Week III: The Quran and the Old Testament
This is the page where you should be making comparisons between what you read in the Bible and what you've read in the Quran. Try to think of the differences and similarities between the two texts. Look at the narratives from the perspectives that you had preconceived before reading the Bible, then after discussing it, and then after reading the Quran, and finally how you feel after we have discussed the Quran in class. Make connections between the narratives of the two sacred texts. Good luck and happy posting!!
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One of the most interesting things about the Qu’ran is that it is not in chronological order. I find it fascinating that it was never found necessary to place the content in the order that makes sense according to the time that it happened, instead of keeping it in the order that Mohammed received the information, as the introduction states. In one translation, Rodwell took the liberty to change that random ordering because he knew that his audiences would expect the events to be in order, which is an example of how different societies and cultures are around the world. Sometimes it is hard to accept any abnormality that is the normal for a different culture. This differs completely with the Bible.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that took me by surprise is the fact that events throughout the Qu’ran are repeated, but in different words as seen in the excerpts. Several times the Qu’ran tells the story of how Adam was made, as well as the story of the fall of man. As the introduction states, the Qu’ran, along with not being chronologically ordered, repeats events at some of the most random times, especially when one least expects it, unlike the Bible, which only states things twice to elaborate on the details. I do see how this repetition is a good thing because it does reinforce the information and makes the reader be aware of the event. Also, since many Muslims memorize the Qu’ran (Introduction, ix) it would be particularly helpful if the stories were repeated multiple times, because just like for anything repetition lodges information into the brain. This could also help people ponder the information throughout the day even when they are not reading the Qu’ran. I actually really like the idea of repetition in the Qu’ran.
Yet another observation of mine is that, unlike the Bible the Qu’ran does not mention Eve by name in the passages assigned. Even if she is mentioned by name in different parts of the Qu’ran it still is surprising that her name is not mentioned in the excerpts since stories are repeated in the Qu’ran. This then leads to the fact that instead of calling Eve out on disobeying God by eating of the forbidden fruit, God primarily puts the blame on Adam as stated in 20Ta-ha, “thus did Adam disobey his Lord.” This directly relates to the discussion in class about Eve possibly being the most perfect creature made during Creation. For the Qu’ran never points out that it is all Eve’s fault, but blames mostly Adam for the downfall.
Finally, the character of Satan really stood out to me in the Qu’ran. First, I did not realize in the beginning that the name Iblis referred to Satan because it is so different from the name that most people know him by. Then I began to think about where in the Bible we read about the fallen angel, Satan. I do not think that this story was in Genesis, at least not the part that we have read. Although, growing up I did learn the story of the fallen angel Satan. But, the Bible did not put this story in Genesis before the fall of Adam and Eve, and according to it’s chronology you would expect it to be placed there. Meanwhile with the Qu’ran it is randomly placed, but that is how the entire book was written. Maybe the Qu’ran dwells more on the fall of the angel Satan. Maybe the Bible does not want to put forth too much about that evil happening.
I also found the repetition in the Qur’an to be very interesting. In addition to the different wording of the repetitions, I think it is even more important to notice the different perspective of the repeated story. For example in 17 (The Night Journey), the angels are asked to “Prostrate onto Adam,” and then the story goes on to tell a shortened version of how Iblis defied this demand because he feels superior to Adam, who was someone God created out of mere clay. It also seems as if Iblis is envious of the regard that Adam is receiving that Iblis himself isn’t. The beginning of 17 is repeated in 20 (Tá-há), but then the rest of 20 sheds more light of the details of the creation story, whereas the angle of 17 was of the Iblis defying God’s demand to “Prostrate onto Adam.” I don’t necessarily think this would make things easier to remember, since both of the stories are still very unique. I think that the way all of these stories interweave kind of contribute to the validity of the stories, and I think the interweaving helps the reader to understand how the stories explain one another. We can tell from story 17 that Iblis is somewhat jealous of the praise that Adam is receiving, even though he is just God’s simple clay creation in Iblis’ mind, and then in story 20 we can see how this jealousy causes his to persuade Adam and Eve to eat of the tree and sin.
