I am not even going to dignify the alternative that had been suggested for today by discussing it (NB commenters). [I had already prepared this post and had it waiting, and when the alternative was called off I still decided to post what I had prepared]. Yesterday was Eid ul-Fitr. Nobody sighted the Shawwal moon on Wednesday evening, so Thursday, 9th September marked the end of Ramadan and Eid-Ul-Fitr was celebrated Friday.
Muslims regard the Koran (Qur’an) as being dictated by God word for word in Arabic. The Quran is not treated as just another book. Muslims touch it only when they are clean. The Qur’an is kept in a clean pure place above any other books and, hence, is not to be covered with other books. Translations are regarded as commentaries – the original Arabic Koran is regarded as the inspired holy book.
My suggesting that people actually have a read of the Koran isn’t about anybody converting or attempting to convert anyone else. It isn’t even about having to agree with what you read. Many haven’t even started to listen to each other, or get to know each other. This is about that. About respect.
The Qur’an online
The Qur’an online
The Qur’an online
My father was an Episcopal priest. Growing up, I had the benefit of his excellent library in our home. At age 12, I discovered a translation of the Qu’ran on the shelf and read most of it, finding it rather amazing. Years later, I bought a lovely copy in both Arabic and English for myself declining to have it wrapped. As I was leaving the shop, I encountered a Pakistani Qu’ranic scholar and teacher of Sufism who remarked on my purchase. He said, “Ah, the Holy Qu’ran! The prophet, peace be upon him, would be very sad to see Abraham’s children fighting today. He only wanted Jews to be good Jews, Muslims to be good Muslims, and Christians to be good Christians.” Occasionally, one has encounters when one has the sense a third Presence at hand. For me, this was one of those encounters. Peace to all.
Thank you Helen.
As an Anglican Priest of an evangelical persuasion, it might seem strange to say that I really like the comment at the end of this particular blog. But…we are sharing a gospel of love, and if that doesn’t include respect for other people who are also seeking to live their lives with integrity and to follow God in the best way they know how,and to care for their fellow humans, then I think we’ve missed the point too.
Thanks, Helen. I have learnt and received so much from Muslims – and continue to do so. I also know significant stories of people who, having seen the devotion of Muslims, have found themselves converted to Christ. Let us pray for each other.
A thoughtful alternative.
Bosco,
I have no problems with suggesting that someone read the Koran. Here in te united states, there is, unfortunately, a pastor in Florida who has plan to burn them because of his disagreement with a mosque being placed next to the site of the world trade center bombing. Both the objection to the mosque, and the reaction this pastor is displaying, are extremely out of line.
That being said, Islam is not Christianity. Plain and simple. Christianity is the firm belief that Jesus, in a real historical context, was sent by God to earth, lived a perfect life, was crucified, buried, and then raise from the dead on the third day. The Muslims would denythe resurrection of Christ, however, Paul makes very clear his thought on any belief system that would deny the resurrection of the dead, and that includes the resurrection of Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:12-19, makes it clear that preaching anything other than a risen Christ, (and not just a convenient, cultural affirmation of the fact, that is so soft that we immediately forget to mourn over the plight of those who do not believe), is to be accursed. That doesn’t mean, necessarily that we are to be the ones cursing them personally. Vengeance is God’s. I suppose my point is, that while being a sincere believer in whatever you believe is certainly a good thing, what is more important is that the belief is true. If you sincerely believe that jumping off of a building won’t hurt or kill you, I cannot commend the sincerity, as te sincerity itself is going to lead you into directions that will ultimately be to your peril. Sincerity when mixed with the proper facts is clearheaded thinking. When mixed with the false facts, it’s delusion.
So here’s my alternative. Before we spend too much time suggesting our congregation read the Koran, we need to ensure they’ve at least read the Bible. In my experience, people will read whatever they can as long as it’s not the Bible. After all, you don’t detect counterfeits by studying the fakes. You detect them by knowing the original so well that the fake just looks wierd.
Sorry for the rant, but I have strong feelings when it comes to the Gospel. Worship must be in Spirit, but don’t forget the Truth.
Thank you for your contribution, David. As I indicated at the start of my post, I understand that pastor’s plan is not going ahead, and also that I don’t really want to discuss your second and third sentence here – plenty of other places for that. You will know, of course, that Muslims do not accept that Christ died by crucifixion. Any time spent on this site will indicate I have a passion that people read the Bible regularly (which in my tradition can mean several times a day), systematically, and prayerfully. Also that as much as possible when studying the scriptures we do so from the original texts and use the best scholarship available.
I took a class on Islam in college and our textbook was the Koran. I enjoyed it and found the religion of Islam to be very holy. Recent behavior by Muslim extremists is not due to their religious training to be sure. Thank you for your post.