HEALING: UNIVERSAL PEACE FEDERATION PRESENTATION

 ( Note: the following is an edited version of my presentation and supplication at the United Peace Federation USA weekly session, on the theme of healing.)

The subject of healing is a topic that translates into different results, depending on the nature of the illness.

As a student of faith and the social sciences, I believe that the majority of the illnesses that we face are actually of the thinking type.

Therefore, our worldview must be correct and balanced, in order for healing to take place.

Prophet Muhammad as foundation for civilization revival

The Qur'an speaks of the necessity of correct & balanced worldview by pointing to Muhammad, the seal of the Prophets (peace be upon them), as a person who emerges amongst a people who had been unexposed to scriptural knowledge, yet that audience received, by Divine grace, those things. 

That foundation- scripture and wisdom (Q 62:2-4) became the foundation for a new civilization to emerge, leading to countless benefits, such as the great translation projects initiated by the Muslims, which revived the various Greek, Persian and Indian scientific and philosophical works previously lost or neglected. Translated into Arabic (starting in the   eight century ) , these works were subsequently the foundation for the European Renaissance. 

The foundation for right thinking can be summarized as faith, justice, and charity.

Also of interest is the Arabic word Imaan, translated as faith, is related to security and certainty. Faith is the best ground to stand upon both physically and mentally.

The prayer of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is relevant for our theme.

"O God, show us truth as truth, and give us the ability to follow it, and show us vanity as vanity, and give us the ability to abstain therefrom."

Lecture notes: Building Character in Islam

 

(Introduction: The following is an edited  version of a presentation recently given on the subject Character Building in Islam.)

Creation

The Qur'an uses the passive  verb Khuliqa ("He was created") in connection to humanity, in carrying certain seemingly negative built-in aspects, such as" anxiety/impatience" (Q  70:19),"haste" (Q 21:37) and twice as "weak" (Q 4:28, 30:54).

In Arabic grammar, the presence of a passive verb would also require that the one who carried out the verb (faa'il) goes unmentioned. The doer would be assumed, or simply be unknown. Q 30:54 does not fit the above pattern, but rather the past tense verb, with the doer mentioned ("God is the one who created you all with some weakness.").

Some words of interest for this subject which stem from the same root include Akhlaaq ("character" or "manners") and "Akhlaq" ("Most appropriate" "Most natural"). 

The four seemingly negative tendencies mentioned above, "created" in us by God, are items that all of us have to deal with, and it is our dealing with those things which actually benefits us, as individuals as well as a species. Our dealing with those characteristics builds us up, it is on the job training, to allow us to do our job as stewards on the earth better. 

There are general behavioral codes which are globally accepted, i.e. don't kill, don't steal, etc, but those are external manifestations, yet the above-mentioned Quranic verses are speaking to internal conditions.

Ramadan and Character building

The month of Ramadan is the perfect opportunity to faithful people to engage in character building. Some examples of this are summarized below:

* Anxiety/impatience (Haloo'a). Listening to Quranic recitation, reading the text during the fasting period, helps to sooth anxiety.

*Hastiness. The desire for immediate satisfaction, as opposed to delayed gratification, is addressed by the discipline building of fasting, of holding back from the satisfaction of hunger and needs during the daylight hours of the month. 

* Weakness, be it physical or mental, is addressed through exercise, diet, and conscientious behavior. We often emphasis the Quranic prohibitions of gambling and alcohol. Those items are clearly forbidden in Islam, and is agreed upon in the Muslim community. There are other addictions which are worth asking about, such as tobacco, sugar, pornography, salt, and food addictions. Indeed, there are even those of us who are unable to function without a mobile phone!

Obviously the Qur'an and Sunnah don't directly speak on those items, the benefit vs.harms aspects are widely discussed, and on the above items Muslims reach different conclusions. 

We are not, for the purpose of this presentation, addressing their legal status in Islam, we are only saying that the Ramadan experience forces us to evaluate those items in our lives, to examine questions such as figuring out what is positive for us, and what is toxic for us, in light of Divine guidance.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is reported to have said that he has come to perfect morals. He does this by teaching "Scripture and Wisdom" (Q 62:2), which, when integrated into the mind and hearts of believers, gives them the tools needed for the perfections of morals.