#grace chastity you will always be famous

[splemonocracy]

THIS IS THE CONSEQUENCE OF WHAT YOU'VE DONE.

[mashriqiyyah]

I had learnt this Dua quite early, like..in highschool..and gotten into the habit of reciting it all the time..Alhamdulillah...even when I was late for classes and I rushed through corridors reciting this Dua in a hope that my teachers wouldn't make it to me..whether I waited in the que to get something from the cafeteria...anytime...but these days, with advent of social media...I see this Dua quite frequently being shared with a typical angle.

The famous Dua' of Musa alayhissalam

رَبِّ إِنِّي لِمَا أَنْزَلْتَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ

How many of us have memorized it by heart, recited it uncountable times because everywhere we've read about it, that if you want to get a job or want to get married or both, this is the Dua' that'll literally work like miracle. SubhanAllah. And it does! But today, I want us all to see this Dua' from a perspective where you don't get married or employed even after years of reciting this Dua like one would made dhikr, but still you'll find yourself admitting the fact that Allah has accepted this Dua' from you.

رَبِّ إِنِّي لِمَا أَنْزَلْتَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ

"My Lord, I am desperately needy for whatever good you send down for me"

The thing sought here is "Khayr" Any Good. And the one asking is "Faqeer" One who has nothing, in a literal sense.

When Musa alayhissalam helped the two sisters (daughters of Shuyaib alayhissalam) he came back in the shade of the tree and recited this Dua' and then we all know what happens next.

For a lone man in a strange land, the good was a family, and employment. And if we look at the one who is asking Allah...He was to be chosen for prophethood. His character was supreme. The way he asks the daughter of Shuyaib alayhissalam to walk behind him, in order to respect her chastity...and preserve his own, amazes us to no extent, because even if he is in desperation, he hasn't forgotten the limits of Allah, neither he is of some ordinary character who will go running behind a woman just hearing about reward. The grace, bashfulness, and piety can be seen even by the blind here. And then we see how Allah rewards Musa alayhissalam through Shuyaib alayhissalam.

Now, let's come back to ourselves. We too find ourselves desperate in certain situations, but do we find this grace within us, do we find the consciousness in ourselves that reminds us to be chaste and dignified even at your worst?

We go door to door, we present ourselves to to undeserving people just because we cannot deal with desperation and needs. We might think we're trying, but remember...you should better see the place where you're trying. Let not the desperation blind you of your own value.

And now, the main thing I wanted to highlight when I started writing...

*what exactly is khayr?*

Everywhere you learn in Quran or Sunnah...khayr in terms of worldly matters can be a stable livelihood, good spouse, obedient children, health...means of transport...etc..etc...

Yes. There's no doubt, this is khayr and we should seek it from Allah subhanahuwataala.

But khayr, is protection too. And protection doesn't always mean that you'll get what you were praying for. Because it wasn't khayr *for you*

Khayr can be that silent grief that churns your insides all the while people around you are unaware of it, because you cannot explain it. And such grief makes you closer to Allah ever than before.

Khayr is you learning to be self sufficient Bi'idhniAllah, letting go of your desires and seeking comfort in the remembrance of Allah.

Khayr is when you learn to be content over His decree even if your Duas seem unanswered, and you accept Allah's plan over yours because you know it's ultimately, only for your khayr.

Khayr is also when you busy yourself in your own reformation, seeking beneficial knowledge and asking Allah for comprehension of the Deen, because now you know, it's the only refuge for your tormented soul.

Khayr is you becoming the one whom Allah loves, you striving hard to earn His pleasure, His Countenance.

Everything that comes your way in your life that makes you closer to Allah, closer to yourself and your Deen, makes you conscious, chaste, and reminds you that final abode, perfect pleasure and endless comfort n joy only belongs in servitude to Allah subhanahuwataala, and the reward of all the sufferings, deprivation is with Him in that eternal life. All the things, we see as khayr in general may or may not be good for us. All the things of this dunya we seek, they are just for this dunya, a traveller's belongings...one day, they'll eventually be parted from us...Allah gives and withholds because He is Al Hakim. The Most Wise. He knows, we don't. And when you teach this to yourself, that this dunya is just a delusion, distraction and a temporary place...and death is a reality...you stop being sad over why certain things seem unreachable. And you'll be grateful for being deprived. So say Alhamdulillah. And still, ask Allah for whatever good He sends down your way.

©️Zeenat Nazeer🕊️

[seekfirst-community]

“I have been all things unholy. If God can work through me, He can work through anyone.” (St Francis of Asissi).

"Francis, the man of God, left his home behind, abandoned his inheritance and became poor and penniless, but the Lord raised him up." (Entrance Antiphon on the Feast of St Francis of Assisi).

Tuesday, 4th October 2022 of the 27th week of Ordinary Time is the great feast of St Francis of Assisi, the Little One.

Who is St Francis of Assisi? (1182 - 1226). Italian. Deacon and Founder of the Order of Friars Minor, popularly known as the Franciscans. We Salute all our Franciscan friends all over the world who have labored in the Lord's Vineyard since the 1220s in all fields of the Apostolate. Persevere to the end and your reward will be huge.

Francis became famous for imitating closely the poverty of Jesus Christ in spirit and in deed. Holiness always attracts. After Francis was seized by Jesus and said Yes to the Lord, Francis soon attracted a group of like-minded young men who bound themselves together to live evangelical poverty, chastity and obedience. Our Lord Jesus Christ, Head of the Church has used simple men like Francis and the Franciscans to renew the Church which is ever in need of reform.

What comes to your mind when you hear of St Francis of Assisi in 2022? Many people would think of a man of peace. "Lord, make me an instrument of peace..." Others will think of radical evangelical poverty... "The little poor man of Assisi." Both are salient attributes in the profile of this exceptionally gifted holy man. I want to mention too Francis' deep love of creation and care of the earth. Most people that are aware of the impending disaster from Global Warming will know Francis of Assisi and his contribution to this topical debate.

Other pivotal figures raised up by the Holy Spirit for the renewal of the Church are:

Benedict, Clare, Dominic, Ignatius Loyola, Teresa of Avila, Teresa of Kolkata, etc.

Are you the next great Saint? You too can be a saint. You too can be an instrument of Peace. You too can be committed to preserving the beauty and goodness of the environment for future generations and become an apostle of Care for Creation and Safe Environment.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5: 3).

"We thank you for the beauty of creation: may the work of man not disfigure it, but enhance it to your greater glory." Amen.

10. 4 "Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother. Love the Madonna and pray the rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given by God pass through the Blessed Mother." (St. Padre Pio).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

[bye-bye-sunbird]

Spoil of War | Yan!Osial x Reader x Yan!Zhongli

Requested by: @dear-yandere

Warnings: General Yandere and Dark themes, very slightly suggestive n-sfw, power dynamics. Reader is female.

Disclaimer: English is NOT my first language, so there might be some mistakes here and there.

Here it is at last!!! I hope you all like it <3

This is the first part of the series, you may find the sequel "Fragile" here, and the masterlist of this series "Book of War" here.

"... For she was his secret treasure, she was his shame and his bliss" -GRRM, A Storm of Swords

In the dead of night, you hear the sea calling your name.

Sometimes the sound is as soft as a love song, gracing your skin in a gentle breeze that lures you to the seashore where the waves can finally lay claim on you. Other times, the sea strikes the land in a deafening, challenging roar.

"Really now... How long do you think those mountains of his will stand in my way?"

Unbeknownst to you, the Lord of Geo watches as you try to pay no attention to it, as for a Dust Priestess that would be considered heresy. Despite being nothing short of an orphan now that your goddess is gone, you remain a loyal daughter of Guizhong, always mindful of your duty.

Morax knows that the Dust Priestesses were one of his late friend's greatest pride, praised for their beauty, intelligence, and sense of devotion. Mortals and gods alike lusted after the famous, unattainable daughters of Guizhong, the vow of chastity you and your sisters took only serving to further those forbidden desires.

But now, your goddess was gone. And those who had not perished on Guili Plains were, in Osial's own words, nothing more than spoils of war waiting to be claimed.

It was Morax's duty to protect you now. And the thought of it stirs something in him that he barely manages to cage down as his amber eyes are drawn to you. That something that had begun to blossom a long time ago, when you were nothing but a simple apprentice, not wise enough to be a Dust Priestess yet. You were so eager to gain his approval as her goddess' most trusted friend back then. If Guizhong admired him, you believed it was your duty to do so as well.

That something whispers in his ear that plain admiration is not enough. It echoes that total, utter devotion is what he should be demanding of you. Your sweet prayers should not call upon Guizhong's name but his, your true savior. He would dress you in the finest silks, instead of the modest garb that the war has reduced to little more than rags that barely protect you from the cold.

He could shield you from the cold too, and you would delight him in loud, sinful praises for it, surrounded by the glaze lilies you once cared for as he claims you as his, over and over, until there is no doubt in your mind as to who you owe devotion.

"The grand, almighty God of Contracts, reduced to his primal instincts by a girl" the sea teased, "Does it disturb you, Morax? Thread lightly while you are still able to..."

The shaky, weak coughs of another priestess ground him out of his thoughts. She is not going to survive the night, and both of you know it. But you remain by her side, tending to her wounds, whispering sweet songs about the spring that is yet to come. She is too weak to sing along but smiles teary-eyed as you hold her hand.

"... that sweet, pretty thing could never survive you at your worst."

Unlike him, Osial never had to suppress his desires, instead choosing to relish in them. Not that he was some kind of beast that had yielded to his own impulses, he had conquered them. He took whatever he pleased, waiting patiently for the right moment to strike. The amount of power and authority he had over himself could intimidate anyone, and nothing ever stood in his way from achieving what he wanted.

Until now, that is.

Not that Morax's constant intervention could ever deter him in any way, on the contrary, it only made you more desirable. Taunting him over his conflicting feelings was surprisingly fun too. He could try to keep you away from the Lord of the Vortex, but never in the way he wanted to.

While Morax debated with himself over his darker nature, Osial had carefully planted destructive seeds in your mind. His alluring call growing louder and harder to ignore as nights passed. Sometimes the Lord of Geo would find you in a trance, your eyes enraptured by the reflection of the crescent moon in the water.

As much as it torments him to think about, Morax believes that the thing stopping Osial is not him, but your duty. And that could die tonight, along with the last of your sisters. That belief makes him uneasy to the point of being unbearable, as though he is close to losing control over the beast that rages inside of him, that asks for Osial's blood, that menaces to claw its way out of his ribcage to reach you, his spoil of war.

