Muslim

Bonds of Friendship

Editor’s Note: The following is part of our daily holiday series celebrating “The Shared World.” Mariam is a former employee and close friend of FMS. My two closest friends from childhood are Marjie, a Conservative/Orthodox Jew, and Sehreen, an Ismaili Muslim. As an Orthodox Christian, I have always been thankful to have their perspectives along my…

Ramadan: “My Lord, forgive me”

Today is the last post in our special Franciscan Friday series on Ramadan by guest blogger Fr. Michael Calabria, OFM. “Asking forgiveness for one’s sins is an essential aspect of Islamic prayer and Ramadan.” The last couple of weeks seem to have been particularly violent in the world and in the U.S. In Egypt, tensions…

Ramadan: Being Conscious of God

“Fasting is prescribed for you…that you may taqwa.” (Qur’an 2.183) Taqwa. It’s a hard word to pronounce correctly unless you’ve mastered Arabic pronunciation. The q-sound (qaf) is made far back in the throat, not like the more superficial k-sound (kaf). And because of the q-sound, the pronunciation of the preceding ta- is changed. Taqwa is…

Franciscan Friday’s on Ramadan: Fasting to Reorient

To celebrate interfaith friendship and St. Francis’ history with Islam, Franciscan Fridays is starting a series on Ramadan. Check back every Friday though August 17 for posts by Fr. Michael Calabria, OFM. A late-medieval Qur’an from Spain, opened to Sura (Chapter) 40 which begins: “The revelation of the Book is from God, the Mighty and…