The Ends of the Earth by Robert D. Kaplan

Author:Robert D. Kaplan [Kaplan, Robert D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

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“MEN, HUMAN BEINGS, exhibit many different kinds of religious worship on this earth,” began the student, his eyes like lit coals, constantly glancing heavenward. The student spoke Persian with a distinct, well-enunciated Arabic inflection, full of guttural stops that I recognized from my travels in the Arab world. I was sitting with a group of seminary students in a lovely courtyard surrounded by three levels of blue faience archways, amid carpets and piles of books, where the quietude was enhanced by the sound of birds. There was the passing, momentary aroma of mint and the crackle of prayer beads through fingers. Here at the Faizieh (Abundance of Goodness) School, Khomeini himself had sat for years, in the same spot perhaps, discussing similar issues. The student, a fellow in his mid-twenties, went on:

“Yet, however varied the ways of worshiping God, only one of them can be the correct way. We examine all of the other religions logically, and philosophically. We respect other beliefs and ideas: Christianity, Judaism. But, logically, we have had to conclude that only Islam is right. The Koran shows the only right way. We always use reason and logic in our inquiries. Still, if someone must use another path to God, it is up to each of us to choose his own fate.” The student’s black eyes rolled upward, as though thanking God for putting such compassionate and open-minded thoughts in his mouth. The other students nodded, but remained silent. This student doing the talking had an aura about him. His short, very thick black beard evolved perfectly from the hair on his head. His coffee-toned features were noble. He was short but muscular, and had an air of superiority: a little big man. He also had a way of moving his hand with a rapid lift of his eyes, as if he were preaching to a large audience, even though we were squatting on a carpet a few inches from each other. He appeared to see right through me, as if I were nothing. Continuing, he said:

“The goal of our study is to attain feqb [understanding]. We do this through mobahetheh [discussion]. A student must be able to show to his fellows that ‘I know. I understand.’ Our field of inquiry is very broad.” His open palms moved outward from his body. “We study elocution, astrology, Greek philosophy, even medicine, since we read the works of Avi-cenna,” the eleventh-century Persian physician and philosopher. He showed me a book, loosely translated as Nations and Religions, compiled in the Middle Ages, which he said was used by the students to examine the strengths and weaknesses of other faiths.

“What about history?” I asked.

“We read Ibn Khaldun,” he said, referring to the medieval Arab scholar who, in 1377, wrote the Muqaddimah, the “Introduction” to history. I, too, had read the Muqaddimah, or rather an abridged version of only 459 pages. It contained a bit of wisdom that I thought apt for comprehending Persia and other places in my travels: “The past resembles the future more than one drop of water another.

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