Moslems and John the Baptist
In Damascus, in one of the most famous mosques, in the very center of the ancient city, is a special area of worship devoted to John the Baptist (in Arabic, Yahyah). As I was reading the readings for today in The Lectionary, I wondered, once again, why such reverence from our Islamic brothers and sisters?
I went looking, and found this in the SoundVision website, a religious website for English speaking Moslems:
John: A Prophet of Islam
Amongst the 25 Prophets mentioned by God in the Quran, one name is Prophet John (peace be upon him). In Arabic, his name is Yahya. He is also a Prophet who figures prominently in Christianity, where he is known as John the Baptist. His story in the Christian tradition is described in Bible Luke 1:5-22.
In Islam, belief in all of Allah’s Prophets is a fundamental article of faith. A person who denies belief in any of the Prophets, be it Jesus (peace be upon him) Moses (peace be upon him), or any of the others leaves the fold of Islam.
His miraculous birth
Prophet Jesus was not the only Prophet who was born miraculously. By miraculous, we mean outside of the normal process of human reproduction Allah has ordained which requires a man and a woman to conceive a child. In the case of Jesus, this meant being born of a mother but no father.
But Prophet Adam (peace be upon him)’s birth was even more miraculous in this sense since he was created with no mother or father. Similarly, Hawwa or Eve (may Allah be pleased with her) was created from a man, her husband, and no parents.
The birth of Prophet John is miraculous because he is the offspring of a barren mother and an elderly father. His father, it should be noted, was also a Prophet named Zecheriah.
“‘Zecheriah, We bring you the good news of the birth of a son whose name shall be John, one whose namesake We never created before.’ He said: ‘My Lord! How can I have a boy when my wife is barren and I have reached an extremely old age?’ He answered: ‘So shall it be.’ Your Lord says: ‘It is easy for Me’, and then added: ‘For beyond doubt, I created you earlier when you were nothing’ (Quran 19:7-9).
“Zecheriah exclaimed: ‘My Lord! How shall I have a son when old age has overtaken me and my wife is barren?’ He said: ‘Thus shall it be; Allah does what He wills'”(Quran 3:40).
With the birth of John, Allah granted Zecheriah his desire for an heir.
“And We bestowed favor upon Zecheriah, when he cried to his Lord: ‘Lord! Leave me not solitary [without any issue]. You are the best Inheritor.’ So We accepted his prayer and bestowed upon him John, and We made his wife fit (to bear a child). Verily they hastened in doing good works and called upon Us with longing and fear, and humbled themselves to Us” (Quran 21:89-90).
The beautiful qualities of John
Allah did not just miraculously grant Zecheriah a son. He made this child a blessing for his parents and beautiful in character. Prophet John is described in the Quran as chaste and righteous.
“Then Zecheriah prayed to his Lord: ‘O Lord! Grant me from Yourself out of Your grace the gift of a goodly offspring, for indeed You alone heed all Prayers. As he stood praying in the sanctuary, the angels called out to him: ‘Allah gives you good tidings of John, who shall confirm a command of Allah, shall be outstanding among men, utterly chaste, and a Prophet from among the righteous” (Quran 3:38-39).
“‘O John! Hold fast the Book with all your strength. We had bestowed wisdom upon him while he was still a child; and We also endowed him with tenderness and purity; and he was exceedingly pious and cherishing to his parents. Never was he insolent or rebellious. Peace be upon him, the day he was born, and the day he will die, and the day he will be raised up alive. (Quran 19: 12-15).
Part of a line of honored Prophets
Finally, as mentioned above, Prophet John is one of the Prophets Muslims must believe in. He is one of the 25 mentioned in the Quran.
“And We bestowed upon Abraham (offspring) Isaac and Jacob and each of them did We guide to the right way as We had earlier guided Noah to the right way; and (of his descendants We guided) David and Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses and Aaron. Thus do We reward those who do good. (And of his descendants We guided) Zecheriah, John, Jesus and Elias: each one of them was of the righteous.” (Quran 6:84-85).
