The Deliberate Sterilization of God’s Mention from Western Culture

You can notice it in news broadcasts, in television series, in Disney movies and all kinds of cartoons, especially the Marvel series. You can find it in public discourse as the “standard model” of communication – the scrupulous avoidance of mentioning God or anything “sacred” in Western culture – except rarely when covering news about religion. Yet even then the word “God” is usually replaced with “approved words” like “nature” or “Mother Nature” (which Apple capitalized for me!). This is something I’ve been aware of for the longest time, but it’s extremely important to articulate it now in light of world events, the culmination of a long-standing erasure of the Sacred from so-called “Western” culture. Public mentions God are rare except in “sanctioned” phrases like “OMG” or “god-forsaken” or “godawful.” Compare to public discourse as it used to be in Muslim countries, like Egypt, where the name Allah was one of the most frequently-used words, effortlessly incorporated into daily life. Now with the imposition of Nazi and hedonistic “leaders” such as Sisi in Egypt or MBS in Saudi Arabia, the elimination of God in language, even where Islam is the dominant religion, is underway.

But maybe insha’Allah not for long…

Our Relationship to Allah in the Basmalah

The paired names of the Basmalah represent how Allah relates to us: with His power/authority (Al-Rahman) and mercy (Al-Raheem). These two names contain 6 letters each for a total of 12 letters, and the number 12 is associated with 12 months, suggesting “in time.” The first 7 letters are the words “bism Allah” or “in the name of Allah.” The number 7 symbolizes 3 basic things: a test of what we value or “evaluation;” balancing “opposites;” and marriage or significant pairing (where the pairing involves a change in status, usually raising up in some way). Marriage can refer in Arabic to any pair somehow joined together: the body with the soul, the day and night as a dynamic duo, Allah and His messengers, the Almighty, All-Merciful, life and death as a cycle rather than a timeline, this world and the Hereafter, and our souls – if we choose the upright path seeking Allah – with the Almighty All-Merciful.

Two Videos Moved Me to Tears, Surprising Music by Unexpected Choruses

A Chinese chorus from Taiwan sing this original Islamic song in Arabic. You will recognize La ilaha illa Allah!

Here a children’s choir in the U.S. sing Tala Al-Badr Alayna, inspired by the music of a song sung by the ladies of Medina when prophet Mohammad arrived there in the Hijra. The arrangement of the music is original.

Two very different groups, not particularly Muslim, yet appreciate the spirit of these songs. A sign of hope in a world desperately needing it.

The Quran’s Words for Thinking and States of Mind

In Surah 55 (Al-Rahman), Allah the Exalted refers to both humans and jinn (a species of creature created from fire) as thaqalān, which means “heavy/weighty” in the dual form used when addressing two. The “heavyweight” here refers to that both humans and jinn have free will plus intellect. Humans identify themselves as thinking creatures, and that faculty is indeed “heavy,” especially when combined with free will, as intellect must have autonomy, hence choice, in order to develop higher/heavier powers. And with weightier powers comes heavier responsibility.

These powers of intellect are described in the Quran as different ways of thinking and gaining knowledge, and the way in which one uses these ways of thinking results in different states of mind/heart. In the Quran, what we call “the mind” is in the heart, as described in a previous post. So what we call a state of mind is really a state of heart, with all the qualitative meanings associated with it. But studying the Quran more closely, we find that there are many ways of thinking, and these produce different states of mind.

The Meaningful Universe 3 – Dhikr and Memory as Connection

Mentioned in the Quran far more frequently than any form of “thinking,” dhikr (which I also spelled as thikr, which seems closer to how to pronounce it, like the “th” sound in “the” or “this” but dhikr is “standard” transliteration) means “to remember” and also “to invoke,” which can be expressed as “to bring to mind.” To get an idea of how far-reaching memory can be, some “ultraconserved” words have survived 15,000 years pointing to a “deep language ancestry across Eurasia;” ancient oral histories have preserved information later confirmed by science and in a larger scale (showing ancient sea rise, for example) as well; and scientists are aware of memory’s key role in thought processes, described as “an integral part of human cognition, since it allows individuals to recall and draw upon past events to frame their understanding of and behavior within the present…and future.” Memory plays a role across all time-scales, from short-term to long-term within individuals, to untold millennia in “collective memory” which is often preserved through oral tradition. The Quran itself, self-described as Dhikr al-hakeem or “wisdom-remembrance,” is a Divine revelation given to us as both an oral tradition as well as a written book/manuscript. 

The Basmalah as Gateway to the Quran and, Symbolically, Paradise

There is no dispute that the Basmalah contains the first words one reads in the Quran, and in that sense one could consider it the gateway into the Quran. Similarly, as the “opening” to the Quran, most graphically illustrated in the “nautilus shell” architecture discussed on this site, Al-Fatiha (the first sura whose name literally means “opening”) is our point of entry into the Quran, establishing its perimeters, in particular the primacy of salat, of connecting to Allah the Exalted. But it also symbolizes the gate to paradise as is mentioned in three ayat discussed below. Because of course, the Quran is our guide to how to get through the coming catastrophe of Al-Akhira to the ultimate success that transcends the tests and suffering of our brief mortal existence. 