Your soft whimpers catch his attention away from his mind once again. He barely manages to catch his breath as his eyes narrow dangerously at the scene before him.

His gaze grows darker as you cry quietly, mourning your sister's death.

[twisted-in-wonderland-jay]

Can I request a headcanon of Pomefiore and Octavinelle as gods or fairies, please? The choice is yours!

Of course~ Though Vil has headcanons already right here.

Azul is the god of contracts and the false sea. He claims to be the God who rules over the sea but no one knows for sure because of his deceitful nature through contracts. Just because he might be the false god of the sea does not mean he does not deserve respect, many gods fear and respect him. No one mortal or immortal dare speak ill of him. Just because people do not trust him does not mean he is not one to be trusted he simply takes what he lacks from others. If you have nothing he wants you have nothing to fear for he is benevolent. The God he gets along with the most is Dire because between the two there is much to gain.

His patron animal is an octopus, though in art depictions there are always two twin eels on either side. Some say this god is deceitful and blasphemous while others looked at him for the art of the deal or to keep their bonds of a contract safe.

Unlike many of the other gods, this god does not take any lovers for all he needs is the sea and his greed. Rarely does he surface from the depths of the ocean to the mortals but when he does he appears in a mass of tentacles with no discernible human features other than the hundreds of eyes that decorate his vessel.

He is often titled “the false God” for no one knows his origins, not the gods nor man, and many believe he stole the identity of another God, that is why he’s called the false sea god as well.

Not many gods visit his domain nor does he go when others call. He prefers his secluded sea caves, but he is never opposed to a contract that may leave the other party with less than they had before. The most famous of these contracts was with his fellow trickster Dire, no they bear no ill will towards each other.

He like his twin is a god with unknown origins, he has been around since the beginning of time, since the beginning of words. Jade is the patron God of justice, and more importantly the truth. Since words were first spoken upon this world he was born alongside his brother. No specific people worship him because few know of his existence, but all know lies mean nothing in his eyes. Through his sacred power, one thinks before they lie opting to tell the truth for reasons they do not know.

His patron animal is an eel, the same as his brothers. He is invisible to the eyes of man and fae because none believe, so none can see, in ancient artworks he appears as a massive eel-like serpent.

Unlike his brother, he does not take any lovers, for the same reason he does not gather with the rest of the gods, for he is unknown to all but two. His brother and an ancient false God.

O̷̧̡̡̫͕̙̦̘͚̎̄̂r̶̢̹̘̻̜̦̠͎͋̈͊̅͛̉̊͠i̵̘͚͐͊͒̓̀͑͠ͅģ̴̦͊͗̀͐̍í̷̢̻͉̮͔̮͉͉͙̉̐̿̕n̵̬͖͇͇͚̾͗͆̽̽̚͜͜ ̴̧͖̫̦͋̂͝u̵̟̺͉̦̲̒̅̇̕n̴͎͇̝̪̆́͗͗̍̽́k̷̢͓̩̱̩̳͕͙̫̯̉̅̕͝͠ń̷̗͙͈̖̠̞̋̎̈͋̔̔̑͝ǫ̴͕͙͓̦̫̰͇̮̙͊̂͗̊̓͑̂̕̕͝w̷̞̪̤͎̯̣̹͐̅́̇ͅṅ̴̛͇̳̯̝̈́̏̎́̓̄̇͘ ̵̙̪͗̆͛ͅA̸̡̢͓̖͚̒̉̅͆̓̇̚g̸͉̿͋è̴̩̹ ̵̪͇̙̮̪͙̄͊̽͛̀u̷̡̖̳͂̐́̍̉̑̊̆͠n̷̻̣͆ḱ̸̗̘͇̘̑̍̀̚͘͠n̵̺̩̦̖͌̈́̿̉͠ǫ̷̢̧̳̞͔̰͚̖̮̉͒̎̂̓̽͒̚͝w̸̜̥̱̩̟̺̙̥͎̏͊̽̇̔͜n̴͍̆̈́̓ ̶̦̹͓̖̝͆Ẉ̵̡͈̪̘̩̪̈́́͝o̷̩̮͐̈ŗ̸͎͔̑̈́͂̐́͜ş̶̼̮̑͌͒͌h̶̢̟̘̣̠̭̳̜͛̓̐̎͗̓̕̚͝i̴̡̛̛̲͙͎͍̦̓͊p̶̢̗̻̼̣͌̒̌e̷͔͇̥̩͂̿r̵̡̛̮̰͛̑̎̿͊͂̕̚̕s̶̖͙͔͇̹̬̰͉͛̆̓̂͂̓̑͂͐ ̴̨̢̡͙̹͚͙̪̼̮͗̐́̚ư̷̹̤̮̊̈͆͗͠n̵̺͋͐̇̒̌̊̇̕̚̕k̷͓̭̣͚͉̂͋̐̈́͂͐̐̕̕͠n̸̛̦̼̥̾͒͂͋̔̉̀͆̽ó̸̤̦͎̩w̸̺͛͌͑̽́̅̆̈́̃͒n̴̡̤͍̪̞̠̳̘̾̾͂ ̴̛̜̝̳̳͔̣̬̺͓̞̽̀̃̚Ṕ̷̨̝̱̹͓́̌̂̈́o̴̹̭͇̝͑̎̆̀̽̀w̶̨̡͖̯̟̰͈̲̮͂͑̈́̔̒̑͊́̕é̶̢̡̡̩͓̼̬̭͍̫̓̅̽͑͋̑͝ŕ̶̞̞̯̱̖͒ͅͅs̵̲̹̝̩͉̎̓͂͐́̉͝͝͠ ̴̗̱̣͛̔͆͜û̶͉̐̇̽́̊͌̍̓̔ņ̷̼̥̰̱̪̤̔ͅk̶̝̝̯̬̂̄̄́̆̈n̷̡͉̹̼͎̝͖͓͎̻̊̇̃́̀o̷̱̟̘̦̮̖̞̦̐͋̂̒̓̄̚̚͠ẁ̷̨̡͕͓̩͎̬̃͐̈́̋͂n̶̼͈͚͌̒͊͊͂̔ ̵̮͈͆́͗C̸̛̥͓͉̱͔̲̬̞̜̍͒͗͜ú̵̧̲̻̱͗ļ̷͙̪̣̖̼͈̜̾̽́͂̈́̄ẗ̷̹̯̼̱́̊͗̽͂͝͝u̵͎̹̯̳͈̎̑̋̔͊́͠r̴̲̘̥̦͎̱̣͓̝̥̈́è̸̡̺̖̗̰̞̙̹̆͊̐̏̓̕͝ ̷͇͇͔̰̳̝̮̾̇͠ȯ̶̱͙̺̗͇̪̉̂͒͆̍̐́̐f̴̢̢͚͚̞͔͈͛̕ ̸̖̜͚̙͕͚̪̊̀͜o̸̝͍̯͗r̷̨̲̜͕̉͌͌̃i̴͙͙͔̝͑̌g̸͕̹̣̫̈͐ī̴͕̞̫͓̫͘n̴̡̠͍̪͕̯͐̀͒̔̋͝ ̶̢͓̥̼̹̯̀͆̔ȕ̷͔̲̘̞̇̌̇̃̒͋̓ͅn̶͉̗̙̩͈̱͚̏͛̉͋͘͜k̸͖̙̲̀͜ń̷̡̞͔̝̝͉̬̮̅͋͗̊̓͜ö̸͉̹̊̓̓͗ŵ̷̠͍̂͊̾̐̎͘n̵̳̻̊̌͒̌̾̎̒͘̕

I҉ ҉l҉i҉k҉e҉ ҉t҉o҉ ҉k҉e҉e҉p҉ ҉i҉t҉ ҉t҉h҉a҉t҉ ҉w҉a҉y҉

Floyd is the god of oddities, and similar to Ace the god of insanity. Like his brother he is an ancient God, though because of his contact with the mortal realm and other gods, many know of him. Often his contact with mortals is caused for a pining of an individual. As stated before he has many lovers compared to his brother, more female and those of the androgynous sex, than male, but do not mistake as stated before he has many many lovers taking on countless, all for some mild amusement to him.

His patron animal like his brothers is an eel, who is usually seen with an octopus. Floyd is the one who found Azul in the depths of the waters alone, they soon bonded and became aware of each other through this single encounter. Despite his contact with the mortal realm, no one worships him, for who would worship the God of insanity and oddities when they have Ace, a god of parties.

Epel is one of the more feminine appearing gods like Vil but do not be mistaken for he is a boy. Being created by Vil, and raised by Rook, he has grown to resend the form Vil has created for him. Vil may have created him in his likeness and told him to be just as he is, in an attempt to create something more beautiful than himself. While Vil traversed the world, Rook looked after Epel, teaching him of his own identity, thanks to his demi Human likeness is unable to shift forms, that does not mean he does not have a will of his own. Thanks to his resentment of Vil he wishes to be made a manly man as he states.

Most would think with this feminine appearance and gentle look that he would be the god of something sweet, but to say you were wrong would be an understatement…

This god was once the god of the harvest and art but after Rook taught him to have a will of his own he gave up the mantle to other gods, in exchange for the titles of revolution, war, freedom, and the wild.

The most notable change to come from this rebellion was his physical form, for the first time in his life he had changed and it wasn’t confined to the standards of Vil, for the first time in his life he was thankful to the one he hated. He grew the hindquarters, legs, and horns of a goat, in the same manner as a faun or satyr, because Vil had cursed him. He soon joined under Ace’s banner as Ace was the father of all satyrs and fauns.

The second most notable event of Epel’s life was the birth of the wild hunt, every 50 years Epel and his followers would descend upon the unwary who Epel has chosen as the target, generally the current or past lover of Vil, to get revenge on Vil for his creating of Epel, not for the change in form.

(When Epel isn’t destroying the world. just kidding, I thought that was funny) Epel is a gentler Demigod when the people and hunt don’t need him, often walking the woods and helping those who need it. Thanks to his new form though he loves it, it scares many people so he has no lovers, he very much one day wishes for one.

Being a Demigod does not affect what the other gods think of him, he is treated just like the others, his good company is graced by the gods of the Harvest who he gave it to, Victory who he works alongside, Ace, and the god of self-sacrifice.