DeleteThe fact that Eve’s name is not mentioned in the section of the Qur'an we just read is very fascinating to me. It discusses how man was created; from “sounding clay, from mud molded into shape,” but it does not mention in great detail when or how woman was created. She kind of just appears with Adam in the garden. This kind of goes along with the discussion we had in class last week about how Eve was created last, which can suggest that a woman is less important than the creation of man. The fact that there is no explanation for the creation of woman in the Qur'an, can also suggest that it is not imperative to include that detail. Eve’s name is also not mentioned in the Qur'an (at least not in this section), which again also supports this argument.
ReplyDeleteThe Bible also tells the story of how Eve was the one who was tricked by Satan into eating the Forbidden fruit first. This story was told differently in the Qur'an. Adam and Eve were both tricked into eating the fruit right off the tree; neither one was specifically targeted. This point focuses on man’s flaws rather than the woman’s. The story is altered slightly in the Qur'an in that Allah does not punish the two with the same severity as God does in the Bible. The end results of painful child-birth and working for food remains the same; however they are portrayed as guidelines from Allah, rather than punishments. This moment in the Qur'an has a different tone than it did in Genesis. I feel that the words used to portray God’s anger were much stronger than the words used by Allah. “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you…” (Genesis 3:17). This differs from the Qur'an; “Get ye down, both of you,- all together, from the Garden, with enmity one to another, but if, as is sure, there comes to you , Guidance from Me, whosoever follows My Guidance, will not lose his way, not fall into misery” (Ta-ha, 123). In my opinion, this does not sound as intimidating as the tone God used.
Another difference I noticed is the structure of the Qur'an. It is written almost like a lyrical poem. This is different from the Bible of which is written as a connected story in. It also seemed like each line was separate from the others before and after it. Despite this, I was still able to have a good understanding of what was going on. I wonder if the structure of the Qur'an helps Muslims to memorize it quicker.
I would like to comment on how you talked about Allah and God roles in the creation story. I like the idea that you said that in the Quran the blame does not go to the wife, but to them both. To me I feel like this form of punishment was used in the Quran because it emphasizes how important women are. For example, later in the Quran it was written that a man ask Prophet who deserves the most respect five times, for four of those times Prophet says mothers and then men. This would explain why the punishment is given to both Adam and Eve instead of just Eve because the Quran gives men and women equality. However, the Bible does not emphasize the same equality between men and women. It is seen with how man was made first, and then women. Also how Eve is given a more extreme punishment than Adam. I think that although the stories in the old testament of the Bible can also be referred to the Quran, since the Quran has the emphasis of equality as a greater theme than the Bible, Allah is seen as less intimidating than God.
DeleteI like how you said that Eve's name was not mention as we know it but rather in different forms. I had trouble trying to figure out who the "Eve" was in the Quran since it clearly stated Adams presence. I found it hard to really understand the Quran as opposed to the bible because the bible is like a storybook while the Quran seemed very.. out of order and short straight to the point and I also wonder if the Quran is easier for Muslims to memorize the events quickly. The Quran seems so much like the bible, yet so different. I guess it may be the ideologies and similar stories, just difference in character and how it is written.
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ReplyDeleteThe first Surah assigned, Al-Araf, starts with Alif, Laam, Meem, Saad. This is remarkable because it is a phrase that cannot be translated. An entire study can be done on these four letters alone. As the reading about Intro to Islam pointed out, the Qur’an is comprised of Meccan Surahs and Medinan Surahs, depending on whether the Surah was revealed before or after Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) pilgrimage to Medina. Surah Al-Araf is a late Meccan surah sent down to warn the tribes of Mecca that refused Islam, and as always, as a reminder to the believers.
ReplyDeleteThe story of creation takes a much different angle in the Qur’an as opposed to the Bible. It ends the third ayah with “Little it is ye remember of admonition”. This line is powerful because it references the Arabs of the time who were prideful of their great memory. They used to memorize their lineage, amongst many other things. However, God reminds them they in fact have little memory. This line is connected with the 7th ayah that states “And verily, We shall recount their whole story with knowledge, for We were never absent”. Allah is clearly referencing the tribes that were prideful in their lineage because He goes on to recount their story with knowledge in ayah 11 when he begins the creation story. The addressees of this Surah (both the disbelievers and the believers) are reminded that they cannot even remember their common father, Adam. And so God begins telling them.
