The Prophet added, "The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied, 'I do not know how to read.' Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read but again I replied, 'I do not know how to read (or what shall I read)?' Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me, and then released me and said, 'Read in the name of your Lord, who has created (all that exists) has created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous." (96.1, 96.2, 96.3)
Illiteracy has been a major part of my life since the summer of 1985 - nearly 27 years now. I stumbled over it as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Jamaica, after my primary post as an instructor at a teacher's college fell through. I have written about this many times before, and to make a long story short, ended up working for JAMAL (The Jamaican Movement for the Advancement of Literacy) for two years, teaching reading classes and eventually establishing and supporting classes across the western side of the island. This changed my life forever, and when I returned to the United States, I changed my coursework and studied reading, cognition, and education. Since that summer, I have been involved with literacy education of some sorts constantly, and the non-literate have been a large part of my life.
These experiences have drastically changed my notion of ignorance - I must confess I probably once held that non-literate people were ignorant by definition, but my parameters were all wrong. People aren't illiterate by choice, and they certainly aren't limited in other cognitive functions. As a matter of fact, some of the most dignified people I have ever met couldn't spell the word dignified! They live very difficult and complicated lives, often close to the earth, far from the convoluted machinations of more learned folks. And I never taught them to improve their character, far from it, I hoped the advent of literacy did not erode it! The fact that Allah chose such a person to reveal His word is perfectly logical for me, especially when I think about my varied religious experiences. A pure heart is a perfect vessel, whether the owner of that heart can decipher scribbles on paper or not.
Sometimes I think about those early Muslims, and the changes they had to make to fulfill their faith - the ancient superstitions of their forefathers, the barbaric practices they deemed pragmatic, and the destructive but convenient diversions from their brutal realities. They made these changes in the presence of the word of God, delivered by a simple, honest man. This humbles me when I think about my short-comings in my faith. I really cannot grasp the magnitude of the changes the Prophet heralded, and those early converts who gave their lives to Allah.
This notion of illiteracy also brings me to one of the strengths of Islam, in my opinion anyway, that of our personal responsibility to read and consider the Holy Koran. And although I may go to the Mosque and listen to a learned Imam on occasion, it is incumbent upon me to live a correct life and to know how to comport myself with God and in this world. This is so different than my previous experiences with churches where God's word was sometimes hoarded and parsed out sparingly by men who had closed themselves from my world in cloistered and secret clutches. I do understand the benefit of others' wisdom, but the lessons I have read in the Koran and hadith are simple enough for me. So simple as a matter of fact, that my human side is tempted to manipulate and pervert them. At the end of the day though, my conscience knows the difference, and I try to listen openly to my conscience especially during isha'a prayer.
Finally, the notion that correlates illiteracy and life close to the earth resonates very strongly with me - my faith is not grounded (no pun intended) in some high, esoteric rhetoric, rather it is forged with simple daily routines that reinforce the basic goodness around me, not the distractions of the masses scrambling to produce convenient, self-serving realities. Working from the simple to the complex is honest work - manipulating the complex to change the simple is the devil's duty.
So, to finish these thoughts with something potentially heretical, I don't find much of a miracle in God's choice of our Prophet; it makes perfect, beautiful sense to me.
Illiteracy has been a major part of my life since the summer of 1985 - nearly 27 years now. I stumbled over it as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Jamaica, after my primary post as an instructor at a teacher's college fell through. I have written about this many times before, and to make a long story short, ended up working for JAMAL (The Jamaican Movement for the Advancement of Literacy) for two years, teaching reading classes and eventually establishing and supporting classes across the western side of the island. This changed my life forever, and when I returned to the United States, I changed my coursework and studied reading, cognition, and education. Since that summer, I have been involved with literacy education of some sorts constantly, and the non-literate have been a large part of my life.
These experiences have drastically changed my notion of ignorance - I must confess I probably once held that non-literate people were ignorant by definition, but my parameters were all wrong. People aren't illiterate by choice, and they certainly aren't limited in other cognitive functions. As a matter of fact, some of the most dignified people I have ever met couldn't spell the word dignified! They live very difficult and complicated lives, often close to the earth, far from the convoluted machinations of more learned folks. And I never taught them to improve their character, far from it, I hoped the advent of literacy did not erode it! The fact that Allah chose such a person to reveal His word is perfectly logical for me, especially when I think about my varied religious experiences. A pure heart is a perfect vessel, whether the owner of that heart can decipher scribbles on paper or not.
Sometimes I think about those early Muslims, and the changes they had to make to fulfill their faith - the ancient superstitions of their forefathers, the barbaric practices they deemed pragmatic, and the destructive but convenient diversions from their brutal realities. They made these changes in the presence of the word of God, delivered by a simple, honest man. This humbles me when I think about my short-comings in my faith. I really cannot grasp the magnitude of the changes the Prophet heralded, and those early converts who gave their lives to Allah.
This notion of illiteracy also brings me to one of the strengths of Islam, in my opinion anyway, that of our personal responsibility to read and consider the Holy Koran. And although I may go to the Mosque and listen to a learned Imam on occasion, it is incumbent upon me to live a correct life and to know how to comport myself with God and in this world. This is so different than my previous experiences with churches where God's word was sometimes hoarded and parsed out sparingly by men who had closed themselves from my world in cloistered and secret clutches. I do understand the benefit of others' wisdom, but the lessons I have read in the Koran and hadith are simple enough for me. So simple as a matter of fact, that my human side is tempted to manipulate and pervert them. At the end of the day though, my conscience knows the difference, and I try to listen openly to my conscience especially during isha'a prayer.
Finally, the notion that correlates illiteracy and life close to the earth resonates very strongly with me - my faith is not grounded (no pun intended) in some high, esoteric rhetoric, rather it is forged with simple daily routines that reinforce the basic goodness around me, not the distractions of the masses scrambling to produce convenient, self-serving realities. Working from the simple to the complex is honest work - manipulating the complex to change the simple is the devil's duty.
So, to finish these thoughts with something potentially heretical, I don't find much of a miracle in God's choice of our Prophet; it makes perfect, beautiful sense to me.
this is the true understanding of Islam
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