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Quote by Feisal Abdul Rauf

“I read, read enormously on all different fields of Islamic thought, from philosophy to Islamic literature, poetry, exegeses, knowledge of the Hadith, the teachings of the prophet. That's how I trained myself. And then I was appointed imam by a Sufi master from Istanbul, Turkey.”

Quote by Feisal Abdul Rauf

Author

Feisal Abdul Rauf

Feisal Abdul Rauf, born in 1948, is an Imam known for his work in promoting interfaith dialogue and understanding between Muslims and other religious groups. He has been involved in various initiatives aimed at fostering peace and tolerance. more

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“I was completely surrounded by religion from a young time. I was taught by my father. I engaged in discussions with him and many of these scholars who visited and came around the dining table, the lunch table, and attended many lectures with my dad. And so I learned the apprentice way.”

Way Young Father Taught Dad Tables My Dad Discussion Engaged Lunch Scholar Lectures Dining Apprentice Dining Table

Author:Feisal Abdul Rauf

“I worked as a teacher in the public school system in New York City for several years, and I was a victim of the layoffs, you know, in the mid-'70s. And then I worked as a sales engineer for a company in New Jersey that was selling industrial filtration equipment.”

Knows Years School Cities Company Teacher New York Victim Selling New York City Engineers Equipment Public School Jersey New Jersey School System Layoff Filtration

Author:Feisal Abdul Rauf

“I've spoken with friends who are rabbis and priests and we've agreed that most people have an emotional attachment to their faith, a desire to fulfill their spiritual longings, but they are not experts in understanding the history of their religion.”

People Spiritual Desire Understanding Emotional Longing Experts Priests Attachment Rabbi

Author:Feisal Abdul Rauf

“In the 20th century, the Muslim world created a vision of religious nationalism. Turkey, for example, had to be ethnically Turkish. Kurds, Armenians, other minorities didn't have a place in such a vision of a nation-state.”

World States Nations Religious Vision Century Example Minorities Nationalism 20th Century Turkeys Turkish Muslim World Armenians Kurds

Author:Feisal Abdul Rauf

“When I was younger, I was always described as happy-go-lucky.”

Lucky Happy Go Lucky

Author:Michael J. Fox

“It is part of my responsibility as a bridge builder to speak the truth about what's great about America, what we've done right, and what our less glorious moments. And many people feel that the Iraq adventure, for example, has been one of our less glorious moments.”

People Feels Has Beens Done Moments America Speak Responsibility Example Adventure Iraq Bridges Glorious Speak The Truth Builder

Author:Feisal Abdul Rauf

“Staying chaste until marriage, a commandment of my faith, was one of the most difficult challenges of my young life. I had a powerful sense that if I did not get a grip on my identity, my ethics, and my religion, I would go off the rails.”

Ifs Young Difficult Challenges Powerful Identity Ethics Staying Commandments Rail Chaste Difficult Challenges Young Life

Book:Moving the Mountain: Beyond Ground Zero to a New Vision of Islam in America

Source: Moving the Mountain: Beyond Ground Zero to a New Vision of Islam in America

“Sufis teach that we first must battle and destroy the evil within ourselves by shining upon it the good within, and then we learn to battle the evil in others by helping their higher selves gain control of their lower selves.”

Firsts Self Helping Evil Teach Higher Battle Gains Shining Sufi Higher Self Evil Within

Author:Feisal Abdul Rauf

“The American principles of democracy expresses the deepest values of the Sharia both structurally and in the government... Sharia requires us Muslims anywhere to abide by the law of the land.”

Government Law Values Principles Democracy Land Sharia

Author:Feisal Abdul Rauf

“The thing about the Islamic situation is we don't have a church. We don't have an ordained priesthood, which makes it a little complicated. But we do have a tradition of scholarship, and rules of scholarship. It's very much like any field of knowledge.”

Littles Church Situation Fields Tradition Complicated Islamic Scholarship Priesthood

Author:Feisal Abdul Rauf