A spiritual Ishmaelite

Category: Interfaith dialogue

  • Yom Kippur, Night of middle of Shaban and Sola Scriptura propaganda

    I missed the voluntary commandment of pre-dawn meal for today’s fast but I still fasted to refute Sola Scriptura Salafi propaganda against voluntary fast on 15th of Shaban a month of lunar calendar like that of Jews. Unlike Yom Kippur, in Islam nibbling is not allowed but fast does not start from previous night but after pre-dawn. Even antinomian Paul fasted on conversion. Like Yom Kippur, the fate is sealed in this night. John the Baptist fasted more than the Messiah peace be upon him, so the former was a Sufi saint and latter was a Scriptural saint. As Jesus peace be upon him taught we should wash our faces to appear fresh during fasting which Muslims do during ablution called wudu. One can work too unlike Yom Kippur which fulfills the intent of Messiah peace be upon him.

    https://islamqa.info/en/20135

    Hussain Murtaza What is nibbling in the Jewish fast?
    Ishmael Abraham Eating in small amounts due to health issues.
    Hussain Murtaza Yes, but I was asking about the limits??

    Ishmael Abraham They have their own fiqh about that. About liquid a modern rabbi said less than 80cc.

  • An Urdu couplet with Murjiah tendencies

    سر محشر خدا پوچھے گا پاکبازوں سے…..
    تم نے گناہ کیوں نا کیے، کیا میں رحیم نا تھا

    On the day of judgement, God will ask the pure.

    Why didn’t you sin, wasn’t I forgiving?

    Ishmael Abraham This sect was called Murjiah in past.
    Ishmael Abraham Murijah comes from raja or hope which is actually a false hope.

  • The Lights around the Throne of God:The glorifying Ishmaelitic Prophetic descendants

    كنا أنوارا صفوفا حول العرش نسبح

    We the Ishmaelitic Prophetic descendants were lights around Arsh the throne of God in rows like rows of prayer glorifying Him.

  • Talmud and Deer Musk

    Sufis say that like musk deer, give perfume even to those who harm you.

    Deer musk was unknown in the Western world in classical antiquity and reference to it does not appear until the 5th century AD when it is mentioned in the Talmud (Brachot 43.) as an animal-based fragrance.

    Obtaining one kilogram (2.2 lb) of musk grains requires between thirty and fifty deer, making musk tinctures highly expensive.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deer_musk

  • The tragedies of Job and Zainab, peace be upon both: Two Abrahamic role models of patience

    Shalom on truth seekers. I am an orthodox Muslim and like Job peace be upon him, I descend from Esau peace be upon him. I believe the children of Jacob peace be upon him, like Afghan Pashtuns, will be reconciled with children of Ishmael and Esau peace be upon both. I liked this article and in the traditional world both Job peace be upon him and the Ishmaelite saints in the tragedy of karbala; the desert of pain and test, are considered two most pertinent spiritual role models of patience.

    After the tragedy of the Ishmaelites in the desert, the surviving Prophetic grand daughter exclaimed that I only see divine beauty in suffering. Such faith is similar to Job peace be upon him

     

