The Qur'an

I bought a copy of the Holy Qur'an not long after 9/11/01. I haven't read every word of it, but I've read quite a bit. It's much easier to read the whole Qur'an than to read the whole Bible. My Bible is 1400 pages long, written in various styles by a multitude of authors over hundreds of years. The Qur'an is about 400 pages, the style is consistent throughout, and the message is pretty coherent. The more I read it, the more I get where the Prophet Mohammed ("peace be upon him") was coming from. Of course, the Prophet could assume that his audience had some familiarity with Judaism and Christianity. He isn't contradicting anything that was taught by those two religions. He teaches monotheism, and the repeated message, the message that is reiterated hundreds of times, is that Allah (God) is Most Gracious and Most Merciful.

The Qur'an is the gift of this merciful God, a rulebook that makes it possible to follow God's will without having to discern it for ourselves. A guide to the good life.

Here is Surah 107: The Neighborly Needs:

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

1. Do you see one who denies the Judgment (to come)?
2. Then such is the (man) who repulses the orphan (with harshness),
3. And does not encourage the feeding of the indigent.
4. So woe to the worshippers
5. Who are neglectful of their Prayers,
6. Those who (want but) to be seen (of men),
7. But refuse (to supply) (even) neighborly needs.

On a related note, the union des organisations islamiques de france (UOIF) issued a fatwa last week saying:

"It is formally forbidden to any Muslim seeking divine grace and satisfaction to participate in any action that blindly hits private or public property or could constitute an attack on someone's life."

He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Matthew 11:15