As opposed to the Bible, the Qur’an reveals the story of Satan and how he became a fallen angel. Surah Al-Araf draws a major parallel between Satan and the disbeliever in the fact that they will both banned from heaven for refusing to prostrate, or bow down. Allah however, only asked Satan to bow down once, to Adam. Whereas the disbeliever or the Muslim who doesn’t pray refuses to bow down 5 times, each day, to God, rather than Satan. Also, God not only asks Satan why he didn’t bow down to Adam, he asked why he didn’t bow down when he commanded him to do so, stressing the importance of time. This is clearly addressing Muslims who are obligated to bow down in prayers punctually, at different times of the day.
Although the creation story in both the Qur’an and the Bible can be very extensively studied and taught, it is important to take at least one lesson away from the Qur’an’s if not anything else: the importance of having humility and modesty. Satan did not refuse to bow down to God. Satan was not arrogant to God. Rather, Satan was arrogant towards another creation and was thus banned from the Garden. This is an important lesson in Islam, that one must be humble and shy away from being arrogant and cocky towards his brothers and sisters.
As someone who has virtually no knowledge of the Qur’an, I found it extremely interesting how much emphasis it places upon the idea that it is simply a continuation of the teachings of other prophets such as Abraham, Moses and Jesus that are found in the Bible. It is repeated again and again that they believe in the same God that Jews and Christians believe in, and that they accept these peoples and their beliefs. What strikes me as so fascinating about this is that despite the emphasis of this idea in the Qur’an, today there is so much conflict and resentment amongst the “People of the Book.” The Bible and Qur’an offer many similar lessons: obedience to one God, belief in the resurrection of the dead, and trying to live a life free of sin. Yet despite this, there is much prejudice shown towards Muslims by Jews and Christians.
ReplyDeleteOne trend I have noticed in my limited readings of the Bible and of the Qur’an is that there is often a difference between what the text actually says and what culture may interpret it to be. The Qur’an teaches mercy, kindness, and tolerance towards other people, especially those of “the Book”, but a few misinterpreted lines on self-defense have been taken out of context by extremists to justify terrorism or the subjugation of women. As a result, more non-Muslims tend to view Islam as a violent, dangerous religion. Yet it is not the Qur’an or Islam itself that is the root of these issues, it is the extremists that integrate their cultural views and social structures with the religions to use it as a tool to justify their actions. It is vital to separate these people from the teachings and beliefs of Islam itself.
What I have learned about the Bible and the Qur’an so far is that some of what these scriptures actually teach can be lost or confused with the cultural implications given to them. It is important to educate one’s self on a culture and its religion and not to condemn a religion or the majority of its followers itself, but if anything the few people who interpret or maneuver it to cater to their societal goals.
I agree with your analysis of how tolerate Muslims are in viewing other religions and their positivity towards others. In the reading it was stated that a general definition for being a Muslim is “anyone who attains peace through commitment to God. And therefore, the first Muslim was not the Prophet Muhammad, but Adam, the first man and prophet of God.” This shows how strongly devout Muslims believe that Islam is a true continuation of the religions of Christianity and Judaism. I also feel that the true intentions of Islam are usually overlooked by the rest of the world because of the extremist groups. I think that this small portion of the religious group is creating a negative connotation for the rest of the Muslim population. An interesting point that was brought up in the reading was that there are also Catholic, Lutheran, and Presbyterian activist groups that have carried out unjust acts towards targeted groups. Why aren’t these groups creating negative connotations as massive as the ones associated with Islam extremist groups? I agree with you that if the world was more informed about the true intentions and beliefs of Islam that society would be better off.
