Classical Islam - 2002

I was rummaging through the boxes in my room - as usual, procrastinating when I should be working on my brief. Being the pack rat that I am, I have transported various pieces of my life from UVA to Pittsburgh. I found my notes from Classical Islam, back in the Fall of 2002 - and in thumbing through them, I'm taken back to the days when I was exploring Islam through academia ... my two classes with Prof. Sachedina (Classical and Modern Islam) in the Fall and the Spring were vital in getting me through the year with my sanity intact. Now, I find myself constantly reaching back into the realm of Classical Islam to rationalize whats going on today, in my life and in the world at large. It may be a stretch, but those two classes taught me more than most of my other education combined. *Sigh, I wish Prof. Sachedina was in the 'burgh - at least for a lecture of some sort. :0(

Here are some of Prof. Sachedina's selected quotes. These are thoughts and practices that I need to remind myself of all the time - hence, this post.

• Religion creates a responsibility to build our lives as human beings in peace
• Any religion that speaks of justice is no longer a private religion, and cannot be confined to places of worship or homes
• A journey in the wilderness all by herself is an experience thru which all human beings have to go through in order to search for inner peace
  
• If you're not willing to make sacrifices, you will not gain in your religious search.*
  
• Human beings need one another, faith translates into human relationships
• We are finite beings; we have free will - but it is finite
• The literal meaning of "Shari'ah" (Islamic jurisprudence) is "A path in the desert that leads to a watering place."
  
• We are all born with fitra, which is the inherent ability to distinguish right from wrong.
  

*or any search for that matter!