Reading the Qur'an

I am embarking on a reading of the Qur'an.  I have wanted to since college but put it off, however after attending an evangelical-leaning church for two years, I realized in a car ride today with my more left-leaning friends that I have begun questioning my long-held conviction that the God of the Bible and Allah in the Qu'ran are one in the same.  Having not read the Qur'an, of course, this conviction was based on nothing other than the desire for the world to be a happy place where everyone gets along (as my family wasn't) and did not stand up to the assertion by my zealous Pakistani ex-Muslim friend who claimed that Allah could not be the same God as the God in the Bible because in the Qur'an it says _X_ (which I don't remember).  But anyway, that assertion was enough to erode my so-called conviction, which like most things wasn't something so much I believed but a pleasant compromise position that served my purposes in most the circles in which I traveled.  So, I decided it was time to see for myself.

I will cut to the chase after such a wordy prologue.

What stands out to me about the Qur'an, in starting to read from the beginning, includes:


- The recitation seems to be directed toward the disaffected descendants of Ishmael, but seeking to move readers beyond factionalism to a common reference point in Abraham.  It is not directed toward "Muslims" - as no such people would have existed at the time of the recitation.  Rather, it orients itself as pointing out the common problems with the practice of religion of both Jews and Christians:

They say: ‘Become Jews or Christians and you will be guided aright.’
Say: ‘Rather, the religion of Abraham, of pristine faith. Nor was he a polytheist.’
Say: ‘We believe in God, and in what was revealed to us, In what was revealed to Abraham, to Ishmael, to Isaac and Jacob and the Tribes, In what was revealed to Moses and Jesus, In what was revealed to prophets by their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, And to Him we surrender.’

Khalidi, Tarif (2009-07-23). The Qur'an: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) (Kindle Locations 577-581). Penguin Classic. Kindle Edition. 

As for the believers, for the Jews, the Christians and the Sabeans* who believe in God and the Last Day, and who do righteous deeds - these have their wage with their Lord. No fear shall fall upon them, nor shall they grieve.

Ibid,  447-448.

They say: ‘Only Jews and Christians will enter the Garden.’ Such are their fancies! Say to them: ‘Show me your proof if you speak the truth.’ Yes, indeed. He who surrenders his face to God in all piety shall receive his reward from his Lord. No fear shall fall upon them, nor shall they grieve.

Ibid, 537-539.

This last quote I like particularly because it points to an unsavory aspect present even today in evangelical Christianity, namely that of in-grouping and exclusivity claims by a religious body regarding who may enter heaven.  To this, the text answers (as does the Bible, but Christians seem to miss the possibility that it could apply to them) that it is a turn of the heart - "surrenduring... in all piety" that is more important - than to which doctrine you ascribe.


- The text does not seem to deny Jesus' sonship, as I have often heard attributed to it.  Rather, it seems to acknowledge this claim, and put a different emphasis on it than Christianity evolved to - namely, to by it assert further God's power and sovereignty, which seems to be more of the intention of the text.

They say: ‘God has fathered a child.’ Glory be to Him! To Him, rather, belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth. All mankind obeys Him. Marvellous Creator of the heavens and the earth! When He decrees a matter, He merely says to it: ‘Be!’ and it is. 

Ibid, 545-547 

- In general, the wisdom and correction it issues forth seem on-par if not more direct and biting than anything we will find in the old or new testament regarding the necessity for genuine faith and the description and punishment for hypocrisy.  Take this example, which not only captures the Christian doctrine of predestination but also adds a nuanced understanding of how the evil lie to themselves - an awareness I wish were more present in Christianity:

As for the unbelievers, it is all the same if you warn or do not warn them: they will not believe. God has sealed up their hearts, their hearing and their vision with a shroud, and terrible punishment awaits them. Among people, there are those who say: ‘We believe in God and in the Last Day.’ But they are not true believers. They try to deceive God and the believers but, unknown to them, deceive only themselves. Sickness abides in their hearts and God increases their malady. A painful punishment awaits them for the lies they uttered. And if someone says to them: ‘Do not sow discord in the earth,’ they answer: ‘We are merely trying to bring people together.’ In truth, they are sowers of discord, but they know it not.

Ibid, 368-374. 

- Lastly,  contrary to most popular belief - among fundamentalist Muslims and Christians alike - the text does not seem to prescribe violence.  Although it is easy to see how for the simple-minded, this would be extrapolated:

O believers, retaliation for the slain is ordained upon you: A free man for a free man, a slave for a slave, a female for a female. But if a brother is forgiven by another regarding what is ordained, then gracious pardon must be offered, and seemly deliverance of payment made. This is an act of leniency from your Lord and a mercy. Whoever commits aggression thereafter, painful torment awaits him. The prospect of retaliation saves lives, O you who are possessed of minds - perhaps you will fear God. 

Ibid, 650-654.

What I read in this is not an order toward violence, but rather a demand for accountability: transgressors must be made to know their sin, otherwise, how will they learn?  However, as a caveat to this, forgiveness reigns as an even stronger law.  Not forgiveness that we come up with on our own, but forgiveness that we are bound to BECAUSE another has forgiven us (cf Luke 7:47).   Violence - as aggression - is strictly forbidden.  It emerges that the threat of retaliation - rather than the retaliation itself - is the important element, in teaching us to fear God.  This is an even more humane expression of the ever-popular "spare the rod, spoil the child" in Christianity (Proverbs 13:24).



If what I take from this brief introductory reading of the Qur'an holds true, I would say that reading the Qur'an is of utmost importance - not as a way of "understanding our enemies," as I am afraid it would often be taken, but as an additional word from God for any who consider themselves pious.  The proscription of hypocrisy is even more crisp and upfront, and it seems directed toward dividing those who please God by their faith from those who posture with their religiosity - a theme taken up strongly first by Jesus in his evisceration of the Pharisees, and in Matthew 6:1-8.

I may come across more in the reading that challenges this hypothesis, but in the recitation issued through Mohammed I see a continuing accusation and warning against hypocrisy - issued by the One and Only God - leveled at Christians and Jews, but directed specifically at an audience who may have culturally been ostracized by both these groups, as descendants of the banished Ishmael, born to Hagar when Abraham showed his human weakness and doubted God's promise.  These people deserve salvation too, and it would not be like my God to allow the descendants of Ishmael to suffer vile treatment - by Jews and Christians alike who were not living up to what He had taught them about brotherhood - without stepping in and saying something for their benefit.

I do not agree that what I have read so far was meant by God to spur a new, separate religion called "Islam," but then again I also do not believe necessarily that God wanted "Christianity" to emerge to contend with Judaism.  Rather, I believe each action by our God is part of his ongoing effort to reach out to us, point out to us where we are off and our souls are in danger because of it, and invite us back into right relationship with his loving compassion and mercy.