Day 3

A comfort is developing here with the text. The shock of what was so different about it is becoming more of a rhythm. It’s not unsettling anymore. I’ll admit, I struggle with how much this book mentions hell. The Bible isn’t too concerned with eternal places of torment (I will fight you on this. How good is your Greek and Hebrew?), but this text was right up front about it.

That isn’t to say the book is terrible for this. I am an outsider to this religion and lacking on context. My shock at hellfire is likely diminishing the many verses that remind the reader/hearer that God is all-forgiving. Anyway, that aside, I’m settling into the text. I’m getting to know its character and mannerisms. It’s like meeting a new person and learning what makes them unique. There might be things you definitely don’t like or are hard for you to understand, but sometimes a friendship forms nonetheless.

Perhaps it was the fleshed out familiar stories of Adam & Eve and Moses that helped. I love seeing the differences in how they are told, what is kept, and what is left out. As I mentioned before, it gives you a glimpse into what matters to the people for whom this text was given. But these familiar stories are crucial. They reach across divides and make a connection beyond one culture or another. In that region — and today in the West — who doesn’t know the basic story of Moses of Adam & Eve?

So, I’m feeling intrigued. From my struggles, a connection was made. I’m curious what’s to come.

Things I Noticed in the Text

1. Surah 6:60, An interesting turn of phrase here: “…it is He who takes our souls by night as you sleep. And He knows what you earn by day. Then He restores your souls, awakening you therein…” I wonder if it correlates with a belief or understanding of what sleep is? It reminded me of the old prayer: “Now I lay me down to sleep…”
2. Surah 6:97, “And He alone is the One who made the stars for you, that you might be guided by them through the veils of darkness of land and sea.” Some beautiful verses/ayahs about the natural world in this Surah.
3. Surah 6:138, The jinn are mentioned! Looking forward to learning more about them.
4. Surah 7:11-18, The classic story of God creating human beings and asking the angels to bow down…except Lucifer. In this story, his name is Iblis. I always find stories of Satan/Iblis/Lucifer fascinating because God accepts the rebellion from the angels. It’s an interesting thing to contemplate. What does that say about God?
5. Surah 7:20, The story of Adam and Eve has a fascinating difference here. The tree in the garden they are forbidden to eat of will grant immortality and angelhood instead of knowledge of good and evil.
6. Surah 7:103-155, Large chunks before this section deal with minor stories of prophets, including a few I haven’t heard of (such as Hud). This segment tells the story of Moses, which is very reminiscent of the Biblical account. What I noticed is that when Moses brings down the law, we don’t get to read what it is. Does that come later? Or was the Torah a commonplace text during this time? Curious.

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.