The Christmas story is an ancient one, celebrating a promise of hope and bright futures. I love to use these songs to teach my children what Christmas means to me – not flashing lights and sales, but the potential we all possess. All human beings have the potential to become better, show mercy, and transform into beings worthy of the world we hope for. As Ben Stein says, love and peace are the highest values, something which all of us can share.
The true reason for the season.
Almost two hundred years ago in Niesky, Germany, a particular stellated polygon was created as a math project. The shape proved popular and rapidly became a symbol of hope and rebirth used in the celebrations of Advent and Christmas. One of these shapes, the augmented rhombicuboctohedron, became particularly popular as a hanging glass lamp in the early 1900’s, and similar stars are popular as Christmas-themed decorations made from several different materials.
Interestingly, although we in the West view the Moravian Star as a distinctly Christian symbol, the delicate geometries and startling dynamic shape also have an Eastern flavor, used in decorations for many non-Christian holidays, as well – all sharing the common theme of hope and rebirth. God as the Light, or An-Nur, is a theme treasured and reverenced in many faiths, the promise that the illumination of the Divine dispels all darkness and hopelessness. This shape also reminds me of the beautiful traditional American Sacred Harp hymn, Shepherd’s Star or Star in the East, a lyrical recounting of the Advent of Christ from the perspective of the shepherds. As we approach the Divine, the natural inclination is to show our commitment with gifts of the most valuable things we can find, and this hymn reminds us of the most precious thing we can ever offer – our heart’s adoration.
Another beautiful version
01 – Compassionate (Ar-Rahman)
The first two Names in lists of Asma al-Husna are Ar Rahman and Ar Rahim, The Compassionate and The Most Merciful. Compassion and mercy are so connected, that the translations of these two Names overlap quite a bit. Almost every chapter in the Qur’an begins with a pronouncement of these two Names, reminding the reader of the greatest qualities of the Author and Creator of the universe. From a Christian viewpoint, the traits of Divine compassion and mercy are perhaps the most closely linked in our minds with the mission of Christ – our relationship with God should be one of comfort and security, with the realization that God welcomes all who approach in humility.
The palm trees symbolize an oasis, a place of comfort and refuge filled with cool, life-giving living water. In my studies, I discovered something that struck me as being rather cool. European alchemists and Muslim alchemists both sought for the secret of transmuting base matter into gold, as a metaphor for the transformation of the natural man into a being worthy of salvation. However, many Muslim alchemists also searched for the panacea, the perfect medicine which would heal all ills. This was a red powder and also referred to as the Scarlet Robed King. The vial in the “oasis” of palm trees is filled with a red powder, representing the universal medicine.
The pattern on the floor and back wall is made from a traditional Islamic eight-pointed star and cross pattern referred to the “Compassionate Breath” – the stars represent inhales and the crosses exhales, and the idea comes from a passage in the Qur’an reminding us that God looks upon His creations with Compassion in every breath He takes. The cycles of moons in the arches represent the passage of time and is a reminder that our Creator’s awareness of us extends through and beyond all time. The designs on the sides are construction diagrams for development of the “Compassionate Breath” motif, to suggest that God’s desires for our welfare, His Divine compassion for us, was a vital part of the very design of our universe.
All of us carry, to some degree or another, the desire to receive compassion – our hopes are strengthened and echoed as we show the compassion we desire to those around us. As with many truly worthwhile things, it seems the more we give the more we receive.
Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven… That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
—Matthew 6:1-4
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Wherever water flows, life flourishes:
wherever tears fall, Divine mercy is shown.
–Rumi (Mathnawi 1:817-820, tr. Helminski)
In desert environments, water sources are treasures and oases are havens. I tried imagining the terrifying hopelessness of being lost in an endless wasteland of burning sand, then the utter relief of topping a small rise and discovering a beckoning pool of cool water. I’m more familiar with the imagery of the woman at the well in the New Testament, offered the Living Water by Christ; the stark contrast between the harsh and unforgiving landscape of hopelessness and the utter relief of a saving oasis gives this metaphor many more layers of depth and meaning.
The woman is looking for truth, and Christ delivers it; all of us are looking for a path to free us from the pains and heartache of day-to-day living and the consequences of our own poor decisions, and Al-Basit delivers. Rumi’s reflection shows the readiness of our Creator to deliver, “wherever tears fall, Divine mercy is shown.”
