GrowingEcologies of Peace, Compassionand Blessing A Muslim Responseto'A MuscatManifesto'

BY AREF ALI NAYED

ForewordbyTur Rev'o Dn SaRÄuCoerrr,y OpeningAddress by H.E. Surr

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BY AREF ALI NAYED

Forewordby TutRev'o Dn SenanCon rley OpeningAddress by H.E. Snrrrn AeouLleH grNMorrelauao Ar Salur

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ForewordbyTue Rrv'o Dn SenenCoaxrsy

OpeningAddress by H.E. Srruxu Asoulr-aH srN Monauueo Ar, Ser,ur

Growing EcologiesofPeace, Compassion and Blessing Foreutord

äyTun Rnv'o Dn SeneHCoerrny Norris-HulseProfessor of Diuinity, Uniuersityof Cambridge

ow cAN THEREBE 'cRowrNG ECoLocrEs'of peacein a worlddivided by religiously fuelled violence?In this learnedbut moving lecture,Dr Nayed res- ponds to ProfessorDavid Ford's Muscat Manifesto by allowing it to call forth fresh evocations from his own Muslim tradition. The result is a striking statement of vision 'deep 'lowest in which calls to deep'. Here is no reductive common denominator' theology of the religious other, but a searching account of the necessary alignment of prayer, theology, and serviceto the poor in the quest for mutual understanding and blessing. In times of crisis,the project of Kalam has to be recast,re-'traditionalized', argues Dr Nayed, by sifting afresh through the riches of authoritative teaching in the Qur'an and baditb and,applying them faithfully to the contemporary challenge.Thus at every point Dr Nayed roots his vision of Kalam rn the authority of scripture and tradition. But he is insis- tent that the authentic extension of sucl.rtradition can only arise from the primary dis- cipline of prayer, and from the new theological creativity that will spring from it. Above all, he seeksto inspire hope over despair, reconciliation over hatred, and love over cynicism and bitterness. This is a deceptively simple essaS but rendered startlingly fresh by deep learningand a humble spirit. All readers will be aware that Dr Nayed writes this responseto the Muscdt Manifesto at a time of great moment for our traditions and for the future. It is a time of danger,as he acknowledges; but it is also a time of opportunity. Christianity in the West is also re- 'systematic traditionalizing itself, also re-thinking its own project of theology', and also searchingafresh for models of inter-religious understanding. The question that pressesmost urgently is this: can such a task be undertaken in both a loving and a crittcal spirit? Dr Nayed spells out a way that it can be. As he puts it, 'Through mirroring each other, we can better see our faults so that we can work on repairing them.'Such an approach takes honesty,courage, friendship and trust. Talk of love can often be glib; but in this lecture it is rooted in both political realism and spiritual discernment. I hope that all readers of this lecture will be drawn into the spirit of prayer and com- passion that Dr Nayed manifests in his own life and work. To meditate on Dr Nayed's words is itself a blessing. d.

THs Rrv'o Dn Senes Coarrey is Norris-Hulse Prolrrro, ol Dirinity at the IJniuersity 'systematic of Cambridge, and is at uork on a neu) Christian theology' of her oun, also founded in practices ofprayer and attention. OpeningAddress byH.E. SnerrHAeourreH srN MoHeM^.{aoAr Sarur Minister of Endowmentsand ReligiousAffairs, Sultanateof Oman

Addressat the OpeningSession of the CambridgeInter-Faith Programme, Facultyof Diuinity, CambridgeUniuersity Wf DNESDAY2I ST OCTOBER ZOO9

In tbe Name of God, the Compassionateand Merciful

Ladiesand gentlemen,brotbers and sisters

RoFEs s oR FoRD's TNITIATIVE hasprovoked a good deal of attention,optimism and approval. He came to Muscat at the invitation of the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs, and delivered a lecture at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. 'A In this speechhe mentioned a number of points and issues,entitling it Muscat Mani- festo of Dialogue between Abrahamic Religions'. 'S7hen I received his invitation to attend this event, I thought it necessary,at this starting- point of our collaboration,to begin with some initial observationsand to propose some relevant mechanisms, to increase the fruitfulness of our discussion and to enable us all to move through the present important stagewith the internal calm necessaryto enable us to progressand to achieveour goals. 'Sfe support this Manifesto, and are considering it the basisfor discussionand for develo- ping further ties. $(/ehope that it will be, thanks to Professor Ford's efforts, a beneficial ini- tiative, and an intellectual and methodological contribution to improving relations between the Abrahamic religions. It seems to me that this present stage is important for two reasons. Firstly, there are 'Clash unfavourable international conditions-phrases such as the of Civilisations' or the 'Green Peril' abound-and they indicate a worsening relationshp. SecondlS four decades of interaction have led to a closed horizon-this has been due to weaknessof will and to mistakesof approachand purpose. \7e seek to combine two goals: mutual acknowledgment; and.mutual compassion. The first of these goals, mutual acknowledgment, has been defined by Almighty God as an objective in human relations, irrespective of human distinction in created form, in beliefs, in customs, and in habits. This is stated in the verse: 'We peoples O mankind! hauecreated you male and female,and hauemade you into and tribes,thdt you might cometo know one another'The noblestof you in God's sigbtis the onewho featsHim mosl. (TheHoly Qut'an, 49t3) In this text we find differencein createdform ('maleand female'),and differencein social (,peoplesand tribes').Despite this, or becauseof it, the objectivemust be to organisation 'mutual ou"...o-. dispote. that arisefrom difference;and this by meansof knowledge" This. in turn. takes the form of three steps:knowledge, then understanding,and then recognition. Kiowledge signifiescoming to know the Other realistically,objectively, and responsibly; it alsosignifi"es cäming to know his particularity,his ways of thought,his behaviour,and his interests.There is no clearline betweenknowledge and understanding'although the latter entailsan activedimension, which takesthe form of empathyand the desireto grow closer. of Empathyreaches its highestpoint with positiverecognition of the fact of differenceand the Other's still ongoingseparate pathway' It is not possiblefor human natureto abandon but its own identitS ht*ev.r grear ;ne's empathywith and admiration for the Other, recognisingdifierence and the legitimacyofthe Other'sotherness is a high accomplishment that raisesour humanity and our faith and ethics' The repercussionsand various dimensionsof the Qur'anic processof mutual acknow- l.dg-.nt, whether in its individual or social dimensions,have not been studied and ,rnär.tood by Muslims or by others.This is becauseof the unfavourablecircumstances that have prevailed in the relations betweennations in the last century, and also the onf".,roo."6l. conditionsthat havegoverned Muslim-Western relations for two centuries' Becauseof the absenceof mutual knowledge,or any attemptto achieveit, mutual rivalry prevailed,rendering it difficult for both sidesto act outsidethe context of power relation- to ships.After this, extremistsand radicalstook control on both sides,making it hard intervene,let aloneto improveknowledge and recognition' If recoinition is a rich processof knowledge,understanding, and acknowledgement' degree,or its ultimate outcome'is the secondof our goals:compassion then its h-ighest 'Blessing'. itself, or tiat which professorFord called in his Oman lecture Almighty God hauesent you only as a compassionto the uorlds'; and the Prophet'may God 'I the "^|"i'w,blesshim and grant him peace,said: am nothing but a compassionbestowed'. so summit of knowledge,or mutual appreciationand understanding,is compassion'which' throughthe humaniiy of man, bringsthem to broadand rich regionswhich, whenreached, precludedisputatiousness and contentlon. It is clearthat what is meantby mutual compassionis relationshipsbetween individuals, first of all, but it can,through persistence,constancy, and a strongdesire to love, continue and until it suppliesu moral fiumework for the relations betweenreligions, cultures nations.Mutual knowledgeand recognitionare a right, and mutual compassionis a virtue and a duty,as well asa right. be- Thesenvo goals(mutual knowledge and mutual compassion)require the initiative to of taken by the Lelievers,who are the adherentsof the Abrahamicreligions, on the basis two principlesdefined by the Holy Qur'an in its addressto the Peopleof the Book: Say,O peopleof the Book! Cometo a commonword betLueenus and you' that ue ,bnll *irriip nonebut God, and that noneof usshall takeothers as lords besideGod; and if they iurn aruay,then say: bear utitness that ue areMuslims' (TheHoly Qur'an' 3t64)

8 | cRovING EcoLocIEs oF PEACE This comprehensiveQur'anic invitation incorporates severalparticular terms, or keys: a common word, worship of none but God, rejecting attribution of lordship to others, maintaining submission to God. If others reject any partnership on the basis of these prin- 'common ciples, the word' defines the method: careful adherenceto uprightness, equality and justice in addressingthe Other and acknowledging him. '$Torshipping God alone means uniting in responsiblehumanity before the single Divine Essence.Rejecting religious sel{-exaltation is the consequenceof upholding the unity of the Creator and His power and lordship. Bur even if the People of the Book were to decline to meet on the basis of these principles, this would not provide an excuse for enmity or dispute; rather, what would be needed in this case would be openly to state one,s sub- mission to God, and to insist on the path of mutual acknowledgment, understanding and compassron, The path of mutual acknowledgment and compassion is a comprehensivehuman path, and constitutes a principle addressedto the entire human race. But the aspiration of the Holy Qur'an is that the Abrahamic religions should lead the rest of humanity in the direction of mutual acknowledgment and compassion becauseof the large shared issues 'on which unite them, a common word', in affirming divine unitS and in denying the attri- bution oflordship to what is not God. For this reason a conscious agreement on this should serve the followers of the Abrahamic religions, and then all of humanity. The issue is simply whether we people of 'common faith command the ability to take the initiative or not. The word, and professing the unity of God are the most accessibleways of providing mutual understanding and compasslon, Relations between the followers of the Abrahamic religions have witnessed various epi- sodesof slackening, dispute, and failure. Self-apotheosis,or claiming mastery and victory 'common were the main causesunderlying {ailure to come to a word between us and you,; and if this was so, how then could humanity be summoned to mutual knowledge and compassion? In 1999 the Taliban destroyed rhe rwo historic Buddha statues at Bamiyan in Afghanis- tan. I remember the Tibetan Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama said that the Christians and Muslims, during past centuries when they ruled the whole world, did not follow amongst themselves, or towards other religions and cultures, the way of recognition and justice; instead, their concern was always with taking control and power, and violent conquest! Crisis has dominated relations between Muslims and Christians for the past two deca- des, particulady in Muslim-Protestant relations. The reason is attributable to two factors: firstly, the worsening of some political problems which had religious, cultural and symbolic dimensions, such as the Palestine issue, and the situation of Muslim communities in the I7est; and secondln a negative public opinion of Islam, reciprocated among some Muslims with negativity and also with violence. Over the past ten years I have pursued theseissues in the course of many discussionswith intellectual and political leaders in \fest and Easr. As a result of consultations, reflections, experiencesand discussion, I have suggesteda method to recover a proper rrajectory via religious ethics, in three cognitive processes:intellecr, justice, and morality. Scholarly interaction with the Holy Qur'an is either through exegesis,that is to say, direct understanding, or through hermeneutics, in other words, indirect understanding. There is no doubt that the ethical and mental processesthat I mentioned (mind, justice and morality) are hermeneutically rooted in the holy texts ofthe Abrahamic religions. In addi-

cRowINc EcoLocrESoF pEAcEl9 tion to this perceptionI have wanted thesesteps to constituteour method' As we have already spoien go"l, and principles, we will constantly be committed to the "boot principlesof the Abrahamicreligions' As part of our engagementin this initiative ofrecoveryand new beginnings,we launched the MagazineTo lerance.Twenty-six volumes have already appeared' Its goal is to promote the praltice and implementationof toleration, with critical reflections,to clarify related conceptsand to combatfalse ideas. SimilarlS in the Ministry of Endowmentsand Religious Affairs of the Sultanateof o-urr, -" h"u. in the past eight yearsorganised an annual cultural seasonto which we have invited around a hundred western religious,political and economicthinkers and lecturers(about frfteencoming eachyear), to discussissues on which we differ and the valuesof toleranceand progress,and Muslim-\Testernrelations in the religious,political' economicand cultu ral domains. By intellectwe meanto implementpractical reviews of concepts,goals, and interests'by- inteiligeotly grasping and managingproblems, proposing definitions and ways out of difficu-lties,seeking to clarify roadsto effectiveand constructivedialogue, and to discover new and constantlyrenewed means and methodsof finding knowledgeand cooperation with others. It is said in the Gospelsthat knowledgemakes us free. This is indeedtrue; but to be actualisedir needsto be coupled with criticism, self-reflection,and the redefinition of conceptsusing crrtical faculties' 'süe havetwo Muslim thinkerswho lived ascontemporaries in the ninth Gregoriancen- tury:Al-Muhasibi (d.243 an), andal-Kindi (d.z5z an). Kindi embracedAristotle's view on the nature of the intellect and its functions, sayingthat it was an indivisible substance whosefunction was detachedperception and the assessmentof entities.Muhasibi took the view that the intellect is an innate tendencyor a light that increasesand grows stronger through learningand exPerience. Thäugh knJwl.dge, learning, acquisition and research,we are always capable of growth a;d of putting thingsin their right places,as long aswe do not losesight of the goals of mutualknowledge and compassion' As for the secondstep, or the other comparison,as part of this orientation,it comprises justice justice.By justicewe meanimpartiality in our judgementsand evaluations,and also i' th. *"y'*. behaveand conductourselves. If we in this contextconsider the intellectto be a moral and humanvalue characterised by detachment,then justice is the instrumentthe intellectuses in cofrectingdiscursive thought, and in motivating us to a particulal mental or practicalactivitY. ih"r, .o-.. th. third step,morality, which from oneangle connects us to the principleof divineunity and the reiectionof self-apotheosis,and from anotherperspective connects us to the two obiectivesof mutual knowledgeand subjugation' rhree-stepmerhod is that on the one hand it links us to the one of the benefitsof this 'Let theologyof the Abrahamicreligions, and on the other to the other culturesand faiths. non" Jf* tnk, otheras lords besidesGod'. Andlet us not ignorethe supremevalue of "ach mut.,al k.rowl.dge and compassion.This connectsus without any great intellectualor diffilulty to the;äth of'racing eachother'to good uorks', or positive and behavioural 'And freecompetition in suchworki, asGod saysin the Holy Qur'an: vie with one another in good works'. The importanceof this is that sacredgood works are autonomousvalues that canbe attainedby Abrahamicand non-Abrahamicindividuals'

ro I cRovING EcoLoGIES oF PEACE Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters

