Echoes of faith, melodies across continents

Echoes of faith, melodies across continents

Denzil Jayasinghe
·

In the soft embrace of dawn, I step onto the well-trodden path that winds around my apartment block in Penang. The sun, still veiled beneath the horizon, casts a tender promise across the land. From the nearby mosque, a melodious call to prayer ascends – a sweet yet unwavering refrain: “Allahu Akbar.”

I stand there, a fleeting silhouette against the vast canvas of existence. The prayer reverberates within me, its rhythm akin to a delicate thread weaving earth and sky. In this moment, I shed all pretense, baring my soul before the cosmic expanse. The weight of my humanity settles upon my shoulders – a burden, yet also a privilege.

“Allahu Akbar” – a declaration that transcends language, culture, and time. It echoes through the corridors of memory, etched into the marrow of my being. Back in my youth, in Dubai’s early mornings, it accompanied my awakening, a steadfast companion in a foreign land. Now, here in Penang, it weaves continuity – a bridge between past and present, vulnerability and resilience.

“Allahu Akbar” leaves me bare and helpless, and simple.

I listen, not merely with my ears, but with the porous fabric of my soul. The prayer is loud, yet it is a melody – sweet, resonant, and musical. I feel vulnerable. The prayer serves as a compass, pointing inward – a reminder that insignificance need not diminish significance. For in the whisper of those sacred words, I find solace: a fragile mortal, yet part of an eternal refrain in this vast skyline.

And then, my mind drifts to the Buddhist chantings of my boyhood mornings. They were serene, unlike the solitary Islamic prayer. These chantings resonated in unison, their tones harmonising with the rhythms of Southeast Asian nature. They calmed me, while “Allahu Akbar” stirred vulnerability within.

I wonder about whose hearts these two religious invocations have touched. Raised a Catholic, I am now secular with no attachments to established faiths, finding mystery in the melodic echoes that span continents and cultures.

I can’t wait to hear “Allahu Akbar” tomorrow morning before dawn. I want to feel vulnerable again, soothing my inner soul.

 

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