DeleteI found it interesting that the Qur’an is really just all the teachings and things that the prophet Muhammad had been revealed by Gabriel. The bible is a compilation of stories from all different writers. It is so very different even if some of the stories are very similar. In the Qur’an, Adam and Eve disobey God together when they eat the fruit. In the Bible, Eve eats the fruit and then gives it Adam to eat. The Qur’an talks about how there are five pillars that they need to follow. The Bible has the Ten Commandments. Also, one of the rules in the Qur’an, ‘There is no god but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God’, is similar to one of the Ten Commandments in the Bible that states ‘Thou shall have no other god before me’. They are both saying that there is only one god and that no one else should be worshipped. One of the five pillars is hajj which is the pilgrimage to Mecca. In the Bible there is nothing about having to travel anywhere. I think it is interesting that the Qur’an mentions several times about Jews and Christians and about how they all have the same god. Islam believes that all nations were sent prophets and apostles who taught similar messages of belief in a single God. Muslins learn several of the same stories as Christians and Jew, but they may have a different interpretation. In the Qur’an it talks about how it was God’s plan to have the diversity of belief and traditions. One of the differences between Muslims and Christians is that Muhammad is viewed as a human, while Jesus is viewed as not completely human by Christians, as he is the son of God. It is very interesting that people used to just memorize the entirety of the Qur’an until someone finally decided that it needed to be written down. I don’t believe that there are any people that remember the entire bible.
ReplyDeleteI would like to express my agreement with your article. What many people do not realize is that the Qur'an emphasizes equality between men and women, and that women are very important parts of humanity. You address this by mentioning that both Adam and Eve are both at fault by eating the forbidden fruit off the tree containing these fruits. The five pillars Allah set out as guidelines rather than punishments was a sign that Allah was merely a force to be aware of, and not feared. Allah emphasizes that women need to be treated with respect and not unfairly since men and women are both equal on this planet. What was also remarkable was that it was Iblis that told both Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, instead of the serpent telling only Eve to eat it. Reading the verses from the Qur'an helped me understand the Bible better because the many similarities.
DeleteI agree with your point about there being similarities between the bible and the Qur'an. In my opinion, there are almost the same amount of similarities as there are differences, which is pretty remarkable seeing as how different the two books are set up. The fact that there are two "lists" for each follower to live by (Ten Commandments, 5 Pillars) shows that the writers of each book had the other book in mind. Also, the both promote a monotheistic point of view, only having one God. However, there are some differences. I think that the portrayal of God and Allah differ. God seems to force his power upon people in order to get them to worship him, while Allah does not force it as much. He uses Muhammad to help spread his religion.
DeleteThere are many obvious differences between the Bible and the Qur’an. What stood out in my mind throughout the entirety of my reading for this week however is the completely separate portrayals of the personality of God and Allah. In the Bible, God seems stubborn and cold. He punishes his children for their sins in extremely harsh ways. It is almost as if he teases them when he sends Moses to Egypt and hardens the heart of the Pharaoh so that his people will be tortured. When reading the Bible as literature, God seems cruel and unforgiving. Meanwhile, the Qur’an portrays Allah as a force to be aware of, but not feared. He promotes peace and does not enforce the harsh consequences that God does… at least in the reading I have done thus far.
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting fact that surprised me about the two books was that in the Bible, God gives his prophets power to prove to others that they are working through God. This adds to the previous point because God seems like he always has to prove and show his power to the people on Earth. Allah’s prophet is a normal person who received revelations when Allah would tell him of the event and teachings of the Qur’an. Muhammad lived a normal life and did not begin to receive the revelations until he was about 40. When Muhammad told others of his revelations, he never tried to force the beliefs upon others, and Allah never presented his great powers to Muhammad to prove himself. The religion was simply followed by whoever wished to believe and eventually more and more people began to follow Muhammad, Allah and the religion.
Finally, I enjoyed the fact that the Qur’an acknowledged the idea that Christians and Jews also believe in the same higher power, they just have different names for that power. I feel as though this creates an open mind and understanding for Islamic culture to other religions. This makes the idea of keeping peace easier because they are all Allah’s children even if Christians have a different name for him.
I definitely agree with you on the idea that God appears to be cruel and stubborn. Another great example is when he had that contest with the devil to see if the innocent Job would break. He allowed all those horrible things happen to him for the sake of an argument with the devil. I also think it is nice how the Qur'an accepts Judaism and Christianity even though it does not agree with all its points. It really seems to be that the spread of Islam is much more peaceful then I previously thought.
