When I was talking about love, someone asked me if I was a Sufi. When I was talking about beloved [Prophet] Mohammad's birthday, someone asked me if I was a Shia. When I was talking about wudu, someone asked me if I was a Sunni. Over the years the questions continued. Are you a Twelver? A Niner (is there such a thing)?A 49er (never mind, that is an American football team). How about Ahmadiyya? Quadriya? Ismaili?
No. I am just a Muslim. No class. No distinction. Just a lot of sweet delirious love for the divine, Allah, and His beloved Wali (friend). Before you jump on me - yes I believe in the five pillars. But stop there. I am curious about history, I am willing to delve into events but I refuse to be divided from you at a time when Muslims face the subtlest of holocausts with the greatest of consequences. If there is any movement worthwhile for Muslims right now it is this - "we are all just Muslims - ones who submit to Allah and the deepest knowing of consciousness and peace."
Do you ever wonder why the division grows daily? The one who divides usually wants to steal from the divided: power and wealth (physical and metaphysical). So come into form, people. The next time someone asks you which Islamic caste you belong to, do the British thing of not dignifying that question with an answer. If the person asks a second time, give the person a vague and disinterested look signalling that the question is quite irrelevant and boring. If the person persists a third time, say "I am just a Muslim."
Thursday, April 25, 2024
