M
men0wjv
Guest
Peace be with you all,
I am a Muslim and I have much respect for Roman Catholicism. I have started this thread in the hope that it may bring mutual understanding and interfaith action for the benefit of mankind.
Recently, I have been in dialogue with a couple of Catholics (one being a priest). There has been much learnt from both sides concerning each respective faith. I think it has been successful because we have respected the others right to differ and have avoided polemics. The fact that differences still continued after great and sincere minds like St. Thomas Aquinas or Sh. Abu Hamid Al Ghazali, means that underlings like ourselves are not going to have any chance of resolving them.
Polemics rarely solves anything and it would be nice if this thread could avoid such things. Having read a few posts in the forums it seems there is some deep prejuduces amongst some of us concerning the other. For a minority of us it seems we have forgotten ourselves; instead of being servants of God we have become servants of our own egos. Perhaps we can resolve such misunderstandings and although we wont accept (since that would entail conversion) we can at least respect the other. We have to admit that we are not God and cannot know everything, so however sincere we are in our convictions we cannot deny that it may be us who are in error and the other may be correct.
As with Christianity we are not one homogeneous group; we have different denominations. We have the fundamentalists and the modernists. We have the zealouts and the nominal adherents. In our community we have problems; social, economic and historic. These are not problems of just our two faiths, but problems of the human condition. It is therefore unfair to judge any religion or group by a minority of those who claim to be adherants of it. The appropriate thing to do when wishing to learn is to go to the most respected authoroties and see how they have understood their own faith. With Islam we do not consult angry civil engineers who have not studied Islam at all (like the heretic Osama Bin Laden), but instead refer to those who have sat at the feet of scholars who can trace their lineage of learning back to the founder (similar in some ways to His Holiness The Pope), such as Sh. Ramadan Al Buti or the Cambridge lecturer T. J. Winter (who studied at the Oxbridge of the Muslim world Al Azhar in Cairo).
One thing I would first like to clarify is the Arabic word ‘kafir.’ It is often translated as disbeliever or more infamously infidel. Whilst it is true that many in the fundamentalist camp (Salifis) use this word as a derogatory term - for anyone who doesn’t follow their little sect - it is in fact a technical term. It comes from a root meaning farmer because he is the one who covers something beautiful (i.e. a seed) with darkness (i.e. soil). It can then only really apply to one who has knowingly and conciously rejected God. Salvation is not attained by mere names - as I’m sure you agree - like Muslim or Christian, but rather through sincere love and submission to The Almighty and a deep desire to be with ones Lord. It is not a judgement call and my extremist brethren who label people in such an arrogant manner should take note that the scholars have said ‘arrogance is a trait God only manifests in those He hates and desires to send to Hell.’
The last thing I would like to do is direct people towards a link that is entitled with the same as this thread. Which directs us both to come to a ‘common word,’ namely that we worship One God and love our neighbour as we love our own selves. I feel it complements the guidance of ‘Nostra Aetate’ nicely.
acommonword.com/lib/downloads/CW-Total-Final-v-12g-Eng-9-10-07.pdf
Thank-you********
I am a Muslim and I have much respect for Roman Catholicism. I have started this thread in the hope that it may bring mutual understanding and interfaith action for the benefit of mankind.
Recently, I have been in dialogue with a couple of Catholics (one being a priest). There has been much learnt from both sides concerning each respective faith. I think it has been successful because we have respected the others right to differ and have avoided polemics. The fact that differences still continued after great and sincere minds like St. Thomas Aquinas or Sh. Abu Hamid Al Ghazali, means that underlings like ourselves are not going to have any chance of resolving them.
Polemics rarely solves anything and it would be nice if this thread could avoid such things. Having read a few posts in the forums it seems there is some deep prejuduces amongst some of us concerning the other. For a minority of us it seems we have forgotten ourselves; instead of being servants of God we have become servants of our own egos. Perhaps we can resolve such misunderstandings and although we wont accept (since that would entail conversion) we can at least respect the other. We have to admit that we are not God and cannot know everything, so however sincere we are in our convictions we cannot deny that it may be us who are in error and the other may be correct.
As with Christianity we are not one homogeneous group; we have different denominations. We have the fundamentalists and the modernists. We have the zealouts and the nominal adherents. In our community we have problems; social, economic and historic. These are not problems of just our two faiths, but problems of the human condition. It is therefore unfair to judge any religion or group by a minority of those who claim to be adherants of it. The appropriate thing to do when wishing to learn is to go to the most respected authoroties and see how they have understood their own faith. With Islam we do not consult angry civil engineers who have not studied Islam at all (like the heretic Osama Bin Laden), but instead refer to those who have sat at the feet of scholars who can trace their lineage of learning back to the founder (similar in some ways to His Holiness The Pope), such as Sh. Ramadan Al Buti or the Cambridge lecturer T. J. Winter (who studied at the Oxbridge of the Muslim world Al Azhar in Cairo).
One thing I would first like to clarify is the Arabic word ‘kafir.’ It is often translated as disbeliever or more infamously infidel. Whilst it is true that many in the fundamentalist camp (Salifis) use this word as a derogatory term - for anyone who doesn’t follow their little sect - it is in fact a technical term. It comes from a root meaning farmer because he is the one who covers something beautiful (i.e. a seed) with darkness (i.e. soil). It can then only really apply to one who has knowingly and conciously rejected God. Salvation is not attained by mere names - as I’m sure you agree - like Muslim or Christian, but rather through sincere love and submission to The Almighty and a deep desire to be with ones Lord. It is not a judgement call and my extremist brethren who label people in such an arrogant manner should take note that the scholars have said ‘arrogance is a trait God only manifests in those He hates and desires to send to Hell.’
The last thing I would like to do is direct people towards a link that is entitled with the same as this thread. Which directs us both to come to a ‘common word,’ namely that we worship One God and love our neighbour as we love our own selves. I feel it complements the guidance of ‘Nostra Aetate’ nicely.
acommonword.com/lib/downloads/CW-Total-Final-v-12g-Eng-9-10-07.pdf
Thank-you********