Rook the guardian of the heavens, and bowsmen of the gods. God or rather messenger of the gods, chastity, the hunt, and archery. Rook is known by the title “The messenger god” because he knows all and sees all, many gods seek him out for his knowledge of all. He was once a human who by chance met the god of beauty in the woods, thanks to his kindness the god thought he could swoon the human but he only thought of helping him not for personal gain but because he thought it right. The god of beauty thought this was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen “Not lust or for my beauty, but out of kindness”, and upon the death of the human, he was brought to the heavens because of the beautiful god, to serve him in the afterlife. He was allowed to guard the heavens with his bow forged by the god of fire and mechanics, and blessed with keen eyes and ears he soon knew all that happened in the land of humans and gods alike.

His symbols are that of the bow and quiver, hawks and crows alike, as well as deer.

He had no lovers in life as he dedicates his life to the hunt and nature. In godhood, he has none either despite taking Epel down to the humans often while Vil’s away. He once again dedicates himself to protecting the heavens and his job as the all seer.

He frequently talks with the beautiful god and the god of revenge, the latter to who he gives the “will” to live and be free.

He has one set appearance of a blond bob cut with green eyes and mysterious, sneaky eyes like “the betrayer”, yet he unlike the betrayer was kind and generous to all.

[isadomna]

Katherine of Aragon and Erasmus of Rotterdam

The famous Dutch humanist Desiderus Erasmus held an important place in ensuring humanism became a driving force in England. He visited England at the end of the 1400s where he forged important relationships with English scholars such as Thomas More, John Colet and his former pupil, William Blount, Lord Mountjoy. It was then that he met an eight-year old Prince Henry. He went on to live in England between 1511 and 1514 and lectured at Cambridge University. He advised Henry that to be a great king it was important not just to win wars but also to be educated and show the world that the English court was a court of intellectuals. 

Erasmus was so well respected by the king and queen that Katherine wanted him to be her Latin tutor; however, he could not be lured back to England. “The Queen has tried to get me to be her preceptor; and everyone knows that if I cared to live even a few months at Court, I might heap as many benefices as I likes. But I allow nothing to interfere with my leisure and studious labours.”  However, Erasmus was fascinated by Henry’s studious wife: “As for the Queen, not only is she prodigiously learned for one of her sex, but no less respected for her piety than for her knowledge … The Queen loves literature, which she has studied with good result since her childhood.” 

For Erasmus and others, indeed, the fact that Katherine and women like Sir Thomas More’s clever daughters joined in debates ‘afore the king’s grace’ was truly remarkable. This they put down, in part, to Katherine’s own education under her mother Isabel. ‘Who would not wish,’ asked Erasmus, ‘to live in such a court as hers?. Erasmus called Queen Katherine ‘a unique example in our age … who, with a distaste for the things of no account that women love, devotes a good part of her day to holy reading’. Serious, pious Katherine was a contrast to those women who ‘waste the greatest part of their time in painting their faces or in games of chance and similar amusements’, Erasmus said approvingly.

Although he chose not to return to England, he still held the English court in high regard as a place of intellectuals. He described Henry as “the wisest of contemporary princes and a great lover of literature.” Erasmus believed that the English court had become a place of high learning, writing that “your court is a model of Christian instruction, frequented by persons of the very highest erudition, so that there is no university that could not be jealous of it.” Of course this may be mere flattery of a scholar to his potential patron. But Erasmus also extolled the virtues of the English court in correspondence to other people in Europe. He wrote to Bombasius: “You know how adverse I have always been from the courts of princes; it is a life which I can only regard as gilded in misery under a mask of splendour; but I would gladly give move to a court like that, if only I could grow young again … The men who have the most influence [with Henry and Katherine] are those who excel in the humanities and in integrity as wisdom”.

Both Henry and Katherine continued to be active supporters of the humanist scholars and often both commented on books presented to them. One example is a book written by Erasmus, which Vives presented to the king and queen in 1524. In a letter to Erasmus, Vives explained how the book was received: “[Your] book De Libero Arbitrio was yesterday given to the King, who read a few pages, seemed pleased, and said he should read it through. He pointed out to [me] a passage … which he said delighted him much. The Queen also is much pleased. She desired [me] to salute [you] for her, and says that she thanks him for having treated the subject with so much moderation.” This is a fascinating example which shows that both the king and the queen took a personal interest in the works of the great Erasmus as well as other humanist scholars.

In 1526, Erasmus wrote a lengthy book on marriage entitiled Christiani Matrimonii Institutio (The Institution of Christian Matrimony). Queen Katherine, through her chamberlain Lord William Mountjoy, had commissioned Eramus to write this book. With unforeseeable irony Erasmus refers to her ʹmost sacred and fortunate marriageʹ as exemplary. The book itself explained the essential importance of chastity in women within a Christian marriage and less about female education before marriage. It shows that Katherine was asking various humanist scholars in her acquaintance to write books that may have helped with the moral education of her daughter. The book took Erasmus two years to write and was a bulky 300 pages long. A year later William, Lord Mountjoy wrote to Erasmus explaining that the queen was pleased with the book. “But be well assured that our glorious queen is favourably impressed with your Institution of Christian Marriage. She is most grateful to you for this devoted act of yours, and you will learn amply of her good will towards you from the servant to whom I myself have made it known in some detail.”

However, Erasmus, still bitterly regretting his involvement in the Lutheran controversy, had no intention of becoming entangled in Henry’s matrimonial problems. At the same time, Erasmus refused to be drawn in on the queen’s side. Vives asked him at least twice for an opinion on the marriage, but in a letter of September 1528 Erasmus merely reiterated his suggestion that it would be better for Jove to take two Junos than to put one away. Allen, the editor of Erasmus’s letters, conjectured that a mysterious letter enclosed in one addressed to More was an apology to Katherine for his indiscreet references to divorce in Christiani Matrimonii Institutio. Certainly, Erasmus had previously told More of his fear that she had taken offence, though a letter from Mountjoy had reassured him about her attitude. Is however, his only services to the queen were a letter of cautious consolation sent in March 1528 and a recommendation to Mountjoy that she should read his Vidua Christiana: scarcely a tactful suggestion, in view of Katherine’s defence of her status as Henry’s wife rather than Arthur’s widow. 

Moreover, Erasmus emphasized his neutrality by accepting comissions from Thomas Boleyn, fully aware, as he told Sadoleto, that this was precisely the Boleyns’ object, since his book on marriage for Katherine had given arguments for the indissolubility of the marriage bond. It is a telling comment on the characters of the king and queen that while Henry ignored Erasmus after his refusal to come to England, Katherine continued to read his works and sent him two gifts of money in 1528 and 1529. In 1529 in his treatise De Vidua Christiana (On the Christian Widow), dedicated to Mary of Hungary (niece of Katherine of Aragon) Erasmus mentions the English queen’s masculine gendering of herself: “Catherine, the queen of England -a woman of such learning, piety, prudence, and constancy that you would find nothing in her that is like a woman, nothing indeed that is not masculine, except her gender and her body”

Sources:

María Dowling,  Humanist Support for Katherine of Aragon

Leanne Croon Hickman, Katherine of Aragon : a "pioneer of women's education"? : humanism and women's education in early sixteenth century England

Giles Tremlett, Catherine of Aragon: Henry’s Spanish Queen

Allyna E. Ward, Women and Tudor Tragedy: Feminizing Counsel and Representing Gender

[wisdomrays]

TAFAKKUR: Part 433

THE MAIN FACTORS IN THE SPREAD OF ISLAM: Part 2

A. J. Arberry has also pointed out that the reason for the spread of Islam is Islam itself and its religious values. (Aspects of Islamic Civilization, p.12)

He writes:

‘The rapidity of the spread of Islam, noticeably through extensive provinces which had long been Christian, is a crucial fact of history. The sublime rhetoric of the Qur’an, that inimitable symphony, the very sounds of which move men to tears and ecstasy…and the urgency of the simple message carried, holds the key to the mystery of one of the greatest catalysms in the history of religion. When all military, political and economic factors have been exhausted, the religious impulse must still be recognized as the most vital and enduring.’

Brockelman, who is usually very unsympathetic and partial, also recognizes the religious values of Islam as the main factor for the spread of Islam (History of the Islamic Peoples, p.37). Rosenthal makes his point as follows: ‘The more important factor for the spread of Islam is the religious Law of Islam (Shari‘a, which is an inclusive, all-embracing, all-comprehensive way of thinking and living) which was designed to cover all manifestations of life.’ (Political Thought in Medieval Islam, p.21).

Besides many other reasons which are responsible for the spread of Islam, it is the exemplary life-style and unceasing efforts of individual Muslims to transmit the message of Islam throughout the world which lie at the root of the conquest of hearts by Islam. Islamic universalism is closely associated with the principle of ‘amr bi’l-ma’ruf (enjoining the good) for Islam is to be spread by Muslims by means of ‘amr bi’l-ma’ruf. This principle seeks to convey the message of Islam to all human beings in the world and to establish a model Islamic community on a worldwide basis. The Islamic community is introduced by the Qur’an as a model community: We have made of you an Ummah justly balanced, that you might be witnesses (models) for the peoples, and the Messenger has been a witness for you (2.143). A Muslim or the Muslim community as a whole thus has a goal to achieve. This is the spread of Islam, conveying the truth to the remotest corner of the world, the eradication of oppression and tyranny and the establishment of justice all over the world. This requires the Muslim to live an exemplary life, and thus the moral and the ethical values of Islam have usually played an important part in the spread of Islam. Here follow the impressions of the influence of Islamic ethics on black Africans of a Western writer of the nineteenth century:

‘As to the effects of Islam when first embraced by a Negro tribe, can there, when viewed as a whole, be any reasonable doubt? Polytheism disappears almost instantaneously; sorcery, with its attendant evils, gradually dies away; human sacrifice becomes a thing of the past. The general moral elevation is most marked; the natives begin for the first time in their history to dress, and that neatly. Squalid filth is replaced by some approach to personal cleanliness; hospitality becomes a religious duty; drunkenness, instead of the rule becomes a comparatively rare exception chastity is looked upon as one of the highest, and becomes, in fact, one of the commoner virtues. It is idleness that henceforward degrades, and industry that elevates, instead of the reverse. Offences are henceforward measured by a written code instead of the arbitrary caprice of a chieftain–a step, as everyone will admit, of vast importance in the progress of a tribe. The Mosque gives an idea of architecture at all events higher than any the Negro has yet had. A thirst for literature is created and that for works of science and philosophy as well as for the commentaries on the Qur’an.’ (Quoted from Waitz by B. Smith, Muhammad and Muhammadanism, pp.42-43)

The tolerance of Islam is another factor in the spread of Islam. Toynbee praises this tolerance towards the People of the Book after comparing it with the attitude of the Christians towards Muslims and Jews in their lands. (A Historian’s Approach to Religion, p.246). T. Link attributes the spread of Islam to the credibility of its principles together with its tolerance, persuasion and other kinds of attractions (A History of Religion). Makarios, Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch in the seventeenth century, compared the harsh treatment received by the Russians of the Orthodox Church at the hands of the Roman Catholic Poles with the tolerant attitude towards Orthodox Christians shown by the Ottoman Government and prayed for the Sultans (T. Link, A History of Religion).