The following section is from Wikipedia:
John is also honored as a prophet in Islam as Yaḥyā ibn Zakarīyā (Arabic: يحيى بن زكريا), translated literally as “John, son of Zechariah”. He is believed by Muslims to have been a witness to the word of God, and a prophet who would herald the coming of Jesus.[64] His father Zechariah was also an Islamic prophet. Islamic tradition maintains that John was one of the prophets that Muhammad met on the night of the Mi’raj,[65] his ascension through the Seven Heavens. It is said that he met John and Jesus in the second heaven, where Muhammad greeted his two ‘brothers’ before ascending with archangel Gabriel to the third heaven. John’s story was also told to the Abyssinian king during the Muslim refugees’ Migration to Abyssinia.[66] According to the Qur’an, John was one on whom God sent peace on the day that he was born and the day that he died.[67]
[edit]Name
John’s name in Arabic, Yahya, was present in Arabia before the Qur’an was revealed.[68]Muslim exegetes frequently connected the name with the meaning of “to quicken” or “to make alive” in reference to John’s mother’s barrenness, which was cured by God, as well as John’s preaching, which, as Muslims believe, “made alive” the faith of Israel.[69] The Qur’an accords the significance of John’s name to the fact that it was a new name for mankind, in that no one previously had been named “John”.[70] Other scholars hold that John’s name, which they state connects with the meaning of “He shall live”, referred to his legacy, in that his memory will remain in the mind of the faithful for the generations to come.[71]
[edit]John in the Qur’an
In the Qur’an, God frequently mentions Zechariah’s continuous praying for the birth of son. Zechariah’s wife, mentioned in the New Testament as Elizabeth, was barren and therefore the birth of a child seemed impossible.[72] As a gift from God, Zechariah was given a son by the name of “John”, a name specially chosen for this child alone. In accordance with Zechariah’s prayer, God made John and Jesus, who according to exegesis was born six months later,[73] renew the message of God, which had been corrupted and lost by the Israelites. As the Qur’an says:
(His prayer was answered): “O Zakariya! We give thee good news of a son: His name shall be Yahya: on none by that name have We conferred distinction before.”
He said: “O my Lord! How shall I have a son, when my wife is barren and I have grown quite decrepit from old age?”
He said: “So (it will be) thy Lord saith, ‘that is easy for Me: I did indeed create thee before, when thou hadst been nothing!'”
(Zakariya) said: “O my Lord! give me a Sign.” “Thy Sign,” was the answer, “Shall be that thou shalt speak to no man for three nights.”
—Qur’an, sura 19 (Maryam), verse 7[74]
John was exhorted to hold fast to the Scripture and was given wisdom by God while still a child.[75] He was pure and devout, and walked well in the presence of God. He was dutiful towards his parents and he was not arrogant or rebellious. John’s reading and understanding of the scriptures, when only a child, surpassed even that of the greatest scholars of the time.[72] Muslim exegesis narrates that Jesus sent John out with twelve disciples,[76] who preached the message before Jesus called his own disciples.[73] The Qur’an says of John:
(To Zachariah’s son came the command): “O John! take hold of the Book with might”: and We gave him Wisdom even as a youth,
—Qur’an, sura 19 (Maryam), ayah 12[75]
John was a classical prophet,[77] who was exalted high by God, for his bold denouncing of all things sinful. Furthermore, the Qur’an speaks of John’s gentle pity and love for all creatures and his humble attitude towards life, for which he was granted the Purity of Life:
And piety (for all creatures) as from Us, and purity: He was devout,
And kind to his parents, and he was not overbearing or rebellious.
So Peace on him the day he was born, the day that he dies, and the day that he will be raised up to life (again)!
