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Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is a major figure in current efforts to conduct constructive and meaningful religious understanding through interfaith dialogue. He is also an eloquent speaker on topics of spirituality, as these five video clips will show, and is often sought to explain Islam to Western audiences. His most recent book, What's Right with Islam : A New Vision for Muslims and the West (HarperSanFrancisco, 2004 in hardcover and 2005 in softcover), received the following accolade from H. M. Queen Noor of Jordan: “Imam Feisal speaks from the heart about the higher ground on which we can all unite.” World Wisdom was privileged to interview Imam Feisal on January 22, 2005 on a number of fascinating topics. The following five video clips are excerpted from that interview.
This first in a series of World Wisdom slideshows on our interview with Imam Feisal will focus on the question of man’s nature as it is shown in the Quran, Islam’s holy book. Although it is not included here, Imam Feisal began his talk by pointing out that it is, in fact, only correct to say, for example, ‘God Most High says, in the Holy Quran…’ or other words to that effect. The Quran itself doesn’t say anything—it is God who speaks through it. This is the traditional Muslim understanding, and it an important point of departure for the discussion on what we can find about the nature of human beings in the Quran.
In this first video clip, Imam Feisal speaks of the Quranic narrative that reveals man (in the generic sense, i.e., humankind) to be a creature of two natures: Geomorphic (earthly, carnal) nature, and theomorphic (spirit nature). He interprets for us the Quranic story of why the angels prostrate to man upon his creation.
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