Employing the analogy of transmutation of iron into gold through contact with the philosopher’s stone, the verse hints that a spiritual transformation of an individual is possible through the recognition of, and sincere conviction in, the Satguru.
The Ginans, like the Qur'an, not only emphasize but also encourage the use of reason, sound judgment, discernment, discretion and sagacity to differentiate between the truth and falsehood, as well as to draw a distinction between a true guide and a false guide. The metaphor of the ability of the swan to pick pearls from a lake and the call to trade in jewels instead of glass in verses four and five respectively of this composition, demonstrate the above-mentioned approach, just as the word pārkhu(n),used
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Just as iron turns into gold upon contact with the proverbial philosopher’s stone, in the same manner a believer undergoes a transformation through contact with the Satguru. The analogy of the transformative power of pāras (philosopher’s stone) is quite common within the Ginans. For example, in the following verse, Pir Sadarddin compares the Satguru to pāras (philosopher’s stone) and the munivar to trā(n)bā (copper) and states that when the two come in contact, the munivar, metaphorically speaking, becomes …show more content…
For, in verse 10 of this sura the allegiance of men of faith is described, and ‘God’s hand was above their hands’.” His quest for Wisdom took him to different lands and brought him contact with learned men and scholars but none could provide satisfactory answers to his questions. Finally, his journey took him to Cairo, during the reign of the Fatimid Imam Mustansir bi’llah (AS), where he met the chief Ismaili missionary al-Mu‘ayyad fi‘l-Dīn al-Shīrāzī, through whom, he embraced the Ismaili Faith and gave allegiance to the Imam of the Time. This contact with the Imam brought about a transformation in his life from a base stone to a ruby, as explained by Alice
While most westerners know the story of Joseph as a passage from the end of the book of Genesis in the Bible or the Torah, understanding the story and its intricacies in sura 12 of the Qur’an proves equally important. Joseph’s story in Genesis emphasizes his personal abilities and God rewarding him and his people’s loyalty and faith amidst hardship. The Qur’an takes the same plot and enforces the theme of monotheism and Joseph’s prophetic role in its spread. The Qur’an’s interpretation serves as a more influential religious text in the context of its body of belief, whereas the Biblical story of Joseph, with its thematically intriguing story line and embellishments, comparatively serves a greater literary purpose. By reading and understanding both passages, one can gain a clearer knowledge of what is regarded as important to the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic faiths.
This decision changed his life completely, Cassius Clay “his slave name”, was now Muhammad Ali “beloved of God”. Ali was a member of the Nation of Islam until 1975, when he converted to the more general Sunni Islam. Islam was considered, and is still today, a very radical religion and way of thinking, however, Ali’s view of it seemed to be totally different. For him, Islam is all about love. Malcolm X was in charge of showing Ali the path to a newer, and more tolerant version of Islam.
The religion must provide an argument to convince people to convert, provide a counter argument to combat the oppositions to itself to stand as an argument, and present itself in a way where the reader is convinced that the argument is solid and drives home the point. Much like how the Lodhi Gardens move a person to explore its inside, the Qur’an is a way for the Islamic faith to draw in people to convert to its religion. By comparing the two, the beauty of their arguments presents itself in two different ways. The Lodhi Gardens is aesthetically beautiful from its architecture and the artwork of the inscriptions of the Qur’an on the wall. Meanwhile, the Qur’an’s words are what makes it beautiful by having a solid argument that convinces readers to buy convert, which has lasted from the creation of this religion to now, still converting people to join the Islamic
Entanglement in modern, worldly life is easy, but simultaneously complicated because while we live as part of the fray, we lose touch with that all important connection to God, thereby also losing touch with the chance to experience a happier more fulfilling life. And for the spiritual seeker whose desires a better life, the journey from living a worldly life to a Christian life, requires a death of the mindset of the old worldly self and a resurrection of the more Christ-like self, the blueprint of which is competently exemplified in Author Anthony L. Walker's motivating and empowering book, Transformation. By examining Christian based principles, author Walker, provides true inspiration through his work with his guidebook, within which he posits, that everyone should realign with God for a better life and salvation. Albeit, while the path set forth to living a Christian life is never easy in a world driven by materialism, separatism, and selfishness, he makes understanding
Immortality, redemption, emancipation and deliverance have always been the highest spiritual aims of mankind as well as his innermost aspirations. Throughout the ages his spirit has relentlessly soared towards these eternal peaks that lie beyond the comprehension of ordinary human understanding. He has always tried to decipher the larger meaning and purpose of human existence and of its link with the entire creation. Man’s quest has been to identify the powers governing life and how his life fits into the greater scheme of things whereby this universe exists. Where science and rationality failed to find any Cosmic significance in human existence, the spiritual approach not only found a meaning but also connected it
Before the interactive oral, I thought Islam had a large role in Marji’s life in Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel, Persepolis. Marji proclaimed herself to be “very religious” (6.1). Moreover, Marji conversed with God many times, and belief in God is an attribute of religion. For these reasons, I did not question Marji’s declaration of faith.
