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 the Bible in the car or elsewhere, it wouldn’t be too bizarre. Reading the Qur’an? Well, that’s a curiosity! It does make me wish things were “normal” so I could take notice more often in crowds during Ramadan. Are there people openly reading the Qur’an? I would suspect not many. And how would someone respond to that? I’m a 6’4″ white guy — so, again, curiosity. But someone in a hijab? Anyway, I carried that thought with me while journeying to Chicago with the Qur’an. I don’t like where my thoughts took me, but I know it’s emblematic of a larger problem.
I didn’t expect to finish the Qur’an in 14 days nor did I plan to have my final reflection (tomorrow) be on the Eid. None of that was intentional, it’s just how it panned out. I recommend picking up a 21-day or 30-day reading plan if you want to do this yourself. The Qur’an I have even portions it out into 30 parts for you.
I noticed a shift in the reading for me. As the Surahs got shorter, I enjoyed them more. This is entirely subjective, right? But I felt like this sacred text really came alive when it was focused and erred on the side of brevity. There was still the same repetition, but the wisdom and counsel was clear and concise. Perhaps this is just my own personality relating to the text here. I loved the Hebrew and Christian scriptures when they were the same way. It’s why I love King Solomon and the Apostle Paul — clear wisdom.
Several Surahs mention events in the life of Muhammad and the history of Islam that I want to hear more about. I know they’re in the hadith, but I wonder why they’re not here. Why is the Night Journey barely mentioned here? It’s not my place to change the book, but it leaves one wondering.
The shorter Surahs provide a weird sense of catharsis. The longer Surahs with several repeated stories (Noah, Lot, Moses, Mary) weren’t as long and detailed here. Instead, I got bite sized wisdom and information about God in Islam. I found myself imagining what it was like gathering up scraps of paper, bones, leather — whatever Surahs were written on — as well as those who memorized them and figuring out how to organize them. I know there’s codices with variances, but that’s outside my scope here. I’m just struck by the realization that for the early history of the Qur’an, it was an entirely recited book. From memory.
I didn’t quite know how to feel finishing this up, but here we are. It’s words and rhythms are being digested. Looking forward to wrapping up tomorrow as over a billion Muslims finish their own journeys.
Things I Noticed in the Text
- Surah 52:20, The afterlife will have plenty of settees and wide-eyed beauties. Keep that in mind.
- Surah 54:1, A sign of the end times is when the moon has split apart.
- Surah 53:15, I love this bit about how the Jinn were created: from the “quintessence of a flame of fire.” That turn of phrase in English is a joy to read.
- Surah 65:6, Getting a divorce from one of your wives? You will give her housing and compensation. God says so.
- Surah 72:1-2, Even the Jinn repent and convert upon hearing the Qur’an. Now, I want to know more about the Jinn. They have their own world and way of being.
- Surah 75:4, Verses where a god creates just get this religion geek all excited: “We are well able to form even his very fingertips.”
- Surah 76:1, Religious existentialism also gets me excited. Here’s a brilliant reminder that there were eons when we were not. Go think about that. For billions of years, you were not you.
- Surah 86:3, Pulsating star of pure brightness. Give me the stars and you’ve won me over.
- Surah 93 – 95, Just read these. They’re beautiful.
- Surah 96, Some of the very first verses of the Qur’an right here.
- Surah 103:1-2, More existentialism and perhaps a little Hobbesian woe to get you going: “by the decline of time! Indeed, humankind is in a condition of utter loss.”
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.