This is not the only example of preference by the followers of the religions for Muslim rule over that of their own co-religionist. The Orthodox Christians of Byzantium openly expressed their preference for the Ottoman turban in Istanbul to the hats of the Catholic cardinals. Elisee Reclus, the French traveller of the nineteenth century, wrote that the Muslim Turk allowed all the followers of different religions to perform their religious duties and rituals, and that the Christian subjects of the Ottoman Sultan were more free to live their own lives than the Christians who lived in the lands under the rule of any rival Christian sect (Nouvelle Geographie Universelle, vol. 9). Popescu Ciocanel pays tribute to the Muslim Turks by stating that it was luck for the Romanian people that they lived under the government of the Turks rather than the domination of the Russians and Austrians. Otherwise, he points out, ‘no trace of the Romanian nation would have remained,’ (La Crise de l’Orient).

The Muslims’ attitude towards the people they conquered is quite clear in the instructions given by the rightly-guided Caliphs: ‘Always keep fear of God in your mind; remember that you cannot afford to do anything without His grace. Do not forget that Islam is a mission of peace and love. Keep the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) before you as a model of bravery and piety. Do not destroy fruit-trees nor fertile fields in your paths. Be just, and spare the feelings of the vanquished. Respect all religious persons who live in hermitages or convents and spare their edifices. Do not kill civilians. Do not outrage the chastity of women and the honour of the conquered. Do not harm old people and children. Do not accept any gifts from the civil population of any place. Do not billet your soldiers or officers in the houses of civilians. Do not forget to perform your daily prayers. Fear God. Remember that death will inevitably come to every one of you some time or other, even if you are thousands of miles away from a battlefield; therefore be always ready to face death.’ (Andrew Miller, Church History; Ali lbn Abi Talib, Nahj al-Balagha)

A historical episode which Balazouri, a famous Muslim historian, relates, tells about how pleased the native peoples were with their Muslim conquerors is of great significance

When Heraclius massed his troops against the Muslims, and the Muslims heard that they were coming to meet them, they refunded the inhabitants of Hims the tribute they had taken from them, saying: ‘We are too busy to support and protect you. Take care of yourselves.’ But the people of Hims replied: ‘We like your rule and justice far better than the state of oppression and tyranny in which we were. The army of Heraclius we shall indeed, with your help, repulse from the city.’ The Jews rose and said: ‘We swear by the Torah, no governor of Heraclius shall enter the city of Hims unless we are first vanquished and exhausted.’ Saying this, they closed the gates of the city and guarded them. The inhabitants of other cities–Christians and Jews–that had capitulated did the same. When by God’s help the unbelievers were defeated and Muslims won, they opened the gates of their cities, went out with singers and players of music, and paid the tribute (Futuh al-Buldan).

To sum up, although most Western writers, under the instigation of biased Orientalists of the Church, have alleged that Islam spread by the force of the sword, the spread of Islam was because of its religious content and values, and ‘its power of appeal and ability to meet the spiritual and material needs of people adhering to cultures totally alien to their Muslim conquerors’, together with some other factors. Some of these factors are the tolerance which Islam showed to people of other religions, the absence of ecclesiastic orders and hierarchy in Islam, mental freedom and absolute justice which Islam envisages and has exercised throughout the centuries, the ethical values it propagates, and Islamic humanitarianism, universalism and brotherhood, and its inclusiveness. Sufi activities, the moral superiority of Muslim tradesmen, the principle of ‘enjoining the good’, and Islamic dynamism and the magnificence of the Islamic civilization contributed of their own to the spread of Islam.

The main religious qualities which attracted people to Islam were:

(i) the simplicity of the theological doctrines of Islam based on the Divine Unity;

(ii) rationalism of the Islamic teachings;

(iii) the complete harmony of the Islamic ideals and values with human conscience;

(iv) the inclusiveness and comprehensives of Islam, covering all aspects of physical, mental, and spiritual life of individuals and societies, hence the harmony of religion and life which it established;

(v) the lack of formalism and mediation;

(vi) the vividness, dynamism and resilience of the Islamic theology, and its creativity and universalism, and its compatibility with established scientific facts;

(vii) the cohesion and harmony of the Islamic principles, and

(viii) the shortcomings of other theological systems.

[basicsofislam]

ISLAM 101: Muslim Culture and Character: Embracing The World:

MAKING THE ATMOSPHERE OF TOLERANCE PERMANENT

In addition to our “lost paradise,” we have also lost some of our exalted characteristics. Knowledge, research, work, work method, organization of the work place, helping one another, and reading the book of the universe are some of the things we have lost. Among the many things we have lost, perhaps the first and most important is tolerance.

From this word we understand embracing people regardless of differences of opinion, world-view, ideology, ethnicity, or belief. It also means putting up with matters we do not like by finding strength in a deep conscience, faith, and a generous heart or by the strength of our emotions. From another approach, it means, in the words of the famous Turkish poet Yunus,[1] loving the created simply because of the Creator.

Loving the Created Simply Because of the Creator

Love is the reason for existence and its essence, and it is the strongest tie that binds creatures together. Everything in the universe is the handiwork of God. Thus, if you do not approach humanity, a creation of God, with love, then you will have hurt those who love God and those whom God loves. For example, being an opponent of the paintings of an artist like Picasso will hurt both Picasso and those who admire him. Another example would be to remain indifferent to the grace of the Alhambra Palace, the lines of grace that express the ways from the finite to the infinite; this would be to show disrespect to that masterpiece and its artists. In the same way, every aspect of the universe’s mind-boggling beauty, grandeur, and splendor is an example of God’s artistry. In this respect, humans, animals, other animate creatures, and, in fact, all the inanimate objects as well, were created with a nature that is worthy of being embraced by us with love. Showing indifference or being condescending to them means showing indifference and acting with condescension to the Maker. On the contrary, our approach to creation and other human beings should be based on loving them for the sake of their Creator. If Muslims talk about weapons, armories, killing and the butchering of others and if by doing so they put vast distances between people, then this means that in fact we have been far removed from our essence.

But we should be thankful that at a time when there are signs of the paradise we have lost, we have also found tolerance again; this is one of the characteristics that we had lost. We are rediscovering tolerance, something that is inherent in the spirit of Islam and something that was explained to us in the Qur’an and by Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. In the matter of tolerance, our people have welcomed the activities involved with tolerance and have warmly embraced this spirit; this is of vital importance. Along with the institutions that have been established, the voluntary services provided by people have aroused a great deal of interest. The Qur’an states:

On those who believe and work deeds of righteousness will the All-Merciful bestow love. (Maryam 19:96)

In other words, both inhabitants of the sky and inhabitants of the Earth will love them. As expressed in a hadith, God tells those in the sky which people He loves and orders them, too, to love these beloved ones. When the angels in the sky love them, the people on Earth love them, too.

The seed that has been sown by tolerance is growing. It will blossom when the time is right. Of course, this depends, to a certain extent on the newspapers, TV, magazines, and foundations giving the appropriate support.

There Is No Turning Back from the Road of Tolerance

Acceptance in the heavens always brings about an affirmative response on Earth. The signs of this are obvious. The most obvious signs are that doors everywhere are opened wide in the name of acceptance to heroes of love and tolerance. It can be said that tolerance is on its way to growing and flourishing. This is true to such an extent that after the season of tolerance began conflicts were staged to disrupt these developments. But sides that for years had been seen and shown as being separate reacted with great farsightedness, and a calamity was averted.

I think it is probable that from now on many other intrigues will take place and attempts will be made to disturb the general peace. However, we, who have begun this process, must be determined to carry it through to the end. We have to be determined and act in accordance with the way indicated in the Qur’an:

Those who witness no falsehood, and when they meet hollow words or unseemly behavior, they pass them by with dignity. (Al-Furqan 25:72)

Everyone reflects their own character with their actions. It is the duty of perfected people to act leniently. If one ridicules the Qur’an, and makes light of prayer, fasting, and chastity, this behavior should be considered as an indication of the style and character of that person. But as believers, we must not be aggressive or ridicule people, even toward those who act in a disagreeable manner. We should not return aggressiveness and ridicule in kind. Another verse says:

Tell those who believe to forgive those who do not look forward to the Days of God. (Al-Jathiya 45:14)

This is actually the voice of our conscience. When you see a blind man, do you kick and beat him or do you take his hand and show him the way?

From this point of view, the duty that befalls the makers of ideas for tomorrow is to bring harmony to the incongruities in society, to protect the balance that is under attack and to view unpleasant incidents with far-sightedness. Just as is said in the Turkish saying, “Take what is pleasant, and leave what causes grief,” we should remain indifferent to unpleasant things and not cause any conflicts or disturbances.

If we can continue like this, then in a short time it will be possible to go much further than where we are now. Of course, there will be many attempts made, domestically and abroad, to destroy this balance. But for the sake of the continuation of tolerance, we will die many times and be born again in the efforts to prevent this. There will be floods of love everywhere, and love will flow from the eyes and hearts of people. Everyone will embrace one another with love and, God willing, the twenty-first century will be called the age of tolerance. I am so eager for this to come about that one or two years of tolerance is not enough for me. We are determined that there will be one or two centuries of tolerance, in fact, we want tolerance to last until the end of time, we want to experience eras of tolerance, and we have no intention of turning back from this road.

[glasspalaceshq]

𝐀𝐒𝐊 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐃𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐃𝐀𝐘: Please reblog post to indicate members that you would like to receive asks relating to this ask meme. Only reblog the roleplay’s meme post from the main, not from someone else’s blog.

