The awareness of Islam and the Prophet (December 2016)

Peter Hüseyin Cunz, Congress in Konya, 15.12.2016 

 

Bismillahi ar-Rahmani ar-Rahim, assalamo aleikum, 

 

Praise be to our Prophet Muhammad, he who serves as our reference! Peace and Blessings of Allah may accompany him and his relatives! 

 

I express my sincere thanks to the Authorities of Konya and to the organizers for having invited me to this event. And I thank the family Çelebi for being the custodians of Mevlana’s heritage, making it possible for us in Europe and elsewhere in the world to understand the Prophet and his light! 

 

If Islam started in the 7th century, what then does this mean for the science of evolution, for the modern physics and psychology? Or, was Islam since ever? 

If Muhammad is the seal of the Prophets, what then does this mean for 1 billion Chinese, 1 billion Christians, 1 billion Hindus and several billions of rationalists? Or, is Allah also to them  “closer than the jugular vein”? (ayat 50.16) 

Muslims go into war against Muslims, intelligent theologians fight with the tongue against other intelligent theologians because of differences in the interpretation of holy scripts. Muslims build walls instead of reaching hands. What does this mean for today’s Islam who should guide us on a way beyond the boarders of comprehension? 

These are questions to which I have to be able to answer in a comprehensive way when I wish to convince Europeans about the universality of Islam. 

 

With the internet the world has become very little: ethical values and rules of society are completely different than in the 7th century on the Arabian Peninsula. Today slavery is rejected as unethical, and today it is not tolerated anymore to have the men ruling over women. I have to consider this if I want to convince Europeans about the universality of Islam. 

 

Dear brothers and sisters, time is relative. Time is bound to gravitation, and it changes according to the condition of matter. Time disappears if we get close to the divine. Saints such as Hz. Mevlana knew this very well. By reducing Islam to its historical context we rob it the universality. 

 

May we have the courage to testify a universal view of Islam! Allah is not only close to Muslims. Let us stop to reduce Allah to the limited comprehension of the medieval theologians! Let us recognise the Light of Muhammad also in the Christian, the Buddhist, the Hindu and the rationalist! Let us reach hands, be it with Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus or rationalists! Let us be amazed in gratitude, let us look into the heart of each other, and let us together with the non-Muslims bow in front of the incomprehensible cryptic Ultimate that we Muslims call Allah! 

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters, I’m a thankful guest here in Konya, and therefore I wish to close with a verse of my Pir. It is to be found in the first book of his Mesnevi: 

 

You are an idol worshipper when you remain in bondage to forms. Leave the idol’s form and look at the reality.

If you are a man for the Pilgrimage, seek a pilgrim as your companion, whether he be a Hindu or a Turk or an Arab.

Do not look at his figure and colour, look at his purpose and intention.

If he is black, yet he is in accord with you: call him white, for spiritually his complexion is the same as yours.

                                                                                                    (Mesnevi 1:2893-2896) 

 

 

Amen