An aerial view of Mecca (Makka) today, with the Great Mosque (and its Ka\u2018ba) in the lower left \u00a0\u00a0(Wikimedia Commons public domain image)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here a few passages that I\u2019ve drawn from John L. Esposito and Dalia Mogahed, Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think\u00a0<\/em>(New York: Gallup Press, 2007):<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
I should have cited this first passage for Mother\u2019s Day. \u00a0But here it is, now, ready for Mother\u2019s Day 2021:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
A famous hadith<\/em> explains Islam\u2019s reverence for mothers: A man asked the Prophet Muhammad who was most worthy of honor, to which the Prophet responded, \u201cYour mother.\u201d \u00a0<\/em>The man was undoubtedly surprised at this response, considering the patriarchal nature of traditional tribal societies. \u00a0He went on to ask the Prophet again \u201cAnd who next?\u201d \u00a0The Prophet again\u00a0responded, \u201cYour mother.\u201d \u00a0<\/em>Bewildered, the man asked a third time, \u201cAnd who next?\u201d \u00a0The Prophet again\u00a0responded, \u201cYour mother.\u201d \u00a0<\/em>Finally, in response to the fourth repetition of the question, the Prophet responded, \u201cYour father.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 (Sahih Muslim Chapter 1, Book 32) \u00a0(cited on pages 22-23, with emphasis in the original)<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
To this, I myself would add another famous hadith<\/em> or prophetic tradition that appears in several variants in the classical collections. \u00a0The form that I quote comes from the Musnad<\/em> of Ahmad b. Hanbal (AD 780-855):<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mu\u2018awiyah bin Jahima al-Sulami . . . came to the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) and said, \u2018O Messenger of Allah \ufdfa (Allah bless him and give him peace) I desire to go on the military expedition and I have come to consult you.\u2019 He (Allah bless him and give him peace) asked, \u2018Do you have a mother?\u2019 He said, \u2018Yes.\u2019 He (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, \u2018Stay with her because paradise lies beneath her feet.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
But back, now, to Esposito and Mogahed:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
[M]ost respondents in the 2005-2007 survey of countries that are predominantly Muslim or have sizable Muslim populations say they \u201chave a lot of love in their life\u201d (95% of Egyptians and 92% of Saudis, for example). \u00a0(22)<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not sure, though, that \u201clove\u201d is the first thing that comes to mind when many contemporary Westerners think of Islam and Muslims. \u00a0This passage, too, is somewhat out of date, but I doubt that the results would be any better<\/em> today:<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
A Washington Post<\/em>\/ABC News poll in 2006 found that nearly half of Americans \u2014 46% \u2014 have a negative view of Islam, seven percentage points higher than observed a few months after Sept. 11, 2001. \u00a0According to the poll, the proportion of Americans who believe that Islam helps stoke violence against non-Muslims has more than doubled since the 9\/11 attacks, from 14% in January 2002 to 33%. \u00a0Similarly, a Pew Research Center survey found that about a third of Americans (36%) say Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence among its followers. \u00a0(46)<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 Here a few passages that I\u2019ve drawn from John L. Esposito and Dalia Mogahed, Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think\u00a0(New York: Gallup Press, 2007): \u00a0 I should have cited this first passage for Mother\u2019s Day. \u00a0But here it is, now, ready for Mother\u2019s Day 2021: \u00a0 A famous hadith explains […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[66,3139,8394,189,8993,11609,11606,8960,186,1769,3358],"class_list":["post-85034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-islam","tag-love","tag-mohammad","tag-mohammed","tag-mother","tag-mothers-day","tag-motherhood","tag-mothers","tag-muhammad","tag-muslim","tag-violence"],"yoast_head":"\n
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![\"Makkah](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2015\/09\/444px-Makkah_550m.jpg\")
<\/a>