Photo: quinn.anya (Flickr) It was not just in the serious study that humans find Beauty through exchanging speech. The great divides that separate us are cut through for one instant when we find something in common to share joy about.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Allah is beautiful and He loves beauty.”
I was recently with colleagues, teaching and learning with fellow professors from many different traditions who in turn will teach students from a myriad of backgrounds. As is usual in such settings we spoke of our texts, our ways of seeing the world and the loud and quiet ways in which we find hope in humanity through our religions.
What I realized in our joint space was that I wished to get to the point of explaining how I found Beauty when one’s soul moves towards tranquility as a Muslim through devotional and reflective acts both in the daily and long term life of a believer.
To find ways to verbalize how my heart leaned into my soul and with the guidance of my mind harmonized Beauty by their very collaboration to establish peace both inwardly and outwardly with others.
I discovered something else in the process of explaining how I sought and found Beauty in my ways of being in the world:
That laughter itself allowed for a joint ritual in which Beauty was co-produced by the partners engaged in the exchange.
A smile is like charity because it spreads warmth in a room from person to person in places where chilled spaces might only have existed between people.
Laughter draws together humans into an instant of recognizing both their singular humanity, the humanity of the other and then the collective capacity (and humanity) to share a joyful moment.
It was not just in the serious study that humans find Beauty through exchanging speech. The great divides that separate us are cut through for one instant when we find something in common to share joy about.
Sometimes the sublime can found by merely opening our hearts to find a joint irony or humor in our communal human existence.
I have been thinking too about one’s individual responsibility to reduce ugliness in this world. How do I find ways to speak with Beauty, act with Beauty, live out and lean into Beauty?
Even as I look to reduce ugliness in the world that finds its way into the words, deeds and thought of a human being, my pursuit must be imbued with Beauty.
Let me state it this way: One cannot fight ugliness with ugliness.
How many nodes in a day do you have to elevate discourse about yourself, or about another that can move the conversation into Beauty?
What is our obligation to manifest Beauty in our conduct with other humans and reduce the ways that others are objects of ugly speech or actions? How can we find ways to not be complicit in spreading ugliness upon this Earth?
Even as ugliness confronts you in your daily life, how do you maintain your actions, thoughts and passions to restore Beauty into the world? What sacrifices must we make of our ego to fulfill the duty to eliminate ugliness with a conduct steeped in Beauty?
How does or does anger necessitate an ugliness in words or depictions of those against whom one is seeking justice from? How can we increase Beauty not just by promoting a cause of justice, but also utilize Beautiful means to seek justice? When and how does this affect our speech and our relationships with others?
How do you see such an ethic of engagement playing out in deeply controversial situations that easily veer into ugliness? Can one person’s Beautiful Conduct interrupt seemingly eternal patterns of toxic conversations?
For more updates from Najeeba Syeed, check out her Facebook pageand Twitter account! This post was first published on the author’s personal blog: Najeeba’s World.
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