Death and Resurrection in Every Heartbeat

A previous post speaks in details about how with every heartbeat there is a death — when dead (de-oxygenated) blood enters the right atrium (yin receptive chamber) to be pumped at low pressure (an essential yinmercy) into the lungs (by the right balanced yin/yang ventricle/pump) — and resurrection — oxygenation in the lungs, the organ that recycles the element of air (O₂ in, CO₂ out) — received by the left atrium (receiving chamber), to be pumped by the powerful left ventricle (the power yang pump) at high pressure (full might/power) alive into the whole body, which is thus resurrected. And how this relates to Allah’s name. 

THIS HAPPENS WITH EVERY HEARTBEAT. And this heartbeat is dhikr Allah! 

The Heart of Thikr Allah, Thikr Allah of the Heart

Listening to a khutba on thikr Allah today, a more comprehensive definition of thikr was brought to my attention: “anything you do to remember Allah.” Examples were salat (formal prayer connection), tasbih (glorification), du’a or supplication to Allah, acts of charity whether obligatory (zakat purification) or voluntary (sadaqa), making the Hajj pilgrimage, or even simply being honest in one’s work, or helping others in innumerable ways from thoughtful acts or greetings, bringing comfort to someone in distress, or acknowledgement of another’s point of view, or helping jump-start a car, anything really one does for no personal benefit or gain such as money but only for the sake of Allah, or out of innate charitable feelings if one is fortunate enough to have them.

What Is Thikr Allah and Why Is It Greater than Salat?

When non-Muslims pray or use the word “prayer,” usually what they mean is du’a or supplication. This is different from Salat or salah (both transliterations are used), the Islamic prayer which involves the body language of bowing and prostration and the physical perimeters of time (daily prayer times) and space (direction to pray towards Mecca), required of all Muslims. Thikr Allah — translated “remembering” or “mentioning” Allah and sometimes transliterated dhikr — is not specified as obligatory, although the Quran emphasizes it. But salat is required to be established on a daily basis. So why then do we read in Surat Al-Ankabut 29:45 (below) that thikr Allah is greater than salat?

اتْلُ مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ ۖ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ ۗ وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ
Recite, [O Muhammad], what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish salat. Indeed, salat prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and thikr Allah (the remembrance of Allah) is greater. And Allah knows that which you do.

Allah’s Magnificent Name: Heartbeat of the Cosmos

One might imagine that God would choose for Himself a significant and meaningful name, but most names for God in various languages don’t have particularly meaningful qualities. But the name “Allah” in Arabic does.  Written using 3 unique letters to form a 4-letter Name, that number 4 by design matches the number of chambers in the human heart. We shall show how these letters combine visual, sonic, and functional connections to the human heart, while also exemplifying Yang/Yin attributes whose perfection is categorically unique to Allah the Exalted.

The Meaning of Heart in the Quran

We usually think of the heart as either a physical organ of the body or the place of emotions. But the Quran uses the word for “heart” in ways that show us a more expansive range of meaning, one that in fact revolutionizes our way of thinking about who we are and how our lives, bodies, choices/ decisions and actions intertwine, with deep and important consequences. The heart is one of the most important concepts in the Quran. as both a physical living organ and symbolically, as the seat of the soul or self, the nafs. The very name of Allah contains the image of a heart and the sound of the heartbeat, as if the heart itself was created as a symbolic force expressing Allah’s presence.

Thikr Allah and the Human Soul

The word thikr ذكر in Arabic encompasses layers of meaning, as do many Quranic words — no single English word can replace it in all instances, thus translations use various English words in different contexts. However, knowing that this is the same word helps in grasping the depth of the Quran.

It basically refers to “remembrance” or “bringing to mind” by means of words, and indeed thikr ذكر means also “to invoke” (powerful words/ names) or “say/ mention.” Thus when we say “ithkur Allah” (“ithkur” being a verb form of thikr), we mean to mention or invoke Allah and thus bring Him to mind. It has been translated “remind/ reminder.” But it also can mean simply “remember” or “bear in mind” or even “memorize,” as indicated by the context of its usage. The Quran itself is referred to as “thikr al-hakeem:” thikr (in this case, a book) which is wise, just, and balanced (hakeem), whose purpose is to bring the deeper truths about Allah and our purpose in life to our understanding.

“Remembrance” in English often implies recalling or commemorating something from the past, whereas thikr implies a “reminder” of something of which one was oblivious; something like a wake-up call from an oblivious state.

The Quran tells us that thikr Allah, both invoking His name(s) and remembering Him, is the greatest form of worship and also the most effective way to stay on the straight path:

Surat Al-ankabut 29:45
اتْلُ مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ

“Recite what is inspired/ revealed to you of the Book, and maintain the salat (“contact prayer”—the formalized physical worship which has geo-astronomically determined time of day/ direction perimeters to maintain “contact” with Allah), for the salat prevents (or inhibits) immorality and vice; but certainly the remembrance of Allah (thikr Allah) is the greatest. And Allah knows everything you do.”

Why is thikr Allah the most important, even though salat (formal Islamic “prayer”) is one of the most crucial requirements for a Muslim? Is there some greater “power” in Allah’s name or the thought of Him?