Thank you for your thoughtful and informative response to my simple words. Your words, "In Islam, desires are not merely seen as fleeting whims, but as potential pathways to fulfilling one's purpose...." resonate with the Ignatian Spiritual Tradition, under the umbrella of Christianity, which may be summed up this way. "The deepest desire of your heart is not other than God's deepest desire for you." Therefore, the practice of prayer and intention of worship is to open the way to discern our deepest desire and be empowered to express it in fulfillment of our true nature (and vocation) and the revelation of God's presence on earth. As you beautifully articulate, the 'niyah' is the pivot on which desire turns away from self serving to serving for the glory of God/Allah. In Christianity we express this intention in the prayer, "Not my will, Your will be done."

In response to your closing query, "how we can collectively inspire others to embrace their desires as a means of connecting with the divine essence?" I join you in this desire. For years I have been engaged with faith leaders representing multiple traditions, including Islam. We have engaged many topics and introduced our 'peoples' to each other. However, we have not engaged the invitation to plumb to the depths of desire as a way to encounter the divine. I have, and continue to, give spiritual counsel to individuals and groups grounded in the practice of discernment of desire. To date, that has occurred only within the context of Christianity. What thoughts do you have for growing a more expansive context?

Grace and Grit,

Rev. Debra