Hamid Entezam

Session 36. Islam is often portrayed as a harsh and intolerant religion in Western media- a view that is mostly informed by actions of extremists such as ISIS, Wahhabi Salafis and the ruling clerics in Iran. But, a careful examination of the Quran shows that the Prophet Mohammad encouraged tolerance among his followers. Quran’s stance on tolerance is rooted in some of its keys teachings: 1) humanity has one universal nature; 2) cultural and religious diversity is God’s Will; 3) there is not a single way to salvation; 4) other religions have a divine origin. These teachings lay a firm foundation for tolerance in Islam. In this presentation, we will examine Quran’s position on religious tolerance.

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Session 35. We live in a chaotic world filled with uncertainty and unpredictability. We have to take risks in everything we do, while there is no guarantee of success. Given the stark realities of everyday life, “hope” is one of the greatest assets we can have. However, “hope” is not a transient emotion, wishful thinking or even optimism. It’s a lot more than that. In this presentation, we draw upon the teachings of the Quran and Rumi to develop a deeper understanding of hope (its conditions and fruits).

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Session 34. Islam’s critics often point to the “war passages” in the Quran to argue that Islam is a warlike religion- an obstacle to world peace. These critics typically confuse “peace” with “pacifism”. Pacifism requires a complete rejection of violence of any form. Peace, on the other hand, does not categorically negate the use of force in a situation when a community is attacked or victimized. This is the Quran’s position: it permits war exclusively in self-defense and in order to remove the obstacles to peace- not to conquer or dominate others. The endgame must always be peace. In this presentation, we will review the Quran’s war passages in chronological order, as they were revealed in response to unfolding events during the Prophet Mohammad’s mission.

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Session 33. Since the early days of Islam, Muslims have had different appreciations for Islam’s core message. Some among the companions of the Prophet Mohammad embarked on aggressive wars and empire building. Others turned inward and founded an esoteric tradition known as Sufism. It is amazing how identical religious beliefs and practices inspired diametrically opposed courses of action in early Islam, which has persisted until today. Although the Quran provides some latitude for interpretation, yet a careful study would reveal that it is most concerned with “peace”.  The first revelation to the Prophet Mohammad in the Night of Power was a “peace inducing event” for him (i.e., revelation brought peace to him). The Quran associates paradise with peace; it names paradise “The Abode of Peace”. Hence, “peace” is the highest reward the righteous may attain. The Quran describes God as “peace” (“السَّلَامُ” / al-Salam); so, God’s presence in the world brings peace and tranquility (“سکینه” / Sakina) to the believer’s soul. The earliest vision of peace in the Quran are “personal” and “heavenly”. In this presentation, we will trace the evolution of the idea of peace in the Quran.

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Session 32. There are many people whom have a dim view of religious diversity. They tend to view diversity as the devil’s work. Frank Peretti is a best-selling Christian fiction writer. There is a common thread in his novels: everybody who is not a follower of Jesus Christ has a demon attached to their soul. That demon feeds them thoughts, and then those thoughts guide their behavior.  This sort of exclusivist sentiment is quite prevalent in religious communities around the world. Does the Quran support the view? Does it say that only followers of the Prophet Mohammad are rightly guided and saved by God? In this presentation, we will examine this question with the aid of Rumi’s insights.

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Session 31. Religious diversity is a fact of history. Religions are quite different in their belief systems and ritual practices, which makes it hard to imagine that they are all equally “true” / “valid”. Philosophers of religion tell us that there are three distinct views on “truth” of religion: exclusivism, inclusivism and pluralism.  For whatever reason, exclusivism has always been the dominant position among religious people around the world. Each religious community believes that it has a monopoly over truth / faith / salvation: only my religion is true, only my religion offers a true path to God, only my religion is blessed by God, people who follow other religions are misguided! This sense of religious superiority creates a fertile ground for hatred and bigotry; it can easily be exploited to shed blood in the name of God and His “true” religion. In this presentation, we will discuss what exclusivism, inclusivism and pluralism mean.

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Session 30. Forgiveness is a highly celebrated virtue in all communities. Yet, it is no easy feat for the average person to forgive, because of a lack of a forgiving mind. There are many misconceptions about the nature and the primary beneficiary of forgiveness. We often think of forgiveness as a gift that we give to a wrongdoer- someone whom has wronged / hurt us. But, the primary beneficiary of forgiveness is actually the person who forgives! Forgiveness paves the way for healing, and lessens the grip of the wrongdoer’s act on the victim’s mind and feelings. In this presentation, we will explore the deeper meaning and messages of forgiveness.

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Session 29. Forgiveness is an important virtue in all spiritual traditions: it is considered an expression of love, and a yardstick for closeness to God. Psychologists also find forgiveness a valuable tool for mental health and psychological wellness. While forgiveness is not generally easy to practice (particularly in traumatic situations), some people tend to have an easier time with it than others. Mindset plays a big part in a person’s ability to forgive. In this presentation, we will explore what the Quran and the renowned Iranian poet Hafez (حافظ) teach about forgiveness. These teachings aim to foster a forgiving mind, which in turn empowers the person to forgive.

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Session 28. The conventional wisdom in orthodox Islamic scholarship is that the social laws of the Quran apply to all social settings. This simplistic view fails to consider that the laws of the Quran were intended for a Muslim Ummah (أمة): a community of like-minded “believers” whom choose to live by those laws. Modern nation-states are not organized around shared religious beliefs. Therefore, it does not make sense to force religious law on a diverse nation (whose citizens may not have any Islamic conviction). In this presentation, we will discuss why applying religious law in modern nation-states are so problematic.

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Session 27. Out of the 6600+ verses in the Quran, 350 deal with “law”. The Quranic laws may be divided into two broad categories: 1) rituals / acts of worship (ibādāt / عبادات), and 2) social relations (muʿāmalāt / معاملات). The ritual / acts of worship laws regulate a faithful’s relation with God; they are are eternal, because their subject matter is fixed. Social relation laws regulate a faithful’s relation with other humans; they may change overtime, because their subject matter (society) evolves. In this presentation, we will explore the reformist perspective on Quranic laws.

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