New LIGHT UPON LIGHT this Friday!

THIS FRIDAY: "Tests and Trials" Revisited
October 2, 2009, 7:30 p.m.
lower level at the Noor Cultural Centre, 123 Wynford Drive map

This Friday will mark the revisiting of a favorite topic from the first season. As is often the case in our LUL gatherings, our evening of fellowship and discussion will arise from short yet evocative texts taken from the Qur'an, the prophetic traditions, from the writings of spiritual sages, and even from the sacred texts and spiritual writings of sister traditions.

NEXT TOPICS:

"Glimpses of the Religious Ideal: Spiritual Masters, Sages, and Other Friends of God in the Jewish and Islamic Traditions" -- Friday, Nov. 6, 2009
"The Mysteries of Light and Darkness" -- Friday, Dec. 4, 2009

The Light Upon Light Spirituality Discussion Series features a variety of spiritually nourishing subjects in an inclusive space where participants of all faiths actively contribute in a manner that is respectful to all.

This series is led by Dr. Timothy Gianotti
2008-2010 Noor Fellow in Islamic Studies, York University
2007-2008 Noor Chair of Islamic Studies, York University

Light refreshments will be served. Admittance is $5.

Previous Topics:

Spiritual Knowledge / Love / Tests & Trials / Loving Universally while Living within Particularity (featuring the writings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook) / On the Importance of Being a Stranger in the World / Dreams, Death and the Journeys of the Spirit / On the Art of Being Grateful / The Importance of Solitude / Core Paradoxes: freedom in servitude, wealth in poverty, life in death, gaining by spending, spiritual advancement through sin / The World of the Unseen / Spiritual Storytelling / Being a Perpetual Beginner / The Poetry of Kabir / "with a little help from my friends..." The indispensability of community for walking the path to God / Rumi & the Wisdom of the Reed Flute /Spiritual Chivalry /

PUBLIC LECTURE -- "A Life in Search of Certitude: reading al-Ghazali's autobiography as an epistemological survey of medieval Islam"

By Timothy J. Gianotti, Ph.D.
Date: Saturday April 18, 2009
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: Auditorium, Noor Cultural Centre
Admission: $5

For students of intellectual history, one of the striking characteristics of the medieval Islamic world was its willingness to accommodate multiple pathways to knowledge, an accommodation that gave rise to a remarkable mosaic of philosophical, scientific, mystical, and theological writing. Taking one small, holographic shard of this mosaic as a point of departure, this talk presents the famous autobiography of the twelfth-century theologian-jurist-mystic Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d.1111) as an epistemological survey of classical Islam. Al-Ghazali's quest for certitude thus provides access to the various ways the scientists, philosophers, mystics, and theologians conceived of and pursued truth within this complex and cosmopolitan world.

OTHER UPCOMING LECTURES IN THIS SPECIAL SERIES AT NOOR...

Offered in connection with Noor's Darwin and the Divine course, this special lecture series is open to the general public. Beginning with an examination of different ways of knowing the world, the series then looks at the creation theory of one of Islam's greatest thinkers, and culminates with a discussion on Darwin's theory of evolution.

Ibn al-'Arabi's Cosmology and the New Creation
Dr. Laury Silvers

Date: Saturday April 25, 2009
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: Auditorium, Noor Cultural Centre
Admission: $5

The Qur'an says, "Were We then tired from the first creation that they are in doubt as to the new creation?" (50:15) For Muslims, God did not rest after creating the heavens and the earth - rather, creation continues in every passing moment. This talk will be a brief introduction to Ibn al-'Arabi's vision of the cosmos as a barzakh, an "isthmus" or a relationship struck between God and Nothing, renewed in every passing moment, on every level of existence down to the tiniest atom. Ibn al-`Arabi (d. 1240) is known as the Greatest Shaykh, one of Islamic civilizations greatest mystical thinkers, philosophers, theologians, and poets.

Laury Silvers is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department for the Study of Religion at University of Toronto. Her scholarship focuses on Islam in the Formative Period, particularly Sufism, Sufi Metaphysics, and Gender.

