I went to the West and saw Islam, but no Muslims; I got back to the East and saw Muslims, but not Islam.
Interpretation
The quote reflects the distinction between the practice of a religion and its underlying principles.
Muhammad Abduh's quote highlights a profound observation about the relationship between faith and its followers. In the West, he encounters the ideological essence of Islam but notes a lack of its true practice among people, suggesting that cultural or societal factors may overshadow spiritual authenticity. Conversely, upon returning to the East, he finds individuals identifying as Muslims yet sees a departure from the core tenets of Islam itself, prompting a reflection on how religion can be perceived and practiced differently across cultures.
In practice
During a lecture on the diverse interpretations of religion, this quote can be used to illustrate cultural differences in faith practices.
I hope to see the two great religions, Islam and Christianity, hand-in-hand, embracing each other. Then the Torah and the Bible and the Qurβan will become books supporting one another being read everywhere, and respected by every nation β¦ [I am] looking forward to seeing Muslims read the Torah and the Bible.
Show a people as one thing, only one thing, over and over again, and that is what they become.
Power is domination, control, and therefore a very selective form of truth which is a lie.
Of all the animal creations of God, main is the only animal who has been created in order that he may know his Maker. Man's aim is life is not therefore to add from day to day to his material prospects and to his material possessions, but his predominant calling is, from day to day to come nearer to his own Maker.
Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo. Shovel them under and let me work- I am the grass; I cover all. And pile them high at Gettysburg. And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun. Shovel them under and let me work. Two years, ten years,and passengers ask the conductor- What place is this? Where are we now? I am the grass. Let me work.
Right here and now, one quanta away, there is raging a universe of active intelligence that is transhuman, hyperdimensional, and extremely alien... What is driving religious feeling today is a wish for contact with this other universe.
Smell is important. It reminds a person of all the things he's been through; it is a sheath of memories and security.
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