—Qur’an, sura 19 (Maryam), ayah 13-15[67]
John is also honored highly in Sufism as well as Islamic mysticism, primarily because of the Qur’an’s description of John’s chastity and kindness.[78] Sufis have frequently applied commentaries on John’s passages on the Qur’an, primarily concerning God-given gift of “Wisdom” which he acquired in youth as well as his parallels with Jesus. Although several phrases used to describe John and Jesus are virtually identical in the Qur’an, the manner in which they are expressed is different.[79]
Excitement at the Apple Market
“This is what happens when you live in a state where every other person is carrying a handgun,” AdventureMan grumbled as we left the Apple Market.
We had been to see the new Sherlock Holmes Movie, Game of Shadows, (really action packed, by the way, and entertaining) when we remembered we needed milk. The Publix parking lot, shared with Toys R Us, is totally gridlocked on this Wednesday night before Christmas, and we figure the Winn Dixie, shared with Target, Michaels, etc. will be another gridlock. Although the Apple is out of the way, we always love to stop at the Apple Market.
As we are heading into a light, we hear sirens. We pull over (it’s the LAW) and two police cars go wailing past.
“I hope it’s not the Apple Market,” I say.
The fog is thick as pea soup, and we drive a lot more slowly than usual. As we near the Apple market, we can see lots of lights – but they are at the CVS next door, four squad cars with their lights twinkling blue.
“Think it’s OK to go into the Apple Market?” I ask AdventureMan.
“Yeh – I see customers going in and out; I think it must be OK.”
We go in, make our purchases. As we are checking out, we overhear one customer telling another that “someone saw a guy breaking into a car and started yelling at him to stop. He got into his car and tried to run down the other guy but the guy SHOT at him!”
At this point, I don’t know who shot at whom. I don’t know if the situation was under control. There was a part of me that wished we weren’t at the Apple Market, because if there are people shooting guns (and did I mention it is really foggy?) some innocent bystander-customer could get hurt . . .
Cioppino at Franco’s in Pensacola
I didn’t even know this restaurant existed until I went for a group meeting there a while back. It has the feeling of having been a long-time favorite for many Pensacolians, so when we ordered the Cioppino, we were astonished at how good it tasted.
Often, in restaurants, we will hear someone ask the waiter “Is it spicy?” The waiter will reply something like “There is a little bit of horseradish in the cocktail sauce, but you don’t have to use it.” And, of course, there is a bottle of hot sauce on every table, down here, ubiquitous as salt.
We both has the Cioppino; it was delicious. It had bite! As we washed our hands, we could hear loud chatter – in Italian – coming from the kitchen, always a good sign in an Italian restaurant.
Service is friendly, knowledgeable and efficient.
We look forward to going back, but we wonder if we will ever be able to order anything but the Cioppino – you know how you look over everything and then say “oh, I know it all looks so good, but I LOVE their Cioppino!”
Subject: Emergency Message for U.S Citizens 21-2011 Demonstrations
Kuwait City, Kuwait
December 19, 2011
Subject: Emergency Message for U.S Citizens 21-2011� Demonstrations
Please circulate the following message without additions or omissions
immediately to all U.S. Citizens within your area of responsibility.
A sit-in to demonstrate solidarity with the Bidoon (stateless people) is
scheduled potentially for 8:00pm at Determination Square on Monday, December 19
in downtown Kuwait City. There are also reports of possible demonstrations in
support of Bidoon rights tomorrow afternoon at Taima in the city of Jahra around
3:00 pm. An increased police and security presence is expected in these areas.
Spontaneous and/or planned demonstrations do occur in Kuwait in response to
global, regional, and local developments. U.S. citizens are advised to avoid
areas where demonstrations are ongoing and exercise caution if within the
vicinity of large gatherings.
Please stay current with media coverage of local events, be aware of your
surroundings, and continue to practice personal security awareness.
U.S. citizens traveling and residing abroad should enroll in the Smart Traveler
Enrollment Program (STEP) at the following website: https://travelregistration.state.gov.
U.S. citizens without internet access may enroll directly at the U.S. Embassy or
Consulate at their destination. By enrolling, U.S. citizens make it easier for
the Embassy to contact them in case of emergency.
