Beautifully. Human.

I rolled into the Al-Azhar Mosque in downtown Cairo.

It’s fair to say my appearance raised a few eyebrows, as I walked into one of the large prayer areas.

I was greeted by these guys. One of the men quickly jumped up and offered me his seat, and then parked himself on the ground. We sat together and chatted for over half an hour. Their English was quite good compared to my Arabic.

They explained that they pray five times a day. To me, that’s like meditating five times a day… impressive!

I informed them I was on the hunt to find an English written Quran, not to convert to Islam faith, but to understand and explore the consistencies between Islam and other religions.

They seemed impressed by that. My new friends, decorated me, blessed me and assured me Islam would be a good choice. When I left, I shook all their hands and looked them in the eye, with a heart felt “Shukran." I left feeling a warmth in my chest.

No matter our religion, culture, or race... at the core, we are all the same.

Beautifully. Human.