Islam Is: An Experience of Dialogue and Devotion [Paperback]

Mary Margaret Funk (Author), Shahid Athar (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Funk, a Roman Catholic nun who has participated in Christian-Muslim interfaith dialogues for seven years, offers a simple and surprisingly personal primer on her impressions of Islam. She begins in the usual manner, describing the revelations to Muhammad and the rise of Islam in 7th-century Arabia. Although the writing can be workmanlike ("I will begin by looking at the life of Muhammad"), the information is clearly presented and the tone humble and deferential. In describing the five pillars of Islam, Funk draws on some helpful personal experiences: as a Benedictine nun, she is intimately familiar with the routine of stopping worldly activities five times a day to engage in communal prayer, and therefore has a deep regard for a similar practice in Islam. She also paints a very detailed and interesting portrait of what a hajj (pilgrimage) is like, and describes how the Islamic ideal of social justice is inherent in the practices of zakat (almsgiving) and the Ramadan fast. A closing chapter explores the three questions she is most often asked about Islam: Does it foster violent fundamentalism? (Not necessarily.) Can women be considered equal partners to men? (Yes.) Can Islam be democratic? (Yes.) An afterword by her friend Shahid Athar, a Muslim American physician, gently corrects a couple of finer points, but thanks Funk for the deeply respectful attention she has given to Islam.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Islam Is... An Experience of Dialogue and Devotion" is one of the best spiritual books of the year. -- Spirituality & Health Magazine

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Lantern Books (November 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590560612
• ISBN-13: 978-1590560617
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,474,838 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sr. Mary Margaret Funk is the author of Thoughts Matter (Continuum, 1997), Tools Matter (Continuum, 1999), Humility Matters (Continuum, 2005) and Lectio Matters (Continuum, 2010) in the "Matters" series. She is also the author of Islam Is... (Lantern Books, 2003 and 2008) and her autobiography Into the Depths (Lantern Books, 2011). She was formerly the prioress of Our Lady of Grace Monastery and the Executive Director of Monastic Interreligious Dialogue. She lives at Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove, Indiana. Her website can be found at http://www.megfunk.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Islam Is. .written by a Nun;A book for Muslims & Non Muslims, March 31, 2005

By 

Wilfredoa A. Ruiz "Amr" (Hartford Seminary, Hartford Connecticut) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Islam Is: An Experience of Dialogue and Devotion (Paperback)

Islam Is ... An experience of Dialogue and Devotion, Mary Margaret Funk, Lantern Books 2003, 120 pp., Notes, Bibliography. $12.00 [ISBN # 1-59056-061-2]

Reviewed by: Wilfredo Angel Ruiz

" ... religion is not God. GOD id more than any religion." ( p. 68)

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On a very clear, basic, and concise way, Mary Margaret Funk, a Catholic Benedictine nun raised in Indiana, exposed in her book: Islam Is...An experience of Dialogue and Devotion, not only the basics of the religion of Islam, but also the topics of the spirituality involved on its devotional practice and the contemporary controversial questions on the issues of: Fundamentalism, Women's Rights, and Democratic Principles.

By the time she wrote the book in 2003, Sister Mary Margaret, engaged in over seven years of active interfaith dialogue with American Muslims. Her experience has been of great spiritual enrichment, as she emphatically described:

"...I have been pleased and awestruck at my Muslim dialogue partners' connection with and consciousness of God - the same God I love and obey - whom I call God the Father and whom they call God with no Second. Therefore, while Muslims differ from Catholics, without a doubt we can affirm one another in our way of life under this same God that transcends all of us." (p.17)

In the same line of the importance of interreligious dialogue and its relation to the spiritual development she stated that:

"whenever we become overly literal in the interpretation of our faith and insist on a linear logic to express it, the mystery that holds so much of our religious practice and feelings is diminished" (p.19)

In her second chapter called An Early Religion she offered a very simple and understandable approach to Islam where she highlighted that: "...the key to understanding Islam is to "know" this prophet [in reference to Muhammad (SWS)] and respect the Qur'an as Islam's authentic revelation. " (p.23)