Updated information on travel and security may be obtained from the Department
of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or,
for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at
1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern
Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays). For further
information, please consult the Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet website at
http://travel.state.gov where the Worldwide Caution and Country Specific
Information can be found. In addition, the Embassy encourages U.S. citizens to
review “A Safe Trip Abroad,” which includes valuable security information for
those traveling or living in foreign countries. You can also follow the Bureau
of Consular Affairs on Twitter and on Facebook.
The U.S. Embassy is located at Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa Street, Block 6, Plot 14,
Bayan, Kuwait. If you are a U.S. citizen in need of emergency assistance in
Kuwait, you may reach the U.S. Embassy by calling +965-2259-1001 and requesting
the duty officer.
U.S. citizens in Kuwait who would like to receive future Emergency and
Informational Messages from the Embassy directly by e-mail may sign up for this
service by sending an e-mail to the following address: join-wardenmessagekuwait@mh.databack.com
This message may be accessed on the Embassy website, http://kuwait.usembassy.gov
Please note that the Consular Section is closed for U.S. and most local
holidays. The current holiday schedule for 2011 is posted on
http://kuwait.usembassy.gov/holidays.html.
The Best Gingersnaps Ever
I knew what I was going for. Not the pallid ‘snaps’ that pass in the stores, no, the real gingery cookies, with real snap.
I went to my old faithful, a book I got back many a year ago when I was a new bride, the Joy of Cooking. It is a great edition, and you can see, it is falling apart. I can’t part with it:
Here is the Gingersnap recipe, altered slightly because I wanted guaranteed ‘snap.’
Gingersnaps
(Makes about 10 dozen 2 inch cookies)
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Cream 3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
Stir in:
2 well beaten eggs
1/2 cup molasses
2 teaspoons vinegar
Sift and add:
3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3 – 4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon cloves
Mix ingredients until blended. Form dough into 3/4 inch balls. Bake on a greased cookie sheet for about 12 minutes. As the ball melts down during cooking, the cookie develops the characteristic crinkled surface. At 12 minutes, take the cookies out, sprinkle top with the decorator sugar (bigger chunky sugar that won’t melt down into the cookie) and return to the oven for 5 or 6 minutes.
Remove from oven, cool.
Mine are not the prettiest – next year I will know to leave more room between the cookies – but they are the BEST gingersnaps I have ever made. They have a little soft chewiness, and a little crispiness, around the edges. They are SPICY!
The original recipe, in the Joy of Cooking, uses a little less spice and a marshmallow topping. The Joy of Cooking is a wise investment, and if you can find one of the older ones in a used book store, you will have a treasure house of old, tried and true recipes. The authors are Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker, and my edition is a Signet Special, first edition, printed in 1973.
Mary at Christ Church, Pensacola
Today was all about Mary, at Christ Church in Pensacola, about the brave young woman who said “yes” to God and conceived out of wedlock, and had to explain about how God sent a messenger angel and the Holy Spirit impregnated her – and who can help but think, as a parent, how hard some of this would be to believe? Brave little Mary, who said “yes.”
There is an ikon of Mary at the front of Christ Church:
I bet you can guess why I love this ikon, why it makes me smile . . . Mary, and her baby boy, are brown! They look like people really look in the Middle East, not Botticelli blondes with big blue eyes, dressed in Italian silks. I also love the way this Mama snuggles her precious little baby to her cheek; he is a baby, this King of Kings, and I like to think he grew up with a lot of cuddling and snuggling.
Congratulations, Pensacola’s Arielle Langhorne!
From today’s Pensacola News Journal:
Pensacola children’s photographer Arielle Langhorne won three awards in an international competition sponsored by The National Association of Professional Child Photographers.
She received third place in the seniors category, second place in the maternity category and a recognition of merit in the babies category.
Langhorne specializes in photography of newborns, children and late teens. Her images were among thousands submitted to the competition and judged on the basis of impact, technical merit, composition and creativity.
Her work can be seen at www. ariellelanghorne.com.
