Rainy Day Musings on Islam

A rainy Saturday.  The past few days have been unusually warm for April in BC.  Up to 23 degrees Celsius here in Nanaimo.  This week has been more like July.  The days seem to have suddenly lengthened too, with the sun up before 6 am, and not down until 8:30 or so.

We knew the rain was coming for the weekend, so last night my husband barbequed steaks for supper.  Mmm, I can still taste them, along with garlic toast, cream corn, yellow potatoes, and sliced tomatoe.  A special meal for us, but our Japanese student didn’t seem to care.  He seems to like my vegetable and peanut butter stir-fry on rice better.

I look out at the steady rain falling on the dark green lake at the bottom of our lot.  Sid mowed the lawn last night too, knowing he wouldn’t do it today or tomorrow in the rain.  The grass is lush at this time of year.  The flowers on the dogwoods have popped open this week.

This morning my husband and I watched YouTube videos about Islam.  Many Islamic people have been moving to Canada in the last few years, and we want to learn something about them and their beliefs.  For a week Sid had borrowed a Koran.  He found it contained some of the same Old Testament stories as the Bible.  We have learned that Mohammed could not read or write, so he dictated it to his friends and they wrote it down.  Apparently it was all from things that Mohammed had heard or thought.

The Muslim people descend from Ishmael, who was Abraham’s first son, born through Hagar the servant of Sarah.  So, the God they worship, whom they call Allah, is the same God that Abraham worshiped.  Their lists of the attributes of God are similar to the Biblical ones, merciful being a main one.  They even believe in Mary and Jesus, but they do not believe as Christians do, that Jesus is the son of God.

I do not claim to be any expert on these things, but I have known several Muslim people, all of whom were very polite and kind.

Here in Nanaimo quite a few Syrian refugees come to receive help from the Crisis Pregnancy Centre where I work occasionally.  They always express gratitude with smiles, and bring us tasty pastries that they make.  They have many babies and come to us for diapers, formula, baby clothes and more.

When I lived in North Vancouver I knew several Iranian families who came to ESL classes which we gave free of charge in my church.  One man, after hearing the joyful singing in the church, said to me, “I want to become a Christian!  In our religion we have to be sad all the time, mourning for our heroes who died.  I want to change to this happy religion!”  And he did.  He was the first of their group to be baptised in the church.

Another lady who I met through the Schizophrenia Society in the North Shore, told me that she had become a Christian and left her controlling Muslim husband.  I had asked her what she thought of the possibility of Sharia law coming to Canada, and she was adamant that Muslim women do not want that, because it would take away the freedom that they legally have in Canada.

A rainy day is great for learning and musing about such things.  I would love to get some discussion and interaction going with you, if you have anything to say or add!  Please feel free to put your comments in the Comments section below, so others can read them too.