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Charity and Compassion: Interreligious Perspectives ISSN: 2218-7480 RELIGIONS/ADYĀN Price: $10/QR 30 Editor-in-Chief: Published by the Doha Internation- • Dr. Patrick Laude, Professor at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar, Editor-in-Chief. al Center for Interfaith Dialogue P.O. BOX: 19309 Doha, Qatar Editorial Board: • Dr. Ibrahim Al-Naimi, Chairman, Doha International Center for Tel: +974 486 46 66 Interfaith Dialogue. +974 486 55 54 • Dr. Dheen Muhammad, Associate Dean, College of Sharī’ah and Fax: +974 486 32 22 Islamic Studies, Qatar University. +974 486 99 00 • Dr. Mark Farha, Visiting Assistant Professor, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar. • Dr. Roger Bensky, Professor at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar. Administrative and Editorial Staff: • Ellen Lafouge, Graphic Designer. • Hamdi Blekic, Head of Public Relations, Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue. Charity and Compassion: • Firose ‘Abdul-Khader, Editorial Assistant, Doha International Interreligious Perspectives Center for Interfaith Dialogue. • ‘Abd-ar-Rahman El-Khalifa, Editorial Assistant. • Yasmeen Al-Sayyad, Editorial Assistant. International Advisory Board: • Dr. Akinade Akintunde, Professor of Theology, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar. • Dr. Rodney Blackhirst, Philosophy and Religious Studies, La Trobe University, Bendigo, Australia. • David Bakewell Burrell, C.S.C., Hesburgh Chair of Theology & Philosophy, Notre Dame University, United States of America. • Dr. James Cutsinger, Professor of Religious Studies, University of South Carolina, United States of America. • Dr. Amira El-Zein, Professor of Arabic, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar. • Dr. Eric Geoffroy, Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Strasbourg II, France. • Dr. Ibrahim Kalin, Chief Policy Adviser to Prime Minister Recep Cover: Copyright, Kai-Henrik Barth, Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey. Pushkar, Rajasthan, India, • Dr. Jean-Pierre Lafouge, Associate Professor, Department of September 20, 2009 Foreign Languages and Literatures, Marquette University, United Pictures Credits and Copyright: States of America. • Dr. Oliver Leaman, Professor of Philosophy and Zantker Professor p. 33. Abda Latif Al-Mitwali of Judaic Studies, University of Kentucky, United States of America pp. 6, 14, 19, 21, 29, 38, 49, 56, 65, • Dr. Rusmir Mahmutcehajic, Professor, University of Sarajevo, 70, 79, 80, 85, 86, 132, 135. Kai- Bosnia-Herzegovina. Henrik Barth • Dr. Kenneth Oldmeadow, Philosophy and Religious Studies, La Trobe University, Bendigo, Australia. pp. 119, 122. Nuria Garcia • Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, University Professor of Islamic Studies, The George Washington University, United States of America. p. 55. Jennifer Jones • Dr. Jacob Neusner, Professor, Bard College, New York, United pp. 24, 127. Patrick Laude States of America. • Dr. Eliezer Segal, Professor, Department of Religious Studies, p. 76. Aun Ling Lim University of Calgary, Canada p. 102. Aramia Neguib • Dr. Reza Shah-Kazemi, Research Associate, The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, United Kingdom. • Dr. Arvind Sharma, Birks Chair of Comparative Religion, McGill 2 University, Montreal, Canada. RELIGIONS / ADYĀN A Scholarly Journal Published by the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue Religions/Adyân is an annual and bi-lingual (English and Arabic) publication in interfaith studies published by the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue with an emphasis on interreli- giousdialogue and the relations between Islam and other faiths. In a world of religious misunderstandings, violence, and hijacking of religious faiths by political ideologies, Religions/Adyān intends to provide a welcome space of encounter and refl ection upon the commonalities and shared goals of the great religions of the world. The title of the journal sug- gests religious diversity while suggesting the need to explore this diversity in order to develop keys to both a deepening of one’s own faith and a meaningful opening to other creeds. The Qur’ân sug- gests a commonality of faith and a striving for the Truth within the context of religious diversity: “To each among you have we prescribed a law and an open way. If God had so willed, He would have made you a single people, but (His plan is) to test you in what He hath given you: so strive as in a race in all virtues. The goal of you all is to God; it is He that will show you the truth of the matters in which ye dispute.” (The Table Spread 5:48, version of Yusuf Ali) As a refereed international publication published the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue, Religions/Adyân fi nds its inspiration in the universal message of monotheism broadly understood, while engaging the various religious faiths that share common principles and values within this broadly defi ned context. Religions/Adyān encourages comparative studies and interreligious exchanges in a spirit of dia- logue and mutual enrichment. Its aim is to promote understanding between