From MTV to Mecca by Backer Kristiane

Author:Backer, Kristiane [Backer, Kristiane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2013-08-24T22:00:13+00:00

revealed religions were sent from Heaven to meet man’s needs at different times.’4 He compared the various forms of religions to points on the circumference of a circle, which all led to the centre, to God, like the spokes of a wheel. On the level of form they each differed but on the transcendental level they united. ‘When we transcend the level of form we journey from multiplicity to unity, from the particular to the universal. Each authentic spiritual path followed with commitment leads to God.

The Sacred, the nearness to God, the mystical experience, is at the heart of all authentic religions, and this is where they meet.’

I liked what he said. Shaykh Abu Bakr expressed what I had felt – both at the tomb of Santa Rita, and in Bosnia. He also told me how he had once been approached by somewhat zealous Muslims who wanted to know how best to convert everyone in the West to Islam. His reply to them was that ‘it is far more important that people believe in God again. If everyone truly practised the religion of their culture, that would be a great achievement.’ It was good to hear such a conciliatory worldview.

After the walk, it was the tradition that one of the ladies served an evening meal, which she had pre-cooked and brought along. It was an honour for us women to be able to cook for the Shaykh and the twelve or so friends present, although it was also a bit daunting because the pressure was on to get it right. I had a good reputation as a cook and had even been told I had baraka in my hands, which was flattering. But on one occasion, this ‘blessing’ deserted me. At home, I prepared a dish of couscous with chicken and vegetables and brought it in two large pots in my car to Kent. All I had to do was heat it up. Unfortunately, I didn’t set the brand new oven to the correct temperature, so when the other women and I served dinner, the food was lukewarm. We had to take everyone’s plates away again to reheat the food. I was mortified. When we said goodbye that evening after the majlis, I felt the Shaykh was just a little curt; he was obviously displeased. The worst of it, however, was that Gai Eaton called the next morning to tell me he had an upset stomach, and Shaykh Abu Bakr and a few of the others also got sick. Reheating must have awakened some dodgy bacteria. I expected never to be allowed to cook for the group again, but the opposite happened. The Shaykh invited me back only two weeks later – which was unusual – and, to my surprise, asked me to prepare the same meal again. I couldn’t believe it and was very relieved. It was a wonderful example of the principle of spiritual generosity: forgiveness not punishment opens hearts. And the heart, I discovered, had a special significance in Islam.

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