Month: November 2021

Recently, Noble Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzaiwho resides in Birmingham, UK recently tied the knot with her spouse Asir Malik (of Pakistan), both at the ripe age of 24. Their marriage followed the textbook on Islamic terms and practices, where Nikah Nama was read and then both of them signed the document. Nikah Nama is… Continue reading Malala and Her Controversial Words

I wanted to reflect on #15. Whenever I first glanced over these words, I felt that something was calling on me to dissect it and apply it to what it means to me. I feel these 4 lines tell a short story about how love can ignite the spirit in someone. Whether this love is… Continue reading Rumi’s Poems Thoughts

Poetry of Rumi #7 Walk to the well. Turn as the earth and the moon turn,circling what they love.Whatever circles come from the center. Rumi, aka the “drunken Sufi”, was known for finding exultation and bliss in the act of spinning, dancing, poetry, and music. Sufism, the mystical form of Islam that stresses an inward… Continue reading Rumi

The first thing that stuck out to me was the fact that these poems were written in free style rather than spaced out into verses, which I thought was a very interesting choice and almost seemed to make the poems flow better. I thought these poems in general flowed very well, even despite the translation,… Continue reading Reflection on Rumi’s Poetry

I didn’t know that Jesus just popped into Islamic poetry/stories. I thought that was pretty cool that there’s almost like a mix of religions in those poems. Which leads into another topic we had talked about–that Sufism is engaging in other religions and appreciative of other outlooks on religion. Sufism allows you to believe what… Continue reading 11/9 Notes Sufism, Rumi’s Poetry, Layla and Majnun

I was looking up information on traditions in the Muslim Religion and this article about the 40 days of mourning caught my eye. When someone passes away it is tradition to bury the body right away to show respect and host a “spoua” which consists of prayer and donations to charity. The family and community… Continue reading 40 Days of Mourning

When looking at some of the poetry of Rumi, I had never heard of the concept of Solomon’s ring before. I was aware that Solomon was known for his wisdom from the Bible, but I did not necessarily know that in ancient times, this meant having deeper insight into the world, such as dealing with… Continue reading Solomon’s ring and other reflections from poetry of Rumi

When discussing Sufism in Islamic tradition today in class, I thought the comparison of Sufism to Daoism in the Chinese tradition was especially helpful in understanding this mystical wing of the religion. I had always thought that Sufism was a third branch of Islam, so it was interesting to learn that this is not really… Continue reading Sufism and whirling dervishes reflections

Although not defined as a religion itself, Sufism is considered to be a branch or subdivision of Islam. It can be defined as a mystical tradition that emphasizes to search for God inside oneself and to oppose materialism, the idea that possessions and objects are more important than spiritual values. Rumi was a poet who… Continue reading Sufism, Rumi’s Poetry, and Layla and Majnun

In such a trying time, it never occurred to me how COVID affected religion beyond the United States. My church for example, did not meet for 11 months consecutively due to the threat of the virus. This was not only by law but also due to the fact that a lot of the congregation was… Continue reading How Covid Has Impacted the Islam Religion