In old Jerusalem on Fridays…
During the Muslim call to prayer, one can hear from the Al-Aqsa Mosque the Christian procession praying loudly as they make their way past the mosque en route to the Holy Sepulchre, while at the same time the Jews pray at the Wailing Wall. Together, all the prayers of the various faiths, emanating in unison, rise toward the sky. A sign of our common faith in one unique God.
This reminds me of a verse from the surah AL- MA’IDAH 5:48 in the Holy Qur’an:
“Unto everyone of you have we appointed a different law and way of life. And if God so willed, HE could surely have made you one single community; but in order to test you by means of what HE has vouchsafed unto you. Vie then, with one another in doing good works. Unto God you all must return, and then HE will make you truly understand all that on which you were wont to differ.”
Why mankind continues to be preoccupied with religious differences rather than finding the common ground where we can all relate. The love of the Almighty is limitless and without boundaries.
“The world as we have come to know it has become a place that yearns for a true understanding of the faiths”. Dr. Ghoulem Berrah
This year, 2021, the Christian Holy Week and the Jewish Passover were celebrated the same week. The Muslim Holy Month of Ramadan has begun and will end while Christians are still in the Easter Season.
Our religions teach us the love of God and the love of our neighbors. The foundation of all religions rests upon the concept of morality. The sincerity in leading a religious life, the quest to follow the righteous path, and a desire to practice honesty in judgment, sincerity in speech and in all of one’s actions, including aspirations, are intrinsic values that correlate to our faith.
If we believe that the world needs more love and understanding, when we make the effort to find common ground, that lead us to peace, concord and interfaith harmony.