DeleteI found the differences between how the Bible and the Qur’an treat women very interesting. From what I have read (which admittedly is not much), it seems like the Qur’an is more reverent of women than the Bible, which is interesting to me, because the west is always faulting Islam on its treatment of women.
ReplyDeleteIn the Qur’an, when a man asks the Prophet Muhammad who is most worthy of honor, the Prophet says, “your mother” four times before saying “your father.” Throughout the Qur’an, I know of many passages and rules that serve to protect women and glorify them. And according to our “Islam Facts” reading, in a poll of predominantly Muslim countries, many people called motherhood “a gift of God, the source of everything in existence.” Although women are not always revered in Islam, from what we have read, it seems as if the Qur’an treats them as special and worthy of respect and honor.
On the other hand, from the parts that we have read, the Bible does not seem to portray women very well. Eve is portrayed as unable to resist temptation, as is Lot’s wife. Lot’s daughters get him drunk and then rape him in order to get pregnant. Sarah is portrayed as jealous. And aside from these women’s portrayals, women are not treated well, either. Lot is revered as a very pious man. But when men come to rape the angels that Lot is housing, he offers them his two virgin daughters instead and says that the men may do anything they like with them.
I found it very interesting how the Bible treats women in contrast to how the Qur’an treats them, especially considering the stereotype of the “oppressed veiled Muslim woman.” Growing up going to Sunday school, these parts of the Bible were taught to me alongside the story of Noah, like it was perfectly normal to offer up your daughters to rapists, and that strikes me because of the stark contrast it has to what I’ve seen of the treatment of women in the Qur’an.
The Qur'an talks about the molding of man from clay, which is the same as Adam's formation in Genesis. There are many connections between the Bible and the Qur'an. What I found interesting was how much of the New as well as the Old Testament were talked about in the Qur'an. There was much mention of how men and women were created, as well as what both the Bible and the Qur'an represent to their people. The Qur'an tries to teach what is right versus what is wrong, and tries to teach morals and values that are distinct in society. The Bible tries to teach its followers how to keep in good faith, and to accept whatever sorrows they may face, if that is the Lord's will.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, the Qur'an and the Bible have different takes on the idea of fate and destiny versus an idea of personal gain and responsibility in a society. The Qur'an puts more emphasis on social responsibility, and that people who are in poor financial standing or have other social maladies have somehow contributed to their current state in some way, and they may be able to find a way out of it in the face of strong individualism. The Bible, on the other hand, portrays the idea that God has a plan for all of us. The Bible talks about the idea that an individual is confined by their fate, and that any ills they suffer may simply be a test by God to prove their faith and strength.
It is interesting to juxtapose the Qur'an and the Bible when speaking about the idea of destiny, and whether it exists in a predetermined nature. The Bible appears to say that God has a chosen path for all His people, and that His people are meant to keep faith in Him no matter how bumpy the road gets. All ills are a test of faith, and those that stay true to God and praise His name will be rewarded in some way. The Qur'an, on the other hand, holds stronger to the idea of solidarity, of making the most of the gifts you possess and creating your own future.
Mary Ieraci
Having never read the Qur’an several things stood out to me in comparison to the Bible. The use of “we” referring to the prophet and God was very interesting to me instead of addressing by name. In the Qur’an this is used because God (Allah) is supposed to be addressing the people as well as the prophet, in contrast, the Bible often specifies whom God is speaking to and whom the subjects in the stories are addressing. I feel like this allows the Qur’an to have a more intimate connection with its followers, using the generalizations allows for the people to be part of the scriptures. On the other hand the Bible it seems as if the people are following to be obedient and subservient to God.