Scientists, the Public, and Natural Selection: From Darwin to Dawkins
Dr. Bernard Lightman

Date: Saturday May 9, 2009
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: Auditorium, Noor Cultural Centre
Admission: $5

This presentation will discuss how Darwin's theory of natural selection was received by Anglo-American scientists and the public since he presented it in his Origin of Species in 1859. It will explore how the changing fortunes of natural selection have affected the way the religious implications of evolution have been perceived right up to the debates between creationists and atheists like Richard Dawkins.

Bernard Lightman is Professor of Humanities at York University, Director of the new Graduate Program in Science and Technology Studies, and Editor of the history of science journal Isis. His publications include The Origins of Agnosticism and Victorian Popularizers of Science.

Light Upon Light April 2009

Friday April 2 at 7:30 pm
Light Upon Light

Topic: "with a little help from my friends..." The indispensability of community for walking the path to God
lower level at the Noor Cultural Centre, 123 Wynford Drive map

Light Upon Light Spirituality Discussion Series features a variety of spiritually nourishing subjects in an inclusive space where participants of all faiths actively contribute in a manner that is respectful to all.

This series is led by Dr. Timothy Gianotti
2008-2009 Noor Fellow in Islamic Studies, York University
2007-2008 Noor Chair of Islamic Studies, York University

Light refreshments will be served. Admittance is $5.

Previous Topics:

Spiritual Knowledge / Love / Tests & Trials / Loving Universally while Living within Particularity (featuring the writings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook) / On the Importance of Being a Stranger in the World / Dreams, Death and the Journeys of the Spirit / On the Art of Being Grateful / The Importance of Solitude / Core Paradoxes: freedom in servitude, wealth in poverty, life in death, gaining by spending, spiritual advancement through sin / The World of the Unseen / Spiritual Storytelling / Being a Perpetual Beginner / The Poetry of Kabir

Next scheduled date:
Friday May 1 at 7:30 pm
Light Upon Light, Topic: TBA
lower level at the Noor Cultural Centre, 123 Wynford Drive map

Light Upon Light March 2009

Friday March 6 at 7:30 pm
Light Upon Light

Topic: Kabir
lower level at the Noor Cultural Centre, 123 Wynford Drive map

In anticipation of the York-Noor Journeys with Kabir Concert and Film series, celebrating the life and works of the poet-saint Kabir, join us for an evening of poetry recital and discussion.

Light Upon Light Spirituality Discussion Series features a variety of spiritually nourishing subjects in an inclusive space where participants of all faiths actively contribute in a manner that is respectful to all.

This series is led by Dr. Timothy Gianotti
2008-2009 Noor Fellow in Islamic Studies, York University
2007-2008 Noor Chair of Islamic Studies, York University

Light refreshments will be served. Admittance is $5.

Previous Topics:

Spiritual Knowledge / Love / Tests & Trials / Loving Universally while Living within Particularity (featuring the writings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook) / On the Importance of Being a Stranger in the World / Dreams, Death and the Journeys of the Spirit / On the Art of Being Grateful / The Importance of Solitude / Core Paradoxes: freedom in servitude, wealth in poverty, life in death, gaining by spending, spiritual advancement through sin / The World of the Unseen / Spiritual Storytelling / Being a Perpetual Beginner

Next scheduled date:
Friday April 3 at 7:30 pm
Light Upon Light, Topic: TBA
lower level at the Noor Cultural Centre, 123 Wynford Drive map

Circle of Sacred Knowledge, February 2009

Friday February 27, 2009
Circle of Sacred Knowledge

We continue with our exploration of traditional sacred knowledge with Dr. Timothy Gianotti who hosts this monthly open study session devoted to traditional texts of spiritual formation and sacred knowledge.

We welcome everyone to the next session on Friday February 27, from Noon to 1:00 pm.

The circle meets at the Noor Cultural Centre in the upstairs library/classroom space. We conclude well before the congregational (jum'ah) prayer service. While the texts and topics will come from the Islamic spiritual tradition, people from all faiths are invited to participate and stay for the Friday (jum'ah) prayer service which begins at 1:20 pm.

The next Circle of Sacred Knowledge will meet on the last Friday of March, the 27th, at Noon.