Her work can also be seen at The Most Beautiful Baby Ever; she took the first studio photos of the Happy Baby.
Wooo HOOOO, Arielle, how wonderful for you to receive international recognition!
Lessons and Carols December 18th, 5:00 pm at Christ Church, Pensacola
Here is the write-up from the Christ Church website about the annual Lessons and Carols festival, a tradition in most Anglican and Episcopal churches, and an exhilarating treat during a busy season:
A FESTIVAL OF NINE LESSONS AND CAROLS
December 18, 2011, 5:00 pm, in the Church.
Each year, the Christ Church Parish Choir presents A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, a uniquely Anglican Christmas celebration. The Festival at Christ Church is notable because the Choir devotes itself to cultivating the carol literature that is at the heart of the most notable celebration in the world, that of King’s College Cambridge. The fine readers in the choir share scripture readings between the carols, and prayers open and close the service. Several congregational hymns are also included. The service is free and open to the public.
The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is a format for a service of Christian worship celebrating the birth of Jesus that is traditionally followed at Christmas. The story of the fall of humanity, the promise of the Messiah, and the birth of Jesus is told in nine short Bible readings from Genesis, the prophetic books and the Gospels, interspersed with the singing of Christmas carols, hymns and choir music.
The format was based on an Order drawn up by Edward White Benson, later Archbishop of Canterbury but at that time Bishop of Truro, in Cornwall, for use on Christmas Eve] and that a key purpose of the service was to keep men out of pubs on Christmas Eve. (24 December) 1880. Tradition says that he organized a 10 pm service on Christmas Eve in a temporary wooden shed serving as his cathedral
The original liturgy has since been adapted and used by other churches all over the world. Lessons and Carols most often occur in Anglican churches, but also in some Roman Catholic, Lutheran parishes, and Presbyterian institutions. However numerous Christian churches have adopted this service, or a variation on this service, as part of their Christmas celebrations. In the UK, the service has become the standard format for schools’ Christmas carol services.
The best-known version is broadcast annually from King’s College, Cambridge, on Christmas Eve. It features carols sung by the famous Choir of King’s College, Cambridge. Groton School of Groton, Massachusetts, has performed the festival longer than any institution other than King’s, holding its first Lessons and Carols in 1928.
LOL @ for keeping men out of the bars on Christmas Eve! Holy Smokes!
“The Great Day of their Wrath has Come, and Who is Able to Stand?”
It is my very favorite church season of the year, Advent. I’ve always loved the waiting and the hoping, the preparations, the joy of imagining the coming of this little baby. You’d think that our readings would reflect this ummm. . . errr . .. reflective season, but no! It’s all Zachariah and Amos and Revelations with their horrific visions.
When I read today’s reading from Revelations, I wonder if the horses are not already loosed? We know that our time and God’s time are very different, and it seems to me that those fearsome horses have been hanging around for quite a while.
Revelation 6:1-17
6Then I saw the Lamb open one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures call out, as with a voice of thunder, ‘Come!’* 2I looked, and there was a white horse! Its rider had a bow; a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering and to conquer.
3 When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature call out, ‘Come!’* 4And out came* another horse, bright red; its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another; and he was given a great sword.
5 When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature call out, ‘Come!’* I looked, and there was a black horse! Its rider held a pair of scales in his hand, 6and I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a day’s pay,* and three quarts of barley for a day’s pay,* but do not damage the olive oil and the wine!’
7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature call out, ‘Come!’* 8I looked and there was a pale green horse! Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed with him; they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, and pestilence, and by the wild animals of the earth.
9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered for the word of God and for the testimony they had given; 10they cried out with a loud voice, ‘Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?’ 11They were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number would be complete both of their fellow-servants* and of their brothers and sisters,* who were soon to be killed as they themselves had been killed.
12 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and there came a great earthquake; the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree drops its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. 14The sky vanished like a scroll rolling itself up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15Then the kings of the earth and the magnates and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16calling to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’
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