THE TUDORS SEASONS 1-2 SENTENCE STARTERS

❝ I cannot disguise my distress and unhappiness. ❞

❝ What about his legs? Are his calves strong like mine? ❞

❝ It’s an activity fit only for beasts yet practised by no kind of beasts. ❞

❝ Do you really think we should go to war? ❞

❝ I think we should try to do as the King wants us to do. ❞

❝ That victory made him famous [Name]. It made him immortal! ❞

❝ The thing I care for most is my integrity. ❞

❝ You must be prepared to give him the thing you most care for, in all the world. ❞

❝ There’s something deep and dangerous in you, [Name].   ❞

❝ Those eyes of yours are like dark hooks for the soul. ❞

❝ Do you see that young woman over there? ❞

❝ Should I like something that accuses me of being cruel? ❞

❝ You are a poet as I am a woman.  ❞

❝ Poets and women are always free with their hearts, are they not?  ❞

❝ You give us no choice but to attack and breach your defences! ❞

❝ What we lack in men, we can more than makeup for in ships. ❞

❝ Don’t tease me. I don’t like it. ❞

❝ Will you like it when an old man tries to make love to you? ❞

❝ Gospel says the truth will make you free. ❞

❝ I write poems, I don’t know how to be “a poet”. ❞

❝ Of course, I loved her, but from a distance. ❞

❝ Why do you let them talk to you like that? ❞

❝ Did you love her? ❞

❝ Oh, I hope so. I certainly do hope so, for your sake. ❞

❝ You will remove yourself from my sight. Do you understand? ❞

❝ I have yet to decide whether to make your bedmate a head shorter. ❞

❝ I won’t have a thought or an affection for anyone else.  ❞

❝ I promise I’ll take you as my only mistress. ❞

❝ Look, I don’t mean he is banished forever. Just as long as he breathes. ❞

❝ You’re going away, why? ❞

❝ Forgive me, I spoke of things I should not. ❞

❝ What would a silly girl like you have to say to a king? ❞

❝ I give you leave that we may always speak freely with each other. ❞

❝ How do you like your charge, sweetheart? ❞

❝ It makes a man, any man… extremely vulnerable. ❞

❝ Diplomacy is nearly always settled by such proximity. ❞

❝ I do not sleep with her. Not whilst you and I are still married. ❞

❝ Someone told me taking infusions was the worst thing. ❞

❝ It will make you feel sick, but it’s better than the sickness it prevents. ❞

❝ I must stay in the king’s good graces or we are nothing. ❞

❝ I didn’t see all of his game. Now I do. I despise him. ❞

❝ You can love, perhaps for a year, a month, a day, even for an hour. ❞

❝ I do believe you love as well and deeply… as any man. ❞

❝ Your love is most generous where it is most hurtful. ❞

❝ You speak to me of chastity. Have you not a mistress and two children?   ❞

❝ I shall have to share [Name]’s table, and sometimes her bed. ❞

❝ I hear you’ve been unwell? Is it true? ❞

❝ Have you no kind things to say? ❞

❝ You treat me so unkindly and in public neglect me. ❞

❝ We were never legally man and wife. ❞

❝ I don’t think anything, but I imagine everything. ❞

❝ Do you… do you have a message from the King? ❞

❝ I would rather see her hanged than acknowledge her as my mistress! ❞

❝ Aren’t you supposed to be running the country? ❞

❝ Would you prefer them to be women? ❞

❝ I would only be unhappy if you ever stopped loving me. ❞

❝ Have I made you unhappy? ❞

❝ I believed with all my heart that he would return to reason, but now, I … ❞

❝ I notice you allow yourself none of the trappings of your great office. ❞

❝ Now, my love, let me conceive… and we will have a son. ❞

❝ Can you not plead some indisposition? ❞

❝ Don’t act impulsively; it’s always a mistake. ❞

❝ I’m not heartless, whatever some people think- quite the contrary. ❞

❝ I could still do it. I could find a way to poison her. ❞

❝ But, why should anyone ever know? ❞

❝ You understand? You don’t act alone.  ❞

❝ You’ve never even seen a man being tortured, have you? ❞

❝ I’m sure we both know the object that has brought us together. ❞

❝ I would rather lose my own son than to see any hurt come to you. ❞

❝ I have no opinion. I neither murmur at it nor dispute upon it. ❞

❝ I must confess, I rather like the liberty of not being married again! ❞

❝ Don’t you know I love you a thousand times more than [Name] ever did!? ❞

❝ I cannot think whether it would be a bad thing, or a good thing if he died. ❞

❝ What about your daughter, will you watch her suffer? ❞

❝ Tell me, [Name], was it all worth it?! ❞

❝ We found no evidence against you. You’re to be released…eventually. ❞

❝ Do you believe this to be true? ❞    

❝ How can you say that to me!? ❞    

❝ Then you should smash and destroy it- utterly, totally and without pity. ❞    

❝ I’m a woman, and I demand equal respect for my ideas! ❞  

❝ I don’t think that you are going far enough, or fast enough. ❞    

❝ So, tell me- you are suppressing some religious houses? ❞    

❝ Now he will die ashamed and alone in a prison cell. ❞    

❝ We forgive him because he is a genius… whatever that means. ❞    

❝ Do you know who that was? ❞    

❝ You should know that the King himself has no mind to coerce you. ❞    

❝ I say no harm, I think no harm- but I wish everybody good. ❞    

❝ I need hardly remind you of the consequences of not doing so. ❞    

❝ Will you take the Oath? ❞    

❝ May I ask your opinion of the King’s new marriage? ❞    

❝ They would find you and torture you, and you would tell them everything. ❞    

❝ Perhaps, one day this little girl will preside over empires. ❞    

❝ I’m going to have to attend on the king and that bitch of his at her coronation!  ❞  

❝ Yes, I must forgive you, I must always forgive you, BUT I GROW TIRED OF FORGIVING YOU! ❞  

[pamphletstoinspire]

YOU SHALL BE HOLY: THE FOUR MARKS OF THE CHURCH

The Nicene Creed identifies the Church of Christ by four marks: she is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. Only one Church fits that description.

The description in the Creed is a description of our true home. It is a lighthouse, a road map, a clear marker for searchers and travelers.

One. Is any other church so one that all schisms that occur in that church are clearly schisms between the old and the new, between the Church that comes from Christ and one that comes from man, between the one Church that existed from the beginning and the breakaway group? The Catholic Church is the one church all other churches have to break away from.

Is any other church one through the ages, teaching the same dogmas, never going back on herself, never saying “oops” in matters of theological or moral dogma?

Is any other church one in space as well as time? Is any other church catholic, i.e., universal? As Chesterton says, how can a missionary ask an Outer Mongolian to become a Southern Baptist?

Apostolic. Is any other church apostolic in teaching both what the apostles taught and with the authority Christ gave to them and their successors? Is any other church apostolic in sacramental succession? Among Protestant churches, only the Anglican Church even claims apostolic succession, but they broke it when Henry VIII broke with Rome, with her bishops, and with her bishops’ ability to ordain other bishops in the apostolic succession that began with St. Peter and always traced its lineage back to him.

Universal. Does any other church claim the name catholic, meaning “universal”? She is universal in many senses: for all men, for all the world, for all times, for all cultures, and teaching all that Christ and the apostles taught.

Holy. But what about holy? The Church contains many no­table, even scandalously famous, sinners. A couple of them were even popes!

The Church’s claim to holiness is not that Catholics are all holy people, or that Catholics are holier than other Christians. Her claim is that she herself is holy (holy means “set apart,” implying “set apart by God”), and therefore the source of holiness. You can’t give what you don’t have: that is the principle of causality. The Church is the saint maker.

The meaning of life and the nonnegotiable divine command, which God repeated over and over again when He gave His law to His chosen people, is: “You shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy” (Lev. 19:2).

Christ did not mitigate this essential command but repeated it and made its absoluteness even more explicit, closing the door, the “escape clause,” that we naturally add: “to the best of your ability — just try a little harder.” He said: “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). That is the reason for Purgatory. God will not take us out of the oven if we are only half-baked.

The Church is our connector with Christ. To break that connector is to break with Christ. To refuse the body is to refuse the Head. That is why St. Thomas More embraced martyrdom rather than approve Henry’s break with Rome when Rome would not approve his divorce. Here is how he explained to his beloved daughter Margaret why he couldn’t compromise his conscience just a little bit to save his life and the safety of his family, in A Man for All Seasons:

More: If we lived in a state where virtue was profitable, common sense would make us good . . . and we’d live like animals or angels in the happy land that needs no heroes. But since in fact we see that avarice, anger, envy, pride, sloth, lust, and stupidity commonly profit far beyond humility, chastity, fortitude, justice and thought . . . why, then perhaps we must stand fast a little, even at the risk of being heroes.

Margaret: But in reason! Haven’t you done as much as God can reasonably want?

More: Well . . . finally . . . it isn’t a matter of reason; finally, it’s a matter of love.

Why does it take a Church (the Church) to make saints? Because we can’t do it ourselves. We can’t lift ourselves up by our own bootstraps. The physician can’t heal himself. The tiger can’t change his stripes.

But even though holiness is not a do-it-yourself thing, even though we need God and grace, why do we need the visible, concrete, historical, sacramental, material Church? Why can’t our relationship with God and our dependence on God be one-on-one and spiritual?

Because Christ is not one-on-one and spiritual. Christ gathered an apostolic college, and founded a visible Church, and gave her His literal body and blood, both on the Cross and in the Eucharist. Catholics paint with His grain, not against it. Catholics just deliver His mail; they don’t correct it.

God makes saints, but He does it through Christ, and Christ does it through His body, which is His Church.

Of course, it’s done by the Holy Spirit, and it’s spiritual. It’s also done by Christ’s incarnate body, and it’s material. Why? Because it’s done in man and for man, and man is not an angel but is always both spiritual and material.

To attain and achieve the meaning of life (of your life), be a saint.

To be a saint, go to Christ. To get wet, go where it’s raining. To get holy, go where Christ is.

Where is Christ? In His body, not “out of the body.” To go to Christ, go to His body, His Church.

Christ is in non-Catholics, too, spiritually, but not materially, not sacramentally, not Eucharistically. Why settle for a little lifeboat when you can have the whole ark?

WRITTEN BY: PETER KREEFT

[seekfirstme]

"Francis, the man of God, left his home behind, abandoned his inheritance and became poor and penniless, but the Lord raised him up." (Entrance Antiphon on the Feast of St Francis of Assisi).

