Because we celebrate the abundance of good omens Muslims come in for a bit of mocking on the internet. When we share pictures of a rock in sujood, or a tree in another prayer posture, or a fish with Allah SWT's name on its scales, a skeptic can misunderstand this to be a simplicity in our faith. The skeptic does not understand that the rock, the tree, the fish are simply signs. They are not the reasons for our faith in God's mercy and beneficence. They are just the some of signs we can see around us and delight in, for all creation speaks of The Creator and The Truth. So, with the Wanganui project underway, I looked again at Al-Asr, the 103rd chapter of the Holy Qur'an, because this surah shares the same number as the letterbox on the first house we're working on. It's a good sign that leads me into some personal reflections on the way of life that is Islam, and how this project is part of my Islam. Any translation of the Glorious Qur'an is only a translation. The original Arabic gives richer, clearer meanings and the exquisite poetry that cannot be identified so easily in another language. (It has taken me the better part of six years to realise that the poetry alone is proof of inspiration: How could an illiterate man SAW be Shakespeare AND Dante AND every other poet, rolled into one? But not only the Shakespeare, writing words, but the Olivier memorising and reciting them?) I am not a scholar, but I am glad to find some lovely links between the address of the first property, and the Qur'an, with help from the notes made by Yusuf Ali. Al-Asr - "The Time" or "Time Through the Ages" and the name of the third prayer of connection through the day, required in the late afternoon. (A nice touch for me, having come to Islam in the "late afternoon" of my life). Time is one of the creations of Allah SWT, and everyone knows something of it but no one can explain the exact significance. Shakespeare had a go with lines like, "Time defaced/ The rich proud cost of outworn buried age". Any eyes can see that Time destroys everything material. However, it does not touch the spiritual. If we were trying to restore and renovate these houses in a race against Time, or to build a monument to "stand the test of Time" then our efforts would be in vain. Working on this project is just for the love of Allah SWT: avoiding prohibitions, enjoining the good, moving ahead with good deeds as part of the spiritual journey we make in this audition for the hereafter. "By the Time, Verily Mankind is in loss, Except those who have Faith and do righteous deeds and (join together) in the mutual enjoining of Truth and Patience and Constancy". That is the whole chapter. Three verses in total. It's a nice confirmation that we don't have to begin an enterprise much more than this: Faith, Works, Unity, Truth, Patience, Constancy. "Bismillah" and a good intention can move ahead in ways that meetings and constitutions and elected trustees and minutes of the last meeting do not. These three verses are like tiny seeds: full of potential and life, waiting to germinate and burst forth. The revelation of these three verses came in the early years when the Muslim community was just a few people, living in a period of persecution and danger in Makkah (Mecca). Truth and Patience and Constancy were their armour. This revelation let Humanity know that to fulfill our duty within the cosmos, within this realm of creation, within this pocket of Time in which we dwell, we must work together. The bonds of mutual support for the sake of good works is a clear direction for those who would like to avoid a state of "loss". Alhamdulilah, the "loss" is only mentioned in passing. The focus is on the three aspects of Faith, Works and Community, and the Community is one where all members encourage each other to strive for Truth, Patience and Constancy. The first people to hear this revelation and to inscribe it one their hearts, and let it spill from their lips, went on from the early years or persecution in Makkah to see a transformation across a great measure of the world. The transformation began in hearts. This is the biggest clean-up job of the lot. In our labours, at 103 Talbot St, we have cleared broken glass and discarded appliances and furniture from a tangle of weeds. We've stripped down the damaged interior cladding, burnt and punctured walls. We are ready to plant and repair and begin afresh. The project is a sign for us to know that all about us there are people with damaged hearts, they are bruised and battered, worn down and suffering. People need good neighbours. People need good homes and they need to know their own goodness, behind all the damage. Our project brings some small elements of Truth and Patience and Constancy to a neighbourhood, to a patch of land with a building on it. And our project lets us use our Time in mutual labours for the the love of The One. Let us all be rightly guided. Ameen Sr Fiona. Please see the 'related items' menu on the right for more articles about the Wanganui Housing Project.
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