ReplyDeleteAnother point of interest I came across was the context in which the Qur’an is expressed. It is written not in chronological order but in order of when the revelations occurred to Muhammad. This is vastly different to that of the Bible where stories are told in order starting from creation. The Qur’an often will refer to a verse several times in different stories each time adding more detail. This sort of repetition makes it hard to follow the context of the Qur’an but also attests to the stylistic formula of Arabic. After reading the two articles on the Qur’an I realize the difficulty in translating a text such as the Qur’an into different languages. Some words and phrases in Arabic simply do not translate into other languages creating a dangerous job for translators. People often critic texts such as the Qur’an because passages can seem ambiguous when put into their native language. This ambiguity can lead to misconceptions and misrepresentation. Of course this is true in the Bible as well but not to the degree in which we see in the Qur’an.
Justifying its passages using history and logic, the Qur’an, unlike the Bible creates a logical basis for its story line even though it is in a different stylistic format. Being very new to both texts, I can already see that the Bible does not really use logic in its passages, rather it is the word of the Lord and you shall follow and be fearful of his/her power. A good example is the historic background of Satan being Iblis. The Qur’an gives you background knowledge of how Satan came to be. Comparing this to the Bible we don’t see Satan until the book of Job and even then we do not know how he came to be in the story.
I found it interesting how much support the Qur’an gave for the prophets who lived before Muhammad’s time. The recognition Islam assigns to these prophets, such as Abraham, Moses, and even Jesus, as significant figures serves to highlight the commonalities shared between Christian and Islamic beliefs.
ReplyDeleteIt therefore surprises me that Christians and Muslims clashed so violently during the crusades, even though the very foundations of their religion were so curiously interwoven. Certainly, the lack of translations for the Qur’an into European dialects for a long time played a role in creating this animosity. How difficult it must be to relate to a religion which one knows nothing about. The Catholic Church could have easily told its Christian subjects about Islamic blasphemies, and these Christians would have no way to question Church authority because no translation was readily available to the masses for centuries! This illustrates how many Europeans could have held views towards muslims as infidels and sinners, whose belief systems were incompatible with their own. And yet, in reality, the two religions are much more closely related to each other than say, paganism.
Another thing I noticed, is just how pervasive Qur’an is throughout the cultural establishment of Islamic nations. Many muslims rely heavily on traditions that stem directly from the ideas laid out in the Qur’an; their social customs drawing reference to the book. For example, a muslim judge might use passages within the Qur’an as a supplement for his verdict. In this way it becomes a reliable moral compass, a guide of sorts, for devout muslims in their path through life. This holds a direct parallel in Christianity, as Christians oftentimes also consult with the Bible, in particular the teachings of Jesus Christ, in their own attempts to discern right from wrong.
Even though I’m not particularly religious, I’m glad religion has provided people with this sense of direction and fulfillment in life. The holy books which survived until modern times clearly had enormously influential qualities in the past; so that even though I don’t subscribe to their beliefs, I acknowledge the impact they’ve had in giving purpose to millions of people. For this reason I find them to be quite remarkable books, regardless of any divine authority surrounding their genesis.
For someone who did not know much about the Qu’ran, I found this week’s readings very interesting. I found the overlap of the Qu’ran and the Bible to be what surprised me the most. In the introduction to the Qu’ran, it says that the Qu’ran is the word of God, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad via the archangel Gabriel. Gabriel, in the bible, is the messenger who reveals to Mary that she will be the mother of God. There are several themes and names mentioned that are also relevant in the bible.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the fact that the Qu’ran is not in any kind of chronological order; the texts are as they were received and the length of each piece varies from one line to twenty pages. This is interesting to me how there can be a lesson or some kind of guidance in just one line in arabic, instead of a long elaborate story that could convey the same message. Each time a certain theme or message is spoken about in the Qu’ran, it is reinforced, instead of being told in only 1 chapter of the book with the same subject matter. Reading the Story of Satan in the Qu’ran was an interesting experience. It felt repetitive to read the same things taking place over and over in a different way, but each time there was a small detail or two to gain that made the story whole in the end. I really enjoy this about the Qu’ran. It is almost like a puzzle, in the end once you have read it, put the pieces together, and extracted the meaning, there is a whole big picture right before your eyes.
