Day 2

A colleague pointed out that listening to Quranic can be quite beautiful and, well, I had forgotten. It is indeed beautiful and I am surprised at how many words I can make out. I remember sitting in mosques in Konya hearing the imam recite the verses in a beautiful cadence. So it is with these recitations. It highlights that this book was originally, as the name suggests, a Recitation!

Which is probably why it feels a little weird reading it. I’m just now starting to feel comfortable with the format, flow, and cadence. Reading the several repetitious phrases feels like a device used to aid memorization, and it probably is. Whether a divine text or not, it’s helpful.

I feel like there’s something missing. There’s mention of several stories that are familiar to me because, well, I read the entire Bible, but I find myself wondering where those gaps in knowledge are filled in if you’re a convert to Islam? I’ll probably ask some Muslim friends, just out of curiosity. Or maybe I’m too early in my reading and the details come later.

That being said, it is interesting to see what is lifted up from certain stories like Noah, Cain and Abel, or Jesus. It’s as if to say: Here’s the heart of this story for the people whom this Qur’an was revealed. And in a way I cannot pinpoint yet, that’s beautiful.

Things I Noticed in the Text

1. Surah 4:4, Polygamy is mentioned several times in this book. Hey, the Hebrew scriptures did, too! Mentions here are less subtle, though, and it stood out.
2. Surah 4:23, A looooong list of forbidden marriages is listed here. From sisters to aunts to people currently married. This feels a lot like other purity codes that ask: “How shall we be different?”
3. Surah 4:34, Strike your wife with a light hand. Hm.
4. Surah 4:157, Jesus wasn’t really crucified, which is a big difference from other stories about him. It does relate to some Gnostic accounts of what happened to Jesus.
5. Surah 4:163, A list of prophets who received revelations, such as Moses, Ishmael, Jonah, and Jesus. The Psalms get a special shoutout as a revelation, too!
6. Surah 5:3, We get the well-known dietary restrictions in Islam as well as a reminder to not cast lots. Don’t worry, though, if you’re starving, you can break the dietary rules (5:6).
7. Surah 5:6, If you’ve never seen ritual ablutions before prayer, there’s something hypnotic about it. Here’s the how-to guide.
8. Surah 5:31, The story of Cain and Abel. After Cain murders Abel, God sends a crow to dig a grave for Abel…and it is at this point, Cain is repentant. Fascinating difference in the story!
   Surah 5:73, The Trinity is called out — and it has been a couple times already. What this tells me is that the Trinity was a well-established doctrine in Christianity (even with Gnostic sects everywhere).
9. Surah 5:103, Here we find a prohibition against offering up specific types of camels. I absolutely love when purity codes are specific. Is it possible to be a purity/holiness code geek? Anyway, no “free-grazing she-camels,” thank you very much.
10. Surah 5:124, I’m really curious about this story. It involves Jesus calling down a table-spread (hence the name of the Surah) as a miracle before his disciples. Is this the Quranic version of the Lord’s Supper?

This post is part of a larger series where I read the entire Qur’an in ~21 days. Take a look at the original post for more info, as well as links to other reflections on this journey.