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Wiki Training for NCC Introduction to Islam Students

To view an onscreen tutorial for the Noor Cultural Centre's Spring Introduction to Islam Wiki, click Wiki Training Part 1

Light Upon Light Friday February 6 ,2009

Friday February 6 at 7:30 pm
Light Upon Light

Topic: Being a Perpetual Beginner

lower level at the Noor Cultural Centre, 123 Wynford Drive map

Light Upon Light Spirituality Discussion Series features a variety of spiritually nourishing subjects. This is an inclusive space where participants of all faiths actively contribute in a manner that is respectful to all.

This series is led by Dr. Timothy Gianotti
2008-2009 Noor Fellow in Islamic Studies, York University
2007-2008 Noor Chair of Islamic Studies, York University

Light refreshments will be served. Admittance is $5.

Previous Topics:

Spiritual Knowledge / Love / Tests & Trials / Loving Universally while Living within Particularity (featuring the writings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook) / On the Importance of Being a Stranger in the World / Dreams, Death and the Journeys of the Spirit / On the Art of Being Grateful / The Importance of Solitude / Core Paradoxes: freedom in servitude, wealth in poverty, life in death, gaining by spending, spiritual advancement through sin / The World of the Unseen / Spiritual Storytelling

Next scheduled date:
Friday March 6 at 7:30 pm
Light Upon Light, Topic: TBA
lower level at the Noor Cultural Centre, 123 Wynford Drive map

Outside the Faith: 4 Religious Perspectives

As part of Faith Week on January 22, 2009, at an event hosted by the Multi-Faith Resource Team at the University of Guelph, Dr. Timothy Gianotti joined a group of presenters to speak to "Religious perspectives on those who don't believe."

You can listen to an audio recording of the event here.

From the Faith Week website:
Outside the Faith: 4 religious perspectives on those who don't believe
How do we view those who do not hold the same beliefs as us? This is a critical question in a world where religion shapes politics. Does Islamic theology promote the killing of non-Muslims? Are all those that don't believe in Christ destined to hell? Four prominent religious scholars will present their views of those who fall outside their faith, both from a historical and a theological perspective. A Question and Answer period will follow.
Presenters:
Dr. Chris Chapple (Hinduism)
Dr. Jim Pankratz (Christianity)
Rabbi Ed Elkin (Judaism)
Dr. Timothy Gianotti (Islam)

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Introduction to Islam Course Winter 2009

This posting has been created to provide a public forum for discussion related to the Introduction to Islam course which began on Sunday January 10, 2009 at the Noor Cultural Centre. To comment please click on the word "comment" below. We look forward to engaging you in our ongoing discussions.

PUBLIC STATEMENT

RE: Violence in Gaza & Israel
December 31, 2008

We are both disheartened and grieved by the latest episode of heightened strife, senseless destruction, bloodshed, and widespread suffering in the Israel/Palestine conflict. Once again, we are shown how vendetta, collective punishment, and desperate acts of indiscriminate violence do not move forward the cause of social justice and peace. Indeed, if ever a victory is declared, it will be a pyrrhic victory, coming at an unimaginably high cost of life, infrastructure and property. Moreover, the means by which a conflict is conducted fundamentally shape the type of resolution that is achieved post-bellum. And so we pray for all parties – Palestinian as well as Israeli – to halt hostilities and declare a truce so that medicine, food, water, and other essential forms of humanitarian aid can be brought to those in dire need while alternatives are sought for the calming of the violence and the eventual resolution of the conflict.

When humankind has advanced so impressively in technological and material terms, the persistence and primitive nature of violence as a mode of self-assertion and as a means to resolve conflict can only be seen as a shameful backwardness that continues to plague our progress. We urge all people to seek more humane ways to address injustice, oppression, grievance, and fear; more promising paths to societal transformation and to the security and well-being that all people naturally crave. A willingness to imagine the position from the other’s point of view and a readiness to treat the other as you would wish to be treated yourself are necessary first steps to realizing just and sustainable solutions.

May God’s mercy be with the victims of the current violence, destruction, and the deprivation of basic essentials. May we find the wisdom and strength in our hearts and traditions to better promote understanding, real justice, enduring peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation in Israel/Palestine and everywhere.

Timothy J. Gianotti, Ph.D.