The Qu’ran speaks of universal themes that can be applied to several situations, and I like how it addresses groups and classes of people instead of emphasizing the individual like in the bible. In a feminist perspective, the bible makes women look and feel inferior to men, like we are only on this planet to reproduce and take orders from our husbands. In the Qu’ran, the generalization of people and groups and the fact that it states that all religions have the same God allows those who read it to feel unified with others because there is no importance placed on any particular group.
Having never previously read the Quran there are some things that interested me very much. The first thing I found odd was the lack of chronology throughout. I am curious as to what the significance of this is. I have thought about it and I personally think that it was to emphasize the importance of each story on its own rather than a sequence of events whereas in the Bible, the sequence of events is just as important as the stories themselves. It was also interesting to me that the stories are all different, even if it is just a slight discrepancy, from that of the Bible. For example, Eve is never mentioned in the story of creation in the Quran. Why do you think that might be? I am curious as to what caused the discrepancies between the stories within each book.
ReplyDeleteSomething else I found interesting is that Christianity and Islam have a lot in common and I found this interesting because the majority religion in the United States is Christianity yet there is still so much prejudice against Muslim people. It is crazy to me that people can have such similar beliefs as another group of people, yet they are still so incredibly prejudice against them. It truly is not fair.
I was reading through the other posts and Jessica mentioned something that I wanted to touch on. She said that Allah, as opposed to God, “is a force to be aware of, but not feared” and I think that brings up an interesting question. Did the people fear God? In my opinion the answer is no, the people did not fear God, but rather they trusted Him, and even after He let horrible things happen to the people, they still had faith in Him and because of this they rewarded. I am interested to see what your takes are on this topic.
I agree with you about the similarities between Christianity and Islam being interesting and how people are still so intolerant of each other based on a label. Especially when we are living in a country where everything that we are is a mix of the ideas of other places to begin with. Also, something that is commonly taught among religions is tolerance yet people have so little of it for people who believe in something that is so similar to their own beliefs. I also feel like people aren't necessarily always in fear of God and what he might do. I think that there is a bit of fear because God is seen as a being of power and power is often feared in any situation. One of the differences that I noticed between the Quran and the Bible is that the Bible was more focused on lessons that came with consequences and people fear consequences. So I suppose overall that means that people aren't afraid of God himself but they are afraid of what their own actions might lead to. However, this does not mean that they are less faithful to Him.
DeleteThe most interesting thing to me about reading these translations of the Qu’ran was realizing that the story of Adam and Eve’s fall that I knew is closer to the narrative as told by the Qu’ran than it is to Genesis in the Bible. The notion that Satan is responsible for tempting Adam and Eve is directly mentioned in the Qu’ran, but not in the Bible. Throughout my Christian religious education I have always been told that the serpent is Satan, and it is interesting to know that what is subject to interpretation in the Bible is explicitly mentioned in the Qu’ran. The difference here is key to understanding the nature of God. Firstly, in the Bible, the serpent is responsible for tempting Eve to eat the forbidden fruit of Knowledge. This makes one question the motives of God in the Bible, since God created both the Tree of Knowledge and the serpent, He must have foreseen that the serpent would tempt Eve and that Adam and Eve would be banished from Eden. This would mean that God planned to banish Adam and Eve after giving them the Knowledge of Good and Evil, but He wanted Knowledge to be seen as evil, telling Adam and Eve that gaining the Knowledge from the fruit was betraying Him. However, In the Qu’ran, it is Satan that persuades Eve to eat the fruit, which places the betrayal out of God’s control if one considers that Satan’s actions were not controlled by God. This would mean that God was not planning to banish Adam and Eve from Eden, and only did so after they were tempted by Satan. This side of the narrative fits much more closely with the Christian idea of “original sin,” because the Qu’ran describes it as a betrayal brought on by Satan. The Bible however brings the motives of God’s creation of the tree and the serpent into question, treating not the betrayal as original sin, but it would seem the original sin was Knowledge and the expression of sexuality. The Christian narrative seems to suggest God planned it all to teach man a lesson about disobeying him, even though He may have been the one who tempted their disobedience.