The structure of the book is organized to introduce new concepts to the reader earlier in the book, and the author strengthen these concepts by discussing them in following chapters to engage the reader and reinforce learning. Chapter One the author mainly focuses on providing basic understating of intellectual knowledge, as well as comparing the difference between transmitted knowledge and intellectual knowledge from modern and a premodern point of view. Furthermore, in this chapter the author provided various verses and quotes from the Quran and the Hadith, to show how the idea of acquiring knowledge through intellectual knowledge is aligned with basic Islamic belief, and how God commends every human being to think for themselves and not believe in false gods. Also in this chapter the author discusses the main goals of intellectual knowledge and how it guides us on the right path to understating our innersole. Along with explaining the main human disciplines required for achieving these goals such as rejecting what we know about things that we acquired in the past by transmitted learning to allow us start with a pure mind to avoid pitfalls of believing in false
Elwood emphasizes the importance of symbols in order to complete “transcendence experience”; therefore, over evaluating some symbols above other symbols would add more obstacles and confusion for the ones who are living the transcendence
A brief illustrated guide to understanding Islam. 2nd ed. of the book. Houston: Darussalam Books, 1997. The Holy Bible: giant print ; containing the Old and New Testaments translated out of the original tongues ; and with the former translations diligently compared and revised, by His Majesty's special command, authorized King James version ; words of Chri.
He and his followers migrated to Medina. They accepted his teachings and this became the first Islamic Community. His major achievements include founding of a state and a religion. He was also politically successful. He created a federation of Arab tribes.
It may all sound very exciting, mystifying, and life-changing. But it is old-fashioned Oriental mysticism in a new guise.
Voice is a main force that drives along a piece of literature as it adapts to new paths and takes on new meanings based on the speaker, addressee, context, and many other factors. In “If You Want to Sing” from Islamic Mystical Poetry and Psalm 6, through similar basic structures, both writings deploy voice in order to describe suffering and assurance of each respective speaker’s position. However, through this fundamental parallel, the differences in the particularities of the voices employed are further highlighted. The similarity in the general voice and structure accentuates the specific differences in emotionality and clarity that ultimately assist in exhibiting the changing voices of the writings.
He remarks, “To find out the one is to possess the All”. The experience of a unifying vision is generally asserted by all the mystics of different ages and varied cultures. There is a common agreement among the religious mystics as regard the apprehension of a divine unity; there have been divergent approaches in the interpretation of the Nature as this unity. Some mystics assert the vision of an individual unity in which the distinction of subject and object is obliterated and what is achieved is an impersonal one.
During Muhammad’s time, he united many areas in Arabia and was able to establish a religious communi...
Raised without a strong sense of religion, Thomas Merton’s conversion story, The Seven Storey Mountain, can be read by people of all different backgrounds. Growing up Merton did not have a stable sense of religion, but through the grace of God, found the Catholic faith, which resulted in a life of contemplation and solitude. Like many conversions, it is hard to pinpoint one incident in Merton’s life that formed his faith. Places he visited, people he met, books that he read, all impacted his conversion. In his book, Merton was able to look back on his life and see the sacramental principle weaved into his life to led him to a life of faith. His numerous readings and an unexpected impact of a Hindu monk demonstrate the sacramental principle