It is said that the world of the first half at least of the twenty-first century will be a world of religion. There are some religious believerswho judge the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries as an age of impulses that were in revolt against religion and morality. But our view of the last century is that the religions too were used to provoke divisions. professor Hans I(üng said, in the nineties of the last centurn that peace in the world depends on peace between the religions, and that there can be no peacebetween the religions except through dialogue between them. My underlying purpose in offering these observations has been to help the process of discovering a new way for religions and cultures to be in dialogue, which will be of service in fostering the peace,security and stability of the world. \7e are embarking upon our cooperation with the Cambridge Inter-faith programme in the form of the Chair gifted to this university by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Sa,id, may God protect and preservehim. 'Muscat The text of the Manifesto' will be one of the first things on which we shall collaborate, as we discuss,support and reflect. It is my hope that these reflections will also play a part in facilitating the processof cooperation and dialogue. g

Thank you.

Peacebe upon you and tbe compassion of God

GROWING ECOLOGIES OF PEACE I I1 Growing Ecologiesof Peace,Compassion andBlessing: A Muslim Responseto 'A MuscatManifesto'

&yAnrr Arr NavBo

Lectureat the CambridgeInter-Faith Programme, Facuhy of Diuinity Uniuersity of Cambridge .WEDNESDAY 2I ST OCTOBER 2OO9

In the Name of God, Compassionate,Kind. Blessingsupon the Prophetsof God

N THE wELcoMrNG SETTTNGor Oman'sdistinguished theological faculty, andthe sublime beauty of the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, ProfessorDavid Ford of the 'A CambridgeFaculty of Divinity offeredMuslim scholarsa gift. He namedthe gift Muscat Manifesto', and distilledin it the wisdom of decadesof deeptheological work and experience.'The gift consistedof good advice on the featuresof good theology, the characteristicsof good religious leadership,and guidelinesfor inter-faith relations. ProfessorFord, of course,spoke from the depthsof his own Christianwisdom tradition, but his advice, coming from a sincere and loving heart, did transcend inter-faith boundaries,and touchedthe heartsof many Muslim scholars."What comesfrom the heart entershearts. I pray that I canrespond to 'A MuscatManifesto' from the heart.Of course, the best heart-felt responseto a gift is gratitude. So, it is my honour to publicly thank 'thank ProfessorFord for his wonderfulgift, and to elaboratethe you' theologically,as best asI can. 'wise 'A Muscat Manifesto' providesthe featuresor 'key elements'for theology'.It also providesthe characteristicsfor a more engagingreligious leadership. It then goeson to provideguidelines for inter-faithrelations. Let us start with the featuresof a wisetheology. ProfessorFord offersfour suchfeatures: 'Wise I. theologyis basedon wise interpretationand understandingof scripture and traditionl 'Wise theologyis doubly engaged,in the present:with God (in prayer);and with our changingworld (in living); 3. I7ise theologyis intelligentand creativein its understandingof things,divine and worldly; ri?isetheology communicates itself to otherseffectively.r As a Muslim working on reviving and articulating a wise Islamic theologS or wise Kalam,for today,Itake ProfessorFord's advice to heart.Indeed, a renewed Kalam mu,stbe firmly rooted in the interpretationand understandingof the Qur'an, the Sunna,and the tradition of the Muslim community or lJmma. A renewedKalam m]ustbe thoroughly soakedin a sincere,prayer-filled engagement with Allah, as the living God, and with Muhammad (peacebe upon him) as rhe living exemplarof love and guidance.However, sucha Kalam mttstalso be in a realisticand caringengagement with the complexitiesof our world (or rather roorlds),in thesedifficult and troubledtimes. A reneweäKaldm mJ:staim for the utmost intelligentand respectfulGod-invoking creativity, and must articulateitself aslucidly aspossible. It is interestingto note that the featuresof wise theologyas outlined by ProfessorFord 'good actuallycoincide largely with the featuresof a word' (halimatayyi&a) as described in the Holy Qur'an. God ExaltedsaYs: Haueyou not seenhor.u Allah gauean example?A good tuord is asa good treeuhose root is firm and its branchesare in heauen, people Itsgiues its fruit euerywhile, by leaueof itsLord. Allah giuesexdmples to that theymay rememäer.(The Holy Qw'an, r4:24-25)" 'good Thus, today, if an Islamic theology ot Kalam aims to be a truly word', as per Qur'anic standards,it must aim to be: r. Firmlyrooted; z. Open-ended; 3.Fruitful; 4. Ever-invokingdivine guidance and permission' A rcnewedKalam musrbe deeplyand firmly rootedin the Divine and Propheticguidance providedby the Qur'an, the traditionsof ProphetMuhammad (peace be upon him), and in the t..*.ndou, polyphonic traditions that were worked out and articulatedby scholars and sages,lovingly devotingthemselves to living out the Propheticexample' A- renewedKalam must stretchout to heavenin pray-fully seekingout divine guidance, but must also reach out to others in respectfullyseeking out human engagementand mutual knowledgeand understanding(ta'rufl:

O mankind! We hauecreated you from a male and female,and tben tenderedyow nationsand tribesso that you migbt knou one another.Tbe most honourableamong yowin the sight of Allah is he *ho is the mostpious. Allah is indeedKnotuing, Aware' (TheHoly Qur'an,49:t3l A rcnewedKalammust bepractically fruitful and thoroughlyservice-o iented (khidma). stlcha Kalam must fealizethe fact that the bestway to God's love is the practiceof love towards. and serviceof, His creatures.Prophet Muhammad (peacebe upon him) says: .creatures are God,s dependants:whoever is more helpful to His dependantsis more lovedby Him' (Abu Ya'la,no, 33r8). It is importantto rememberthat, in his prayers, prophet Muhammad (peacebe upon him) usedto seekrefuge in God from knowledge

o An EnglishRendering of its Mean- All eur'anic versescited in this presentation{ollow the edition,T}e MajesticQ r'an: lrlgs,p;blished by the Nawawi Foundationand the Ibn Khaldun Foundation,Chicago & London, zooo'

r4lcRowt\G tcol oclts oF PrACE tJratis of no practicaluse ('llrn /a 1'azl'a)(Muslim, no.685 6 ). An Islamictheology that does not place itsclf at the service of all of God's creatLrresis not tr:uly Islamic. proohet lr'luhammad'sguidir'rce (peacc be up.n him) clearlyindicatcs th:t r Kaian rhar tr.rrll'scck,r God rrust seck Ilinr through serving His r.reeclycreiltures: the hur.rgry,the thirstn the hor.neless,and the frightened(Muslirn, no. 65o8). A rcneweclI(almn rntst be set ir.rthe cleeprealization tlrat no guidanceor salvation is possiblewithout God's own s;rvingguidance and deliverance.No healthy ar.rddivinely ninded Kalnnt is possiblcr,r,itlrout the sincereand humble seekingof divine guidanceand permission.This divine guid:lnceand pcrmissior.rmust be sought daily through l.reart-felt prayer and devotion to God Hirnself (H,xaltedis He), ir.rvocatior-rsof blessingsupon His ProphetMuharlmacl (peercebe upon hirl), and respectfuldiscipleship ar.rd apprenticcship to devoutscholars and sages,who are the true heirsof Muhar.nmacl(peace be upon hir.n),in unbroken chains of scholarrlyar.rcl spiritual transmission(Bulthari, Chaprer on .krrowir.rg befor:esaying and doir.rg'). God's suidanceis an expressior.rof His compassion\rahma) towar.ls humänity. \fith out this divine conpassion, no one can be sirved,not even Prophet Mul.rar.nmacl(peace 'gifted be upon l.rirn)!Though he hirnselfis a compassion'of God (rdbma muhda), the 'No Prophet (pcacetre upon him) says: one will entcr paraclisethrough one's olvn deeds, 'Not but tlrrough the comperssior.r(rabtna) ol God.' His Companions said: even you O 'Not Messenger of God?' He insisted: even I, unless (lod embraces me with His Compassion'(Muslirn, no.7o7 t). RenewedKalarr must be rooreclin tl.risvital reerliz:rtion. It is the livirrg pracriceof compassior that is conduciveto receivingdivine compassior.r. Islarnic theologv must be rooted in compassior.rät the tlteoretical,practical, and cor.rs- 'leave tructive levels:theoria, praxis, dnd poesis.tTlte of the Lord' tlrat permitsa good tree to bear fruit is indeeclil divine cor.l.rpassionthat can besr be invoked through Iving in mutual comp:rssiolr. Thus, it is ir.nportantto sceka renewedancl wise Islamictheology (Kalan) that is like the Qur'anic good tree. Horvl,er-, it is in.rportantto point out that hcalthy r.enewcdKa/arr would not lrc just one good tree, but lvhole forests! Healthy Kaldm would bc entire ccologiesof gooclnessthitt arc akin to Qur'anic gardens(janaat). Throughout its histor1,, whenever lslan.rictheology thrivecl it was typifiecl :rs narvelously complex gardclrs of theoloeies,rather than a singlethcoiogy. In thc Qur'an, God celebratesand expectsus to m:rrvclilt,:rncl also celebrate, complcx diversitt',even as it stemsfrorn the samesoLrrce; And on the earth are neighbouring trtcts, uineytrds and ploughed lands, dnd pnlms in pdirs and palms sitryle; natered ruitb one Ludter:and sotne of then \X/emake better thdn othersto edt.Irt thdt ttre sigttsfor thoseuho understattd.(Thc{oly Qu r:'ar.r,r 3:4 )

Just as the sanrewatcr givesrise to a variety of palms, the sameQur'an and prophetic trirclitiongivcs rise to a variety of approachesto, and schoolsof, lslamic tlreology(Kaldnt). Suchar variety and cliversityis t.rotto be lamcnted,but rather celebrated.

Haue you not seel1that Allah causesLudter to fall from the sky, and WIeproduce theretuith frttit of diuerse hues; and amctng the hills are streaks white tnd red, of diuersehues and Iothers]rduen black;

And anorry men and bedstsand cdttle there ttre those of diuersehues? Only the lcdrnedantong His seruantsfedr Allah. And Allah is Attgust, Forgiuing. (The Holy Qur'an,35:27-28)

(;lt()\r/INC LcoL()GIrs of fE^cE I l s with- srlnniKalam (beit Ash,ari,Maturidi, or Hanbali) cannotbe revivedand renewed out beingin meaningfuland mutually respectfuldiscussion and engagementwith renewed Kalam Sht,iKal-am (be it kina-ashd, Zay di,or Isma'ili),as well aswith Ibadi K alam. Stnni cannot be revived and renewedwithout respectfulinter-faith engagementwith Jewish' christian, Buddhist and Hindu theologiesof today. This is in addition to considerate .ng"g"-.n, with the renewedexpressions of Mu'tazili, philosophical,naturalistic' skep- the tiäl,"and evenatheistic schools of thought. God's very creativityis the very sourceof in realiiy of pluralistic variety and diversity.No renewedIslamic theology will thrive splenäidisolation from the God-decreedcomplexities of theologicaldiversity.: In periods of theological thriving, even a single theological school, like Ash'arism, exhibited and celebratedmarvelous variety. Considerthe rich polyphony and diversity 'Iji' These that emergeswhen reading Ash'ari, Baqillani, Juwayni, Ghazali,Razi, and ,.holurs ai. all Ash.aris,and yet their writings exhibit incredibly complex patternsakin_ periods of to the intricate patternsof beautiful gardensor splendidPersian carpets' In theologicalstagnation, polyphony becomes monotonic, and dialoguesreduce to repetitive monologues.u of ecologiesor gardens' Noq the Qur'an hasa greatdeal to teachabout the cultivation in the As Goi often does,He teachesus through Qur'anic parables'There is a parable Chapterof the Cave: And giue then the exd.mpleof ttuo men, to one of whom Wegaue tuto uineyatds' surrind.ed with datepalms; in betu)eenthem Wegretu other plants' Each of the two gardensyielded itsproduce and did not fail any uise [in yielding ix producel.lnthe midst of them Wecaused a riuer to gushforih '

This man bad.an abundantproduce and be said to his companionwhile conuetsing uith him:'I am richet thanyou and mightierin men" Anduhen,hauingthusLurongedhissoulheenteredhisuineyard,hesaid:,Idonot think that this r't,illeuer p erish-

'Nor d.o I belieuethat the Hout [of Judgement]r'uill euer come; and euen if I am retwrned.to my Lord I shouldsurely find betterthantbis asd resort'' 'Haue His companionsaid, while he was conuersingwith him: you disbelieuedin you into Him uhi createdyou from dwst,then from a sperm-dropand thenfashioned a man? 'But I setup no partnerswith [asfor myself,I know that] Allah aloneis my Lord and Him. ,,That ,when you enteredyour gardenyou sbould hd'uesaid: uhich Allah uills ft.uill poorer ,rr"ly to passl,there is no poloer but with Allab" Though you seeme "o*" tbanyourself,taith fewer children...' (TheHoly Qur'an, r83z-391 Thereare many lessonsthat can be learnedfrom this parable'In seekingto articulatea renewedIslamic theology or kalam, I learnfrom it at lÖastthe following:

r. The flourishingof richnessand varietyin our gardens,including theological ones, isa grftfrom GodHimself;

r6 l cRowrNG EcoLocIEs oF PEACE z. The fruitfulness ofour theological gardensis God-dependant; 3. $üemust not become arrogant about the flourishing of our theological gardens, and should never be intoxicated into thinking that they will last forever. All die, including theologies, and only God rs forever; 4. God's ultimate judgment is the only true and final judgment. No one has any guarantees.All must stand humbly, especiallytheologians, before His ultimate judgment; 5. The key to theological authenticity and salvation is the total dedication to God, alone; 6. There is no true capacity or rrue power, except in God Himself.

