A perspective on the Signs of Al-Quran: through the prism of the heart - Softcover

Malik, Saeed

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0615347304 ISBN 13: 9780615347301

Publisher: Saeed Malik, 2010

Synopsis

KIRKUS REVIEW

Malik approaches mystical lyricism in his eloquent devotional guide to Islamic spirituality.

A semiconductors entrepreneur, Malik sees Islam not as a religion but as one path to spirituality—the difference being that any sincere faith leads to God. That reassuring inclusivity enlivens the book, as Malik presents what is unique about Islam but also what links it to other ways to God. For Muslims, the Quran is a living source of wisdom, giving timeless principles for conduct. As such, it is much more than a physical book; rather, it is a “sea of signs” that speaks to all. Arabic is inseparable from the Quran’s beauty, so every quotation is given in both the original Arabic and in an English translation. Malik emphasizes that faith requires resting in uncertainty without abandoning rationality. Submission (the definition of “Islam”) is a way of life that avoids the prison of dogma. “Submission to God (Islam) is not exactly a ‘religion,’ ” Malik says. “It is both less and more.” Indeed, Malik refutes dogmas that have long twisted the Abrahamic faiths: He proposes heaven and hell as states of mind rather than physical locations, and he argues that since Islam respects the sanctity of life, God never supports aggressors. Jihad is primarily a term for Muslims’ struggle against oppression; usually this is an inner battle, but when it does take the form of outward action, it must be motivated by a desire for justice—“Jihad cannot ever be a ‘holy war,’ ” Malik says. A section on Muhammad as a historical figure goes into a level of detail that might not be necessary for a spiritual guidebook, but only occasionally does the mystical tone veer into New Ageism. For the most part, Malik sticks to practical, heartfelt scriptural commentary. One could even imagine the 100 names of Allah (comprising one-third of the text) serving any member of any faith in a devotional context, as a reminder of the often contradictory nature of the divine: both “The Giver of Life” and “The Giver of Death”; “outwardly Manifest” yet “inwardly Hidden.”

A useful, articulate spiritual commentary on the Quran.

About this title

From the Author:

You have been diligently speaking at interfaith events, to build spiritual bridges. Tell me about a surprising impact you had on someone of another faith and then tell me about an impact someone else had on you?Every time I come back from an interfaith meeting, I come back with an acute sense of my own deficits. My counterparts in these meetings have served as reminders that one enriches oneself by listening to others. I have met people who are very good listeners. I have been invited to do a book-reading during a church-worship. I hope that I will not fall short in deference. We Muslims have some legitimate gripes especially in the political domain but I submit that any injustice opens up a spiritual door. We must make a positive contribution to our environment and the very first thing that we can deliver with full control is the removal of our own internal demons. I am reminded of a Doha by Kabeer:
I set out to look for evil in another, I found none
I set my sight inwards and found worse than me is no other.

Something else you say that I found moving is We cannot grow spiritually by rote recitals or robotic rituals. I feel like Muslims, Christians and Jews have all fallen victim to this in the last few decades. What are the first steps we can collectively take to abandon that kind of religious living?

The most important step that we can take as Muslims is learn to "receive" the Arabic Qur'an and let God talk to us from inside of our hearts. Guidance is from God, Al-Haadi. We bring nothing to this tryst except our thirst and willingness. God repeatedly reminds us of His attributes so that we may develop a consciousness of true Beauty and be drawn ever closer to it. How can we develop a consciousness of love without overcoming hatred? How can we discover compassion and forgiveness if no one ever wrongs us? How could we ever approach Unity without first knowing that every creature is the form of God's Word "Kun". A lover is always in fear of abandonment by his or her own Beloved. When one is immersed in love there is no other place to be!
Who are some of the people that have inspired you spiritually?

The Qur'an speaks to the loss of spirituality with passing generations; the purest, most profusely from the first generation; less radiant and less profuse in latter generations. Yes the companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him, are the first generation--profusely pure. They deserve the promise of God's Gaze for the devotion they found and renewed with each of many hardships. I cannot help thinking though that this "first" generation would also have room for the first generation of converts (reverts if you will) in latter periods; those who have come into Islam from the wilderness of a spiritual quest. I am deeply influenced by many in the contemporary -"first"-generation. They include such luminaries as Martin Lings, Muhammad Asad and Lex Hixon.  May God reward them for their works.

From the Back Cover:

"The signs of the Quran speak only to the seeking heart. The heart cannot be coerced; it must want and it must be willing...'There is no god' is offered by the mind after it has quashed all fallacies. 'But God!' is the heart's plea. The Kalima rejects dogma and embraces both the simplicity and profundity of Oneness"

"Pharaoh and Moses are not mere historical figures. They represent the active opposing forces within our souls. The soul unanchored in the troubled and turbid tide that is civilization, like Noah, needs faith and perseverance to reach the highlands of safety. Man cannot live outside of, or away from God because God is Truth. Man outside of faith is like Noah's son, outside of the Ark, lost in the turbulence of his own ego and the falsity of his self-sufficiency. God wants the returning soul to return to His Presence in the Abode of Peace {Dar es Salaam}. The Ark is the Quran."

"There is only One Light {Noor} and there are as many darknesses as there are deeds and motivations misaligned with God."

"Heaven and Hell are stations of consciousness not limited to or by the body and the material. They are defined of necessity in material and bodily terms, to make allowance for the limits of our experience and imagination, in the here and now of our worldly lives. The conscious spirit in Heaven is in a state of sublime awareness. Nothing intrinsically good--the essence of beauty {Hasana}--is ever lost to it. Every kernel of goodness is both the kernel and its blossom."

"Hell is a place that the unawakened soul fashions for itself. Unable to discern Reality, it is trapped in the illusion of the body, burdened by the yoke of its inflated ego. In the darknesses of rebellious ignorance and callous disregard, light has the feel of fire; 'unending' misery of a soul still trapped in the illusion of 'form and time'. The body that disregarded the spirit becomes the fuel of the fire of purification..."

About this edition

• Publisher: Saeed Malik
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0615347304
• ISBN 13: 9780615347301
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 300