It was around the time of the night of power - or Lailat al Kadr - but it seems Lailat is a bit of a secret. It's the night Muslims believe the Qu'ran was revealed in its entirety - but it seems no -one knows exactly what night it is.
Many Muslims believe that on the night of Lailat their fate for the next year is decided and therefore pray to God all night long and pray for mercy and salvation - and some of these students had slept on spare matresses in the mosque over the last 10 nights. It seemed to have been quite a religious and social week.
There was a friendly feeling in the room - and it seemed many friendships had been formed. I was struck by an unexpected similarity I noticed between this mosque gathering and quite a few Christian camps I had been on (like Evangelical Union) . Students and religious leaders shared the microphone, introductions were made - and interpersonal bonding took place - as well as religious observance.
I really enjoyed listening to this interview with Noel Debien in conversation with Imam Amin Hady talking about this beautiful night in he Islamic faith and the Qu'ran. It was great to see how they too struggle with the mystery of sacred scripture in our time and context. It's about 14 minutes long, and you can listen to it here. You might want to add John Cleary's Sunday Evenings to your podcast mix list.
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