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And the goal of religious practice – specifically, the purpose of following the sunnah (way) of the Prophet (peace and blessings) is to recover as much light as we can, by attempting to judge in an illuminated mode. The religion is effective across all cultures and times, because while the language games vary, the mode of illumination does not.
The signs and their rules for combination vary over time and culture: they are open systems. I travel to work in the city every day by train, I do not travel across the dessert on seasonal caravan in trade. Perhaps I have travelled to London, rather than Medina, to seek sanctuary from conflict. I speak English, not Arabic as a first language, and see fields wheat here, not oases and dessert. The signs and their possible configurations form language games that are infinite in their mutability. However, the mode of illuminated judgement does not vary across the language games.
As a follower of the religion, my practice is to assemble the signs I am given in such a way as to form illuminated judgements. To attempt to speak, to perceive, to act, to do, to form judgements after the fashion of prophecy.
As a follower, I most often fail.
But when I succeed, perhaps in prayer, in dhikr or maybe buying a litre of milk, I have arranged my signs to judge in a fashion that harmonizes the illumated modes of intimation, our signs’ mode of deferral to the Beloved, and I have obtained a portion of prophecy. At this moment, I have discovered (or, rather, recovered) an aspect of Sophia .
And the goal of religious practice – specifically, the purpose of following the sunnah of the Prophet is to recover as much light as we can, to realise the Sophia wherever we journey.
our kenetic frenetic
a kind of kiss from your side to mine
this diamond dialectic
so rare so fine in hidden designcoo-coo we showing you
the lines of flight define your view
no horizon, it’s a language game
while the truth runs through your veins
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