Monday, 4th October 2021 in the 27th week in Ordinary Time is the great feast of St Francis of Assisi, the Little One.

Who is St Francis of Assisi? (1182 - 1226). Italian. Deacon and Founder of the Order of Friars Minor, popularly known as the Franciscans. We Salute all our Franciscan friends all over the world who have labored in the Lord's Vineyard since the 1220s in all fields of the Apostolate. Persevere to the end and your reward will be huge.

Francis became famous for imitating closely the poverty of Jesus Christ in spirit and in deed. Holiness always attracts. After Francis was seized by Jesus and said Yes to the Lord, Francis soon attracted a group of like-minded young men who bound themselves together to live evangelical poverty, chastity and obedience. Our Lord Jesus Christ, Head of the Church has used simple men like Francis and the Franciscans to renew the Church which is ever in need of reform.

What comes to your mind when you hear of St Francis of Assisi in 2021? Many people would think of a man of peace. "Lord, make me an instrument of peace..." Others will think of radical evangelical poverty... "The little poor man of Assisi." Both are salient attributes in the profile of this exceptionally gifted holy man. I want to mention too Francis' deep love of creation and care of the earth. Most people that are aware of the impending disaster from Global Warming will know Francis of Assisi and his contribution to this topical debate.

Other pivotal figures raised up by Jesus for the renewal of the Church are:

Benedict, Clare, Dominic, Ignatius Loyola, Teresa of Avila, Teresa of Kolkata, etc.

Are you the next great Saint? You too can be a saint. You too can be an instrument of Peace. You too can be committed to preserving the beauty and goodness of the environment for future generations and become an apostle of Care for Creation and Safe Environment.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5: 3).

"We thank you for the beauty of creation: may the work of man not disfigure it, but enhance it to your greater glory." Amen.

"For some time already, Our Lord has made me desire to have adoration on Thursday in thanksgiving for the Holy Eucharist, and also in thanksgiving for the mystery of the priesthood. After Mass, I made my confession to the chaplain of the monastery. He confirmed certain things having to do with the resistances to grace that I confessed. He directed me towards the saints, something that corresponds exactly to the strong attraction to the friendship of the saints that has always marked my life." (IN SINU JESU, Thursday, October 4, 2007 Saint Francis of Assisi).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

[scriptflorist]

Name: Braynan Garcia

Nickname: Bray

Birthday: Jan 12 2013 (he’s a teenager in my story)

Birthplace: Miami

Dwelling place: Miami

How do they live: Braynan was very much an anti-social loner and used to stay at his “homes” because he has rich parents who own a chain of luxury hotels and a beachfront mansion home. He causes a lot of fuss making every hotel his “home” by demanding unbooked rooms for himself. He gets his room, services, meals “free” when in reality everything goes through his parents to handle so they always know exactly where he’s been and what he does. His lifestyle literally blows up when a bomb goes off in his room, intended for the next customer, Alissa Keets, a famous writer, who is very grateful but horrified for her life being saved that way. She gets in touch with Braynan, pays for all his medical bills, even though his parents are richer. Braynan no longer stays at his parents’ hotels because he is now in a wheelchair and stays in his parents’ home. Jazan has his brother Galan help with work so he can often stay home to take care of and repair his relationship with his son. Cala starts visiting often as well, shocked at almost losing her only biological son and realizes she actually cares. Lustor comes over when possible as well. Basically the entire story is balance between work and family and biological family vs adopted family and they realize all family is important, so in the end, they all live as one big happy family. Oh, and Alissa and Cala start dating in the end as well (they’re about the same age).

Appearance: Braynan always wears expensive name brand clothes. His hair is neat and gelled up and wears a couple expensive bracelets.

What’s in their bag/pockets: Cash, credit card, phone. He actually brings a huge suitcase with his clothes and belongings every time he used to stay at his parents’ hotels.

Species: Human

Name of parents: Jazan and Lustor (Biological parents are Jazan and Cala, Cala is the surrogate mother and friends with Jazan.)

Others next of kin: Galan (Uncle)

Not-in-blood-but-in-bond-family: Alissa Keets

Family history: Braynan’s family is multicultural, immigrants (including illegal before becoming a citizen) to America from various countries around the world.

Favourite colour: Black, Grey.

Favourite book: Silenced (a story about a country devastated after war, and the nameless victims) ([My character, Alissa’s book]

Favourite genre: Action, fantasy, drama

Favourite food: Exotic foods and fine dining

Personality: Originally a messed up teenager whose parents rarely see him and he thinks everything his parents’ own is his. He was loud-mouthed, demanding, cold-hearted, rude, spontaneous and very anti-social. He becomes more friendly, warm, kind, loving, as well as feels ashamed and sorry for his previous bad behavior. He’s neat though, so he’s never trashed the hotel rooms he’s been nor damages stuff. He doesn’t smoke or take drugs but sometimes drinks but is sensible enough to never get drunk. Oh, but he does swear, but not too much.

Misc: Note that my story takes place in the future. First of all, my character is a teenager yet I mentioned him drinking. The drinking age becomes 16 in the future, so he’s legal. Secondly, I never mentioned my character going to school. School is online so he can physically be anywhere he wants and has no classmates to talk to. I’m barely writing about his school life, but he is a good student. Thirdly, the parents are actually two men, thus the need for a surrogate. I probably used male pronouns for them but in case it slipped through because if you search ‘Jazan’ it will show up as a female name. 

___

Hey Tak,

No problem, I've added it to the rest of your submission! Just in case it hasn't been apparent with the previous character submissions, I base the flowers I pick on the information given in each section that you filled out. In your case, this means it may have gone a little off topic occasionally with the overall headline of the section.

Birthplace: Miami

Miami is located in Florida, which has two state flowers! Orange blossom and tickseed. Tickseed, better known as Coreopsis perhaps, is stated to be a wildflower, so I guess the orange trees are domesticated.

orange blossom – your purity equals your loveliness, chastity, innocence, eternal love, marriage, fruitfulness

coreopsis – always cheerful

coreopsis (arkansa) – love at first sight

Based on how they live

acacia – friendship, platonic love, secret love

agave – security

agrimony – thankfulness, gratitude

ash mountain – prudence, with me you are safe

aspen – lamentation, fear, groan, excessive sensibility

balm of gilead – healing, cure, relief, I am cured, time

basil (sweet) – good wishes

bee ophrys – error

bee orchis – error, industry

bell flower – gratitude, indiscretion, acknowledgement

bell flower (white, small) – gratitude

broom-rape – union

calycanthus – benevolence

cardamine – paternal error

chestnut – justice, do me justice

cinquefoil – maternal affection, beloved daughter/child

citronella – homosexual love

coltsfoot (sweet-scented) – maternal care, justice, justice shall be done, we will do you justice

cowslip – healing, youth, pensiveness, winning grace, rusticity, early joys, native grace

daffodil – sunshine, respect, regard, unrequited love, new beginnings, self-love, chivalry, deceitful hopes

flax – I feel your kindness, benefactor, domestic industry, domestic symbol, fate, I am sensible of your kindness

fly orchis – error

freesia – lasting friendship, innocence, trust

geranium – true friend, stupidity, folly, envy, gentility

geranium (oak-leaved) – true friendship, friendship, lady deign to smile

glycine – your friendship is pleasing and agreeable to me

goat's rue – reason

heath – solitude

heather (lavender) – solitude, admiration

ivy – friendship, matrimony, I have found one true heart, constancy, fidelity, marriage, wedded love, affection

lichen – solitude, confidence, dejection

moss – maternal love, recluse, charity

narcissus – selfishness, self-love, egotism, formality, stay as sweet as you are

palm – victory

pussy willow – motherhood

sundew (round-leaved) – surprise

sunflower (dwarf) – your devout adorer, adoration

sunflower (tall) – pride, haughtiness, false riches, lofty and pure thoughts, smile on me still

verbena (pink) – family union

virginia creeper – I cling to you both in sunshine and in shade

wood sorrel – maternal tenderness, joy

For info about violets and lesbians go here.

Based on appearance (also fits the contents of his bag & pockets)

chrysanthemum – wealth, abundance, cheerfulness, you're a wonderful friend, loveliness

corn – riches

grape vine – abundance, intoxication

lily (tiger) – wealth, pride, prosperity

poppy (yellow) – wealth, success

Favourite colour: Black

black bryony – support, be my support

blackberry – envy

ebony – blackness

laburnum – blackness, pensive beauty, forsaken

mulberry (black) – I shall not survive you, devotedness

poplar (black) – courage

Favourite book: Silenced (a story about a country devastated after war, and the nameless victims) ([My character, Alissa’s book]

achillea millefolia – war

aloe – grief, bitterness, religious superstition

aloes (parrot bill) – grief

cypress – despair, mourning, death, disappointed hopes

dragonwort – horror

greek valerian – rupture

handflower tree – warning

harebell – grief, submission, humility

hop – injustice

indian cress – warlike trophy, resignation

marigold – grief, cruelty, inquietude, contempt, chagrin, pain, pretty love, sacred affection, caress, sorrow, trouble

milfoil – war

monkshood – beware, danger is near, chivalry, knight-errantry, a deadly foe I near

nasturtium – a warlike trophy, patriotism, resignation, conquest, victory in battle

oleander – beware(!), caution

rhododendron – danger, beware, I am dangerous

rudbeckia – justice

tussilage (sweet-scented) – justice shall be done you, you shall have justice

yarrow – war, to cure, a cure for the heartache, cure for a broken heart, cure for heartache

Based on personality

agnus castus – coldness, indifference

bladder nut tree – frivolous amusement, frivolity, amusement

blue bell – kindness, constancy, sorrowful regret, humility, gratitude

borage – rudeness, bluntness

broom – neatness, humility, ardour,

bur – rudeness, you weary me

cactus – warmth, maternal love, ardent love, endurance, my heart burns with love

chaste tree – coldness

clotness – rudeness, pertinacity

copihue – there is no unalloyed good

crocus (spring) – youthful gladness

darnel – vice

dodder – meanness, baseness

feverfew – warmth

fig marigold – coldness, idleness

geranium (night smelling) – melancholy spirit

geranium (scarlet) – thou art changed, folly, stupidity, comforting, consolation, melancholy

hortensia – you are cold, carelessness

hydrangea – you are cold, (a) boaster, heartlessness, dispassion, thank you for understanding, frigidity

hyssop – cleanliness

ladies' bedstraw – rudeness

lettuce – cold-hearted, cold-heartedness, coldness

marsh mallow – kindness, beneficence

peppermint – warmth of feeling, cordiality

pimpernel – change, assignation, the weather-glass

pink (indian double) – always lovely

saffron – beware of excess, abuse, do not deceive yourself

rose (striped) – warmth of heart

rye grass – changeable disposition

spearmint – warmth of sentiment, warm sentiment

spotted arum – warmth

xanthium – rudeness, pertinacity

- Mod Jana

Disclaimer

This blog is intended as writing advice only. This blog and its mods are not responsible for accidents, injuries or other consequences of using this advice for real world situations or in any way that said advice was not intended.

