Heart Changes
By
Upcoming Talks at Mrs. Javid's Fireside:
On Wednesday, 18 April Brian Erikson will speak on the Covenant, and on 25 April Andy Fraser will share his famous talk on Prophesy.
Last night I attended my usual chess and table tennis evening with Stu at the Dunnville Youth Outreach Centre. After saying our hellos, I pulled out a copy of my "It is all about Morality" essay, as published that very day in a New Zealand Baha'i youth organ. I told Stu that this is the first time I have been published in some sixteen years. He began reading it, then the young pastor in training, Richard, who is now running the Youth Centre came over and he read it over too. His comment, "That would be taken as quite daring in some circles." Richard and I later had quite a long conversation about our favorite books and he had several questions about the Baha'i Faith. Stu was particularly impressed by Baha'u'llah's words at the end of the essay; I certainly do not mind being upstaged by words revealed directly from my Creator. Twice he pointed out the brief mention of a quote from the Qu'ran in the following paragraph,
"This highlights another problem with Ruskin's idea that deeds are of more moment than thought. The fact is that ego, imitation and habit tend to rule over deeds and actions. Every time, it is easier to change what people think, know and believe than what they do. As the Qu'ran teaches, a people cannot change until they first purify their hearts and minds."
What bothers me now is that I did not give chapter and verse for this last reference. One of my old teachers once said that just as a young woman's reputation is based upon her chastity (shows how long ago I was in school!), a scholar's reputation is based on documenting his or her sources. So let me try to chase down the origin of this impressive statement from the Qu'ran. I may have been thinking of,
"This is because Allah has never changed a favor which He has conferred upon a people until they change their own condition; and because Allah is Hearing, Knowing." (Qur'an 8:53, Shakir, tr.)
An alternate translation of the same verse is:
"Because God will never change the grace which He hath bestowed on a people until they change what is in their (own) souls: and verily God is He Who heareth and knoweth (all things)." (Yusuf Ali tr.)
There seems to be a pretty broad gap between the meaning of these two translations. The first, Shakir's wording, seems to be talking about self-reliance, group initiative, and independent investigation of truth. Abdullah Yusuf Ali's translation, on the other hand, emphasizes spiritual transformation. I suppose they amount to the same thing when all is said and done, especially when it is said in Arabic.
Another possibility is this, a verse from another part of the Qu'ran, which is evidently speaking about someone who places his or her trust in God:
"For his sake there are angels following one another, before him and behind him, who guard him by Allah's commandment; surely Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change their own condition; and when Allah intends evil to a people, there is no averting it, and besides Him they have no protector." (Qur'an 13:11, Shakir)
Another translation is:
"For each (such person) there are (angels) in succession, before and behind him: They guard him by command of God. Verily never will God change the condition of a people until they change it themselves (with their own souls). But when (once) God willeth a people's punishment, there can be no turning it back, nor will they find, besides Him, any to protect." (Qur'an 13:11, Yusuf Ali tr.)
The nuance and texture of meaning here seems to imply that changes in a civilization, both good and bad, come from within, from that intangible, invisible realm of the motivations. As Jesus said, "The Kingdom lies within, or among, you." N.J. Dawood's translation, I discovered, actually uses the word "heart" in it:
"It is alike whether you whisper or speak aloud, whether you hide under the cloak of night, or walk about in broad day. Each has guardian angels before him and behind him, who watch him by Allah's command. Allah does not change a people's lot unless they change what is in their hearts..."
This mention of guardian angels and a collective change of heart reminds one forcefully of that fateful film, "An Inconvenient Truth." When I first saw it last fall I felt a tremendous sense that I was witnessing history, here was a turning point, one far more real and telling than that 911 fiasco a few years ago. When the world sees this there must be a huge, collective change of heart. Or not. And by not, I mean we will all not be. We must go this way, change our ways or be baked and drowned out of existence.
Behind it all, behind sex, behind environment, behind changing "our own condition," or "changing ourselves," or changing "what is in our hearts," is morality. The Qu'ran has something profound to say about that too.
"Say those without knowledge: `Why speaketh not God unto us? or why cometh not unto us a Sign?' So said the people before them words of similar import. Their hearts are alike. We have indeed made clear the Signs unto any people who hold firmly to Faith (in their hearts)." (Qur'an 2:118, Yusuf Ali, tr.)
The Qu'ran is speaking of God's message sent through the prophets, but the same thing is going on now with the "signs" of impending climate crisis. The writing has been on the wall for decades about the environment but politicians, the wealthy and powerful choose not to listen to the conclusions of qualified scientists because it is, well, inconvenient. But think what the Qu'ran just said about guardian angels, commissioned to go before and behind and all around us. But even they cannot help what goes on in our own heart. Only we, aided by God, can change that. That is where to start. Not in our actions, in our heart.
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