religious faithful of various traditions by exploring and studying the rich fi eld of their theological and spiritual com- mon grounds, their mutual and constructive relationships, past, present and potentially future, a better understanding of the causes of their confl icts, and the current challenges of their encounter with atheism, agnosticism and secular societies. In addition, Religions/Adyân wishes to highlight and revive the universal horizon of Islam by fos- tering studies in the relationships between Islam and other religions and civilizations in history, the arts, and religious studies. This is also a way to revitalize intellectual discourse in Islam, within the context of an interactive and cross-fertilizing engagement with other faiths. The essays published in Religions/Adyān exclusively engage the intellectual responsibility of their authors, and do not necessarily refl ect the views of the DICID. They are published as part of an on- going dialogue on religions, and should not be construed as the expression of the positions of any sponsoring organization. 3 Charity and Compassion: Interreligious Perspectives 4 CONTENT Editorial 07 by Patrick Laude A Conversation with Rabbi Steinsaltz 08 On Love, Passion and Fidelity 14 by Archbishop George Khodr A Charter for Compassion 21 by Karen Armstrong The Confucian Perception of Religious Pluralism: Globalization and Diversity 29 by Tu Weiming Loving Compassion in Islam and Buddhism: Rahma and Karunā 43 by Reza Shah-Kazemi Love and compassion in the Abrahamic religions 57 by Oliver Leaman Compassion in Traditional and Secular Morality 65 by M. Ali Lakhani Can Creatures ‘adorn themselves’ with the Names of God? 76 by David B. Burrell Further Observations on Love (or Equality) 86 by Nur Yalman Shared Typologies of Marital Love and (Com)passion in Islam and Christianity 102 by Mark Farha The Face of the Praised 119 by Rusmir Mahmutćehajić Book Reviews 140 Contributors 145 English Abstracts of Articles in Arabic 148 5 6 EDITORIAL One year ago, the launch issue of Religions-Adyān was published. This fi rst out- put was met with a high degree of interest and enthusiasm both in Qatar and around the world. Taking stock of these promising beginnings, the Doha Interna- tional Center for Interfaith Dialogue and its Chairman Dr. Ibrahim Al-Naimi have supported the conception and realization of the fi rst numbered issue that will be, so we hope, a major landmark in providing our journal with a wider diffusion. Our initial issue was centred upon the common grounds shared by the world’s religions, as a foundation for further inquiries and exchanges. When faced with the consideration of a theme for the current issue, none seemed more appropri- ate than the virtues of charity and compassion. There is no religion that does not teach that the Supreme Reality involves goodness and love, and does not call mankind to reach perfection by treating other human beings with compassion and charity. This is the golden rule upon which all religious ethics are based. Now, it must be recognized that the notions of charity, compassion and love are not without some elements of diffusiveness or ambiguity, and sometimes may even refer to realities that are not necessarily contingent upon, nor consonant with, religious principles. After all, everybody “loves love,” but in what ways do religiously informed compassion and charity differ, in their understanding and practice, from the basic human, and even secular, forms of benevolence? More- over, the words love, charity and compassion may be translated in different ways in various languages, while human love covers a whole spectrum of manifesta- tions, from motherly love to the love of God. Finally, as much as religion is about love and charity, it is also about law, fear, knowledge, and many other dimensions. Attention must be paid, therefore, to the ways in which these manifold aspects relate to, and sometimes intersect with compassion. The goal of this issue is to explore some of these matters and show that the notions of charity and compassion have much richer and deeper layers of meaning than may appear at fi rst sight. While mercy, charity and compassion are indeed common principles among believers of all traditional faiths, they are also the very conditions for the possibil- ity of a meaningful dialogue across faiths. Through a richer understanding of the meaning of loving bonds between mankind and God and among mankind, we enable ourselves to engage in a more fertile encounter with other faiths. Patrick Laude Editor-in-Chief 7 A Conversation with Rabbi Steinsaltz Patrick Laude: What are the of the word rahamim, compassion – rhm Hebrew words that would – also carries the meaning of love (a similar best encapsulate the meanings word is found in other Semitic languages of love and compassion in too). In many cases, the difference be- tween the words is that the term “love” is religion? What do these words used towards one who is of equal or higher suggest? status, while “compassion” is connected Rabbi Steinsaltz: The Hebrew words for with whoever is of equal or lower stand- love – ahavah – and compassion – raha- ing.
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