18 August 2010

Blogging the Quran

1: The Opening

The Lord of the Worlds

2: The Cow

1-13: Allah is wise, mysterious, funny

14-24: Produce a surah the like thereof

25-34: Believers get pure companions in heaven, Adam learns the animals' names, and Iblis becomes a disbeliever

35-74: Allah turns Jews into apes and solves a murder mystery with a dead yellow cow

75-105: Little is that which they believe

106-138: Abrogation, proof, and Allah's coloring book

139-158: Changing holy directions (qiblah)

159-189: Hiding the Quran, cursing unbelievers, eating pork, retaliating, the death tax, and Ramadan sex

190-217: Allah's rules for holy warfare

2:218-242 Allah's guide to alcohol, gambling, menstruation, sex, and divorce

2:243-286 Zombie soldiers, Rip Van Winkle, bird talk, and other silly stories

3: The Family Of 'Imran

3:1-200 -- Allah is the best of schemers

4: The Women

4:1-34 Woe to the Women

4:35-80 Fresh skins for Allah's fire

4:81-135 Ponder on the Quran

4:136-176 -- Jesus wasn't really crucified,
it just looked that way

4 comments:

learn said...

I have found your annotations very interesting, but I wanted to comment on your interpretation of 107: Small Kindnesses. I was surprised that this was not classified under "Good Stuff."
My understanding of this Surah was that those who do not act charitable cannot call themselves religious, no matter how much they pray or worship. This puts small kindnesses and charity at the heart of Islam.
I think you interpreted it the other way around: if not religious then cannot be charitable. But if you read the whole Surah I think it reads as: if not charitable then cannot claim to be religious.
If that makes any sense. :) Would be interested to hear your thoughts.

Steve Wells said...

Thanks, learn, for you comment. And you're right. I think surah 107 (at least the last 3 verses) should be included in the good stuff, and I've marked it accordingly.

The surah reminds me of the Book of James, especially verse 1:27. "Pure religion ... is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."

I still have a problem with the first part of 107, though, which seems to say that only religious people are kind to others. But maybe I'm misinterpreting it.

Unknown said...

i like this blog. two reasons to like it because one is because of it is quranic and other is it is written very well.

plus1 said...

I would like to know one good thing that is in the Quran that has not already been said in the old testament