Just as the parable of the two men with the two gardens teaches us not to take our theological ecologies or gardens for granted, another Qur'anic parable teachesus not to despair when there are no ecologiesor gardens,but mere desert!

Or [baue you heard] of he u,ho, uhen pdssing by a ruined and desolatecity, exclaimed: 'How can Allah giue life to this city, notu tbat it is dead?' And Allah causedbim to die, 'Hou and after a hundred years, brought bim back to life. He said: long haue you 'A ,Knou stayed atuay?' day,' be answered,'or part of a day.'Then Allab said: tben that you haue stayed away a bundred years. Yet look atyour food and drink, they baue not rotted. And looh at yowr donkey! tXletuill make you a sign to mankind. And look at the bones, seebotu'V/e raise them and clothe them with flesh!' And uhen it became 'I clear to him, he said: know now that Allab is Able to do all tbings.'(The Holy Qur'an, z.:z59 )

In periods of theological desolateness,it is very easy to fall into 'When cynicism and despair. a tradition fails to produce major theologians and theologies for tens or even hundreds of years, it is quite tempting to rhink that rhe tradition is dead and that nothing willgrow or flourishfrom ir. However, such cynical despair is wrongheaded, and wrong-hearted. It is wrongheaded in that it fails to remember the incredible number ofrevivals, renewals, and re-awakenings that religious life has exhibited over the cenruries in all major religious communities. It is also wrong-hearted in that it fails to appreciate the amazing creativity of God, and His astonishing power to create anew. The great scholar and sageSidi Ahmed Zarruq used to saythat he learnedhope from the incredibleQur'anic verse:z

Do you not seetbat Allab has created the heauensand the earth uith the truth? If He Will, He can remoue you and bring you a neu creatioz. (The Holy eur'an, r4t9)

No one should ever despair of God's creative power. No tradition should ever be declared dead. Every tradition, if God wills it, can flourish again. Just as theological flourishing must not be taken for granted, theological flourishing must not be despaired of. God teachesus in the Qur'an that renewal and creating anew is always possible:

O Mankind! If you are in doubt concerning the Reswrrection, [consider tbat] We yow created of dust, then of semen, tben of a clot of blood., then of a lump of flesh shaped and wnsbaped,so that We may make clear to you. And Vle keep in the uombs wbat V/e please to an appointed term, then We bring you forth as infants, then V/e cause you to grou up, thdt you may reach your prime. And among yow some die

cRowINGECoLocrEs oF pEAcEI r7 [young]and someare sent back to the feeblestold ageso that they knolu nothingafter they had knotuledge.You sometimes see the edlth still' But uhere Wepour dolun rain on it, it quiuers,and swells,and grou',sof euerypleasdnt pair. (TheHoly Qur'an, zz:5)

A landscapebarren of theologicalecologies can quickly be transformed,God willing, into a landscapeof rich flourishingvariety. Theological schools, and evenentire traditions, can be created,pass through embryonicand infantlike stages,and then grow to amazing stfengthin rheir prime, only to eventuallydie, or grow feeble,to the point of forgettingall that they onceknew. Nevertheless,revival, renewal,and evena new creation,are always possible,and one must neverdespair of God's creativepower. In Islam, renewal(taidid), and scholarlyspiritual striving(ijtihad\ are well-establishedtraditions. Suchrenewal and ,work'that striving,however, is not just is to be donethrough our own efforts.It is rather a divine 'grace'that is divinelygifted when we humbly seekit and preparefor it. It is preciselyin the humbleheart-felt invoking of God's creativepower that the key to theologicalrenewal can be located.It is significantthat the good man advisesthe arrogant gardenowner in the parableabove to say'Tbat which Allah uilk [will surelycome to pass], iherei, no po*", but with Allah' .The key is to rememberthat it is God Himself who wills the flourishingof gardens,be they physical,spiritual, intellectual,or theological'The key is to rememberthat there is no true creativepower exceptin, through' and from God Himself. 'Nothing As the great sageIbn Ata'Illah al-Iskandariemphasizes: is easyif you seekit throughyour ego,and nothing is hard ifyou seekit throughyour Lord!'8 The phrase'Thereis no capacityor powerexcept through God!' is a vital Muslim prayer' It is saidto be the main discourseof angels!(Kanz al-Ummal, no. 1954)Interestingly, it is alsocalled the 'seedling(ghiras) of heavenlygarden (iannal'' PtophetMuhammad (peace be upon him) teachesthat there are vast terrainsin the heavenlygardens that are empty, andthat needto beplanted (Ahmed, no' 4t67)-The remembranceof God,especially the remembranceof God's creativepower, through the meditativeprayer that repeatsthe phrase'There is no capacityor power exceptthrough God!' (la hawl u'a Ia quwa illa bi Allahl, acttally fills thoseheavenly terrains with fresh plants, and thus transformsthem into gardens.The invocationof God's creativepower enablesus to pafticipatein the vefy making of heavenlygardens! As a matter of fact, one can say that preciselybecause, and to the extent that we do, parriciparein the plantingof heavenlygardens, we areempowered by God to participatein the flourishingof theologicalgardens here on earth and in our various communities.No true renewal of Kalam is possiblewithout sincerelyand solemnlyinvoking God's own creativepower to renewand createanew In a sense,our very confidencein the valueand importanceof theologicalrenewal must .front' ,not-yet'.e comefrom the or the It is from the plantingof heavenlygardens that our planting here on earth stems.Perhaps this is the reasonProphet Muhammad (peacebe upon him) teachesus to continueplanting trees even as the Hour or the day of judgement comes!He says:'If the Hour comesand one of you has a baby palm (fasila)in his hand, and he can still plant it beforehe standsup, let him plant it' (Ahmed,no. 12689)' That meansthat, ultimately,theological ecologies or gardensare not really this-worldly assuch. 'farm' Rather,they areother-worldly first, and enterthe wodd in so far asthis word is the or'plantation' (mazra'lof the world to come(Kashf al-khafa, no. r3 zo). of course,this is not to saythat the theologicalecologies that one cultivateshere are of

r8 lcRovING ECoLocIES oF PEACE no worldly use.On the contrarn aswe said above,it is vital for theologicalecologies to be fruitful and to be of serviceto people,as well as other creatures.The ProphetMuhammad 'whoever promisesthat plants a plant, from which a human, bird, wild-animal, or beast eatshas a good deed counted' (Ahmed, no. t49oz). Thus, working out theologicaleco- logies that are fruitful and nourishing to our fellow humans and creatures is of the utmost importanceand value.Yet, the valuation that createsthis valueis a valuation that is other- worldly. It is a valuation that stemsfrom the not-yet.Thus theologicalecologies are valu- able to the extentto which, and insofar as' they are grantedvalue by our God, and in light of His ultimate divine,and other-worldly,judgement. Beliefin an ultim ^te,not-yet (akhira)judgment of God is important to keepin mind, and in the Qur'an, God grantsit equal importanceto beliefin Him. So the formula'believe in God and the hereafter' is often repearedin the Qur'an. This not-yet j tdgment (hukm), also involves a not-yet arbitration (tak him) of aII disptttesabout God and His ways.

And to you We haue sent dotun tbe Book u,,ith the trwtb, confirming whateuer Books were before it and a witness ouer them. So judge between them by tbat uhich Atlah has sent doun, and follout not their pdssions.ltray from the trutb which has come to yctu. For each of you We haue appointed d [Diuine] Iaw and a trdced-out way. Had Allah willed He could haue made you one community, but, so that He may try you by that whicb He has giuen you [He has made you as you are]. So uie with one anotber in good works. To Allah you will all be returned, and He will tben inform you of that ubereinyow disprzred.(The Holy Qur'an, 5:48) This postponednot-yet arbitration doesnot entail the suspensionof all judgmentin this 'epoch6' life. It is neither a skeptical nor an irresponsibledeferment \r.rla).rü/e, of course, have to make judgments, as part of everyday living, based on the true revelation that we havereceived through ProphetMuhammad (peacebe upon him), and follow the way that we solernnly believe to be truly conducive to salvation. However, this postponed not-yet arbitration doesentail the human suspensionof claimsabout ultimatedivine judgment. No one knows how he himself will end, let alone others.No one knows if sheherself will be saved, let alone others. No one should ever dare to judge another on behalf of God,(ta'ali al-Allab) (Kanz al-Ummal, no. 7 899). As communitiesand schoolswith differentdoctrines and theologieswe must, of course, witness to that which we believe and know to be true. We will, therefore, disagree and argue. However, we must do so humbly and meekly, and keep true to the Qur,anic guidance:

Call to the path of your Lord with wisdom and kindly exhortation, and reason witb them in the most courteous manner. For your Lord knorus best those u.'ho baue strayed from His patb, and He knows best uho are rightly- guided. (The Holy Qur'an, r6:r2.5)

$7hen we encounter disputes that are simply irresolvable, let us state and acknowledge our differences, and trust in God's ultimate not-yet arbitration, while patiently wait and pray for it. He alone can make all rhings clear, beyond all disputes. Suspending ultimate divine judgment and arbitration, we still need to actively cultivate theologicalecologies. Such theologies, at the very end of time, can provide refugeto people who are utterly shatteredand confusedby their troubled world. The ProphetMuhammad (peacebe upon him) advisesdesperate people, who lose all points of referenceand orien-

