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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Comment
Ali Hammoud

When the world prays the solitary and individual becomes communal and universal

Composite of a man in prayer.
‘How many hushed prayers have been uttered in communion with God, seeking good in this life and salvation in the next?’ Composite: Guardian Design/Getty Images

On my birthday last year, I found myself in Westminster Abbey. I had missed the time slot for tourist visits and could only enter for the Evensong program. Being a practising Muslim, I was not familiar with Anglican liturgical rites, but curiosity prevailed and so I entered.

As I walked in, my gaze was seized by the sacred art, the high vaulted ceilings, the looming majesty of a place that, over the past nine centuries, has witnessed the coronation of every English king.

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