[mattchase82]

Saint Anthony of Padua

Doctor of the Church and Miracle-Worker

(1195-1231)

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PatronageLisbon, Lost items, lost people, lost souls, American Indians; amputees; animals; barrenness; Brazil; elderly people; faith in the Blessed Sacrament; fishermen; Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land; harvests; horses; lower animals; mail; mariners; oppressed people; poor people; Portugal; pregnant women; shipwrecks; starvation; sterility; swineherds; Tigua Indians; travel hostesses; travellers; Tuburan, Cebu; San Vicente, Sulat, Eastern Samar; Watermen; runts of litters; counter-revolutionaries; Pila, Laguna, Taytay, Rizal; Iriga, Camarines Sur; Camaligan, Camarines Sur

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Born in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1195, Fernando de Bouillon was of a noble family related to the famous Godefroy de Bouillon, founder and first sovereign of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, who at the close of the Crusade of 1099 had refused to wear a crown, there where Christ had worn one of thorns.

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Favored by nature and grace, Fernand resolved at the age of fifteen to leave the world and consecrate himself to God in the Order of Canons Regular of Saint Augustine. No flattery, threat or caress of his relatives could persuade him to leave that holy refuge. He asked to be transferred to another convent to avoid the family's solicitations, and was sent to Coimbra. Still young, his sanctity became evident through miracles; he cured a poor religious whom the devil was obsessing, by covering him with his cloak.

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When this young monk decided, after witnessing the return of the martyred remains of five Franciscans who had gone to Africa, to join that Order so favored with the graces of martyrdom, the Augustinians were desolate but could not prevent his departure, for Saint Francis himself appeared to him in a vision in July 1220, and commanded him to leave. He was then sent by the Franciscans to Africa, but two years later was obliged to return to Italy because of sickness; thus he was deprived of the martyr's crown he would have been happy to receive.

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In 1222 Anthony, as he was now called, went with other Brothers and some Dominican friars to be ordained at Forli. There Fra Antonio rose under obedience to preach for the first time to the religious, and took for his theme the text of Saint Paul: Christ chose for our sake to become obedient unto death. As the discourse proceeded, the Hammer of Heretics, the Ark of the Testament, the eldest son of Saint Francis, stood revealed in all his sanctity, learning, and eloquence before his rapt and astonished brethren. He had been serving in the humblest offices of his community; now he was summoned to emerge from this obscurity. And then for nine years France, Italy, and Sicily heard his voice and saw his miracles, whose numbers can scarcely be counted. A crowd to which he was preaching outdoors one day, when the church was too small to hold all who came to hear him, amidst thunder and lightning felt not one drop of water fall upon them, while all around them the rain poured down. And men's hearts turned to God.

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We may wonder why we always see Saint Anthony with the Child Jesus in his arms. The account of this heavenly visitation was told only after his death, at the official process concerning his virtues and miracles. It was narrated by the man who witnessed the marvel in question; the Saint himself had never spoken of it. Saint Anthony was in the region of Limoges in France, and was offered hospitality, rest and silence by this businessman of the region, in his country manor. He was given a room apart, to permit him to pray in peace; but during the night his host looked toward his lighted window and saw in the brilliance a little Infant of marvelous beauty in the arms of the Saint, with His own around the Friar's neck. The witness trembled at the sight, and in the morning Saint Anthony, to whom it had been revealed that his host had seen the visitation, called him and enjoined him not to tell it as long as he was alive. The town near Limoges where this occurred remains unknown; the original account of the inquiry does not name it, but says that the man in question narrated it, with tears, after Saint Anthony's death.

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After a number of years of teaching of theology, unceasing preaching and writing, Saint Anthony, whose health was never strong, was spending a short time of retreat in a hermitage near Padua. He was overcome one day with a sudden weakness, which prevented him from walking. It progressed so rapidly that it was evident his last days had arrived. He died at the age of thirty-six, after ten years with the Canons Regular and eleven with the Friars Minor, on June 13, 1231. The voices of children were heard crying in the streets of Padua, Our father, Saint Anthony, is dead. The following year, the church bells of Lisbon rang without ringers, while in Rome one of its sons was inscribed among the Saints of God.

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Reflection. Let us love to pray and labor unseen, and cherish in the secret of our hearts the graces of God and the growth of our immortal souls. Like Saint Anthony, let us attend to this first of all and leave the rest to God.

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Prayer to Venerate Any Saint

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Saint Anthony of Padua: Feast Day June 13

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I desire therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men: For kings, and for all that are in high station: that we may lead a quiet and a peaceable life in all piety and chastity. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

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And another angel came, and stood before the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given to him much incense, that he should offer of the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar, which is before the throne of God. And the smoke of the incense of the prayers of the saints ascended up before God from the hand of the angel. (Rev. 8:3-4)

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ETERNAL Father, I wish to honor St. (Name), and I give Thee thanks for all the graces Thou have bestowed upon him (her). I ask Thee to please increase grace in my soul through the merits of this saint, and I commit the end of my life to him (her) by this special prayer, so that by virtue of Thine goodness and promise, St. (Name) might be my advocate and provide whatever is needed at that hour. Amen.

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PROMISE: "When you wish to honor any particular saint and give Me thanks for all the graces I have bestowed on that saint, I increase grace in your soul through the merits of that saint. When you commit the end of your life to any of the saints by special prayers, I appoint those saints to be your advocates and to provide whatever you need at that hour."-Our Lord to St. Gertrude

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Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich revealed in her Visions that saints are particularly powerful on their feast days and should be invoked then

[dxsiderivmarchive-blog]

YOUR BIRTHDAY SYMBOLS

TAGGED BY: @lookitsohio​ TAGGING: @ponyprk​ @pluviiophille​ @hanbamjvng​ @lastsnever​ @asphxdel​ @xnotangeles​

{Hayi ❀ september 23, 1996} 

Sapphire - The gem of Sincerity and Trust Sapphires have been prized as great gemstones since 800BC. Rulers of ancient Persia believed the sky was painted blue by the reflection of sapphire stones. And a great poet once described the sapphire as “the blue of a clear sky just minutes after sundown.” Kings wore sapphires around their necks as a powerful defense from harm. They preserved the wearer from envy and attracted divine favor. The sapphire has, for centuries, been seen as a symbol of the heavens, a guardian of innocence, a bestower of truth, a promoter of good health, and a preserver of chastity. Working with sapphires helps promote a positive attitude towards life, promoting self motivation and helping move forward towards a path of self-fulfillment.

Aster Aster comes from the Greek word Astron, which means "star". These star-shaped wildflowers bloom in the late summer and fall and are powerful symbols of love, patience, daintiness, and wisdom. The ancients believed that perfume made out of burned Aster leaves banished evil serpents. In yet another interpretation, Asters came into being when the Greek goddess Asterea cried, endowing Asters with mystical powers. During the Victorian era, the secret message conveyed by the Aster was, "take care of yourself for me", or "I am not sure if you’re being faithful or not".

Libra Libras are known to be truthful, balanced, hospitable, idealistic, graceful, and peaceful people. Being that your zodiac sign is the scale, you are the diplomat of all of the zodiac signs. You care about balance, justice, harmony, and stability, always wanting to make things right. You are able to put yourself in other people's shoes and have a great deal of compassion and empathy for them. You are very intelligent, but tend to hide this behind your easygoing exterior. Your intelligence often is expressed through creativity. You also love to be surrounded by luxury and class.

The Rat - a symbol of Wisdom You are hardworking, charming, funny, social, artistic, charismatic, intelligent, popular and meticulous. You are tender hearted and are well liked- you have a wonderful, supportive, and loyal circle of friends. You do not like people who do not keep their word or are lazy. You are a natural writer, always curious, and an entrepreneur. You enjoy dressing up and going to parties. You appear to be quite reserved, and you have extremely sound judgment. You are strongly family oriented, enjoy thrills, and are easily bored. Famous Rats: Sean Penn, Cameron Diaz, Khloe Kardashian, Hugh Grant.

Raven You are friendly, diplomatic, tolerant, peaceful, balanced, a good decision maker, idealistic, sensitive and romantic. You are a very social person who loves to bond with others and you do so easily as you are easy-going, charming, soft spoken and smart. You compulsively seek interactions with others. You are quite a curious person and as such, are very intelligent as you retain so much information along your quest for knowledge. You are also a natural entrepreneur who uses your various personality traits to succeed.

Hazelnut Tree - the tree of extraordinariness You are intelligent, original, understanding, calm, popular, honest, charming, organized, efficient, and mature. You pride yourself on having your own individual sense of style and humor. You make a lasting impression on people wherever you go. You are highly analytical and intelligent- you know your facts and have a great memory, therefore excel in any educational situation. You also have great judgment. You are active in politics and social causes. You are a passionate, honest and tolerant partner.

[wavexrider]

YOUR BIRTHDAY SYMBOLS

Tagged by: (Not really but saw it from) @astatheloner​

Tagging: EVERYONE

Mun

Your astrological sign: Libra Libras are known to be truthful, balanced, hospitable, idealistic, graceful, and peaceful people. Being that your zodiac sign is the scale, you are the diplomat of all of the zodiac signs. You care about balance, justice, harmony, and stability, always wanting to make things right. You are able to put yourself in other people's shoes and have a great deal of compassion and empathy for them. You are very intelligent, but tend to hide this behind your easygoing exterior. Your intelligence often is expressed through creativity. You also love to be surrounded by luxury and class.