    The Book of Job

  • Alcohol and post-traditional anti-modern Abrahamites

    Thanks God that pronomian Christians and pro-Christ(p) Jews still exist

    Lenny Wheeler Ishmael Abraham, I have noted your opinion, If your talking about the “God verses man posts,” I would appreciate some facts.
    Ishmael Abraham Jesus peace be upon him said: If you love me, keep my commandments. If you want to enter life, keep my commandments.
    Peter Bell Ishmael Abraham Yes, he said that, and any one of us who have tried to do that has discovered the blessing of keeping his commandments.
    Peter Bell It is also a common New Testament theme (after the Jesus narratives) that we do not have the power to keep those commandments by our own strength apart from his continual outpouring grace to empower us. We are not by nature loving, and we need to be transformed by His Spirit into loving beings in the image of Jesus. Peace to you!!
    Ishmael Abraham I think Jesus peace be upon him never consumed alcohol. It was actually vinegar-like grape juice. The translators probably messed it up.
    Jerry Sexton In my Baptist Church, we were taught that wine wasn’t fermented for the overall population. That was being taught in the 1970s, I don’t know if any archaeology has revised that information or not.
    Peter Bell I have actually heard it both ways, but as far as I can see the majority of serious scholars disagree and believe that the wine Jesus used (and produced at the Cana wedding miracle) was robust, hearty, everyday alcoholic wine.
    Peter Bell This strikes me as possibly being slightly off topic if we are discussing following Jesus by obeying his commands.
    Lenny Wheeler How could anybody even think in the slightest, that Jesus Christ would drink any alcohol period. Jesus is about life, Alcohol is about, pain, suffering, divorce, death, Sucicde. To think that Jesus would even drink one drink is horrable. There were two kinds of wine. grape juice is one, and fermented wine is another
    Peter Bell Lenny Wheeler Alcohol in our culture has come to represent those negative things you mention, but it has not always been seen that way, and the people of the Bible often saw it as a gift from God to make our heart merry. The wine Jesus made at Cana certainly fulfilled this function. Many gifts from God can be abused and misused, but that doesn’t prove that he didn’t give them to us with our good in mind.
    Lenny Wheeler Peter Bell My friend that is a nice opinion, The definition of words in the bible and the definition of the same words today are different. People didn’t need alcohol to be merry, Man has taken many of God’s words and perverted them, Gay, use to mean you were happy,, the rainbow is one of God’s promises to man that he will not flood the whole earth again. there are other things man has perverted. But for anyone to put Jesus Christ as drinking fermented wine doesn’t know his or her bibles. The ONLY reason for a person to say that Jesus drank fermented wine, gives them an excuse to continue there drinking. The wine at Cana was grape juice, If you or anybody else believe that Jesus turned water into fermented wine so He could watch them get drunk and make fools of themselves . you don’t know Jesus at all, and you don’t know your bibles
    Jerry Sexton Lenny where in the Bible does it say that it was not fermented?
    Peter Bell Lenny Wheeler Your assertion is incorrect and illogical and historically quite false. In fact, there are a large number of Bible scholars and Bible students who know the Bible a LOT better than you and I know it, and the FACT is that more than 90% of these serious, spiritual, believing Christian scholars are fully convinced that Jesus drank fermented wine, and that this is the meaning of the word used in the Bible. And the reason they believe this is NOT that they do not know the Bible, or that they don’t know Jesus! Many of them have given their lives to study the Bible, and in fact a significant number of them do not use alcohol themselves, but they are not ignorant enough or foolish enough or biased enough to believe that Jesus did not follow the universal cultural custom of his time and drink the fermented wine that was commonly available for the poor people (which he undeniably was, and with whom he identified himself). The only reason for anyone to deny that Jesus drank fermented wine is to justify their own self-righteous sense of superiority over common people by thinking they are better than these ordinary folks for whom Jesus sacrificed his life. The great sin Jesus preached against day by day was not alcoholism but hypocrisy.
    Lenny Wheeler Peter Bell, I don’t go by mans opinions yours JESUS NEVER DRANK FERMINTED WINE.
    Lenny Wheeler Jerry Sexton, there is a difference between NEW WINE, and OLD wine, one is fermented and the other is not. study for yourself my friend.
    Peter Bell Lenny Wheeler But you do go by man’s opinions! That’s one right there. It’s man’s opinion, but it does not agree with what the Bible says. Read it for yourself, right here in your KJV: Matthew 11:18-19, where Jesus was charged with drinking fermented wine, and he never defended himself against the charges: “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.