ReplyDeleteI have encountered the stories of the bible many times growing up. After reading it through a different lens and reading it purely as a piece of literature I was able to see a common theme of God referring to humans as his creations in the image of himself. Many people take this as a very literal physical image of God and this is why we perceive God as a human figure in thy sky many times. However, I think we must look into a much deeper meaning of what God is saying by in his image. I believe he is creating people not in his physical image, but more likely creating humans to contain his virtues, beliefs, ideologies, etc… Obviously no one human can contain all the characteristics of God, but people as a whole group, can contain God’s image. After reading the bible and moving on to the Qur’an, which I had never read prior to this class, I was very surprised by the way that Allah describes the way that he has created man. Allah explains that he is the creator of everything on this earth including man. He claims that no man is like him, and no man can do what he has done. This may be perceived as arrogant to some, but to me it seems like a very logical way to respond. An omnipotent and omniscient power that has created heaven, earth, man, and much more, is like no other man that walks and breathes on this earth. After reading this in the Qur’an, I am surprised looking back, that it is not the way God speaks in the Bible. My only thinking is that God in fact believes that even if one man cannot ever add up to God’s image, all of humankind can reflect his image through faith and his beliefs. I believe that neither Allah or God is wrong in their beliefs portrayed in the respective books and that they both make valid points on the creation of man. No man is capable of the endless powers of an almighty God figure, but people do have the ability to show the beliefs and virtues of them.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the excerpts from the Qur’an, it was interesting to see how different the portrayal of Satan in the Qur’an is from the portrayal seen in Job. Where the Qur’an seems to devote a good about of time addressing the person/idea that is Satan, he is introduced briefly in the Bible and not until he challenges God’s creations on Earth. The Qur’an places a much bigger emphasis on Satan during the creation of man and as such gives one a better idea of the actual character of Satan. Not only does the Qur’an show in detail the relation between Allah and Satan, but the actual nature of Satan’s being is also explored and it lends more insight into the Muslim religion.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most interesting points in this week’s excerpts from the Qur’an was Al-Aráf, in which the same story seen in Genesis is presented, yet instead of the ambiguous snake, it is made certain that the tempter was Satan. Not only this, but Allah also warns the children of Adam and Eve not to be tempted as their parents were, unlike in Genesis where God just punishes Adam and Eve before setting them out into the world. Furthermore the blame falls chiefly on Satan, as opposed to the harsh treatment of Eve in Genesis. While this exemplifies the relationship between Satan, Allah and Man, the nature of Satan is further explored Al-Hijr. This explains that Satan is in fact neither Angel, human, or God but Jinn, a creature not referenced in any passages covered in the Bible. This being said it already sets Satan apart, the passage goes on to tell that Satan was made from fire as opposed to clay, the reason he thought himself better than humans. Not only that but it also explains why he tries to tempt the human race, in order to prove to God that he was right not to bow to them.
While this provides an interesting contrast to the idea of Satan in the Bible, it also lends insight into the Muslim religion. It shows how the Qur’an provides deeper explanations for the actions of its characters, rather than the Bible which leads readers to much more speculation.
I agree. There is a different the portrayal of Satan in both Job and the Qur'an. In the Qu'ran, Satan is a developed character and in my opinion Satan seems rational, he didn't want to bow down to Adam because he was made out of clay and was not a spirit like himself, " (Iblis) said: "I am not one to prostrate myself to man, whom Thou didst create from sounding clay, from mud molded into shape." Satan seems equivocal and uses logic that makes you question your own reasoning. In addition, I am glad you touched on the difference between how Allah and God approached the situation regarding temptation. Allah warns Adam and Eve’s children, which creates a sense of redemption for future generations; he offers them the opportunity to not fall as their parents had fallen to temptation. On the other hand in the Holy Bible, God solely punishes Adam and Eve without warning their children. Their children learned how to maintain temptation differently.
DeleteHey everyone, I just thought during the class that we had today that the idea of theodicy could be elaborated on a bit more. I don't know how many of you frequent internet comics, but this was shown to me by a good friend who follows very frequently many comics. This comic which the link below brings you to elaborates on the nature of theodicy in our world. I think it provides a comical approach to such a heavy idea. Don't take it too seriously, but I think it's worth looking at.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=2292