Service six: Pause and Muslim prayer practices

Service six- Pause and Muslim prayer practices

One religious practice worth reflecting on, is taking time out in a disciplined, regular way to re-orient ourselves to what matters most. Many Muslim traditions have well established, collective prayer and worship routines, so I invited Yasir Demirbas, a practising Muslim to talk about how to “pause” on a regular basis.

Yasir worked until recently for the Pearl of the Islands Foundation, which is a Muslim organisation dedicated to celebrating diversity and advancing cohesion between communities. He has just completed a masters thesis in psychology at the University of Auckland and now is a Diversity & Engagement Advisor at the Office of Ethnic Communities.

Below is a recording of a 15-minute interview with Yasir that describes Salah (the five daily prayers), Jummah (the Friday gathering) and Ramadan/Eid. Yasir talks about being Muslim in Aotearoa, the basic principles of the Muslim faith and how these practices are designed to help people be kind, tolerant, charitable and recognise their place in a community.

Please note that service recordings are designed to give you a feel for the worldview/philosophy behind services. They lack the music, visuals, and presence of other people that are part of real-time services.

Prompts for reflection

How do I pause?

How do I pause with others?

How am I struggling?

Music

Song to the divine Mei-lan (Live with Ali Pervez Mehdi)