Diana L. Eck, professor of comparative religion and Indian studies, said Rauf’s sermon was “extraordinary spiritual advice preached by a Muslim but on the basis of a common word that Christians and Muslims share—love of God and of neighbor. It was a real sermon.”
Rauf began his sermon by singing the Islamic call to prayer, which surprised attendee James W. Dewhurst, an exchange student from England at the College.
“I thought, this is incredibly risky ground,” he said, concerned about how the congregation would react to such a call. “It sets a breathtaking paradigm. I’ve never seen anything like that before. It’s refreshing.”
Austin said that by opening his sermon in a traditional Muslim fashion Rauf had broken new ground in the history of Harvard’s church.
“As I sat there,” Austin said, “I thought, I have lived to hear the call to prayer in Memorial Church.
—Staff writer Michelle M. Hu can be reached at michellehu@college.harvard.edu.