What kind of relief is given, how is the mercy shown? Visiting with Imams and other Muslim friends, there is an undercurrent of an idea informing the Muslim view of adversity which ties directly to an appreciation for God as Opener, Al-Fattah. Yes, miserable things can happen – we lose a job, a family member passes, we get sick – however, every door that is closed in our life gives opportunity for another door to open. And this new door opening is exactly what we need at that moment. This concept enriches our understanding of Al-Basit because it helps us understand that Divine Relief is not just to ease pain and cool the burning, but is actively opening new and positive opportunities of experience and growth. The relief is an active and energetic healing, as if after an operation the doctor says, “Not only will this fix your old illness, but now you can do all these new things, too.”
For this sculpture I was drawn to medicine cabinets and oases. The back of the cabinet is etched with a stylized acanthus leaf. Much of the Western United States was settled by pioneers kicked out of every decent place back East and overseas, so families with all their meager worldly possessions and supplies crossed vast reaches of harsh, unrelenting landscape with no hope in sight. When a stand of cottonwoods was seen in the distance, it was taken as a sign of Divine Providence because the cottonwoods marked a much-needed water source. The acanthus leaf is also an ancient symbol associated with Divine Benevolence. In the Arabian Peninsula where Mohamed was born, no natural open water source remains all year round; the acanthus grows above water sheltered by a layer of sand, so a traveller parched and dying of thirst saw the acanthus as a sign that his Creator was mindful of his dire situation and wanted him to live.
A seven-pointed star is also etched into the back. This particular star is shared by many faith cultures, and also resonates through the ancient sciences. For alchemists, the heptagram represented the seven heavenly bodies, the seven metals, the seven energy centers of the human body (many Eastern cultures referred to these as chakras) and other sets describing the functioning of the observable world. One point I particularly enjoyed learning is while Western alchemists used changing base matter into gold as a metaphor for personal growth and development, Muslim alchemists also saw as the ultimate goal of their work to produce the Panacea, or the perfect medicine to heal all ills. The vial contains burn ointment, which I made with alchemical techniques using a medieval recipe, and sealed with beeswax.
The date palms on the floor of the cabinet represent a cooling oasis filled with the Living Water, and the doors and sides are covered with stylized floral imagery to remind us of the vibrant growth and bounty in Paradise. Originating from within a desert environment, this kind of vegetal imagery used in Islamic work even further underscores the rich, endless vitality of Heaven. The door pulls are brass beads looking like petroglyphs of the sun. Whenever I think of how to symbolize the true timelessness of Divine things I realize the futility – how to appropriately express that God and His works are before and throughout all time, that time as we appreciate it has no bearing for an Infinite Being? Seeing petroglyphs around the world fills me with a sense of my own mortality, and makes me aware that however important I think my life may be, it will be less than a mere blink in the history of the universe (and God is still aware of it!) – using the petroglyphs doesn’t do justice to the timeless nature of Divinity, but alludes to it.
Burn ointment and an oasis – what every wandering soul needs to find relief.
Woman at the Well, Carl Bloch (Detail)
Image from Wikimedia Commons
We learn a lot about our neighbors when our faith is relayed to us through their eyes; we also can learn a lot about our own faith when we treat each others’ beliefs with reverence and respect.
Presented by Khalil Andani on Friday, March 1, 2013 – 2:15pm until 3:30pm in EST at Center for the Study of World Religions (CSWR) – Conference Room (Harvard Divinity School).
Facebook invite: https://www.facebook.com/events/413410935419037/
Earlier related: Video: Isma‘ili Muslim perpsectives on Jesus presented by Khalil Andani
Khalil Andani – https://www.khalilandani.com – is Ph.D candidate (ABD) and an SSHRC Doctoral Fellow (2014-2019) at Harvard University studying Muslim intellectual history with a focus on Islamic theology, philosophy, and mysticism. His dissertation in progress focuses on how Muslims understand the nature and revelation of the Qur’an, with special attention to the concepts of scripture (kitab), revelatory inspiration (wahy), and hermeneutics in the Qur’an, classical Sunni exegesis (tafsir), classical Sunni kalam theology, and Shi’i Ismaili thought. His focus area in Ismaili thought is the theology and philosophy of Nasir-i Khusraw (d. ca. 1088).
His publications include articles in the Oxford Journal of Islamic Studies
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