cRowrNGEcoLocrES or pEACEI r9 'trunk 'with tation in the end of times,to hold on to the of a tree' even their teeth'.In such to' troubledtimes, it is important to plant trees,for people,including ourselves:' to hold on evenwith ourteeth! (Ahmed' no' r68 r8' and23o43) Suchtrees, however' cannot be cultivatedthrough power-theologies'but through meek- theologies.Ir, -y o*., life, I found the best teachersof such theologiesto be simple' al- do*n-io-""tth ,"ges.Here is what I learnedfrom sucha sagefrom Benghazi'Sidi Rajab 'Sidi Turki. I once saiJ to Sidi Rajab: (Master),I give up on improving myself' I am not (nctfs)'no strong enoughfor the way of striving (mujabada\' I cannot overcomemy ego mattei how"hardI try. I keepfailing everytime I try. Pleasehelp me!'He smiledand said: ,,the '\X/hat .Son,what you n.ed is -ay of the crippled"!' I asked: is the way of the crippled, ,The of the crippled is the way of Sidi Ahmed Rifa'i. Sidi Rifa'i sidii,He said, way 'Sidi ,,I to me limping and broken!"' Rifa'i 'understood,promised: am the sheikhof the crippled!come my son,that we cannotsave ourselves, and that only God cansave us' through (aiz), and the mediationof Muhammad (peacebe upon him). simply admit your incapacity put it before God. Ask him foi compassion,for mercy,for grace,and ask Him' through Muhammad(God's compassion towards us ). ,The way of Sidi Rif.ai is the way indicatedby one of the Prophet'scompanions who al- says,"Incapacity to comprehendis itself a comprehension"(Al-Durr al-Thamin' umm qua'id). Recognizeand admit your fundamentalincapacity, and you shall receivecapa- city-in-God.' ioä^y, ^ renewedKalam must be a meekKalam of Incapacity,a theologythat humbly seekscapacity-in-God,andnotinitself.Atheologythatcantrulybear(haml)theh:|| fiansformativeand healingpower of divinerevelation' For centuriesgreat scholars, following BaqillaniandJurjani, have expounded theories of 'I'jaz explain the ,inimitability, of the Qur'an. under the tide of al-Qur'an' stch scholars the inability of humansro imitate evena singleverse of the Qur'an, and how suchinability (i'iaz\' incapa- emerges.They seethe incapacity(a72), inherent in the incapacitating as an city to imitate the Qur'an. in addition to suchtradirionally conceivedincapacitating (i'iaz), thereis a more radical is incapacitatingthat consistsin the crackingof the heart'The bearing(haml\ of the Qt:t'an is utter the v.ry cr"ciing under Qur'anic revelatorycompassionate efficacy' Such bearing in."p".ity (ajz).\he miraculousincapacitating performed by the Qur'an is the existential conditiono{ possibilityof receivingdivine compassion' \fhen a rock is crackedwater may indeedgush forth, but cavesmay alsoresult' Many cavesare nothing but cracksin the rock' Now, the Qur'an asit engagesthe heartsometimes makescaves into it. Further,Qur'anic operativesigns (ayat) then inhabit suchcaves' TheProphetoflslam(peacebeuponhim)saysthataheartwithoutQur,anislikea com- desertedruined house (Ibn Abi Shayba,no. 2575s)'The cavesmade through the of revelatorytransformative 'rigrr.,passionate cracking of hearts becomethe homes Qur'anic und oot ro.rJe-pty ho.rses.Bearing the eur'an consistsin the heart beinginhabited bf diuirr. revelarion.From this dwelling in the heart, the Qur'an üansforms the very his .h"r".,"r andhabitus of its bearer.when the Prophet'swife Aisha was askedabout 'His character,she simply said: characterwas the Qur'an' (Ahmed, no' z4zo8)' Meek theologiesare theologiesthat allow for, and enable,the transformation of character to throug"hthe bearing of compassionateand healing divine revelation, and attention divineoperative signs (aYat). Fromlhe cavein the heart,the Qur'an bearer(harnil al-Qur'an) must striveto keepher

20 lcRovING EcoLoGrEs oF PEACE heart-sight on God throughout the commotion and flux she seesin her outer and inner travels because she sees everything around her, the totality of which constitutes her 'environment', as an aya (or operativesign) of God. The Qur'an, itself a sequenceof ayat (operative signs), speaks about and illustrates the transformative power of dydt on every page. The Qur'an teaches us to seethe mountains, the heavens, and the earth ^s dyat of God. It teachesus how to seeprocesses of alteration and growth as aydr. It teachesus to see the Prophets of God and the heavenly books as ayat.It llltsstratesthe operative capacity of God's ayat by calling the staff lasa) of Musa (Moses) that becomesa snake, and thar opens up the sea an'aya'. $7emust strive to seethe operative signs of our Lord everywhere. We must strive to be constantly aware of God's presence. The Qur'an further teachesus that, besidesthe outer dydt \dydt of the horizons) there are also inner ayat (ayat within persons).The more one managesto bear the Qur'an in the cave of his heart, the more he becomes a wonder-struck watcher of the signs of his Lord that operate within and upon his own soul. One's appre cration o{ the ayal within him leads one to wonder about and appreciate the operative ayat in the persons around him. One, then, come5lo seeothers too asdivine signs. The worid, one's soul, and all other persons become an ocean with an incredible variety of ayat. One learns from the Qur'an to live concretely the realization that diversity is a wonderful gift, and to experience, first-hand, the Lord's celebration of the variety present in things ranging from trees,to different types of honey, to clouds, to people themselves. Seeing variety as a divinely gifted operative sign in things and persons, moves us to respectit, cherishit, and celebrateit. This seeingincreasingly becomes a seeing'with the eye of compassion'lbi'ayn al-rabma) (Marqat al-Mafatih, bab al-rahmanal-rahim). It is this seeingthat is the condition of possibility for the renewal of Kalam, as a meek theology of peace,compassion and blessing. It is such meek theologies that will provide us with the not-yet and end-of-time treesthat we so desperatelyneed. Being grounded in the humility of our intrinsic incapacity will help us cultivate good trees,and avoid inadvertently growing bad ones. We have to bear in mind that'bad trees'are also possible,and must be avoided. God, the Exalted, contraststhe 'good 'good 'bad 'bad word' that is like a tree'with the word' that is like the tree'.Just as there are good theologies that are rooted, open-ended, fruitful, and God-invoking, there are also bad theologies that are superficial, dead-ended,fruitless (or generative of thorns, even),and evil-invoking. God saysin the Qur'an:

And tbe likeness of an euil tuord is that of an euil tree, torn out of the earth,lacking stdbility. (The Holy Qur'an, t4:26)

How does one distinguish between good and bad words, good and bad theologies, good and bad trees?Two criteria: rootednessand fruitfulness. Good theologies are authentically rooted in the tradition, and are abundantly fruitful of goodness for humanity. Bad theologies are superficially connected to, or even cut off from, the tradition, and produce nothing but thorns that injure humaniry. Theologies that are conducive to peace) com- passion and blessingare good. Theologies conducive to strife, cruelty, and cursing are bad. God isquite clear in theQur'an:

Allah enjoins jwstice and excellence[in all things] and charity to kinsmen, and forbids indecency, wickedness and oppression. He admonishes you so that you may take heed. (TheHoly Q:ur'an, t6:9ol

cRowrNGEcoLocIEs oF PEACE| 2r Another sage,an elderly fellow-Matrafi/S7irfalli tribesman named Muftah bin'AIi, once 'Muhammadan' taught me a very simple criterion for recognizing truly matters' He said: '\üherever 'Wherever you find compassion, there is Muhammad!' you find cruelty, there is no Muhammad!' My Master's criterion is, of course, Qur'anically based on the verses above, and many others, but it is also existentially basedin a very palpable knowledge and experienceof Muhammadan love. Treesthat grow from divine compassion give fruits of compassion' Treesthat grow from evil can only give fruits of evil. Trees that grow from divine compassion are trees of light that come from light, and give light. They are like the luminescent tree that is described in 'neither the Qur,an that is said to transcend geographic limitation in that it is of the east nor of the west':

Allah is the Light of the heauensand the earth. The likeness of His light is that of a nicbe in which is a Lamp.Tbe Lamp is in a glass,theglass is as itwere a glittering star, Iighted from a blessed tree, an oliue, neither of tbe east, nor of the uest, wbose oil wowld almost glow forth, euen if no fire touched it, Iight upon Light. Allah guides rahom He wills to His light, and giues examples to the people; and Allah knotus euerything. (The Holy Qur'an, 2.4:35) 'light Thus, good trees are trees that are upon light'. Such treesgreet us in our very hearts 'Peace' 'God's and being with Islam's ultimate greeting of peace:the formula: peace' com- passion,and blessingare upon you'. Suchtrees are treesof peace,compassion, and bles- sing. Such ecologiesare ecologiesof peace,compassion, and blessing. 'Al-Salam'which One of God's sublime namesin Islam is literarily means'The Peace'. Thus peace as such is of God. All peacecomes from Him. All peacegoes to Him. All peace is in Him. Though Al-Salam is His name, it is also the name of His greeting: the phrase 'God's peace,compassion, and blessingsare upon you'' Muhammad (peacebe upon him) 'You guides us to the very essenceof faith when he says; will not enter paradise unlessyou believe, and you will not believeunless you love one another. Shall I guide you to what leads to your love of one another?Spread the peacebetween yourselves!' (Muslim, no. r 57) This 'Ifsh 'spreading of the peace' (ifsha al-salaml is absolutely essentialto true religiosity. a' is -We more than just spreading or dispersing-it is also cultivating and nourishing. are all calledupon to spread,cultivate, and nourishpeace. \7e are called upon to grow ecologiesof peace,gardens of peace.Islam itself is essentially peace,and it is a vital fact that Islam and,Salam areboth from the etymological root SLM. 'Muslim' As a matter of fact, Prophet Muhammad (peacebe upon him) defines the as one who grants safety (SLM) to others, from his tongue and his hand (i'e' who does no harm to others) (Ahmed, no.7o66).It is also an important fact to remember that the very cul- 'Tashahhud' mination of all daily prayers is the or witnessing formula:

All worsbips are for God. God's peace is upon you, O Propbet,lnd His compdssion and blessings.Peace is upon us, and upon all righteous seruantsof God. I bear tuitness that there is no one worthy of uorship except God, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His seruant and messenger.

Thus the culmination of every prayer amounts to a greeting of peaceinvolving God, His 'Peace' Prophet, all good servants of God, and ourselves. The formula-'God's peace, compassion, and blessingsare upon you'-is central to Muslim prayer as such. As a matter

22 lcRowING EcoLoclES oF PEACE of fact, all Muslim daily prayersend with a nod to the right and then to the left while utteringthe 'Peace'formulä. Evenwhen no one is around,one still greetsthe angels,with peace. The 'Peace'formula invokesGod's compassion(rahma). This is actuallyan invocation of God in sofar a sHe is'Al-Rahmaz' (TheCompassionate). The divinename al-Rahman is relatedto'rahma'. This word is very important, and is worthy of someattention. 'Rahma' is derivedfrom the root 'RHM', which alsomeans the motherly 'womb'. In fact Prophet Muhammad (peacebe upon him) teachesus that the nameof the womb is derivedfrom the divine nameal-Rahman! (Ahmed, roz44) This trilateral root RHM givesrise to a host of words including the word for one'skinship or loved-ones,and the words that suggestthe semanticfields of'tenderness', 'kindness', 'gentleness', 'mercifulness' and 'benevolence'. Now, God hasmany names.They are all beautiful,and they can all be usedto call upon Him. The tradition hands down ninety nine beautiful names.Rabma or compassionis involvedin two very important namesof God: 'Al-Rahman'and 'Al-Rahim'. Both of these two namescome from theroot'RHM'that wejust mentioned. Al-Rahmanis a namethat is exclusivelyused for God Himself,and cannotbe used as the nameof a humanbeing. A humanbeing can becalled 'Abd Al-Rahman',i.e. 'Servantof Al- Rahman',but not 'Al-Rahman'.This is becausethe nameAl-Rahman does not only mean The Compassionate,but alsoThe Sourceof All Compassion.It is significantthat it is this name:'Al-Rahman'that is said to be fully interchangeablewith the name 'Allah'. God 'Call saysin the Qur'an: upon Allah or call upon Al-Rahmanfor all the beautifulnames areHis.' Al-Rahim also means'The Compassionate',and is a frequently used name of God. However,this namecan be sharedby human beings.A human beingcan, and should be rahi.m,i.e. compassionate.It is significantto note that while God reseflesthe statusof beingThe Sourceof Compassionto Himself, He expectsus to sharewith Him the quality of beingcompassionate. He demandsit of us. Of course,as human beingswe cannever be compassionatethe way He is compassionate,but we canstill behumanly compassionate. It is also significantthat one of the namesof ProphetMuhammad is Rabim.It is God Himself who gavehim that namewhen He said of Muhammad in the Qur'an that he is gentle(rd'ul) ^nd compassionate(rahiml:

Tberehas come to you a Messengerfrom amongyourselues, grieuous to tuhomis your suffering,concerned for you, to the belieuersgentle and compassionate.(The Holy Qur'an9:rz8) 'Vfhat is interestingabout Prophet Muhammad, and all the other Prophetsof God, includingNuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Zakaria, and Isa (peacebe upon them),is that they are all both compassionatebeings and living 'compassions'of God. EachProphet is compassion becausehe is sent to his community by God, who, as the CompassionateSource of All Compassion,wishes to savehumanity and to showthem the way backto their Makel The Qur'an considerseach Prophet a'compassion' (rahma) o{ His, and eachHeavenly Book sentwith eachProphet, in order.toguide people, is alsoa compassion(see The Holy Qur'an19: zr; zctoT; 46tz; andother verses). God calls the Qur'an, in theQur'an itself, 'a guidance(huda) and a compassion(rahmal ...' (TheHoly Qur'an 7:zo3). God'sgiving of His many compassionsas Prophets and asHeavenly Books comes from His very Essenceas Al-Rahman, and is the fulfillment of a commitmentwhich He pri- mordiallymade to Himself to be compassionate.As He saysin the Q.ur'an:.'YourLord has

