“An Other Cup”
25 09 2007When butterflies leave their silk palaces
The scent of the garden blows towards Heaven’s way.
Like the toils of man,
Those who work to tomorrow
Will not miss the dreams of yesterday.
                                            ‘When Butterflies Leave’ by Yusuf Islam, 2006
Have you heard ‘An Other Cup’ by Yusuf Islam? Its very interesting. I like this piece because it reminds me of another saying quite like it, and both resonate with me. Also, imagine being that butterfly whose very nature directs it to something so wonderful and grand, though it has d no idea what that is. Its silk palace is one reality, the garden is another, and heaven is another still.
The title, ‘An Other Cup,’ says so much about what we hope we can achieve here in North America, which is to be that ‘other’ (in a sense) and to be firmly rooted here at the same time. When I listen to the songs I hear the sincere voice of my brother singing his experience of being a ’western’ muslim in the most honorable and universal terms. Where else can we find that? Not everyone may like his singing, his lyrics or the very ‘Cat Stevens’-like music, but we may appreciate the meaning behind his words and his music.
You can find a review of the CD here:
http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/12273731/review/12285347/an_other_cup
You can hear a bit of the CD here:
http://www.myspace.com/yusufislamÂ
Feel free to share what you think!
But do we need to identify ourselves as ‘western’ Muslims?, is not just Muslims enough?.
I guess we all need a sense of belonging and identification, but at times such identities tend to divide us (not referring to the song but merely observations of life around us) One good example I see here is the various Muslim associations, groups, etc that we have around us in the community.
Sure its good to unite, work as a group and like a family but then I see the little divides that I find surprising no one else sees (I call them subliminal divisions ;)
i.e. associations want their name out there so may not cooperate with another group. People helping one association and not the other, even student associations preferring only to work with their own and not others (Mcmaster with other mac kids, York with York, UofT with Uoft and so on)
A proper balance is required between helping ‘us’ (be it ‘western Muslims’, our association, our university) and ‘all of us’ (’Muslims and Humanity in general’). This went a bit off-topic, but somewhat related…
On a side note;
>but we may appreciate the meaning behind his words and his music.
What about other music with meaningful words (such as Phil Collins- ‘Another day in Paradise’ meant for the homeless, Seal- ‘Prayer for the Dying’ and others :)
Assalamu alaikum
Thank you for your comments. I hesitated to post them because you didn’t identify yourself by name. It would be great if you could…
Here’s what I think: I agree that labels ( I think you mean labels?) sometimes divide us. However every person/people has a right to choose who it works with and to distinguish itself from others. This is perfectly natural because we’re human beings with different experiences and preferences. In my opinion a sign of nobility and sincerity in a group is inclusivity, and of course this would naturally have limits.
Note that the label ‘western muslim’ was meant to identify someone as being raised in, or identifying with, some/all of European or North American culture. I don’t think we should use terms like ‘the West’ or the Middle East without thinking about their meaning and usage first, but they sometimes make it easier for us to identify certain things.
Whom one should help is a bit different from the topic–yes–but we definitely need a balance. I agree with you. It would be ideal if we as individuals and groups could find a way to organize our resources (such as time, money, people and institutions) in such a way that we are able to take care of various needs at once. We also know that we have a large variety of groups out there, from communities around masajid to international aid organizations, and each serves a different purpose. At the end of the day, we as an ‘ummah’ are taking care of many needs at once. We could definitely do a better job of this if more people were to give of their time and money, but we are doing a lot ma sha Allah
. Either way, as individuals we should be thinking locally and globally at once, and trying to put our personal resources where they can be maximized. For me this means working ‘locally’ with people who will steer my resources and work toward a much larger goal in the most efficient way. We can talk about this more later.
With respect to songs such as Another Day in Paradise and others, I think we can fully appreciate them as well.
Thank you again for your comments.
Laila Ali Poster…
I Googled for something completely different, but found your page…and have to say thanks. nice read….
I have another quote for you to think about:
“So, the caterpillar has emerged from the cocoon …as a shark… with a gun for a mouth.”
-C. Montgomery Burns
LOL! Smile…
love Kals