I didn’t set out to read the Qur’an and finish it on the Eid al’Fitr, but I did. It feels fitting, but I want to be clear that I didn’t undertake this as a Ramadan observance. That is not my tradition and I wouldn’t want to cheapen a month that means so much to so […]
Day 12, 13 & 14 Taking the Qur’an on the road means time to spend with the last 68 Surahs in this journey. It’s a weird thing to carry another holy book with me on a journey. Normally, let’s be honest, I don’t carry any. But in the United States, if someone saw me reading […]
Day 10 & 11 Thinking today about the character of God in the Qur’an. Well, the character of God, gods, or goddesses in any religious tradition. I know I use the word “God” here, but there are characteristics between the God of Islam and the God of Christianity that are distinct. I know some people […]
Day 9 My mind is all about the Queen of Sheba today. In high school, I had to do a project on the Abyssinian Empire, so I got to dive into myths and stories about Sheba and Solomon quite a bit. I even create a pretty great (If I say so myself) video illustrating the […]
Day 7 & 8 I’m now well over half-way done reading the Qur’an. It feels like a good point to take stock of this experiment. I’m glad I lumped two days of reading together because I’m finding my interaction with the text is much different than the Bible. I’m trying to be respectful of the […]
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 […]
Day 5 Here’s what stands out. Beyond wanting to hear more about the prophet Hud or Salih, beyond the retelling of the story of Joseph, beyond any of the other brief mentions of other prophets — what I notice most about these stories is the primacy of God. In the Hebrew scriptures, God is present. […]
Day 4 The 8th Surah of the Qur’an goes into detail about how to split the spoils of war. Just as the endless battles could unnerve me in Hebrew Scriptures, I find it equally unnerving here. Then again, I’m reading this in a time and place removed from the original composition. I’ve said it often […]
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 […]
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 […]