    The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.”
    Peter Bell I’m curious as to why this particular heresy is so important for you to defend.
    Lenny Wheeler Peter Bell, Need to get one thing straight with you right know, Jesus Christ never drank alcohol, I also will ask you why you defend the idea that Jesus Christ supports alcohol .Looks like your looking for excuses , WHY? If your really looking for the truth then you would have noticed some very important words in Matthew 11:18-19, For John came “NEITHER” eating nor “DRINKING,” and “THEY” say he has a demon. (19) The SON OF man came eating and drinking, and “THEY SAY,” LOOK, a glutton and a winebibber, A friend of tax collectors and sinners! But wisdom is justified by her children.. 1Corinthians 6:9-11, (9) Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of heaven of God? DO not be “DECEIVED”, Neither fornicators, nor idolaters nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites. (10),Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor “DRUNKARDS,” nor revilers, nor Extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. (11) And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God. there was to be a marriage at Cana, A little town not far from Nazareth, The parties were relatives of JOSEPH and MARY; and Jesus, KNOWING of this FAMILY gathering, went to Cana, Not every marriage festivals were served with alcohol. Jesus knows the end from the beginning
    Georgios Tzallas Ishmael Abraham Did you became a christian?
    Peter Bell Lenny Wheeler My friend, you have not answered my question. I won’t go into so much detail, but I will state with great authority that the word translated “drunkards” in 1 Cor 9 does not mean a user of alcohol (which all men in Jesus’ day were, except …See more
    Lenny Wheeler Peter Bell. NO, No we don’t go that route in this group my friend. All you have done is give me your opinions. We go by bible facts, like Ephesians 5:18, 1Peter 5:8, Proverbs 20:1, Galatians 5:21, Romans 13:13-14,Proverbs 23:29-35, 1 Corinthians 6:10, Romans 14:21. Hebrews 10:26-31. James 4:17, Luke 21:34, Romans 13:13.Proverbs 23:20-21,. . Maybe you get drunk and want to use Jesus as an excuse to keep drinking, you will have to go somewhere else. Maybe your god drinks fermented wine, but my God dose not drink fermented wine. Look back at my statement to you, you have not answered my questions. If you don’t like my answers, there is no one stopping you from leaving. NOBODY Like i said before maybe your god allows you to drink. but not my God. Don’t insulate my savior
    Peter Bell Lenny Wheeler This is a post by Ishmael Abraham, who has full authority to allow us in or out at his discretion, and I fully respect his right to do so here. Your assumption that I get drunk and want to use any excuse for that is totally unwarranted, ignores the scientific and spiritual facts that I cited just above (that it takes far more grace to drink carefully and responsibly than it does to abstain totally), and is based on faulty psychology and sociology. You have your facts all wrong, and none of your opinions are confirmed in the slightest by any of those verses you quoted. I love the Bible and every verse you listed, but you are blaspheming the holy Word of God by using it to further your hateful humanist and oppressive legalistic pharisaical methods of Bible interpretation. Accusation of others without evidence or proof is the work of the accuser, called in the Bible Satan. Why do you think I get drunk? When did you send your spies in to look into my cupboards for liquor? You will not find it there. I will not need to leave my friend Ishmael Abraham’s group unless he asks me to do so. My motive is very simple: I wish to remove the obstacles to the perfect and pure and holy gospel of the unmerited grace of God that legalism such as what you preach places in the way of sinners seeking salvation in Jesus. Jesus does not hate sinners but loves them perfectly and chooses to spend his time with them. If you are identifying yourself as one who is too good to sin, you are distancing yourself from the living Jesus as revealed in the Bible and ruling in the kingdom of God. It does very much look like your god and mine are quite different, but I will take a God of grace and mercy and liberty over a legalistic god of condemnation and oppression every time. It is for freedom (not legalistic bondage) that Christ has set us free. With all due respect, you, sir, need to repent.
    Peter Bell I anticipate that you will not like my reply here. I am quite willing to quit talking about this. But I will not yield to your foolish legalism, and I pray for your enlightenment into the truth by the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Have a good life.
    Ishmael Abraham Quran 9:31 talks about worship of Bible scholars and rabbinic scholars. Some legalists end up being militant Zionists but I love Lenny’s passion here, because this is what defines Ishmaelite commandments.

