Written by E

Drawing Wisdom from the Qur’an: Ibrahim to Al-Isra’

Day 6

A couple things jumped out at me today. First, I’m getting a dose of religious laws — which I love. It’s not on the level of the Torah, but, still. I’ll enjoy the lists while they last! Second, I should probably read the hadith at some point. So many of the stories in the Qur’an are glimpses at larger stories. The remaining details appear in the hadith (the sayings of Muhammad).

For me, the Qur’an is at its most beautiful when it describes the creation of the natural world. We get a good dose of this in the Surah known as “The Bee.” The simple poetic beauty that is described leaves me wishing the entire book was like this. That is entirely my prejudice, though. I would love a catalog of religious laws and poetic descriptions of every animal, insect, flower, and natural phenomenon.

The Qur’an is a sparse text. Which is, in itself, a wonder to behold. It spawned the second largest world religion and so it’s obviously touched hearts and changed lives. But I think it’s more than the Qur’an, it must be. There’s a rhythm to Islamic life that many other religions don’t bother with…or render optional. Here is a text you are obliged to read. Here are prayers you are expected to perform five times a day. Here’s a swath of discipline and practice to give shape and meaning to your life. Having that in the back of my mind allows me to understand this book a little more. Not fully. But just a little.

Grand Mosque, Saudi Arabia

Things I Noticed in the Text

  1. Surah 14:35, A brief story about Abraham where he hopes for Mecca to be secure for his family (see picture above).
  2. Surah 15:80-84, Thamud must’ve been a really wicked city, because we’re constantly reminded of their destruction. This time we learn they lived in a city they carved out of rock.
  3. Surah 16:1-18, So far, my favorite verses of the Qur’an. They extol the wonders of nature…including…
  4. Surah 16:68-69 Bees! Beautiful verses about bees!
  5. Surah 16:90-110, Some verses on laws and proper conduct. There’s not a lot of these in the Qur’an, which says something about its focus. The hadith, however, have all the laws.
  6. Surah 17:1, A very very very short mention of the Night Journey, which is a foundational story in the life of Muhammad. I wonder why we don’t get more here.

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.