More Verses from the Koran (Islam, Part 4)

[In this fourth post in my series on Islam, I simply want to excerpt more verses from the Koran, passages that most non-Muslims have never seen before.  I would assume that most Muslims have seen them, because Muslims tend to read their holy book.  The numbers before the verses indicate the chapter  and verse(s) of the reading in the Koran itself.  Of course, there are verses that would show the less attractive side of Islam in the Koran, and you can read them for yourself in the Koran (http://quran.com/).  Am I 'cherry picking'?  A little, but not as much as you might think!  My point here is to show that there is much in the Koran that is appealing to non-Muslims and that divurges from the commmon stereotypes that we have of Islam.] 

2:115    “To God belongs the east and the west. Whichever way you turn there is the face of God. He is omnipresent and all-knowing.”

2:136    “Say, ‘We believe in God and that which has been revealed to us; in what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the tribes; to Moses and Jesus and the other prophets by their Lord. We make no distinction among any of them, and to Him we submit.’”

2:151     [On the sending of Muhammad] “Thus have We sent forth to you an apostle of your own who will recite to you Our revelations and purify you of sin, who will instruct you in the Book and in wisdom and teach you that of which you had no knowledge. Remember me, then, and I will remember you. Give thanks to Me and never deny Me.”  [The 'We' and the 'Me' here is clearly meant to refer to God, speaking directly to his people through the text.]

2:190     [Rules of war]  “Fight for the sake of God those that fight against you, but do not attack them first. God does not love the aggressors.”

2:256     “There shall be no compulsion in religion.”

4:163     “We revealed Our will to Noah…to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the tribes; to Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, Solomon and David, to whom We gave the Psalms.”

4:171     “People of the Book [Christians], do not transgress the bounds of your religion. Speak nothing but the truth about God. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was no more than God’s apostle and His Word which He cast to Mary: a spirit from Him. So believe in God and His apostles and do not say: ‘Three.’…God is but one God. God forbid that He should have a son!”

5:13      “Because they [the Jews] broke their covenant We laid on them Our curse and hardened their hearts…You will ever find them deceitful, except for a few of them. But pardon them and bear with them. God loves those who do good.”

5:82     “You will find that the most implacable of men in their enmity to the faithful are the Jews and the pagans, and that the nearest in affection to them are those who say: ‘We are Christians.’ That is because there are priests and monks among them; and because they are free from pride.”

9:68-71     “The hypocrites are all alike. They enjoin what is evil, forbid what is just, and tighten their fists…Surely they are evil-doers. God has promised the hypocrites, both men and women, and the unbelievers, the fire of Hell....The true believers...are friends to one another. They enjoin what is just and forbid what is evil; they attend to their prayers, and render the alms levy, and obey God and His apostle. On these God will have mercy…God has promised the men and women who believe in Him gardens watered by running streams, in which they shall abide forever: goodly mansions in the gardens of Eden: and , what is more, they shall have grace in God’s sight.”

13:23      “They [the faithful] shall enter the gardens of Eden, together with the righteous among their fathers, their spouses, and their descendents…it is watered by running streams: eternal is its fruit, and eternal is its shade. (v. 35)”

25:65-76     “True servants of the Merciful are those who walk humbly on the earth and say: ‘Peace!’ to the ignorant who accost them; who pass the night standing and on their knees in adoration of their Lord; who say: ‘Lord, ward off from us the punishment of Hell, for its punishment is everlasting: an evil dwelling and an evil resting-place’; who are neither extravagant nor niggardly, but keep the golden mean; who invoke no other deity besides God, and do not kill except for a just cause (manslaughter is forbidden by Him);  who do not commit adultery…; who do no bear false witness, and who maintain their dignity when listening to profane abuse; who do not turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to the revelations of their Lord when they are reminded of them; who say: ‘Lord, give us joy in our spouses and our children, and make us examples to those who fear You.’"

29:46      “Be courteous when you argue with the People of the Book [Jews and Christians]…. Our God and your God is one….”

31:18      “Do not treat men with scorn, nor walk proudly on the earth: God does not love the arrogant and the vainglorious. Rather let your stride be modest and your voice low.”

42:36      “Better and more enduring is God’s recompense to those who believe and put their trust in Him; who avoid grievous sins and lewd acts and, when angered, are willing to forgive; who obey their Lord, attend to their prayers, and conduct their affairs by mutual consent; who give in alms from what We gave them and, when oppressed, seek to redress their wrongs.”

49:9      “If two parties of believers take up arms the one against the other, make peace between them. If either of them unjustly attacks the other, fight against the aggressors till they submit to God’s judgement. When they submit, make peace between them in equity and justice. God loves those who exercise justice.”

81:1      “When the sun ceases to shine; when the stars fall and the mountains are blown away; when camels big with young are left untended, and the wild beasts are brought together; when the seas are set alight and men’s souls are reunited; when the infant girl, buried alive, is asked for what crime she was slain; when the records of men’s deeds are laid open, and heaven is stripped bare; when Hell burns fiercely and Paradise is brought near: then each soul shall learn what I has done.”