    Georgios Tzallas Ishmael Abraham ?
    Ishmael Abraham I like Ebionite and Arian Christians, but I am a post-traditional anti-modern Abrahamite.
    Georgios Tzallas You are not a muslim?
    Ishmael Abraham I am a Muslim but not in denominational sense.
    Ishmael Abraham Muslim means someone who keeps the commandments revealed to the Ishmaelite Messenger of God(p).

  • A CFS patient acknowledges the cognitive dissonance of creation-centered incarnation

    Dianne MacKay I wish I was more into my faith than I am. I have difficulty with the main stream Christian idea that Jesus is God. I believe Jesus is the son of God but not God. He held God’s spirit upon him but is separate and that he will be sitting on the right side of God on the throne and not on the seat of God. That has been a battle in my mind for the last 7 years. I’m a bit different from other Christians. 🙂
    Dianne MacKay This has been an interesting conversation not one I typically talk about. 🙂
    Me: Educated Christians like Newton became Arian Unitarian Christians like Muslims, first century Ebionite Christians and Apostles. There have been Muslims called Ghulat who also talk about sitting on throne, but Bible tells He is ‘jealous’ God. Jealousy is not a respectful word, it is rather God’s self esteem. We do not deserve to have high self esteem because we have weaknesses and failures, but God deserves high self esteem. I am happy to know a fellow faithful in secular modern world. First and greatest commandment to love One God the most should give courage to The Alpha-centered Christians to be different from creation-centered Christians. But most humans tend to feel uncomfortable relating with Transcendence which does not hinder His psychological Immanence which God describes as ‘ We are closer to you than your jugular vein’

  • Kalash people, ancient greeks, hebrew gnosticism, Ishmaelite pronomian gnosticism and anti-imperialist phariseeism

    Shalom on truth seekers. I am a Pakistani orthodox Muslim with Hebrew roots. Although the article is informative it contains stereotypical inaccuracies repeated by xenophobic anti-gnostic trinitarian fundamentalists. This article can help overcome many westerners to overcome their anti-Eastern xenophobia. As far as forced conversions are concerned, Quran 2:256 explicitly forbids them unlike Bible. Many ancient Hindu and ancient Hebrew tribes have voluntarily converted to Islam by virtue of Sufi pro-Ishmaelite gnostics, so pro-Israelite gnostic should respect their Abrahamic cousins. The Phoenecian Hebrews you discussed can choose to prefer their Abrahamic roots over Hellenistic roots and vice versa. Muslim philosophers like Averroes are one of the best examples of synthetic civilized identities. Taliban are a recent political phenomenon initially supported by Reagan, but now many orthodox scholars denounce their antinomian instances of phariseeism fearlessly. I have a friend from Chitral who knows Kalash people voluntarily converting to Islam due to Sufi missionaries of Tabligh. He also shared a kalash joke telling Muslims, that if even Muslims drink alcohol, so if you want us to convert to Islam, stop sinning before lecturing us. This is called ad hominem but Sufi gnostics love ad hominem criticism as it is necessary for moral and spiritual progress.Descendants of Esau settled in Babylon and in some of the Phoenician Cities such as Tyre.

    The Kalash People: The Lost Blonde Hair and Blue Eye Tribe of Alexander the Great in Pakistan

  • On Semitic iconoclasm and colorful churches with an Eastern Orthodox brother

    ISHMAEL ABRAHAM·TUESDAY, 6 FEBRUARY 2018
    Sufi monks prefer sombre spiritual constructions. But I like colors of nature. I like Christian traditionalism. I can see the icons as well. Blind iconoclasm paved the road for modernity and destroyed the traditional culture. I am for pro-traditional iconoclasm and spiritual/intellectual/psychological/philosophical iconoclasm and God has created that potential in you, brother. Modern humanity needs traditional arts like Islamic calligraphy.
    David Hawthorne I love beauty wherever it is found and the most beautiful art and architecture of any culture is almost invariably inspired by faith.

    I think this is because Beauty as a Universal is transcendent much like faith is.

    Ishmael Abraham How do you distinguish seductive sensual beauty and non-seductive sensual beauty. Quran is very graphic about sensual aesthetics in Garden of Firdaws the Abrahamic root word for Paradise by describing the waterfalls for example.

  • Letter of a traditionalist to Hartford Seminary

    I am a traditional orthodox Muslim belonging to a scholarly family. Although I have an engineering background, PhD in Islamic Studies program here attracts me and it will keep attracting modern educated orthodox Muslims. My question is: Is the mode of education there halal/kosher? I mean co-education. Most of us cannot economically afford Hartford education because the most spiritually gifted and conservative of us are the least involved in secular activities of economic self-sufficiency based on Hadith: O God make my descendants (intellectual and biological) live at subsistence level. So, does Hartford aim at raising liberal rich interfaith leaders only? What are other modern alternatives for such academic rigour? If in future scholarships here are based on some test to analyze the academic merit in classical scholarship, may be you induct the right kind of students.