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How Do You Imagine God?
God in America and USA WEEKEND Magazine are partnering to explore Americans' images of God.
How do you imagine God?
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While God is usually referred to in masculine terms, I have always seen Him as being much more like a mother. From a strictly scriptural perspective God is neither male nor female and embodies all great qualities. Allah swta is the Exalted and the One who Exalts as well as the One who Bring Low. Proof that neither creation nor destruction, neither male nor female is inherently "evil". Rather Allah swta is the perfection of all things, but in the relational sense Allah swta has always seemed to me to be the best parent a kid could ever have.
My Beliefs
I believe ...
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God is one. He creates and is not created. He is independent from His creation in every way. He is also near to His creation in His eminance. He has given us a great blessing in His guidance to the right path as well as His guidance UPON the path. He has made us all different so that we may grow by getting to know each other.
My most powerful moment of belief was ...
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The moment I KNEW I was a muslim. I read Surah 5:83 and i couldn't stop the tears. I knew at that moment that I was a muslim, and nothing i could ever do would be enough to seperate my heart from the path I was on.
My greatest moment of doubt was ...
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When I faced homelessness I had such anger toward God that I wasn't even sure I would ever pray again. I never doubted the existence of God. I was so angry that others who lived carelessly would have such security while I would face such ruin after trying my best to live with taqwa (consciousness).
My spiritual life means...
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Sanity in an insane world. It is tapping into that thing that makes ordinary things and ordinary people extraordinary.
The biggest misconception about my faith/belief system is ...
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It is inherently violent, mysogynist and expansionist.
The tenet/practice/teaching I appreciate most about my faith is ...
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The salat and dhikr. They call me back to the place where I have to humble myself and realise my place in the cosmos. Every few hours I get to take a break and realise that this too shall pass, what matters is not how it all turns out but what I choose to do in this moment. I am not only aware of how small I am but also how interconnected I am and how much awe there is to be had in this small existence of mine. The dhikr brings me into an intimate moment with my Lord. It is like spending time with a lover. He sends me love letters and I sing of my unworthy love for Him. I become like the moon reflecting the light and warmth of the Beloved, the sun of my universe, dark and bleak and bereft without Him.
My Faith History
As a child I believed ...
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In God in a very real way. Coming from a West Indian background, God isn't just a notion for us. It is the very pulse of our existence. Our music, our food and our family all flow from this fountain. We don't really have a "religious" space in our lives because our whole lives are lived in this constant conversation with God.
My spiritual journey has been ...
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A long and surprising one. I had no idea that I would ever even consider being anything other than a practicing christian. I wasn't looking for a new faith. Allah swta says that He guides us to His way and for me this is so true. But, once I got on the path I found that I was in need of even more guidance and help than I did before. Coming to islam, comparatively, seems like the easiest part of the journey. Living islam is the hard part.
I was raised as ...
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a non-denominational christian.....but not really. More like christian by default.
Are your beliefs or practices different from your parents? If so, how and why?
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YES!!! First, i am way more devout than they are, and I think I'm pretty middle of the road. But I actually actively observe the rituals and regulations of my faith to the best of my ability. The second thing is that my family is very very anti-ritual. I observe hijab, fast, make five canonical prayers daily as a practicing muslim and they do not.
If you have children, did becoming a parent change your relationship to faith? If so, how?
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Being a mom put everything in very sharp contrast for me. I am more aware of what type of islam I am living and what I want to pass on to my kids. Do I want an islam that comes down off the shelf every week or one that lives and breaths and addresses every part of life? Why is modelling and passing on THIS faith so important to me? What do I want it to mean for them? In the end i decided I wanted them to grow up with an islam that confronts the worst in them, encourages the best in them, accompanies them in every dark place they might find themselves, and guides them when they are most lost.
How I Practice My Faith
Where and when do you practice your faith?
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All day, every day, in every thing that i do.
Does your family practice more than one religion or faith? If so, how do you blend the traditions?
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My family is not muslim but my partner and children are. We don't blend, rather I tolerate the little bit of religious observance that my family has. They try to be as universalist as possible by not blessing the food in Jeus' name, etc.
How easy or difficult is it to live your faith? Why?
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Islam is hard, but its not a hardship. If you are living it right you are constantly confronted by your ignorance and insensitivity and weakness. You have to face some ugly truiths about yourself and go through some tough moments. You have to answer some pretty tough questions within yourself . But, though the journey is hard, the expereince is sweet. The people you meet alon gthe way are gems. The growth you expereince is epic and the expansion of your breast is awesome.
In my house, the thing that most represents my faith is ...
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My bookshelf!!
The song/book/film that most represents my faith is ...
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Religion & the Public Square
What should be the role of religion in politics?
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It is said that anybody who thinks that one can seperate religion from politics does not have a clear understanding of either. We vote according to our values and our faith informs our values, therefore religion MUST shape our politics. It must be the compass we use to find our way forward.
Should courses about religion be taught in public schools? Why or why not?
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Only if it is taught from a global perspective. If religion is included in social studies and taught as a whole then I support it. We should all know a little about the faith of our global neighbors.
Should the Bible, Torah, Quran or other religious texts be taught as works of literature in public schools? Why or why not?
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I think literature classes tend to be irreverent and so I would avoid it. I don't like the idea of the sacred texts of living faiths being dissected as myths and legends or poetry.
Do you feel comfortable discussing your faith with others? Why/why not?
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I LOVE telling people about my faith. I never back down or shy away. I think being open and sharing my expereince and my persepctive helps to enrich the person I am speaking to as well as to edify myself and validate my experience.
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