Seeking God Centricity
*In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful*
First and foremost, I would fail to express my sincere heartfelt gratitude to my noble teacher , my mentor and my guide, Dr Sheikh Mohammad Shomali, for inviting me to this most significant participation in the warm company of revered like-minded souls for nearly six days.
For me, it was a time for deep conversations, a time to pause, reflect and having that "me time" from the daily routine and away from the hustle and bustles of my various roles and responsibilities.
Initially, I had some concerns about the topics around "conversion" and didn’t know exactly what was to be expected. However, after listening to some thought- provoking discussions by various presenters from both sides, the myopic view that I had initially perceived, actually had to be re-defined from both the Shia perspective and taking Quranic model and learning from the exemplary life of Prophet Nuh peace and blessings be upon him to other great prophets like Moses and Jesus pbut.
In essence, as pointed out by my noble brothers from the Catholic faith, one of the key points discussed at length was on how to yield this noble idea of conversion - conversation with the self, conversation with the world and conversation with the Lord.
Listening well is a key to any kind of conversion. Conversion is an interior process assisted by structure, thus, being a life long journey.
Another phenomenal discussion was on understanding Truthfulness and being genuine to one's own soul. Intellectual vibrancy was felt in our group discussions, being able to give our views without being judged and being able to speak our heart.
Being part of the vespers and attending the church mass was truly a time of self- introspection and being able to communicate with my Lord despite being with my Catholic monks, brothers and sisters. Feeling in awe of His Greatness and His Benevolence in the midst of prayers at the church left me in utter humility.
Breath-taking scenes at Ampleforth, spending time in the beautiful monastery and the exotic beauty of nature left me speechless!
All in all, being the ambassadors of God, there is so much in commonality for us to join hands in building ourselves to reach the level of utter Submission and Servitude to One God.
The deep conversations which we all had on my last day, sharing the same concerns and challenges of the world today gave me some hope, that I wasn't alone in this struggle for social reform and universal values that humans by nature gravitate towards.
Eating together during breakfast, lunch, tea/ coffee breaks and dinner time conversations brought us even more closer. I felt a deep sense of gratitude.
The reflections and presentations by speakers have left me to work more on my own soul.
Having said that, the atmosphere and the enlightening aura of my fellow revered scholars especially during our own Muslim congregational prayers has given me spiritual food for thought in the evolution of both individually and collectively in journeying back to our Merciful Creator.
Seeking God centricity was the recurring theme from all participants and feeling that presence of God in all our discussions and constructive dialogues.
May the Merciful Lord navigate our hearts towards seeking and soaring to Him.
All Praise Belongs to the Lord of the Universe.
Sis Nasim Walji.
Birmingham
