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A contemporary mystical Islamic philosopher offers clarification about common misconceptions of the Islamic concept of God.

Hulusi is an Islamic scholar whose writings mirror the mystical dimension of Islam known as Sufism, made well known in the U.S. through translations of the Sufi poet-theologian Rumi. But many who read the English translations of Rumi fail to realize the complexity of the system of spiritual thinking that Sufism represents. Hulusi explicates one of the most difficult concepts in mystical Islam--the notion that "Allah," commonly misunderstood in the West and even in parts of the Muslim world as "God," encompasses more than the word "God" can illuminate. Drawing upon his interpretations of the Quran, Islam's most sacred scripture, Hulusi claims that nowhere in Muhammad's transmission of the Quran is there the assertion that Allah is a god. Instead, Hulusi writes that Allah is "an infinite, unlimited, whole One, in which case...there is nothing in existence other than Him." The consequences of this assertion are that individual lives are fated by Allah, predestined to heaven or hell after physical death. The point of religion, writes the author, is to gain nondualistic awareness of Allah, which is realized through essential self-knowledge and the rejection of illusionary dualities in daily life. The author relies on short paragraphs to frame his beliefs and uses abstract language to describe consciousness, but the gist of these abstruse ideas is helpfully noted in bold throughout the book. One can only imagine the difficulty translator Atalay faced in converting the author's esoteric Turkish style into readable English. Yet it does read clearly as a kind of Sufi manifesto of faith. Get the Book NOW

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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

How Prayer Mats Help Teach Children the Importance of Praying

Children begin to learn and understand many things from a very early age by looking at their parents, siblings and peers. They like to imitate the adults around them and in particular their parents, who are the center of their world, particularly during early childhood. When a child sees his parent behaving in a certain way, he is likely to follow suit. This is the main reason that after the birth of their child, most conscious parents try to take up good habits and practices themselves which they want to teach their children.
In order to teach your young child the importance of praying in our lives, it is extremely important to be regular with offering your prayers. When your child will see you offering prayers five times a day, he will try to imitate you from the beginning, and it is very likely that he will develop a love and understanding for Salat from an early age. It is important to show you child a routine by making the ritual ablution, known as "Wudu" followed by selecting a clean place and placing prayer mats for yourself and your child and continuing with the Salat.
The prayer mats which act as a clean and pure place to pray can be attention grabbing for your child. Children usually find the soft material and vivid colors to be attractive and comforting. Even though initially they might use the prayer mats as a play area while you offer your prayers, but with the passage of time, they start to imitate your actions for praying. The love for praying and staying clean is enhanced over time with the continued guidance provided by the parents.
Certain Islamic Sunday schools in the UK and USA have the preschoolers create small prayer mats during the craft period. These prayer mats are made using small pieces of solid colored carpets and are then colorfully decorated by children using markers and paints to make flowers and abstract designs according to their own talent and creativeness. Then these prayer mats are used by them during Sunday school each week to offer Salat. When this craft project is introduced into the classroom, the teacher also tells the students about the importance of Namaz in Islam.
The prayer mats which they create in class also act as a starting point for the children to offer prayers more regularly. In addition it is often a matter of pride for them to pray to Allah using a mat they have made themselves. For children these little activities not only keep them busy and entertained, but also act as stepping stones to get a better grasp over their religious heritage.
Sohail Khan works for Islamic Impressions which specializes in retail and wholesale products for the Islamic market and stocks a wide range of stylish Islamic goods made to supreme quality standards including beautiful prayer mats.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sohail_Khan

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