cRowrNG EcolocrEs oF PEACEI 2a 6:54) It is on the basisof this prescribedHimserf mercy (rah.ma)..., (The Hory euran as far asis humanly possible,respond commitmentthat God demanosti"t *" ou.r.lu.r, compassionmust be in the very living and His compassion.O,,, to God's to "'pondi"g exerciseof compassiontowards His creatures' 'My is saidto be so broadas to be all-encompassing: In the Qur'an Goa'..o-pu"iott the (TheHoly 7:r56) It is on the basisof mercy(rahma) embraces all th;ngs"'' Qur'an that we ourselves'* t"l broadnessof His compassrontha-t God demands it-l,l:t""tt aswe canwith our compassron' por.iUt", ,fro,rta -at'y of God'screatures "mbrate "s of God's Prophet(peace b:,'n:" n"-l T;;;;;;t;;, from the q",li"l"a the Hadith condition for our very salvation'The Prophet that dealingwith othersrn compassionis a to onewho.islot compassionate''To enioy says:'No compassionwill beshown (by God) compassion(Muslim' no' 598 r )' God'scompasston, we mustüeat others with -"k' 'bf thi: God will regardanv crueltv ;;;;;;;.'of Hudith' Jith' l'oph* cod.is.saidto regard-thewlhlo]9ln8 towardsHis crear.,.". t'oi'-, 'g"i"tt'Ul-*fi :l "t " of them from God Himselt food from u no-lri üi.rg the withholding water and ". cat to be sufficient is alsosaid to considerthe starvationof a single (Muslim, no' 65o8).God be sufficient ,rJ irr" saving of a single thirsty dog to !..",ä,,r",",.."t+r::::.9;*äl*.;,1i;;;.x:1;-;,;l.f..j,Tä,Hil1.--::"::grounds for .t"r.r"l dn-.r"t,J", of a singlehuman soul ls equrl that when God createdthe world' He In an important H,dith ;; tttphet' it iisaid "f (as.Al-Rahman'The Soufceof Compassion)' k;;Lilä;;.ff 99% of His -o-pu*ioo to havea shareof this divine of it in His cr""'Ln' g""" tft" animalsare said and spreadr 7o or kicking its th. .o--f that keepsa horse from stepping ä;;."** it o" the "*n "rrlon God's total Compassion'As for the 99o/oof offspringis saidto comeo"- if"t r% of be available ior humanity on the Day of compassion*" o'ot"tJ'tlli r' *r[ "." no' 18446)' lMuslim,no. 692r. and Ahmed' . Judgement ont of us hasa manifestationof God'svery The Hadith is sig.tit""tt' tot J'"y' that eath het' and that eachone of us hasthe opporturuty' own essentialcompassion within him or iivine compassionin his or her life' and in his and the duty, to cultivatea"d uctt'alizt thut 'ii"'lirtt trt"' *t sudlyprattice and witnessevery day or her dealingswirtt tt"trtt "'rtt*' the most precioustrust God hasput into our consistsin nothing short of ttt" fo""ttittg of (tahrna\' tr.".,, *tt"n H. .r-eatedust His very own compassion .'"i primordially and essentiallygifted -Whatare we to do f, ,fri. ."-parsion that hasbeen of our theologicalecologies' and make it the to us?Ve must build it i"tc,ittt -Ä centre "äy te"e*al oi Kalam that seeksto be a truly very centreof our living to*tthtt' ;;;hentic cultivate' compassion'Such a renewed good word for today must lenire around' and Rabmani would foster a truly spiritual life Islamic theology of compassionor Kalatn follows: .hara.terir.d b-ysuch worshipful attitudesas compassiontowards us (düikr); r. Continuouslyremembering God and His (shukrl God'scompattio:t z. Livingin grat ftude for ., i."grtg äa for moreof God'scompassion \du'a\1 l. "sking (istigfarltatuba\; fo,giuttttt' fo' our forgetfuinessand cnelty 4. Seekingdivin" (tarahum\' humansand creaturesin mutual compassiot l. i,.i"G t. ri.,,e*iÄ felow Rahmani)would be divinely blessed'and a Sucha Theology of Compassion(Kalam blessingfor us,and for others' practiceof transmittingProphetic utterances In the Muslim tradition, thereis a revered

24 lcRowrNG EcoLoGIES oF PF-ACE from one teacher to another in a chain that authentically links us with Muhammad, the Prophetof Compassion(peace be upon him). There is also a practiceof transmitting and 'chain receiving the very first hadith one learns from one's teacher.This is called the of first- ness'1al-m u sa lsal bil-a wal iyah 1. The 6rst hadith I learned from my Sheikh al-Sayyid Muhammd al-Alawi al-Maliki of the Hijaz (mercy be upon him), from my Sheikh Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa of Egypt, from my Sheikh Al-Habib Ali al-Jifri of Yemen, and from my Sheikh Hussein Ramadan al-Sa'dawi of Tripoli, with continuous chains all the way back to Prophet Muhammad (peacebe upon himr is foundar ional in I'lam:

The compassionateshall be shown compassionby The Compassionate(Blessed and Exalted is He). Have compassionupon those on earth, and the One in heavenshall havecompassion upon you. (Bayhaqi,no. r 8272.,and Ahmed,no. 6478)

For generations the compassionate teachings of Muhammad (peacebe upon him) were successfullytransmitted in Muslim communities through a revered and balanced tradition that combined doctrine ('aqida covering iman), jurisprudence (fqb covering islam), and spirittahty (tasaruwuf covering ih san). The institutions of transmission,that traditionally safeguardedthe compassionateand true teaching of Islam, unfortunately suffered multiple attacks first by the forces of inner decay and stagnation, then by colonial powers, and then by secularizingnationalist ideologuesand rulers. The confiscation of religious found attons (atuqafl, in some Muslim countries, also led to the loss of the independent economic base for these institutions. The advent of legalistic' overly politicized, and spiritually poor distortions of Islam have all further weakened the traditionalinstitutions of compassionand wisdom transmission. Today, there is an urgent need to repair, rehabilitate, and maintain the scholarly and spiritual institutions that preserve and grow compassion in the hearts of youth. This is a challenge that is faced by all traditional communities striving to preservetheir wisdom in the midst of an increasingly, and viciously, cruel and materialistic world. Dialogue with other religions and philosophies is a key to growing healthy ecologiesofpeace, compassion and blessing.As in the casewith all religions,the wholesomeand compassionateteachings of the true Islamic tradition were sometimes distorted, and warped. In some casesmalig- nant theological mutations resulted in grotesque actions. Bad trees do bear bad fruits, and eventhorns! Just as the peaceJovingfeaching of JesusChrist (peacebe upon him) was sometimes warped and invoked to unleash cruel actions.,the peace-loving teaching of Muhammad (peacebe upon him) was sometimesalso warped and invoked to unleashcruel attackson fellow human beings, such as in the grotesque terrorist attacks of recent times.ro $ühenit comes to crazed cruelty against God's beloved creatures,no tradition is immune from distortion. Süemust all be on vigilant guard against abusive and distorting mutila- tions of our traditions. We must all unite in condemning all cruelty against even a single soul of God's creatures,for that is equivalent to attacking all of humanity. \7e must unite in compassion against all cruelty, wherever it comes from, and whoever happens to practice it. We must strive to cultivate and grow theologies and ecologiesof peace,compassion and blessing. However, each one of us is especially,theologically and moralln responsibleto condemn and repudiate all cruelty perpetrated in the name of his or her religious tradition."

cRowrNG EcoloctES oE PEACEI zj '$ühen it comesto theologicalmutilations and distortions,we humanstend to be very good at detectingthem in others.It is very easyfor all of us to fall into self-righteousand judgementalmodes. Here it is important to point out that, asa Muslim, I do take to heart, wirh utter respect,the following passagesfrom christian scriptufes,of which we shouldall be constantlyreminded; pronounceyou Judgenot, that you be not judged.For uith theiudgment you will be judged,and with tbe measwreyou useit uill be measwredto you. Why do you seethe speck th at is in your brother'seye, but do not noticethe log tbat is in your oruneye? Or how canyou say to your brother,'Letme take the speck out ofyour eye,'whenthere is the login your otuneye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye,and then you r,uillsee clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye- lMatthew 7:r-5, EnglishStandard Versionl

one of the key gifts of dialogueis that it canhelp uskeep each other honest.The Prophet 'The (peacebe upon him) says: believeris the mirror of his fellow believer'(Bayhaqi, no' r 7or 6). By beingmirrors for eachother, we keepeach other focusedon the true and sincere serviceto the One God, and help eachother curethe eye-troublesthat impair our spiritual sight(Fayd al-Qadir, no.9r.4z).I am gratefulto ProfessorDavid Ford,and to my other Jewish,Christian, Muslim, and evenskeptical friends for helping me with my impaired sight. Through mirroring each other, we can better seeour faults so that we can work on repairingthem. Through mirroring eachother we can also better seeour gifts so that we can be grateful for them and grow them. This phenomenonof humansmirroring each other is worthy of a greatdeal of consideration,for just asit is responsiblefor a greatdeal of emulationin cruelty and evil, it can be turned into a real constructivefactor through the emulationin compassionand goodness. Today,we are daunted,and evenhaunted, by cyclesand spiralsof violencethat stem from the fact that our communitiesmirror eachother's cruelty and evil. \7e needto break thesevicious cyclesand spirals,and get on with mirroring eachother's compassionand goodness.Only the building up of spiralsof compassionwill lead to the emergenceof a .compassionArchitecture' consisting-of a network of nenvorks of wholesomegoodness and joyful compassion." Here are some of the key attitudinal seedsfor growing such ecologiesof peace,compassion and blessingthat canspiral, in goodness'unto heaven: r. Let us breakthe cyclesand spiralsof crueltywith sudden,unexpected, unassuming, andfree acts of loveand compassion; z. Let us stop beingfixated on our own grievances,no matterhow legitimatethey happento be,and reachout to healthe grievancesofthe other,no matterhow undeservingwe feelthat otherto be; 3. Let us stopcomplaining, and let usstart dreaming,together, of betterfutures for all ofus,and for all our children.Say,'I have a dream!"not'I havea complaint!' (quotingSheikh Mustafa Ceric);'r Let us invokedeep forgiveness of eachother, and let usextend that forgiveness 4. 'rbciprocity'; unilaterallyand freely,without any obsessions,with justice- 5. Forgivinglove and compassionis granderand more effectivethan any obsesseddiscourse that demandsreciprocity, important asjustice may, of course'be;

26 IGRo.WING ECOLOGIES OF PEACE Such discourseoften degeneratesinto tit-for-tat cyclesthat make the spirals ofcruelty evenworse; 6. Preparethe conditionsofpossibility that enableand facilitateofthe riseof compassionspirals. These conditions include: a. Nourishing personalfriendships within, and across,communities that incubate relationsof deeptrust and deepresources for healingand mending.These seeds of trusr are vital for breaking the very roots of cruelty spirals, and giving a chance for compassionspirals to grow; l b. Sustainingpatient and persistentactivities and institutionsthar continueto 'build bridges',even when thereis no presenruaffic to usethe bridges.Inevitably, there comes a day when the bridges will be very much needed.The building bridges must be with, and across,communities. Inner bridges are often necessary for sustaining outer bridges; 'rapid 'crisis c. Preparing deployment', centers'and 'disaster-recovery' 'preemptive infrastructures, with hybrid joint teams, ready for peace' that can 'preemptive quickly respondin timesofcrises and that can help thwart wars,, as well as teams that can intervene to mitigate and reversethe effects of disastrous conflict when they do occur.

The list of compassion seedsjust made may sound like wishful thinking. However, they are very much practical, viable, and effective. The recent poesies and emergence of the ecologyof peace,compassion and blessingcalled'A Common S7ord'offersa very interes- ting casefor meditationand celebration! In responseto the deeply offensive Regensburg Lecture, 3 8 Muslims sent a systematic theological reply to Pope Benedict XM. A year passed,and the Pope did not respond. The offense was compounded, and many Muslim scholars resolved to boycott the Vatican until the Pope issued a proper apology. However, there were other Muslim scholars who courageousln and quite controversially (within the Muslim community) decided to write to the Pope, yet again, this time not with a defensivemessage, but with a positive and loving one-one that addressednot just the Pope,but the whole global Christian leadership.The idea was to sendas much goodnessas possible,and to appealto, and invoke, the widest and deepest theological and spiritual resources of goodness in the other. So r 3 8 Muslim scholars from both genders, a// Muslim theological and juridical schools, and from both traditional and modern educational backgrounds, sent aletter to all christian leadersfrom a// theological and denominational schools. The messagewas kept very simple yet deep: Let us come together in Love of God, and Love ofNeighbour! 'A Common $üord' was immediately criticized by some voices within the Muslim community, and the scholarswho signed it were accusedof selling out to the Sfest,at a time when Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestinewere under bombardment. They were also accused of being unrealistic, naive, and deaf to the cries for justice and senseof deep grievance that many Muslims were expressing. Some even accusedthe scholars of infidelity and treason against the Muslim faith! Some were even accused of being agents of the Vatican! .A Common $üord' was also immediately criticized by some voices in the Süest.There were articles that argued that it was an appeal to Christians to convert to Islam. There were also accusationsof double-talk and deceit,and evenof making a iacit-threat! Nothing daunted the signatories, though there was admittedly some wavering by some, 'Love and at the conclusionof a major conferenceon in the Qur'an', thesescholars signed