Your birthstone is: Sapphire - The gem of Sincerity and Trust Sapphires have been prized as great gemstones since 800BC. Rulers of ancient Persia believed the sky was painted blue by the reflection of sapphire stones. And a great poet once described the sapphire as “the blue of a clear sky just minutes after sundown.” Kings wore sapphires around their necks as a powerful defense from harm. They preserved the wearer from envy and attracted divine favor. The sapphire has, for centuries, been seen as a symbol of the heavens, a guardian of innocence, a bestower of truth, a promoter of good health, and a preserver of chastity. Working with sapphires helps promote a positive attitude towards life, promoting self motivation and helping move forward towards a path of self-fulfillment.

Your birthflower is: Aster Aster comes from the Greek word Astron, which means "star". These star-shaped wildflowers bloom in the late summer and fall and are powerful symbols of love, patience, daintiness, and wisdom. The ancients believed that perfume made out of burned Aster leaves banished evil serpents. In yet another interpretation, Asters came into being when the Greek goddess Asterea cried, endowing Asters with mystical powers. During the Victorian era, the secret message conveyed by the Aster was, "take care of yourself for me", or "I am not sure if you’re being faithful or not

Your were born in the Chinese year of: The Monkey - a symbol of Changeability You are quick-witted, imaginative, charming, lucky, bright, lively, resourceful, smart and persuasive. You are communicative and versatile and can succeed in any kind of work as you are good with words and money. You are extremely intelligent and confident and thus, are capable of figuring out the most complex of problems. Your strong memory along with your cool temperament under pressure, gives you great survival skills. You are a thrill seeker, always looking for adventure. You have a love of life that is infectious. Famous Monkeys: Jennifer Aniston, Will Smith, Kylie Minogue, Owen Wilson, Tom Hanks.

Your Native American astrological sign: Raven You are friendly, diplomatic, tolerant, peaceful, balanced, a good decision maker, idealistic, sensitive and romantic. You are a very social person who loves to bond with others and you do so easily as you are easy-going, charming, soft spoken and smart. You compulsively seek interactions with others. You are quite a curious person and as such, are very intelligent as you retain so much information along your quest for knowledge. You are also a natural entrepreneur who uses your various personality traits to succeed.

Your Birth Tree is: Hazelnut Tree - the tree of extraordinariness You are intelligent, original, understanding, calm, popular, honest, charming, organized, efficient, and mature. You pride yourself on having your own individual sense of style and humor. You make a lasting impression on people wherever you go. You are highly analytical and intelligent- you know your facts and have a great memory, therefore excel in any educational situation. You also have great judgment. You are active in politics and social causes. You are a passionate, honest and tolerant partner.

[wisdomrays]

THE MAIN FACTORS IN THE SPREADING OF ISLAM: Part 2

A. J. Arberry has also pointed out that the reason for the spread of Islam is Islam itself and its religious values. (Aspects of Islamic Civilization, p.12. He writes:

‘The rapidity of the spread of Islam, noticeably through extensive provinces which had long been Christian, is a crucial fact of history. The sublime rhetoric of the Qur’an, that inimitable symphony, the very sounds of which move men to tears and ecstasy…and the urgency of the simple message carried, holds the key to the mystery of one of the greatest catalysms in the history of religion. When all military, political and economic factors have been exhausted, the religious impulse must still be recognized as the most vital and enduring.’

Brockelman, who is usually very unsympathetic and partial, also recognizes the religious values of Islam as the main factor for the spread of Islam (History of the Islamic Peoples, p.37). Rosenthal makes his point as follows: ‘The more important factor for the spread of Islam is the religious Law of Islam (Shari‘a, which is an inclusive, all-embracing, all-comprehensive way of thinking and living) which was designed to cover all manifestations of life.’ (Political Thought in Medieval Islam, p.21).

Besides many other reasons which are responsible for the spread of Islam, it is the exemplary life-style and unceasing efforts of individual Muslims to transmit the message of Islam throughout the world which lie at the root of the conquest of hearts by Islam. Islamic universalism is closely associated with the principle of ‘amr bi’l-ma’ruf (enjoining the good) for Islam is to be spread by Muslims by means of ‘amr bi’l-ma’ruf. This principle seeks to convey the message of Islam to all human beings in the world and to establish a model Islamic community on a worldwide basis. The Islamic community is introduced by the Qur’an as a model community: We have made of you an Ummah justly balanced, that you might be witnesses (models) for the peoples, and the Messenger has been a witness for you (2.143). A Muslim or the Muslim community as a whole thus has a goal to achieve. This is the spread of Islam, conveying the truth to the remotest corner of the world, the eradication of oppression and tyranny and the establishment of justice all over the world. This requires the Muslim to live an exemplary life, and thus the moral and the ethical values of Islam have usually played an important part in the spread of Islam. Here follow the impressions of the influence of Islamic ethics on black Africans of a Western writer of the nineteenth century:

‘As to the effects of Islam when first embraced by a Negro tribe, can there, when viewed as a whole, be any reasonable doubt? Polytheism disappears almost instantaneously; sorcery, with its attendant evils, gradually dies away; human sacrifice becomes a thing of the past. The general moral elevation is most marked; the natives begin for the first time in their history to dress, and that neatly. Squalid filth is replaced by some approach to personal cleanliness; hospitality becomes a religious duty; drunkenness, instead of the rule becomes a comparatively rare exception chastity is looked upon as one of the highest, and becomes, in fact, one of the commoner virtues. It is idleness that henceforward degrades, and industry that elevates, instead of the reverse. Offences are henceforward measured by a written code instead of the arbitrary caprice of a chieftain–a step, as everyone will admit, of vast importance in the progress of a tribe. The Mosque gives an idea of architecture at all events higher than any the Negro has yet had. A thirst for literature is created and that for works of science and philosophy as well as for the commentaries on the Qur’an.’ (Quoted from Waitz by B. Smith, Muhammad and Muhammadanism, pp.42-43)

The tolerance of Islam is another factor in the spread of Islam. Toynbee praises this tolerance towards the People of the Book after comparing it with the attitude of the Christians towards Muslims and Jews in their lands. (A Historian’s Approach to Religion, p.246). T. Link attributes the spread of Islam to the credibility of its principles together with its tolerance, persuasion and other kinds of attractions (A History of Religion). Makarios, Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch in the seventeenth century, compared the harsh treatment received by the Russians of the Orthodox Church at the hands of the Roman Catholic Poles with the tolerant attitude towards Orthodox Christians shown by the Ottoman Government and prayed for the Sultans (T. Link, A History of Religion).

This is not the only example of preference by the followers of the religions for Muslim rule over that of their own co-religionist. The Orthodox Christians of Byzantium openly expressed their preference for the Ottoman turban in Istanbul to the hats of the Catholic cardinals. Elisee Reclus, the French traveller of the nineteenth century, wrote that the Muslim Turk allowed all the followers of different religions to perform their religious duties and rituals, and that the Christian subjects of the Ottoman Sultan were more free to live their own lives than the Christians who lived in the lands under the rule of any rival Christian sect (Nouvelle Geographie Universelle, vol. 9). Popescu Ciocanel pays tribute to the Muslim Turks by stating that it was luck for the Romanian people that they lived under the government of the Turks rather than the domination of the Russians and Austrians. Otherwise, he points out, ‘no trace of the Romanian nation would have remained,’ (La Crise de l’Orient).

The Muslims’ attitude towards the people they conquered is quite clear in the instructions given by the rightly-guided Caliphs: ‘Always keep fear of God in your mind; remember that you cannot afford to do anything without His grace. Do not forget that Islam is a mission of peace and love. Keep the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) before you as a model of bravery and piety. Do not destroy fruit-trees nor fertile fields in your paths. Be just, and spare the feelings of the vanquished. Respect all religious persons who live in hermitages or convents and spare their edifices. Do not kill civilians. Do not outrage the chastity of women and the honour of the conquered. Do not harm old people and children. Do not accept any gifts from the civil population of any place. Do not billet your soldiers or officers in the houses of civilians. Do not forget to perform your daily prayers. Fear God. Remember that death will inevitably come to every one of you some time or other, even if you are thousands of miles away from a battlefield; therefore be always ready to face death.’ (Andrew Miller, Church History; Ali lbn Abi Talib, Nahj al-Balagha)

A historical episode which Balazouri, a famous Muslim historian, relates, tells about how pleased the native peoples were with their Muslim conquerors is of great significance:

When Heraclius massed his troops against the Muslims, and the Muslims heard that they were coming to meet them, they refunded the inhabitants of Hims the tribute they had taken from them, saying: ‘We are too busy to support and protect you. Take care of yourselves.’ But the people of Hims replied: ‘We like your rule and justice far better than the state of oppression and tyranny in which we were. The army of Heraclius we shall indeed, with your help, repulse from the city.’ The Jews rose and said: ‘We swear by the Torah, no governor of Heraclius shall enter the city of Hims unless we are first vanquished and exhausted.’ Saying this, they closed the gates of the city and guarded them. The inhabitants of other cities–Christians and Jews–that had capitulated did the same. When by God’s help the unbelievers were defeated and Muslims won, they opened the gates of their cities, went out with singers and players of music, and paid the tribute (Futuh al-Buldan).

To sum up, although most Western writers, under the instigation of biased Orientalists of the Church, have alleged that Islam spread by the force of the sword, the spread of Islam was because of its religious content and values, and ‘its power of appeal and ability to meet the spiritual and material needs of people adhering to cultures totally alien to their Muslim conquerors’, together with some other factors. Some of these factors are the tolerance which Islam showed to people of other religions, the absence of ecclesiastic orders and hierarchy in Islam, mental freedom and absolute justice which Islam envisages and has exercised throughout the centuries, the ethical values it propagates, and Islamic humanitarianism, universalism and brotherhood, and its inclusiveness. Sufi activities, the moral superiority of Muslim tradesmen, the principle of ‘enjoining the good’, and Islamic dynamism and the magnificence of the Islamic civilization contributed of their own to the spread of Islam.

The main religious qualities which attracted people to Islam were:

the simplicity of the theological doctrines of Islam based on the Divine Unity;

rationalism of the Islamic teachings;

the complete harmony of the Islamic ideals and values with human conscience;

the inclusiveness and comprehensives of Islam, covering all aspects of physical, mental, and spiritual life of individuals and societies, hence the harmony of religion and life which it established;

the lack of formalism and mediation;

the vividness, dynamism and resilience of the Islamic theology, and its creativity and universalism, and its compatibility with established scientific facts;

the cohesion and harmony of the Islamic principles, and

the shortcomings of other theological systems.