Happy Sunday!

In seminary we continue study of the Abrahamic religions with this month being about Islam.
I have always respected Islam as they expressed devotion to God. I learned several years ago about the different forms of yoga and their focuses; this led to my appreciation of Islam being like bhakti yoga with its focus on devotion. And also, from my continued interest in Sufism, I believed that devotion led to great love and intimacy with God.
My study materials for the month have not provided what I was seeking. Like the months prior to this, I was looking for the expression of God’s Love as the basis of the religion so I could learn and experience it. I now recognize that our textbook will only provide facts on the religion we are studying and not the spirit behind the religion so I went further to find some understanding.
I read an excerpt of the Qur’an only to find that it contained mostly rules for humans of how to live in this world as a society. I asked God to understand how this was enough to be a holy book for billions of people. I received a response in a few hours. It came from the daily email I receive of scripture left by Sufi master Hazrat Inayat Khan. Here is what my answer was:
“There are four paths or stages that lead a person to spiritual knowledge, from the limited to the unlimited.
“The first stage is Shariat. This is where the God-ideal is impressed upon mankind as authority, as fear of God. This really means conscientiousness, not fear as is usually thought. If we love, we do not wish to displease; love does not force us to act, but it asks us to be conscientious and take care not to cause the least disharmony with the one whose happiness we want. …” (Bowl of Saki, 2-24-204, Hazrat Inayat Khan)
From this I understood and appreciated that rules provided in scripture, like in the Qur’an, are a beginning stage to show people how to be conscientious of their actions. (I am reminded of Buddhism … conscientiousness of others would be the same as showing loving-kindness.)
For a worship experience of the Islam tradition that I am meant to do for class, rather than a service I wanted something different. I was looking to experience the prayer practice of Muslims which appears foundational to their daily faith centered lives, the salat. What I found was a Youtube video entitled “How to pray in Islam” which gave an English translation of the daily prayers. After watching this video through, I got on my yoga mat, faced east, re-played the video, and performed the prayer by reciting the English translations and following the movements. When I completed this I had more questions: Why was the salat prayer mostly praise of God? Why does God need our praise?
I recalled asking this same question years ago so searched this blog. I found the following: “To make God a reality is the real object of worship.” Hazrat Inayat Khan, Bowl of Saki, 4-27-2014.
What this tells me is that virtuous living, as described in the Qur’an, as well as worship of God, as repeated daily in Muslim prayers, are practices that make for a people that live their lives with constant awareness of God. I see Muslims as devoted to prayer, to doing good in the world which expresses to others their devotion to God.
Another question formed … why do I perceive devotion as the path to loving God? For me, this comes from the evidence I have seen such as the Sufi poets Rumi and Hafiz who capture in their words the beauty of love of God and the bhakti yogic path of the heart to use the beauty of art and music to show devotion to the Hindu deities. Also it is from my own experiences of having prayers answered, my spiritual path guided, and my heart lifted when Love’s presence responds to me.
The Course in Miracles says that giving and receiving are the same. The bible says that we reap what we sow. Issac Newton theorized that to every action is an equal reaction. Spiritual channelers teach the Law of Attraction which states that the vibration we put out into the spiritual (energy) ‘field’ is what we will receive back.
I believe that through loving-kindness, devotion, and worship we express a loving energy into the Universe so that we receive love in return.
Gratitude fills me as this reflection has brought me understanding and growth in compassion. I feel respect for Muslim’s. Their religion requires a lot of work from them. And it is not easy living in this world and putting God first.
Blessings. _/\_