With the Masters replied by selfobliged @ Mon, 13 Aug 2007 20:29:59 +0800

selfobliged — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 20:29:59 +0800

huh??

With the Masters replied by Gauze @ Mon, 13 Aug 2007 20:21:41 +0800

Gauze — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 20:21:41 +0800

On the limitations of the religious vehicle,

Infidelity of faith are not necessary conditions in love. O Naziri, I can show thee an infidel who possesses the highest degree of saintliness.
- Naziri Nishapuri

and where mechanical knowledge ends,

0nly the bird understands the textbook of the rose:
For not every reader knows the inner meaning of the page.
O you who would learn the section on love from the book of knowledge-
I fear that you do not know how to fathom it by research.
- Hafiz of Shiraz

if religion has to be about feeding wonder and is used as a psychological crutch,

If there is someone seeking God through lower aspirations,
there are always others who will not do so.
- Ibn Arabi

or for the claim of absolute Truth,

Faith and hope point beyond the present moment and thereby recognize that the Truth is not yet realized in its wholeness.
- Lawrence Of Arabia's "The Struggle"

or the culmination of arrogance,

Though I do not consider myself separate from Him,
Yet I do not consider myself God.
Whatever relation the drop bears with the ocean,
That I hold true in my belief, and nothing beyond.
- Dara Shikoh, one of the princes of the Mughal Empire

or for the cloak for hypocrisy

"A saint is a saint until he knows that he is one."
- Unknown

or dangling divine carrots in deceit

"O God! If I worship Thee in fear of Hell, burn me in Hell; and if I worship Thee in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise; but if I worship Thee for Thine own sake, withhold not Thine Everlasting Beauty!"
- Rabi'a al-Adawiyya

or where opinions and law is unchangeable,

"Woe to you, O Ya'qub! Do not write down everything you hear from me, for it happens that I hold one opinion today and reject it tomorrow, or hold one opinion tomorrow and reject it the day after tomorrow."
- Imam Abu Hanifah - Founder of one of the four major schools of sunni islam, followed by sgrean muslims.

or bringing about phobias on animals,

Bayazid encountered a dog and started to pull his robe away from it, so that it should not defile him.

The dog, in a human voice, said:

‘If I had been dry, there would have been no purpose in avoiding me. If I had been wet, you could have washed your robe. But the hate which you have towards me can never be cleansed.’

Bayazid said:

‘O enlightened dog, come and stay with me for a while.’

The dog answered:

‘That is impossible, because the world uses me as an epithet, and you are regarded by the world as a paragon.’

Bayazid exclaimed:

‘Alas! I am not fit to live with one whom the whole world regards as inferior: how can I therefore approach the Truth which all regard as the Highest of all?’

or the instituting of God's soveriegnity,

In one report, members of the Khawarij accused 'Ali (the forth and last Caliph) of accepting the judgment and dominion (hakimiyya) of human beings instead of abiding by the dominion of God's law. Upon hearing of this accusation, 'Ali called on the people to gather around him and brought out a large copy of the Qur'an. 'Ali touched the Qur'an while instructing it to speak to the people and inform them about God's law. Surprised, the people who had gathered around 'Ali exclaimed, "What are you doing? The Qur'an cannot speak, for it is not a human being!" Upon hearing this, 'Ali exclaimed that this was exactly his point. The Qur'an, 'Ali explained, is but ink and paper, and it does not speak for itself. Instead, it is human beings who give effect to it according to their limited personal judgments and opinions.

it need not be so.

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With the Masters replied by selfobliged @ Mon, 13 Aug 2007 20:29:59 +0800

With the Masters replied by Gauze @ Mon, 13 Aug 2007 20:21:41 +0800