We experience the religious thought and the spiritual vitality of two Muslims—male and female—both American and both with roots in ancient Islamic cultural, intellectual, and spiritual traditions. Their stories and ideas, music, and readings, evoke a sense of the richness of global Islamic spirituality and of some of its hidden nuances and beauty. They reveal how sound, music, and especially poetry offer a window onto the subtleties and humanity of Islamic religious experience.
by Jalalu'ddin Rumi, excerpted from Coleman Barks' translation in The Essential Rumi
Listen to the story told by the reed,
of being separated.
"Since I was cut from the reedbed,
I have made this crying sound.
Anyone apart from someone he loves
understands what I say.
Anyone pulled from a source
longs to go back.
At any gathering I am there,
mingling in the laughing and grieving,
by Omid Safi, Colgate University
Ramadan was simpler in my childhood: It was about date omelets.
We got up around 4 or 4:30 a.m. to have a suhur, also called sahari, meaning a dawn-time meal. After that, no food and no water until sunset time. For the grown-ups, it meant no smoking, and as they love to joke about it, no sex until sunset. Then we would break our fasts with a meal called iftar. Getting out of bed was always a titanic struggle, but not on Ramadan mornings. We got to have a special treat on those days: date omelets.
As Salaamu Alaikoum,.Al Hamdulillah for your efforts
in spreading the Haw. May Allah bless you and keep you safe.
Safi is Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at Colgate University, co-Chair of the Study of Islam Section at the American Academy of Religion, and editor of Progressive Muslims.
Host/Producer: Krista Tippett
Producer: Mitch Hanley
Senior Producer: Kate Moos
Associate Producer: Colleen Scheck
Web Producer: Trent Gilliss
Executive Producer: Bill Buzenberg
comment
read/add yours