cRowrNGECoLocrEs oF pEAcE| 27 the documentout of a deepsense of love and compassionthat stemsfrom the very root of Islam.'aThe letter truly emergedout of deeplove, and that is why it was indeedreceived with deeplove. It did not set any conditions,it did not demandanything back, it did not complain,and it did not demandjustice. It simply and unconditionall5 extendeda hand out and expressed,and appealedfor, loveof God, and love of Neighbour. The gestureof forgiveness,love, and compassionhad its affect.The reactionfrom the variousChristian Churches was overwhelming!The Anglican Churchwas the first to res- pond, and with tremendouslove! Not only did the Bishopof London, Rt. Rev'd. Richard Charters,and ProfessorDavid Fordhelp in the very launchofthe letterto the press,but the Archbishopof Canterbury,Dr Rowan Williams,was the very 6rst to reply with a beautiful letter of love and support.-5That earlyresponse was crucial because it seta courageousand loving examplefor othersto follow Then,there was a responseof a natureand scalethat wastotally unexpected:over three hundredProtestant leaders, mainly Evangelicals,purchased a full-pageadvertisement in 'Loving theNeru York Times,and publisheda vital historicaldocument entitled God and Neighbor Together:A ChristianResponse to A Common VfordBetween Us and You' that not only expressedlove, but alsoaddressed some important Muslim grievances!'6Muslim scholarswere so taken by the responsesof Rowan \Tilliams and the evangelicalleaders, that they senta delegationto personallythank the Archbishopof Canterbury,and held a specialnews conferencein Abu Dhabi to thank the Protestantleaders for their Yale statement,to which they alsoinvited Professor Miroslav $üolf,who led the Yaleinitiative.'z Muslim scholarsthen worked, through Tabah Foundation of Abu Dhabi, to send an unprecedentedChristmas greeting that was publishedduring ChristmaszooT in over a dozeninternational newspapers, in order to collectivelythank all for the positiverespon- sesthat were sent;There have beenso rnany such responses'it is best to consult www' acommonword.comin orderto readthem. The Common \7ord websitegives an idea of the scaleof the follow-up developments that have emergedout of the mirroring in goodnessthat the initiative triggered.Entire ecologiesof local initiativeshave sprouted all over the world' Vital conferenceswere held at YaleUniversity, Cambridge University, the Vatican,and Georgetown.'8Icannot possibly map the rich ecologiesthat did emerge.However, I do want to reflect on some of the important conditionsofpossibility for their emergence. First,there was the sincerityand intentionalirFof the initiative.The architectand author of the letter itself, H.R.H. PrinceGhazi bin Muhammad, and the signatorieswho signed it, and the promoters who promoted it, were all sincerelyintent on serving God and Humanity through appealingto, and spreading,Love of God, and Love of Neighbour' God, in His infinite compassion,empowered the initiative through His very Love and Compassion,and blessedit with success. Second,there were the set of very deep and trusting friendshipsthat sustainedthe initiative from its incubation to its sprouting out, and to its full growth, and that also protectedduring difficult times.These included friendships within the Muslim community and friendshipsacross communities. The friendshipsbetween H.R.H. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, and Habib Ali al-Jifri, Sheikh Nuh al-Qudat, Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa, Sheikh Said Ramadan al-Buti, Habib Umar bin AMul Hafid' Mufti Mustafa Ceric, ProfessorSeyyed Hossein Nasr, Sheikh Amr Khaledand Ibrahim Kalin-have offeredgreat groundfor cultivating'A Common $üord'ecoJogies. The friendshipswith ProfessorDavid Ford, and through him, with suchkey figuresas Miroslav Wolf of Yale,Iain Torranceof

28 | GRoVING EcoLocIES oF PEACE Princeton,and John DeGioi:rof Cleorgetown,have been vital for sustainingthese ecologies. Fr:iendshipslvith key Catholic figures such as CerrdinalMcCarrick, Bishop Martinelli, Father Thonas Micl.rel,Father Dan Maclig;rn,Ferther Etienne Renault, Father Michel Largarde,arrd Father: Migucl Ayuso sustaineclthese ecologies, espccially at the very clifficult early stageswhen therew:rs skepticism and lesistancein the V:rtican.Friendships between severalNluslim scholars,most notably Dr Anas Al-Shaikh-Ali and Archbishop Rowan Willian.rs,cr.rabled the initiartiveto enjoy his crucial carly support. Friendshipswitl.r Jcwish scholars,tl.rough they were not specrficallyaddresscd by the letter, were vital for the r.velcor.r.rir.rgrcspect thät the initiative recejvedin thc.Jewishcommunity. ProfessorPeter Ochs wrote an early receptionthat set the trend of Jewish receptions.'eIt is that positivc reaction that is now sustainingongoing efforts to trddressa letter to Jewish scholars, despitetlre dreadful political realitiesof Israeli-Palestjnianstrife. It is interestingthat just as sr-lchfrict.rdships sustainecl the Common Word initiative, the initiative is now not onll' sustainingtl.rese frier.rdships, but is arctutrllyn'raking them grow and spreadin unforeseenways! New frier.rdshipsare spt-outingup through conferences, mcctings, workshops, and news conferences.'"Friendships with such professionaland tl.roughtfuljournalists as Tonr Heneghanhave proven vital for sustaininga publicallyposi- 'A tive atmosphere arounclthe Common Word' ecologies." The emergenceof thesekey seeclfriendships is a divine gift, but it does need a lot of cliligenthunan preparation and grateful reception,ernd often works out in unpredictable and unexpectedways. Yearsago, the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islanric Studies (PISAI)invitecl rne to join the staff of the Institute,even though l was a Muslim. The friend- ships built duling those yearswcre very imporrant in re-building Muslim-Catholic trust and conlidenceafter Regensburg.L.r May zoo7, in the midst of tl.repost-Regensburg cold- war like atmosphele,PISAI invited me to dcliver the BraclleyLecture..: They evenfacili- tated a kcy mceting with the Virtican'sSecretary of Statein which I conveyedthe disrnay of Muslim scholarsat not receivinga responseto thcir first letter,and at the subsumingof tbe PontificalCour.rcil for Inter-ReligiousDialogue under anotherPontifical Council. Later 'A on, PISAI courageouslypublishecl arn Open I-etterof support for Comrnon S(ord' at a tinre when cynical skepticism dominatecltl.le atmosphere of Vatican-Muslim relations. That letter encouragedMuslim scholars,and also sigr.raled,it.rternally to the Vatican, a better way of responding.lf PISAI did not exist as an instirutiolr that quietly fostered kr.rowledgeand fiiendshipswith the othe! such trust and frier.rdshiprcsources would not havc beenavailable when thev were needed.'r The same is true of the process,and ir.rstitution,of the'Building Bridges' seminars chaircd by the Archbishop of Canterbury.Those important seminarshave been building friendships,confidence, ancl mutual-knowledgebetween Anglican and Muslin.rscholars for years.'+I attcr.rdedtwo of droseseminars, and the walks and talks that many of us,the Muslim participar.rts,had with Rowan Williams werc vital in building the trust that made 'A possiblenot only his responseto Common lüord', but also the Muslim understanding of the significanceof that response.'j The Carrlbr:idgeInter-F'aith Programme (CIP) is anotherexample. Despite being daunted by still cluitelimited endowrnents,the CIR with a very small staff, and limited resources, has been able to achievea great deal, mainly becauseof its.big heart.'6Friendships with David Ford, Ben Quash, Catriona Laing, Nick Adams, and now with Barbara Bennett 'A and Miriam Lorie, have beenquite important in supportingthe ecologiesof Common Iüor:d'.The fact that the United Arab Emirateshad the vision to suppor:tthe position of

(;nowrNGEcor-ocrrs oF PEACri| 2.9 sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad (Tim srinter), as Sheikh Zayed Lecturer in Islamic studies at 'A the Faculty of Divinity enabled CIP to make a valuable contribution to Common Word' process, sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad actually headed our firsr delegation ro the vatican that led to the establishment of a permanent Catholic-Muslim Forum''7 That Forum met success- fully for the first time in Rome on 4-6 November zoo8 for a seriesof extensive theological and frank socio-political discussions,culminating with an important meeting with Pope Benedict XVI in which he gave a beautiful speechthat went a long way towards mending catholic-Muslim relations..8 Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad has been instrumental in the es- tablishment of the cambridge Muslim college, which will undoubtedly play a crucial role in the formation of a new cadre of young Muslim religious leaders and scholars and in the growing of ecologies of peace, compassion, and blessing.'e The great news we heard earlier today from His Excellency the Minister of His Majesty generous Sultan Qaboos (may God keep him in the best of health), about His Maiesty's gift of a new Chair at CIP means that CIP will indeed continue to groq God willing, as a major hub in the network of networks of mutual-compassion and mutual-understanding between the Abrahamic religions. As a Muslim and as a Senior Advisor ro CIP, I whole- heanedly thank His Majesty, His Excellency, and the people of Oman. The planned ex- changes between Oman and Cambridge will, God willing, prove to be a great source for joint wisdom in the growing of ecologies of peace, compassion and understanding. The Reconciliation Programme at the Yale Center for Faith and Culture has been very important in rallying American theologians, especiallyEvangelicals, to the support of such ecologies. Its ongoing Project on'human flourishing'will sustain the flourishing of such ecologies. Professor Peter ochs of the university of virginia, who is himself a great insti tution, combining Rabbinic wisdom and spirituality with philosophical and logical rigour, has been planting incubators for such flourishings everywhere he goes. Scriptural Reason- ing groups that foster friendships around Scriptures and their interpretation and under- standing are now well-established in hundreds of cities and towns.ro The University of Balamand, based on the beautiful vision of Metropolitan George Khodr, and now Minister Tarek Mitri, managed to build a significant network of Muslim- Orthodox friendships. The \üforld Council of Churches facilitated a seriesof Consultations 'Learning that resulted in the important document entitled to Explore Love Together: rü7ord"'':- Suggestionsto the Churches for Responding to "A Common They are now planning for major meetings and events, and have taken the gracious step of involving Muslims in the very planning of theseevents' President Iain Torrance of the Princeton Theological Seminary,invited to his Inaugura- tion aJews, a Christian, and a Muslim, and thus signaled total support for inter-faith work' 'A His early support of Common !üord' was very important.r' $Veare now in the early stagesof planning an event on Karl Barth and Islam to encourage deep theological enga- gement between the two tradioons. Muslim institutions that have fostered and encourageddialogue over the years have also been vital for the emergenceof refreshing ecologiesof peaceand compassion. Al-Azhar, the greatestseat of Sunni Muslim learning has been leading severaldialogue initiatives, and has taken important stepstowards the training of dialogue-oriented Ulama' The Royal Aal al- Bayt Insritute in Jordan has been quietly and effectively building intra-Islamic consensus, as well as inter-faith goodwill. Dar al-Mustafa in Yemen has been graduating serious young Muslim scholars with a

Jo I cRov/rNGEcoLocrES oF PEACE balance of proper theology, deep spirituality, and balanced jurisprudence. Habib Ali al- Jifri's Tabah Foundation in the united Arab Emirates has been able to bring the best of that Yeme'i faith and wisdom to a wider global audience.Tabah Foundation worked very hard with Sheikh Amr Khaled on containing the damage created by the Denmark cartoons crisis, and managed over the years to build entire networks and ecologiesof love and trust within and outside the Muslim community. Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa, with the help of a most impressive circle of young scholars, such as Sheikh usama al-Sayyid, has managed to re-build the Dar al-Ifta' institution into an up-to-date and organized network of scholars.The Grand Mufti also revived. with the helo of his able students,the deeplyspiritual practiceof scholarlycircles in the Azhar mosque itself. His commitment to inter-faith work has been a great sustaining spiritual and intellectualfactor in the emergenceof ecologiesofpeace and compassion. The vTorld Islamic call Society and college have been involved in inter-faith work, especially with the Vatican, since t976, and,have built an amazingly wide network of scholars committed to dialogue. Their recent efforts towards dialogue with Evangelicals 'A have already resulted in three successfulmeetings, and their support for common word, has been unfailing and continuous. Iran has also supported several inter-faith and inter- civilization dialogues, and its efforts enabled the presenceof major Shi'i scholars amongst 'A the signatoriesof Common Word'. Turkey, especially the Faculty of Divinity ar Marmara University, trained, over many years' top theological talents who are also spiritually oriented towards dialogue. The efforts of Professor Bekir Karliga and his students are noteworthy. The Said Nursi and Fethullah Gülen movements have also made massiveefforts towards the flourishing of love and understanding within humanity. Turkey recently partnered with Spain and other countries for a Dialogue of civilizations. There is now a Saudi dialogue initiative as well. All theseinstitutional efforts, and I only managed to name some, enable ecologiesof peace, compassionand blessingto emerge. Their perspective is long-term, and at times they may seem ineffective. However, it is preciselythis long-term institutional work that enablescornpassion spirals to emergewhen rhereis an urgent needfor rhem. There is a need today for institutions that are specifically designed to make even more rapid responses.It is important to set'rapid deployment' peaceteams that can quickly 'crisis prevent or handle inter-religious crises. It is important to also build room, or 'situation room'mechanisms to quickly manage criseswhen they do occur. It is also vital to 'disaster-recovery' set up centersthat can repair and mend the massive damagesthat inter- religious strife often causes. It is encouraging that a structure that may enable such institutionsto emergeis being set up under the name'c-r \wodd Dialogue'. under the capable leadership of the Grand Mufti of Egypt and the Bishop of Londän this exciting initiative may make a huge contribution in the years to come. However, no matter how many institutions we manage to build, the key to reconciliation and peace is the growing of ecologies of peace, compassion and blessing that ultimately stem from love and forgiveness. we must learn to love and forgive, and educate our children to appreciate the beauty and importance of compassion, compassion that is so vast, it can lorgive. The most important element of such a wholesome education is the teaching of forgi- veness.It is not so difficult to be compassionatewhen one is not injured and has nothing to forgive. However, when one is injured, compassionateconduct becomesdifficult becauseit

cRovING EcoLocrES oF pEAcEI j r requifesgenuine forgiveness, which is often difficult and evenpainful. Most cruelty today is practicedin the nameof justicebased on grievances,real or perceived,and supportedby a iogic of reciprocity that often degeneratesinto a tit-for-tat of endlesscruelty spirals. 'When oneis unforgiving,one can easily become self-righteously cruel' AII major wisdom traditions Jewish, Christian, Muslims, Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, confucian, and Humanist,clearly value forgiveness. Alas, we are not very good parishio- nersof it. Hereis what the Qur'an tellsa Muslim to do:

