In Conversation with My Muslim Classmate
I wanted to share a correspondence between my classmate and friend, Charles and I. He is the father of a Muslim family and we had a correspondence I wanted to share. Fr. Carl Chudy, SX
Carl, Regarding interreligious programming, I agree that it is important to come together with “multifaith neighbors, in a loving listening,” aka in true interfaith dialogue so we can learn about the “other,” and so we can make sure the “other” sees us as we claim to be. In my opinion, I would add that interreligious programming is also important because as humans we define ourselves against who we are not. Therefore, in my opinion, true interfaith dialogue helps a multifaith community, helps feed that desire the younger generations have, etc., but it also helps the individual know who he/she is. To further my point, I would like to use Islam. In the Quranic stories, Muslims are defined against who they are not. This is a common theme throughout the Quran, and it is how many traditional Muslims define themselves in prayer, for example. In the traditional Islamic prayer, many times traditional Muslims include Quran verses that define themselves against who they are not, like Quran chapter 112, The Purity, which states:
- 112:1 SAY: “He is the One God:
- 112:2 “God the Eternal, the Uncaused Cause of All Being.
- 112:3 “He begets not, and neither is He begotten;
- 112:4 “and there is nothing that could be compared with Him.
As seen, Quran chapter 112:3 is defining the Muslim against him/her not being a Christian. However, what is interesting is that it is not an attack on Christians or what Christians believe. Rather, it is just simply the Muslim defining him/herself against what he/she does not believe. The Quran supports Christians as ‘believers,’ they can marry Christians, etc., so, again, it is not an attack on Christians.
A great example of this is when my wife and I was part an interfaith prayer ceremony sponsored by a Methodist church. My wife and I performed the traditional Islamic prayer, and my wife wanted to include Quran chapter 112 because it is a Quran chapter that she includes when she prays. However, coming from a Christian background, I had to talk her out it, explaining that some Christians might take it as an attack on their beliefs. I am not sure if I did the right thing or not, but I did not want anyone to misunderstand that it is just how Muslims pray, and it is not against Christians. Do you think I did the right thing? Just wondering your take. 😊
Charlie
Hi Charles,
Interesting question. I cannot say whether you were correct or not, but I do think that the dialogue of these matters is conditioned by those who are hearers and speakers. Whether that Methodist audience would have understood, I don’t know. But, God as “Trinity” is not well understood among many Christians, and the ancient Greek philosophy that bore it’s language in the early third century is in my mind not very helpful to the 21st century as an ecumenical understanding of God for Christians. In other words, we Christians are not all on the same page.
The problem comes when the Qur’an summons Christians “not to exceed in their religion” and “not to say three” (Q 4:171). It may suggest that Christians use “three” as a slogan, over against Muslims who use “one” as a slogan, and thus make tawhid their different point of view. I am going to go back to an ancient theologian, Aquinas, despite the fact that he was quite ignorant of Islam. His description of Islam in the Summa contra Gentiles is pretty embarrassing. He was certainly not prepared to engage Muslims.
However, he makes clear that our language about God is not about numbers but about expressing the fundamental distinction between God and everything else that exists. His word for describing God as different is not oneness, but simpleness. This means that God is like nothing else. God does not belong to any of our categories, God transcends them all. For me, because of this, it makes no sense to speak about “the Muslim God” or the “Christian God.” That said, there are few Christians who can carry this conversation on and that is unfortunate. The more dialogue we have, the clearer we all become, which is why I advocate interfaith dialogue as a central practice for Christians where it is possible..
There is new language for God and the Trinity in an interesting book by Richard Rohr, The Divine Dance. More than numbers, it is about eternal relationships that evolve throughout the cosmos, among all things. At any rate, let us discover God together!
Carl
About The Author
