The Koran (Islam, Part 3)

[Click here for the entire series on Islam]

[In 2006, after moving to First UMC Lexington and in the middle of the Iraq War, I decided that I and my congregation needed to know more about Islam.  So besides giving a couple of lectures to this Thursday evening study group of around 30 members (the kind you'd receive in college about the life of Muhammad, Sunnis and Shias, the Five Pillars of Islam, etc.), I thought to myself "why not go the extra mile (did you know that's a reference from the New Testament, Matthew 5:41?) and actually read the Koran/Qur'an."  I knew that the Koran was actually about the size of the New Testament and was therefore readable in about 3 months, 50 pages or so a week.  So that's what we did.]

If you really want to know what Christianity is about, you can either talk to a Christian or go read the Gospels.  Which do you think will give you the better, more reliable answer?  Duh.  The same is true in Islam, if you want to know what it's about, go read the Koran.  The Koran (or better, Qur'an) is the basic sacred document/scripture of Islam, just as the Gospel is the basic sacred document/scripture for Christianity.  Reading it will give you the best idea of what Islam was originally all about. 

Muslims believe the Koran to be the literal word of God as revealed to Muhammad, over a period of twenty-three years by the angel Gabriel, and regard it as God's final revelation to mankind.  The Koran was written in the language of Arabic (the New Testament, on the other hand, was written in the Greek language, while the Old Testament was written in Hebrew), and it consists of 114 chapters with a total of 6,236 verses. (By way of comparison, the New Testament has 260 chapters and 7,956 verses.)  There are numerous English translation of the Koran (just like the Christian Bible), and here is one you can access online:  http://quran.com/.

The first chapter of the Koran is the most important, in that it is recited in prayer every day by every faithful Muslim in the original Arabic.  Here it is in English translation:

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Praise be to God, Lord of the Universe,

The Compassionate, the Merciful,

Sovereign of the Day of Judgment!

You alone we worship, and to You alone we turn for help.

Guide us to the straight path,

the path of those whom You have favored,

Not of those who have incurred Your wrath,

Nor of those who have gone astray.

This chapter, often called the Exordium, illustrates the simplicity of both the Koran and Islam, I think.  It is a basically a prayer of praise to God (Allah in Arabic, Elohim in Hebrew, Theon in Greek ), with a request for divine assistance in living a life of which God would be pleased.

The second chapter of the Koran begins: "This Book, there is no doubt in it, is a guide to those who guard (against evil).  Those who believe in the unseen and keep up prayer and spend out of what We have given them. And who believe in that which has been revealed to you and that which was revealed before you and they are sure of the hereafter.  These are on a right course from their Lord and these it is that shall be successful."  [The 'we' in the above passage seems to be in the Koran a reference to God speaking directly to the hearer/reader.]

The second chapter is the longest chapter of the Koran (286 verses), and in it, we find the basic viewpoint of Islam set forth.    Namely, an acceptance of the basic Jewish scriptures and story--beginning with the creation of Adam, the faithfulness of Abraham, the formation of Israel under Moses' leadership in the desert, followed by an acceptance of Jesus as God's messenger and Christians as believers in God, all of which is testified to by God's final prophet, Muhammad.  [If you only have time to read one thing from the Koran, read the second chapter.  Your friends will be amazed... and shocked!]

This will surprise many Christians who don't know anything about Islam, but the fact is that the first reference to Jesus in the Koran is here in chapter two, and it is favorable: “We gave Jesus son of Mary veritable signs and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit.” (2:87)   And both Jews and Christians are clearly referred to as believers who, if they are faithfully, will be rewarded by God:  “Believer, Jews, Christians, and Sabaeans—whoever believes in God and the Last Day and does what is right—shall be rewarded by their Lord; they have nothing to fear or to regret.” (2:62)   Jews and Christians are repeatedly and respectfully referred to in the Koran as 'people of the Book'.

2:177 contains what I think to be the most basic description of what it means to be a Muslim in the entire Koran:  “The righteous man is he who believes in God and the Last Day, in the angels and the Book and the prophets; who, though he loves it dearly, gives away his wealth to kinsfolk, to orphans, to the destitute, to the traveler in need and to beggars, and for the redemption of captives; who attends to his prayers and renders the alms levy; who is true to his promises and steadfast in trial and adversity and in times of war. Such are the true believers; such are the God-fearing.”

The Koran goes on in this fashion for almost 8,000 verses, and while there are some verses that seem to contradict other verses, for the most part, it follows in what I have described above.  It is well worth reading, because you will then understand Islam from the original, founding Scripture, which is the correct understanding (and, might I add, massively violated and abused by terrorists/extremists who happen to be Muslim).

In fact, I would say this: UNTIL you read it, have the courtesy (or perhaps decency) not to criticize it, because you probably will only be speaking out of ignorance. 

Shalom/Salam/Peace.  (To be continued)