Repeleuil uitb uhat is better,fot Weknow bestwhat theydescribe' (TheHoly Qur'an,4:961

Good and.euil deedsarc not equal.Repel [euil] with uhat is better;you will seethat he with whom you had enmity has becomeyour dearestfriend. (The Holy Qur'an' 4rt34)

Let notthosewho are blessedwith fauoursand meansLmong you swedrtbLt theytl,ill not giue to their kindred and to the needyand to emigrdntsin the causeof Allah; let you? tbem rather forgiueand be indulgent.Do you not wish that Allah forgiues And Allah ß Forgiuing,Compassionata (The Holy Qur'an, z4:z-z)

Hereis what the Bibletells the Christianto do:

Youbaue heard that ituas said,'Aneye for an eyeand atooth for a tooth''But I sayto you, Do not resistthe oneuho is euil.But if anyoneslaps you on the right cheek,turn to him the other also.And if anyonewould sueyou and take your tunic, let him haue your cloak as uell. And if anyoneforces you to go one mile, go r't''ithhim huo miles' Giue to the one who begsfrom you, and do not refusethe one who r'uowldborrou 'You and hate from you, Yowhaue heard that it was said, shall loue your neighbour your enemy.'But I sdy to you, Loue your enemiesand pray for thoseuho persecute you, so thatyou mdy besons ofyour Fatherraho is inheauen.For he makeshis sun rise on the euil and on the good, and sendsrain on the just and on the unjust' For if yow Iouethose uho loueyou, rthat rewarddo you haue?Do not euenthe tax collectorsdo tbe same?And if you greetonly your brothers,uhat more areyow doing than others? Do not euenthe Gentilesdo thesamei (Matthew 5:38-47, EnglishStandard Version) 'Connect ProphetMuhammad (peacebe upon him) says: with the onewho cutsyou off, give to the one who deprivesyou, and forgive the one who üeats you with injustice'' (Ahmed,no. 17r zz) yet, christians and Muslims can be so amazinglyunforgiving of eachother! we may very well neednew heartsthat can forgive,love, and cherishall others,even our so called .enemies,.Only our CompassionateGod can grant us such new forgiving and loving hearts. However, gatheringslike this one can help'prepare the way for the Lord' by openingour injured and painedhearts, with all their wounds, faults, and incapacities,to the creativeand transformativehealing that comesfrom God alone. Great luminescent 'Sfith signsof hope are at hand: God's permission,ecologies of peace,compassion and blessingare already flourishing in both heavenlyand earthlygardens. I am gratefulto you for comingtoday to celebrateand further grow suchgardens, and to 'A thank ProfessorFord for his hope-inspiring Muscat Manifesto'. May the Lord always

?2 l cRowrNG EcoLocIES oF PEACE grant us the loving companyof'those tuho belieue,and counselone dnother to bati.ence. andcounsel one another to mercy'(TheHoly Qur'an,9ot7).

Let me concludewith a prayerthat Moses(peace be upon him) praysin the Holy eur'an: 'My Lord! Haue mercyon me and on my brother; bring us into your mercy.you are tbe Most Merciful of themerciful!' (TheHoly Qur'an,7:x5tl

May the Lord encompassa/l with His infinite compassion.

And God knows best.d.

REFERENCES

'Professor David Ford's'A MuscatManifesto'was published as the very first publicationofKalam Research& Media, with the kind permission of Dr Abdulrahman Al Salmi, editor of the A l-Tasamoh jotnal, andthe collaboration of the staff of the Cambridge Inter-Faith Programme. See,A Muscat Manifesto: SeekirlgInter-Faith Wisdon, Kalam Research& Media in collaborationwith the CambridgeInrer-Faith Programme, Dubai, zoo9. 2 For more on Professor Ford's efforts to articulate theologically his Christian wisdom radition, see his Christian visdom: Desiing God and Leaming in Loue, cambridge universiry press, cambridge, zooT; and shaping Theology: En- Sagementsin a Religious and Secular Vlorld,Wtley-Blackwell, Oxford, zoo7. For his views on the developmint 'Irtroduction of Christian theology,see his to Modern christian Theology',in David F. Ford with RachelMuers (eds.),The Modem Theologians:AnIntrodüctiontochristianTheologysincery,Rlackwellpublishing,oxford,zoo5[ThirdEdition]. 1See A Muscat Manifesto, pp. r o-1 r. a On the threetypes of activirysee Aristotle's Ni comacheanEtbics, trans, V.D. Ross,rJi/orld Library Classics,2oo9; and Metaphysics,.'rans,W.D. Ross, Oxford UniversityPress, r9z4 [zvolumes]. t 'ecumenical 'A An movement', of the kind prais€d by Professor lord in Muscat Manifesto', has already ernerged amongstMuslims. Under the Hashemitewisdom of H.M. King Abdullah II ofJordan, and his brilliant advisorand reore- sentativeH.R.H. P{inceGhazi bin Muhammad,the Royal Aal al-BaytInstitute has beenable to brins differentstrands of 'Amman Islamictheologies and juridical schoolstogether to issuea joint andall-irnportant Message'.ihe AmmanMessage 'A is the ecumenicalfoundation that enabledlater ;oint initiativessuch CommonlTord' to emergeand succeed.H.R.t. 'The Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad explains the genesisof the Amman Messageas follows: Amman Messagestarted as a detailedstatement released the eveof the zTth ofRamadanr4z5 ex / 9th November2oo4 cE by H.M, King ÄbdullahII bin Al-Hussein in Amman, Jordan. It sought to declare what Islam is and what it is not, and what actions representit and what actionsdo not. Its goal was to clarify to the modern world the true nature of Islam and the nature 'In of true Islam. order to give this statementmore religious authority, H.M. King Abdullah II then sent the following three questionsto z4 ofthe mostsenior religious scholars from all aroundthe world representingall the branchesand schools of Islam:(r) Wlo is d Muslit t? petmissible lz) Is it to declaresomeone ak apostdte (takfir)? b) who has the right to ndefiake issuing fatu)as (legalrulings)? ßasedon the fatwas provided by thesegreat scholars (who included the Shaykh Al-Azhar; Ayatollah Sistani and Sheikh Qaradawi),in July zooj cE, H.M. King Abdullah II convenedan internationalIslamic conference of zoo of the world's leadingIslamic scholars'Ulama) from 5o countries.In Amman, the scholarsunanimously issued a ruling on threefunda- 'Three mental issues(which becameknown as the Points of the Arnman Messase,): r. They specifically recognüed the validiry of all 8 Mathhabs lle}al school{ o( Sunni, Shi'a and lbadhitslam: ol tradi- tionel Islamic Theology lAsh'arism); of Islamic Mysricism (sufism), and oI true salafi thought, and came to a precise definitionof who is aMuslim. 2. Basedupon this definitionthey forbade tdhfr (declarationsof apostasy)between Muslims. Rasedtpon 3 the Matbalriü they set forth the subjective and objective preconditions for the issung ol fatuas, tJtereby exposingignorant and illegitimate edictsin the name of Islam. 'These Three Points were then unanimously adopted by the Islamic Vorld's political and temporal leadershipsat the Organization of the Islamic Conferencesummit at Mecca in Decemberzoo5. And over a period of oni year from July zoo 5 to July 2006, the Three Points were also unanimouslyadopted by sü other i[tenational Islamic scholarlv assemblies. culminating with the Iz ternational Islamic Fiqh Academy of Jeddah, nJuly zoo6. In total, over 5oo leading Muslim schola rs wolldwid€ ascan be seenon the Amman Messagewebsite unanimously endorsedthe Arnman points. 'This Messageand its Three amounts to a historical, universal and unanimou- religious and political consensusfllrza') ofthe Ummah (natio11)of Islam in our day, and a consolidation of traditional, orthodox Islam. The significarce of rhis is: (r) that it is the 6rst time in over a thousand years that the Ummah has formally and specifically come to such a pluralistic mutual inter-rccosnition: and (2)rhat such a recognitionis religiouslylegally binding on Muslimssince rhe Prophei lmay peaceand blersirgsbi Lrponiiml said:My Ummah will not dgrce poh an eftor (lbnMajah,Sw1an,Kitab al-Fhan,Hadith to.4o8).

pEAcE cRov/rNG Ecol-ocrEs oF | 3 3 'This is good newsnor only for Muslims,for whom it providesa basisfor unity and a solutionto inlighting,but alsofor non Muslims. For the safeguardingof the legal methodologiesof Islam (the Mathahib) rccessarllymeans inherently preservingtraditional Islam's internal "checks and balances".Itthus assuresbalanced Islamic solutions for essentialissues like human rights; women's rights; freedomof religion; legitimatejihad; good citizenshipof Muslims in non-Muslim countries,and just and democraticgovernment, It also exposesthe illegitimateopinions of radical fundamentalistsand terroristsfrom the point of viewoftrue Islam.As GeorgeYeo, the Foreigl MinisterofSingapore, declared in the 6olh Sessior ofthe U.N. GeneralAssernbly (about the AmmanMessage): "Vithoutthis clarification,the war againstterrorism would be muchharder to fight." 'Finally,whilst this by the crace of God is a historicalachievement, it will clearlyremain only principialunless it is put into practiceevery'where. For this reason,H.M. King Abdullah II is now seekingto implementit, God willing, through variouspragmatic measures, including (r) inter{slamictreaties; (2) national and internationallegislation using the Three Pointsof the Amman Messageto defrneIslam and forbid taklir; (3) the useof publishingand the multi mediain all their aspectsto spreadthe AmmanMessage; (4)instituting the teachingof the AmmanMessage in schoolcurricula and university coursesworldwide; and (J) makingir parr of the trainingofmosque Imams and making it includedin their sermons. -fhere God saysin the Holy Qulan saysi ß no good in much of their sectetconferences sat)e (in) uhosoeuerenioineth charityand fairnessan.l peace-lnakingattoflg the peopleand uhoso doeththat, seekitlgtbe good pleasure of God, Weshall bestouonhimauast reaanl. (Al Nisa,+:r r,+).'See www.ammanmessage.com. For further informationand study ofthe variousfatwas issued on the threequestions raised by the AmmanMessage and the various authoritieswho have endorsedit, seethe exhaustivedocumentation prepared by H.R.H. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad(ed), Tnre Islam and. the IslamicConsensus on the A/nmanMessage,'fhe Roya| AalAI-Bayt Institute, Amman, 2006 [Third Edition]. Ofcourse,a greatdeal of intra schoolnetworking and rallying had to happenand Sidial-Habib Ali al-Jifri was ableto bringtogetherapowerful consortium ofleadingUlama, most notably Sheikh Abdallah Bin Bayyah,Grand MuftiAli Gomaa, SheikhSaid Ramadan al Buti, andHabibUmar, as well aselevisionand media sawy leaderssuchas SheikhAmrKhaled and leadingacademics such as Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr andlbrahim Kalin. The importantrole ofWesternMusiims in the buildingand sustainingof this network is alsonoteworthy, particularly the work of scholarssuch as Sheikh Abd al-Hakim Murad (TJ. Vinrer), Ingrid Mattson, Abdallah Schleifer,Sohail Nakhooda and SheikhJihad Brown. Libya has also been buildingnetworks across rhe world, especiallyin Africa, and thesenetworks were linked with the Amman Messageand the 'A Common Word' initiative [seehttp://acommonword.conr/en/a-common-word/rr new-fruits-of-a-common-word/29- more-than-460islamic-organizations and'associations-declare-suppor-for-qa-common-wordq.html]. For the connection 'The betweenthe Amman Messageand the CommonVord and its signiicanceand impact,see Sohail Nakhooda, Signifi canceof the Amman Messageand the CommonVord', hnp://www.acommonword.com/TheSignificance-of-the-Amman- Message-and-the-Common\7ord.pdf . t It is truly excitingto beinvolved in a proiectof'co+heologizing' with aJewishscholar, Stephen KePnes, and a Christian scholar,David Ford, with the preparationof threeparallel books on the FutureofJewish, Christian and Muslim theologyto bepublished by Blackwellof Oxford. 6 SidiAhmad Zarruq is vital for renewalalld the fight againstdespair He wasone of the greatestspiritual masters ofhis time andplayeda keyroleinthe symbiosisbetweenlawand spirituality inlslam. His spiritualheirs are the Darqawis,Alawis, Sanusis,and Madanis. He has beena strong influenceon SheikhHamza Yusuf through his Mauritanian teachers[see 'The http://www.messageislam.co.zälahmad-zarruq-hamzayusuf-and-"integralislam"/. See also Sidi Ahmed Zarruq, Foun- dationsofthe SpiritualPath',trans. by Hamzaynsnf, in Seasollsloumdl, Spring/SummerzooJ, pp.9-r6l; and SheikhNuh Ha Mim Keller [seeNuh Keller's arricle on Sulismar http://ageofjahiliyah.wordpress.con/zoo7lro/3r/what-is sufism- shadhili-tariqa-shaykhnuh-keller/]. 3 Ibn Ata'Illah is one of the most reveredspiritual masters in Islam.He is famouslyknown for his aphorisms(üi&az), which havebeen memorized and sang by Suficommunities through the agesand in variousparts of theworld. The subtletyof his spiritualinsights and the sheerwisdomthey express are vitalfor any sustainedtheological renewal. See Ibn Ata'Illah, Tle Bookof Wisd.om,trarrs. Victor Danner,the Classicsof WesternSpirituality Series, Paulist Press, New York, r978. eThis terminologyowes its provenancein the writingsofthe philosopherErnst Bloch. See, ErnsrRloch,The Pitl.iple of Hope,MIT Press,MA, r98 6. '. It is very important to studythe sourcesof theologicalpathology and malignancy.It is not suffcient to dismisssuch schoolsas un{slamic. The fact ofthe matteris theydo useIslam's Holy Book andits tradition,so they must be challenged ofl Islamicgrounds. There is a historyof pathologywithin Islamichistory mostnotably in suchmovements as al_Khawarij and al-Hashashin.Such hisrory and the reasonsfor theologicalprthology mustbe carefully studied. The Qur'an and Sunna,like allother sacredtexrs, are like nuclearenergy in potency:it canbe used compassionately and peacefully, but itcan alsobe used destructively.The mechanismsfor properlychanneling such energies are vitally important,andverylinlework hasbeen done onit. Security-orientedstudies are not su{licient.There is a spiritualchallenge, and a spiritualbattle that hasto be fought.The rcasonthe'war on tefior'is failingis becauseit nevermanaged to tap into the deeproots ofmalignant theologies. " On Muslim condemnationsof Terrorism,see David Smockand Qamar-ulHuda,'Islamic PeacemakingSince 9/rr', UnitedStates Institute of Peace,\Tashington DC., 2oo9 [http://www.usip.org/files/resources/islamicpeacenaking.pdfl.Fur- ther usefulresources on peaceeffots includecan be found at Habib Ali's website[http://www.alhabibali.com,/en/] and at www.AmmanVersage.com. " For more on the notion of a'CompassionArchitecture', see ArefNayed,'From "security" to compassion-a needed shiftfor ObamagovernmenC, http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/tag/inter faith/ 'r Seehttp://wwwthenational.aelarticle/20o8 r r r l/FOREIGN/37r 64609/-rINE\0S 'Love 'a The in The Holy Qur'an' Conferencewas organizedby the Royal Aal Al-BaytInstitute in Amman' Jordanand

