Honoring our Forebears

By Mohey Mowafy

Published in 1986, Mark Reisner’s Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water brought to public attention a growing scientific concern regarding increasing water scarcity in the western US. For instance, we had been systemically emptying the precious waters of the Colorado River onto golf courses in the Arizona desert. Candidly, my concern at that time is now dwarfed by more recent, and more disastrous, water dilemmas now facing us. No longer need we worry merely about the quantity of our water; now, we must worry about the quality of our water as well. Admittedly, for those of us living in the basin of the Great Lakes, it is difficult to contemplate running out of water, but protecting the quantity and quality of Great Lakes water is not only a regional concern; it has become a national concern, a national responsibility, as well. And climate change, with its furiously angry floods and hurricanes, will only exacerbate our water problems.

How will we negotiate the water dilemmas that shall surely face us? I suggest that one source of wisdom is none other than the world’s great religions, ancient though they may be. My focus in the remainder of this essay is on the special meanings of water in these religions and the symbolism regarding water that underpins our religious and spiritual practices. Few things are as important to spiritual traditions as water.

I was born into a Muslim family, and in my early childhood I learned the “ways,” or the teachings, in Islam regarding water. The Koran contains a plethora of verses acknowledging not only the importance but the sanctity of water, for instance, the words “. . . and, from water, God created everything alive.” This very same notion was also shared by Greek philosophers, who believed that water is none other than the source of life itself.

Water is paramount in the Hindu faith. The Ganges River is itself regarded as a holy river, and the faithful for thousands of years have gone on reverent pilgrimage to its banks. The sheer number of pilgrims over the millennia suggests the deep spiritual connectedness that the Hindu faithful feel toward the element of water. Likewise, in Christianity and Judaism, water enjoys a protean status. Think of the centrality of baptism, of Christ walking on the Sea of Galilee, of Christ turning water into wine, or of water springing forth from a rock after Moses struck it with his staff. In Buddhist practice, especially its ceremonies, water is similarly essential. Water is necessary for life, and water is commonly presented as an offering on Buddhist altars in many kinds of Buddhist services. Water, for Buddhists, also purifies and consoles, as when water is used to wash a freshly laid headstone.

In the Abrahamic faiths, before praying, the faithful often wash in ritualistic ablution. It is advised that as one washes, one should praise God for the gift of water and contemplate its life-giving properties. During funerals, the dead are bathed with water as certain prayers are ritualistically recited. In Islam, after quenching a thirst, a specific prayer of gratitude is uttered. In the Jewish tradition washing is essential upon rising and before eating. The parable of Hagar and her infant, abandoned alone in a vast sea of sand, is a story told in all the Abrahamic traditions. Muslims, in fact, consider that drinking from the well that Hagar dug in search of water for her infant as a source of eternal blessing. And so it goes. . . . Suffice it to say that across the broad array of the world’s religions, water is a primal symbol suggestive of earthly and heavenly salvation.

But why should we look upon water, and not some other molecule, with such reverence? True, holy books are not the appropriate reference for a science-based discussion. I can only speculate that the unique chemical properties of water (H2O) deserve our respectful wonderment. Water can and does exist in three different forms, solid, liquid, and gas. It expands when it freezes. It is the most abundant molecule in all animals and plants. It is a solvent to an entire world of substances. Though it comes close, water is not quite magical, but, as the world’s great religions remind us, water amply deserves our reverence and our care. We would do well in contemporary times to honor the ancient wisdom and practice of our forebears.

WATER-SAVING TIPS

Dedicate a short period in each day to contemplating our responsibility to protect our water.

Waster is too essential, and too important, to commodify. Resist its commodification by avoiding the use or purchase of commercial bottled water, except in emergencies.

Contributor’s note: Mohey Mowafy is a retired NMU professor. His education background is in human health. He is a member of the Marquette Interfaith Forum.

“The Gift of Water” columns are offered by the Northern Great Lakes Water Stewards and the Cedar Tree Institute, joined in an interfaith effort to help preserve, protect, and sanctify the waters of the Upper Peninsula.