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All in Good Faith
This is our offering, we are united in caring for the world in which we live, as each petal takes its perfect form, we shall cradle it.
Islam - Islam particularly honours the Rose as a special flower, so we have brought a Rose Bush. Some say that the rose was created by a drop of perspiration which fell from Mohammed's (S] (7) forehead during His heavenly journey. The prophet himself is said to have been very fond of roses. The rose is perfect, and the true representative of everything spiritual. It reveals the beauty of the divine face which is immortal and will never perish.
The Rose Bush is placed on the table in the middle of the room
Not only the rose is important in Islam, plants, trees and flowers are appreciated to the extent that Paradise is seen as a garden. We believe that we should care for nature as it's beauty represents and praises Allah. We would like to read a poem by Yunus, a medieval mystic who describes Paradise like this:
The rivers all in Paradise Flow with the word Allah, Allah, The branches of the Tuba Tree the tongue reciting the Qu'ran, the roses there in Paradise their fragrance is Allah, Allah. (8)
This poem uses common Islamic symbolism to describe Paradise. Within, everything flows with praise for Allah, including trees and roses. The ecological significance is clear, if plants and wildlife are capable of giving praise to Allah, how can we destroy them without good reason ?
This is our offering
This is our offering, we are united in caring for the world in which we live, as each petal takes its perfect form, we shall cradle it.
Judaism - We have brought an embroidery of some almond tree blossom. This is a symbol of the Jewish New Year for trees. Traditionally when the almond trees blossomed, was a time when tithes were presented to God. This is a symbol of giving the best of what you have been given from God, back to Him.
The embroidery is placed on the table in the middle of the room
We will now read a prayer which is used at a special tree planting ceremony, it promotes caring for trees and acknowledges conservation as a religious duty:
Give dew for a blessing and cause beneficent rains to fall in their season To satiate the mountains of Israel and her valleys And to water thereon every plant and tree And these saplings
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