After this the author kept the same line of simplicity and explained in her next chapter, the Pillars of Islam, the Muslim's religious practices or believes often comparing them to other religious practices. As for example, as for Salah (Muslim's Prayer) she mentioned:

"The fact that Muslims pray five times a day is dear to my heart since, as a Benedictine nun, I too pray five times a day. ... I have witnessed and participated in the same prayer rhythm at Buddhist and Hindu monasteries. Clearly, what is common to all these religions is a human desire to sanctify the hours in an orderly way. (p.40). ...: "The daily prayer practice provides me with the energy to give my goods as well as my time. Islam is an ingenious system of such energy direction ... (p. 41)

As she followed to discuss the Insights of Islam in her fourth chapter she identified that "Islam provides a cohesive grid of inner strength using an unmediated symbol system." (p.61); and as a catechist she admired the clarity of Islam describing it as: "an easier religion to teach, even though it was probably harder to live by." (p.62). Later she encouraged all religious practitioners to understand that religion is not God, and that God is more than any religion.

In this relatively short but strong and intense book not only the author examined spirituality issues but also she superbly analyzed women issues as she stated:

"Catholic women faced some common issues with Muslim women - from obtaining recognition as religious leaders to having the right even to speak and be respected as equals." (p.16)

Sister Mary Margaret dedicated her final chapter to answer contemporary controversial questions. Among those: Does Islam fosters violent fundamentalism? As to this, she compared violence to lying, and highlighted, citing Dr. Shahid Athar's book: Reflection of an American Muslim: "...that truthfulness is a command of God, part of faith, an essential quality for all prophets, and it is mentioned in one hundred places in the Qur'an." (p.77).

Second, on the issue of women's equality the author shared that she has:

"There are liberal and conservative groups within each country, although women are emerging as autonomous and powerful presences in all countries around the world. There are Muslim organizations working on behalf of women and supporting their struggles around the world". (p.78)

On this topic Funk emphatically concluded that there there is nothing intrinsic to Islam that curtails women's freedom. She also made reference to scholar Annemarie Schimmel as she emphasized the feminine dimension of Islam through Sufi poems of the female mystic Rabia, the Turkish poet Rumi, and others.

With a strong voice Funk encouraged the reader to be vigilant in:

" .. not allowing oppression and repression to occur in our respective religious traditions through those in power falling back on expressions such as "God said so" simply to maintain their cultural and political dominance. God is beyond such petty political maneuvering." (p. 84 -85)

This book concludes with an afterword by Islamic scholar Dr. Shahid Athar, who commented on the author's ideas from an American-Muslim perspective.

This is definitely a very intense and vivid spiritual book that I strongly recommend to both Muslims and non-Muslims.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Understanding Islam, November 18, 2004

By 

Gloria Mock (Puerto Rico) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Islam Is: An Experience of Dialogue and Devotion (Paperback)

My lack of understanding of the Islam faith prompted me to read this book. I am excited and grateful!! The clear and precise explanations of the Islam faith and the comparisons to Christianity gave me a deep understanding and appreciation of this tradition. As we live a most difficult moment historically, learning about the ongoing dialogue between monastics of different faiths gives one a hope for the conflicts that we are living. I thank Sister Meg, for sharing her experience and wisdom with us. I highly recommend it, not only from a spiritual viewpoint, but also for its political implications.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learning the basics, December 17, 2003

By 

Thomas Widner (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Islam Is: An Experience of Dialogue and Devotion (Paperback)

Sr. Funk has given us a very brief but a very helpful outline of the most basic tenets of Islam while also identifying some issues of concern for Muslims vis-a-vis their emigration to the U.S. She speaks out of her own personal experience of dialogue as a contemplative nun. She has skillfully drawn limitations for herself and has chosen not to go to great lengths to discuss pros and cons of the faith. In a sense, the book is a basic essay in which a non-Muslim tries to explain what Islam is as a first step toward understanding it better. It is therefore an invitation to explore more and she welcomes the response of the Muslim community so that she can continue a dialogue. I found the book very easy to read and extremely helpful in just beginning to understand what often seems so mysterious.