Introduction
I had a chuckle in church yesterday as we were saying our prayers, and we all exclaimed “Thanks Be to God!”. My juvenile 14-year-old mind immediately went to the thought that God’s name was Speedy. Giggling to myself, my 15-year-old looked at me in the way that 15-year-old look at their almost 50-year-old dad when you are supposed to be in church and serious and asked what I was laughing at. I told her the joke, she just rolled her eyes and gave me that stupid look and smirk 15-year-olds give their dads when something is funny, but they are too cool to laugh at it.
Anyway, this inspired me to really consider the way we think about how we name God and spiritual practice of praying God’s name like our Muslim cousins do. As I got my writing book out, my 15-year-old exclaimed, “Really, you are going to write that joke down?”. I did and this is what inspired me.
Why Interfaith Dialogue Is Important
I have spent the entirety of my adult life studying the world’s religions and now am privileged to be able to teach it at a college level. Christians tend to think that they live in a bubble, that their faith came out of nowhere. I even was asked to leave a church once for offering the idea that the God of Muhamed (PBUH) was the same God of Abraham, the God of Jesus.
Interfaith dialogue is a process of study, inspection and understanding that promotes peace, mutual respect, and social cohesion. When we engage in interfaith dialogue, we build bridges between the gaps in communities and foster empathy. It encourages collaborative responses to global challenges.
Interfaith dialogue fosters a spirit of curiosity and reverence for difference that animates genuine interfaith dialogue. This in turn invites us to look beyond the boundaries of our own traditions. As a contemplative formed primarily in a Western form of monasticism, I am deeply influenced by Buddhism.
I continuously find as I study other traditions, an invitation to look beyond the boundaries of my tradition to examine deeply the other traditions out there in the world. This often opens my eyes to the shared humanity that pulses at the heart of all spiritual practices.
When we approach the sacred with humility, we begin to recognize that each faith tradition offers a unique lens through which to experience and name the Divine. From this point we grow in our spiritual maturity as we begin to appreciate not only the richness of our own heritage but also the wisdom embedded in others.
When we engage in this sacred dialogue, embrace the differences of other traditions and see them as opportunities for growth, compassion, and mutual understanding we foster a faith where questions are met with open minds and hearts, and where faith becomes a bridge instead of a wall.
Interfaith Dialogue as a Spiritual Practice
I spent a year a few years ago with a Sufi who guided me and the group I was part of through the journey of spiritual literacy. While he did not talk extensively about his faith experience, my experience with other contemplatives was echoed in his actions and behaviors. Sitting with this man for a year was a practical experience of engaging in interfaith dialogue. In this section, I want to address how we can learn from our Muslim cousins and how and what we can learn from them.
Firstly, I must address some principles to guide respectful and meaningful conversations. Secondly, I want to share how Muslims celebrate the beauty of God through name in their tradition.
When we engage in dialogue with anyone, one of things I teach as a therapist is the notion of open or active listening. One listens with an open ear to what the other person is saying and then asks a variety of special questions called clarifying questions, summarizing statements and reflective statements to affirm the other person’s point of view. WE teach not to judge and instead, question the other person when there is something you don’t understand or agree with. In faith development, it is okay to disagree, each person is in their own stage of development.
The Beauty of the Names of God in Islam
I feel that Jesus bowed in compassion to all he met and this was later echoed in Paulas comments about the lack of division. With our Muslim cousins, we find the tradition of praying the Asma-ul-Husna—the 99 Names of Allah. This tradition represent a profound tapestry of divine qualities, each name articulating an aspect of the Infinite that nourishes both the mind and the spirit. These names are more than labels; they are invitations to contemplation, reverence, and deeper understanding of the One who transcends all description. Each name, such as Ar-Rahman (The Most Compassionate), Al-Hakim (The All-Wise), Al-Adl (The Just), and Al-Ghaffar (The Oft-Forgiving), embodies a distinct facet of God’s nature, offering believers a lexicon for reflection and praise.
Like the philosophies of Buddhism, I find resonance with this spiritual practice, it reminds me so much of the time we spend praying the Psalms or praying the rosary. Spiritually, the 99 Names serve as a bridge between humanity and the Divine. They invite the faithful to cultivate attributes such as mercy, patience, and generosity within themselves, striving to mirror these qualities in their daily lives. Theologically, each name is a window into the Islamic conception of God’s transcendence and immanence—at once beyond comprehension and intimately present. Reciting, meditating upon, or simply invoking these names is believed to bring the worshipper closer to God, fostering both humility and hope. Here, I find themes of our prayers of supplication.
In prayer and meditation, the Asma-ul-Husna are woven into the fabric of devotion. Many Muslims recite these names in supplication, believing that calling upon God through the appropriate attribute is especially powerful; for example, seeking forgiveness by invoking Al-Ghaffar, or aid in hardship with Al-Mujib (The Responsive). This practice imbues daily life with spiritual awareness, turning ordinary moments into acts of remembrance (dhikr), and grounding the believer in the unshakeable compassion, wisdom, and justice of the Divine. Theologically, Christians create complex theologies rather than names for God, often complicating our relationship with God.
Beyond personal piety, the 99 Names also reflect the inclusivity and universality of the Divine in Islam. While God is ultimately beyond human comprehension, these names articulate a vision of the Divine that is approachable and relevant to all. Compassion, mercy, wisdom, and justice are not merely attributes of God but ideals for all people, inviting a shared moral framework across faiths. The multiplicity of God’s names underscores the vastness of the Divine, transcending culture and language, and opening pathways for interfaith dialogue rooted in mutual respect for the sacred.
In Conclusion – Pathways to Deeper Understanding
To close, interfaith dialogue is a mark of spiritual maturity. Interfaith dialogue opens pathways to deeper understanding of the divine by encouraging people to explore sacred traditions beyond our own. Through respectful conversation, genuine curiosity, and shared spiritual practices—such as reflecting on the names of God—we discover both the diversity and the universality of the sacred. This process fosters empathy, mutual respect, and a broader appreciation for the ways in which different faiths approach the divine, ultimately enriching personal faith and strengthening communal bonds. My eperience with this practice over the last 30 years has not only brought me closer to God, but helped me love my neighbor more deeply. It has broadened my prayer and devotional life. It is a practice that I encourage all to attend to at least once. We are challenged to “transformed by the renewing of our minds.”
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