Calamities have caused me to I have an undoubtedly deep appreciation for salah in congregation. It’s one of life’s greatest metaphors and quite honestly there are very few things as beautiful as praying in jama’ah. Stand next to me and you’re with me. Stand next to me old or young. Stand next to me and the socially constructed borders of colour, age, and occupation disintegrate. Stand next to me, whatever language you speak and we’ll exchange words of peace. Stand next to me and we’ll declare that Allah is Greater than all of this. Each person having their own distinct conversation with their Lord, yet a familiar and booming murmur sends us into simultaneous movement; one hand, one body, just as our Beloved (s) said. Akin to a ripple in a pool of water, it’s seamless and fluid, flowing line by line, from corner to corner. Travel as you may, pray in jama’ah and your heart is transfixed by the magnitude of love you have for an Ummah that stretches to every corner of the globe. It’s the same unification that we exemplify in salah that we so desperately need in these trying times; united for humanity. Offsetting oppression and injustice with love and humility. That is what Islam teaches us; that life is valuable. A life is a life. The Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar are lives. Palestinian civilians are lives. The thousands unjustly jailed in Egypt are lives. Eric Garner is a life. The Muslims of CAR are lives. The hundreds killed on flight MH17 are lives. The hundreds of Detriotians who are currently living without running water in a system wide water shutoff are lives. Over the past few weeks I’ve heard the question “Where has humanity gone?” posed a countless amount of times. What I’ve discovered is that humanity, the noun, is visibly and ubiquitously evident. When I look into a mirror I see humanity. When I watch the evening news I see humanity. I simply see humans. But, humanity, the verb, compassion, understanding, kindness, is dispersed. In some places it is dormant, in others it is vocal and vibrant, and in many places it’s being forcefully silenced. Throughout history oppression has debilitated many groups of people and it is the collective, moving as one, from all walks of life, that became the pebble that overcame an unrelenting Goliath. So standing in jama’ah this morning, looking at the straight and resolute lines, I appreciated our religion on an entirely new level. The lesson is unity from all who wish to see our world thrive in peace. So, let’s stand next to each other in faith for the goodness in humanity. Act, pray, donate, and advocate for the lives of millions who only see humanity the noun. - Sister Hanaa Elmi
Posted on: Wed, 23 Jul 2014 16:40:55 +0000