34 IGROWINGECOLOGIES OF PEACE heldon 4-7 Septemberzoo7. For moredetails on thisgroundbreaking event and the proceedings of theconference see, http:// www. aalalbaytorg/enlnewsconferencer4.html 'r For the initial resporsebythe ArchbishopofCanterbury RowanWilliams, after the launchof'A CommonWord', see http://acommonword.com/index.php?page=responses&item=r r '6 For the full text o{ the document,published on r8 Novemberzoo7, seehap://w.w.w.acommonword.com/lib/ down- loads/fullpageadboldr8.pdf '7 Seehftp://www.acommonword.contindex.php?page=new&item=3 '3 For the proceedingsof the CommonWord conferencesat Yale,Cambridge/Lambeth, Vatican and Georgetown,see www.acornmonword.com 'r A differentgroup of Muslim scholarsdid draft a resolutionsimilar to 'A Common Süord',see http://wwwmu jca. com/muslimsand;ews.htm.The receptionof this resolutionwas minimal, and a more sustainedtheological document for 'A Muslim-Jewishrelations is still in the makingby figuresassociated with CommonVord', andwill requirean equallysolid consensusas the'A Common Word'documenthad, in order.to triggeran theologicaland spiritualperspective change in irrer-fairhrelations between rhe tlvo irir h cornmuniries. 'o For a summary of key events and accomplishmentsof 'A Common Word' see,http://www.acommonword.com/en/a- common-word/2-generayr6r-qa-common-wordq-accomplishments-zoo7-2009.html. " Tom Heneghan,the ReligiousAffairs editorfor Reuters,has regularly covered key eventsrelated to 'A Commonü/ord' initiativein his blog.See, http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/. There is a convenient'ACommon Word'tag for accessingall thepieces in sequence. 'Compassion " For the text of the BradleyLecture, see Aref Ali Nayed, andUnderstanding in Isl^m', in Islamochristiana, vol4 3, zooT, pp.r17-t48. '1 For PISAI'Sresponse to 'A Common\üord', seehnp://www.acommonword.com/index.php?page=responses&item=27 't The Building BridgesSeminar was first launchedin zooz by Lord Careyand it is a unique annual seriesbringing togetherChristian and Muslim scholarsfor an intensivestudy of key Biblicaland Qur'anic texts.The seminarshave been held at the LambethPalace and also in Doha, Saralevo,\üashington DC, Singaporeand Rome.The Proceedingsof the seminarshave been published as separatevolumes, all editedby Michael Ipgrave:Tbe Road.Ahead: A Christian-Muslim Dialogue (L^mbeth, zaoz); S.t;pt rcs in Dialogue: Christians and Muslims Sudying the Bible and the Qur,ak Together (Doha,2ool); Bearingthe \0ord: Prophecyin Biblicaland Qur'anicPerspectives (Georgetovrn,2oa4)t and Building a Better Bridge:Muslims, Christians, and the CommonGood (Sarajevo,zoo5). For a summaryof the variousseminars, see http:// www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/2r98.There is alsoan interestingvideo clip on youtube.comwhere Muslim andChristian participantsat the BuildingBridges seminar in Romein May 2oo8:hnp://wwwyoutube.com/watch?v=ZJq5A4U_TVA 2t A sustainedtheological and meditativeresponse was presentedby Dr Rowan Williams at the Common Word conferenceheld at Cambridgeand Lambeth Palace in Octoberzoo 8, seehttp://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/r 89 z '6 Seehftp://www.divinirycam.ac.uk/cip/ '7 For Abdal Hakim Murad's reflectionson the meetingwith the PontificalCouncil for InterreligiousDialogue at the Vaticanthat led to the establishmentof a permanentCatholic-Muslim Forum, seehtrp://www.acommonword.com,4ib/ vatican/AH-Murad-Statement.pdf '3 ForPope BenedictXVI's speech at the FirstCatholic Muslim Forum,see http://acommonword.com/enlconferences/zo- lome-november-20o8/ro5-address-of-his-holiness-benedictxvi-to-participants-in-the-seminar-organized-by-the qcatholic- muslimforumq.html. Other presentations at the Forumare also found on the samewebsite. Pope Benedict X\4 followedthis with an importantPapal visit to Jordanir May zoogwhere he gave a publicaddress at the King Husseinbin TalalMosque in Amman,further cementing ofrelations betweenthe two {aith communitiesand also citing the AmmanInter-Faith Message andthe CommonWord initiative,For the addressby PopeBenedict XM and the key welcomingaddress by H.R.H. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, see http://acommonword.com/en/a-common-word,/11-newfruits-of-a-common-word/257-pope- benedictxvi-visits-jordan.html. "''The CambridgeMuslim Collegesuppons the developmentof trainingand Islamicscholarship to helpmeet the many challengesfacing Britain today.The collegeis dedicatedto maintainingacademic excellence and pushing the boundariesof Islamiclearning in theVest'. Seehttp://www.cambridgemuslimcollege.org/ r" On the ScripturalReasoning proiect led by PeterOchs, see materials on ScripturalReasoning on the Universityof VirginiaVebsite, Also, PeterOchs,'Faith in the Third Millennium: ReadingScdptures Togerher,, address given at the Inaugurationof Iain Toffanceas Presidentof PrincetonTheological Seminary and Professorof Patristics,March zoo5, http://www.ptsem.edu,{nauguraVpdf/Ochs%eoaddress-3-ro-o5.pdf I'For the full text of the document, seehttp://www.oikoumene.org/fileadmin-/6les/wcc-mair:,/documents/p6,{-earning to Explore_Love Together.pdf 3' Seehap://www.acommonword.com/index.php?page=responses&item=7

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1.Dr,Kate Prct9. Pro V ceChancelofunlverslty ofCimbrdg€2.H.E,SheikhAbdullahbjn lVohammadAlSalni [linisterof Ef dowmentsand ReigousAfJairs,SLrltanateolOman3 H.t.Sheikh AbdullahbinMohammadAlSalmide i\'€ringh s openngaddress 4. AudenceaiiheSalimarsh Room,Kings1'olege,Canrbridge 5 Aref Nayed deliverifghiskeynotespeechonEcoog es of Peace 6. (/ r) DteonardPolonsky, ExecuilveChairman, HansadGobal Pk, DrGeorgette Bennett President,Tanenbaum,Sibella [aingand Stuart taing,[,4asterof Corpus Chr]st, Cambidge 7 Cambrdg€nter FaithProgramme 8 Arcf NayedwlthProfessorDavid Fod 9 Thel\,lasier s LodgeTrin ty Co leg€,Cambrldge t l0 (/ r) Reve€ndMichaelBos. NicholasAdams Aref Nayed, PrcfessorDavidtord H.E.Sheikh Abdullah bin [4ohämmad Alsalmi Prcfessor Abdulrahman Al-Salmi Edilor of A TanmohlournaProfessor Ridwan afsayed, Advisor tothe i\ilin ster ol Endowm€nts & Relig ous Aiiairs,Dr Kahlan al-Kharusi Ad!' sor to the cre nd L4ufti of 0man, Revercnd Richard Uoyd- lllorganChapan.KingrCol€ge,Camhdge 11(/ f) SamirMahmoud, Adeel Khan, Afef Nayed, AhmedAchtaf and Nicholas Adams at the sem n.r on the Eco og es of Peac€ 12 AQur'anir manüscriptatthellfiveßityLibrary.Cambrdgei3 Rev'dlvlichael 8os, {ormer Director olthe A AmanaCeftre. 5u tanate of Oman 14 s€minarworkgroup w th (/ , MikeHigton, Tim Winter (AbdalHäkim Murad, Sheikh Zayed Lecturer in s arnic Sludies Uni!'eßity olCanrbr dge Bärban Bennett,Nicholas Adams George Windsor the tarl of 5t Andrews ,and Prcfessor Steven Kepnes.Cogatelin versity 15&17. Padic pants fthesem narandworkgroup 18.Professor Ridwänal-Sayed and Prcfessor David Ford examining amanusfi pt at the Exhibition Room, lJnvers tvL brdry.Cambrldse Anrr Au Nevro Aref Ali Nayedis Founderand Director of Kalam Research0 Media (KRM), He currentlylectures on Islamic Theology,Logic, and Spirituality at the restoredUthman PashaMadrasa in Tripoli, Libya, and supervisesGraduate Students at the IslamicCall Collegethere. He is SeniorAdvisor to the CambridgeInter-Faith Programme, and Fellow of the Royal Aal Al-Ba1tInstitute inJordan. He was Professorat the PontificalInstitute for Arabic and IslamicStudies (Rome), and the Internatio- nal Institute for Islamic Thought and Civilization (Malaysia).He has headedan Information Technologycompany. He receivedhis BScin Engineering,MA in the Philosophyof Science,and a PhD in Hermeneuticsfrom the Universityof Guelph(Canada). He also studiedat the University of Toronto and the Pontifical GregorianUniversity. He has beeninvolved in various Inter-Faith initiativessince 1987, including the recentrA Common lford'process, and has authoredseveral scholarlyworks including,co-authored with JeffMitscherling and Tanya D itommaso,Th e Author's lntention (LexingtonBooks, zoo4). His forthcomingbooksincllud,e Operational Hermeneutics and Vatican Engagements:A Muslim Theologian'sJourney in Mwslim-CatholicDialogue (both by KRM). Also forthcomingis Future of Muslim Theology(to be publishedby Blackwellin parallel with Future of Jeuish Theologyby StephenKepnes and Future of Cbristian Theologyby David F.Ford). * THE CAMBRIDGE INTDR-FAITH PROGRAMMD UNIVERSITYOF CAMBRIDGE

TheCambridge Inier-Faith Programme offers a dist;nctivescholarly and wellconceived approachto religiouslearning across the threeAbrahamic traditions. Through its longterm perspectivesand commitment to academicexcellence and public education, it will be formative in the developmentof futufegenerations of scholars,teachers, citizens and leaders.

The CambridgeInter-Faith Programme Facultyof Divinity Universityof Cambridge West Road cambridgeCB3 9BS, UK fel: +44 (O)1223763013 www.cip.divinity.cam.uk

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