AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen
Rania called for incorporating the values and postures of prayer into “the rest
of our lives and the rest of the world” on Thursday, while delivering the
keynote speech at the 2023 National Prayer Breakfast Gathering’s International
Luncheon in Washington DC.
اضافة اعلان
Her Majesty affirmed that
religion is not “a shelter for hiding,” but “a launch pad for living,”
according to a statement from Her Majesty’s office.
Earlier in the day, His Majesty
King Abdullah delivered the keynote speech of the gathering’s flagship
breakfast event, which was attended by HRH Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah,
guests from more than 140 nations, and leading US figures from across the
political and religious spectrums.
“Like hundreds of millions of
Muslims, my day began before sunrise, with the first of our five daily
prayers,” Her Majesty said, adding that the dawn, suspended between dark and
light, is “a time that underscores the sacred that we find in the shades of
grey and the beauty inherent in nuance and texture”.
‘Dismaying contrast’“This moment stands in dismaying
contrast with so much of what we’re seeing all around us,” Queen Rania said.
“In this polarized environment, people feel increasingly obliged to commit to
one side: left or right, in or out, for or against, idolize or cancel. And,
rather than spurring productive engagement, it’s forcing false political
choices.”
Queen Rania explained that, in
response to the different challenges of modern life, many have found refuge in
clinging to religious identity. However, she countered that “religion isn’t
just about who we are, but what we do and how we do it,” adding that faith is
meant to help guide our way in the world and center our lives.
“In this polarized environment, people feel increasingly obliged to commit to one side: left or right, in or out, for or against, idolize or cancel. And, rather than spurring productive engagement, it’s forcing false political choices.”
“In one day of prayer, Muslims
ask God to guide us to the path at least 17 times — which, of course, is to
admit 17 times every day that we need help to find it,” she said. She suggested
that prayer itself can lead us toward a better path that “rises above the
binary,” which she described as “the third way”.
Her Majesty stated that in order
to walk this path it is essential to recognize that each person represents a
blend of sometimes conflicting attributes, and resist applying sweeping
generalizations.
“Our win doesn’t need to be
someone else’s loss. And being right doesn’t mean that the other side is wrong
— only that we need other points of view to see a multi-dimensional picture,”
she said.
“The third way is the only path
we can walk together, with our full selves, and without prejudice,
polarization, or preconceived battle lines,” Queen Rania emphasized. “We won’t see
it on a map, but prayer invites us to embody postures that we’ll need in order
to find it.”
‘Humility’Naming “humility” as the first
posture of prayer, Her Majesty explained that, when Muslims pray, they bow.
“When we lay ourselves down, we restore our sense of scale. We accept that our
power and perspective are small,” she said, adding that this allows us to see
ourselves and others more clearly.
Her Majesty termed “unity” the
second necessary posture, citing the example of the Muslim pilgrimage of Hajj,
the world’s largest annual human gathering, which brings together worshippers
from all walks of life as equals before God.
“Unity is what helps us zoom out and see that we’re all circling the same desires: safety, belonging, (and) a future for our children.”
“Each time I make this journey
around the Kaaba — the same journey as countless pilgrims before me and
countless to come after me — I find myself weeping as I walk, overwhelmed to be
part of a story so much bigger than myself,” Queen Rania said. “Unity is what
helps us zoom out and see that we’re all circling the same desires: safety,
belonging, (and) a future for our children.”
Queen Rania identified the final
posture as “hope,” which she described as inherent in the act of prayer itself.
Her Majesty noted that, in order to hope and pray for a better world, we must
have faith “that each new dawn is our chance to make it so.”
Highlighting the role that each
posture — humility, unity, and hope — plays in guiding us to the third way, the
Queen affirmed that, while we will stumble from the path, we always have the
chance to return, whether “on a prayer mat, at the communion table, in a
synagogue, a temple, in the privacy of our home,” or even “walking in nature,
or in a simple moment of quiet contemplation.”
The National Prayer Breakfast Gathering
is an annual event attended by religious and political figures from the US and
around the world. Following the event’s flagship breakfast event in the
morning, the International Luncheon honors members of the US Diplomatic Corps,
and is attended by ambassadors to the US, UN representatives, and international
guests.
Queen Rania accompanied King
Abdullah and Crown Prince Hussein this week on a working visit to the US. She
was joined at the International Luncheon by HRH Princess Iman.
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