Because of this, then, summon all, and pursue the right course, as thou hast been bidden by God; and do not follow their likes and dislikes, but say: ‘I believe in whatever revelation God has bestowed from on high; and I am bidden to bring about equity in your mutual views. God is our Sustainer as well as your Sustainer. To us shall be accounted our deeds, And to you, your deeds. Let there be no contention between us and you: God will bring us all together – For with Him is all journeys’ end.’ Surah 42:15
We live within a profound diversity of thought, word, and deed, and within these differences, some expressed as polar opposites, we are bidden by God to respect each other. Not by discussing our likes and dislikes, but rather by supporting each others’ deeds to do the good.
What makes a good deed a good deed – actions or intentions? What role does society have in providing equity for all? In other words, should a community be held accountable if someone steals because of hunger? Should societies extend every effort available in order for all to be housed safely?
Why be good? Who cares, anyway, whether I give my money to those in need? If atheists can be good and live a moral life, which most do, then why be religious? Are we charged to do the difficult work of sympathizing with others’ turmoil and tragedies, even if they break the law? Can there be too much mercy?
Relying on both the Qur’an and the Bible, I imagine Mary outside the safety of a betrothal with Joseph and being criticized for her pregnancy with her child. In her joyful acceptance to live within God’s will, she becomes an outlier, viewed as an adulterer, an act punishable by stoning. Yet, we know that her acceptance of God’s call for her life and all the ways she suffered became her path. She is “a treasure, light upon light, of a beautiful Mary with Jesus in the womb” (Rumi).
We have no idea what people are carrying in the wombs of their living and their dying. Sometimes, law is imposed with no regard to whether it serves love, hope, or justice. We miss the opportunity, which comes to us as a gift, to participate in bringing about equity within the diversity and mutuality of our shared lives.
One of my favorite stories comes from the Talmud.* A Gentile wants to convert to Judaism, but only if a rabbi would teach him the entire Torah while he stood on one foot. Most scoffed at this request, insulted, until the man came to Hillel, the Elder, a contemporary of Jesus, who accepted the challenge and said, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah; the rest is commentary – go and study it.”
Qur’an is precise: Only God is Just, only God is Truth; the rest is commentary.
We need each other, by design, within our own spiritual strengths, to guide us as we define equity, trusting that “God will bring us all together – For with Him is all journeys’ end.”
*Talmud is a primary source of Jewish Law, second in authority only to the Hebrew Bible.
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A colleague of mine failed a student in the last term of her senior year, which meant because of an arcane rule to discourage “senioritis,” the student would not receive her high school diploma, even though she had been a high school student for four years and had earned enough credits to graduate. The student had legitimately failed the class; she had turned in little work and had not responded to all the efforts by the faculty to support her.
Her life was in chaos. Her mother had died six months earlier; her father had disappeared years ago; she had no family. We must remember as the Prophet Muhammad reminds us, that “when an orphan cries, the throne of God shakes.” This student had little grasp of where she was going to live after graduation. She was angry, not responsive or appreciative of help, and doing things against her best interest.
There were rules. And they needed to be followed. I went to see my colleague and good friend who had failed her to advocate for the student to receive her high school degree. My colleague argued the law and I argued mercy as justice. She was surprised that I was not defending the standards of the institution. Wasn’t I religious and therefore conservative in the safeguarding of any organization?
“Jamie, the student legitimately failed. I’m just following the rules.”
I sighed. “I do not believe in a God who removes love and mercy as a way to protect the validity of ‘rules.’ I think you are defending ‘tough love’ as a way to protect vows and your sense of righteousness. What’s at stake here is a child’s life, the possibility of a better future with a high school degree in her hand. One, by the way she earned, but for some rule written to dissuade privileged students who have already been accepted into college from ‘skipping out’ of their final term.”
In the end, my colleague agreed and reversed the grade to passing. At first, reluctantly, as she felt she had succumbed to sentimentality. Yet a year later, deep in her own commitment to Tibetan Buddhism, she called to thank me. She knew she had done the ‘right thing’ by giving the student the best possibility of finding her way through her suffering. My colleague admitted that her fervor had been misplaced, denying spiritual and ethical values. The integrity of the institution had not been outstripped; rather the life of a student was graced with an opportunity for hope.
“You know,” she said, “our actions of grace and mercy matter.”
Day 25: Reflection
In Christian Scripture, in the Letter of James, the author, James, traditionally identified as Jesus’ brother and the leader of the church in Jerusalem, writes, “If anyone think they are religious and do not bridle their tongues, they deceive their hearts; their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (1:26).
How do your actions of grace and mercy matter?
