Farid Esack: On
Being a Muslim: finding a religious path in the world
today, Oxford, Oneworld Publications, 1999
Esack
is a black South African Muslim Scholar of international
repute. As I read this book, I enjoyed accompanying him on
a spiritual journey, which touched into basic issues of the
life of a believer. His writing was grounded in humanity – and
this is the area where all real interreligious dialogue begins.
Esack has a gift for expressing profound thoughts and reflection
in language that is easy to read without losing any of its
value. As in his previous book, his irrepressible sense of
humour and willingness to ‘dub himself in’, gives
increased humanness to the message he is sharing. Rather
than speak of this as a book of theology, I would classify
it as spirituality – the lived response in faith from
a person’s deepest integrity to the events and experiences
of daily human life.
The chapter titles give an insight into
the approach he takes to integrity in the life of a Muslim.
“
On Being with Allah”: This first chapter sets the tone
for the person’s deep, interior relation with Allah,
the basis of all faith commitment.
“
On Being with Myself”: Throughout the book, in addition
to his exegesis and hermeneutics of relevant Sura of the
Holy Qur’an, there is a very good sprinkling of practical
psychology as well as of suggestions for its everyday application
in relation to being at ease with “who I am”.
“
On Being with You”: Here the author enters into the
question of interpersonal relations and, again quoting the
relevant Sura, challenges to a mode of relating to other
co-religionists.
“
On Being a Social Being”: Esack has a very strong social
conscience, and his life practice, an embodiment of his responsibilities
as a member of the wider society, come through clearly in
this chapter.
“
On Being with the Gendered Other”: Esack was the first
Imam in South Africa to have a woman – another international
Muslim scholar – speak at Friday prayers in his mosque.
This raised a lot of ire in various circles. As in my own
faith, the role of women is a question that has come to the
forefront of discussion in recent decades.
“
On a Self in the World of Otherness”: This chapter,
which touches into the reality of interfaith dialogue and
relations, is a down-to-earth and challenging call to respect
the value of the other, and challenges also to examine the
real causes of our negative attitudes.
The
final chapter is for the “New South African Muslim”,
but nevertheless is broad enough in its approach to cause
the readers to reflect on their own lived faith commitment
in their own culture and situation.
The conclusion to the
book is typically Esack. He writes two letters to himself.
However unique this may seem for
a conclusion, the content is a scholarly presentation of
questions that have been addressed to him regarding the
faith stance he is living, to which he responds objectively
in
these two letters. It is a crowning statement of his deep
love of Islam and of his struggle for spiritual and personal
integrity.
Challenging,
coming from an extensive background of scholarship and
international, intercultural experience,
On Being a
Muslim ... today is a good read.
Kathleen Collins ssps
