembrance. Over at City of Brass, Aziz has a slightly longer post on this topic. The opening video for the interfaith call to service, in combination with Ramadan and the associated Qur’an reading, has me thinking about interfaith work as service. In the Qur’an is the declaration that no…

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Inter-faith Intra-faith Web/Tech

Ramadan Mubarak – #Quran Tweeting

Tonight, Aug. 21, 2009, is the first night of Ramadan 1430. I suggested that we Tweet the Qur’an during this time, with the tag #Quran. Since then, Aziz picked up the idea at City of Brass, Gary Bunt mentioned it on Virtually Islamic, and there was a mention in an article from Canada. There has been huge interest on Twitter, and I hope people will take part. Any event usually begins with the first chapter of the Qur’an, al-Fatiha, in its entirety. Rather than Tweet it, I thought I would put it here. In the Name of God, The Most…

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Charity Inter-faith Intra-faith

Dave Eggers and “Zeitoun”

From Zeba Iqbal: — Hello All – Have you heard about a fantastic new book by Pulitzer nominated author Dave Eggers? The book, Zeitoun, called an ‘instant American classic’, is about a Muslim American man, Abdalrahman Zeitoun and his family in New Orleans. Zeitoun stays behind to help neighbors after Hurricane Katrina only to be detained and suspected as “Taliban” and “Al Qaeda. Timothy Egan writes in his upcoming New York Times Book Review (on August 16, 2009): “Imagine Charles Dickens, his sentimentality in check but his journalistic eyes wide open, roaming New Orleans after it was buried by Hurricane…

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Inter-faith Intra-faith

Tweeting the #Quran – #Ramadan [Updated]

Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, is approaching. We expect it to begin around August 21. Traditionally, Muslims read the Qur'an in its entirety over this time, in a section a day. The Qur'an is split into thirty sections, called juz', and one section is read each night. This year, I have been thinking it would be fun to tweet the Qur'an for Ramadan. Coincidentally, Shavuot came, and several people I follow on Twitter tweeted the Torah. Since that experience seemed to be successful, it further cemented my belief that this would be a good idea. Some guidelines for tweeting…

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Art Intra-faith Music Poetry

He Who Burns

My dear friend is putting on a dance performance in NY this weekend. It is titled “He Who Burns,” and plays with the idea put forward by Hallaj that Iblis was cast out of Heaven for being the truest lover of God. He refuse to bow to Adam not because he was disobedient, but because none is worthy of worship other than God. Check it out. He Who Burns

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Intra-faith Poetry Shi'ism

Yom-e Ali – Foundations (Poem)

Two foundations has Islam the Qur’an, and Dhu’l-fiqar. Muslims do agree with that and the pagans do it too. As there is in human speech no light but in Ahmad’s word, thus there is in no sharp sword fire, but in Ali’s sword. Ahmad, Chosen, is the sun, Haydar, ‘the Attacker,’ light Light cannot be without sun, sun cannot be without light. Firmest handle is for all love of Ali’s children dear: Shia are those who are not wav’ring in their bond to him! On the treasure which God High placed in Ahmad’s heart, there is not a treasurer but…

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