How am I to understand these lines from the Quran, especially in light of events today reported round the world? For example, from the beginning.
1. Surah Al-Fatihah
1. In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
2. All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists). 3. The Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
4. The Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)
5. You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything).
6. Guide us to the Straight Way
7. The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger (such as the Jews), nor of those who went astray (such as the Christians).
This is from Interpretation of the Meanings of The Noble Quran published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (http://www.noblequran.com/translation/).
I get stuck on verses 1, 3, 6, and 7. The world is divided into
A. Those to whom an all grace-giving and merciful (compassionate?) Allah would show the Straight Way and
B. All others, those not graced or chosen, whose way is not straight.
If one believes, he (and she?) is shown the Straight Way. But belief is given (by Allah). There are only those that believe and all others. Kind of an exclusive club with arbitrary membership based on a god who gets offended if you make a mistake or for some reason irritates you.
On to the next section.
2. Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow)
1. Alif-Lam-Mim. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur'an and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings].
2. This is the Book (the Qur'an), whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqun [the pious and righteous persons who fear Allah much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allah much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)].
3. Who believe in the Ghaib and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and spend out of what we have provided for them [i.e. give Zakat , spend on themselves, their parents, their children, their wives, etc., and also give charity to the poor and also in Allah's Cause - Jihad, etc.].
4. And who believe in (the Qur'an and the Sunnah) which has been sent down (revealed) to you (Muhammad Peace be upon him ) and in [the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel), etc.] which were sent down before you and they believe with certainty in the Hereafter. (Resurrection, recompense of their good and bad deeds, Paradise and Hell, etc.).
5. They are on (true) guidance from their Lord, and they are the successful.
6. Verily, those who disbelieve, it is the same to them whether you (O Muhammad Peace be upon him ) warn them or do not warn them, they will not believe.
7. Allah has set a seal on their hearts and on their hearings, (i.e. they are closed from accepting Allah's Guidance), and on their eyes there is a covering. Theirs will be a great torment.
8. And of mankind, there are some (hypocrites) who say: "We believe in Allah and the Last Day" while in fact they believe not.
9. They (think to) deceive Allah and those who believe, while they only deceive themselves, and perceive (it) not!
10. In their hearts is a disease (of doubt and hypocrisy) and Allah has increased their disease. A painful torment is theirs because they used to tell lies.
11. And when it is said to them: "Make not mischief on the earth," they say: "We are only peacemakers."
12. Verily! They are the ones who make mischief, but they perceive not.
13. And when it is said to them (hypocrites): "Believe as the people (followers of Muhammad Peace be upon him , Al-Ansar and Al-Muhajirun) have believed," they say: "Shall we believe as the fools have believed?" Verily, they are the fools, but they know not.
14. And when they meet those who believe, they say: "We believe," but when they are alone with their Shayatin (devils - polytheists, hypocrites, etc.), they say: "Truly, we are with you; verily, we were but mocking."
15. Allah mocks at them and gives them increase in their wrong-doings to wander blindly.
16. These are they who have purchased error for guidance, so their commerce was profitless. And they were not guided.
17. Their likeness is as the likeness of one who kindled a fire; then, when it lighted all around him, Allah took away their light and left them in darkness. (So) they could not see.
18. They are deaf, dumb, and blind, so they return not (to the Right Path).
19. Or like a rainstorm from the sky, wherein is darkness, thunder, and lightning. They thrust their fingers in their ears to keep out the stunning thunderclap for fear of death. But Allah ever encompasses the disbelievers (i.e. Allah will gather them all together).
20. The lightning almost snatches away their sight, whenever it flashes for them, they walk therein, and when darkness covers them, they stand still. And if Allah willed, He could have taken away their hearing and their sight. Certainly, Allah has power over all things.
21. O mankind! Worship your Lord (Allah), Who created you and those who were before you so that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious - see V.2:2).
22. Who has made the earth a resting place for you, and the sky as a canopy, and sent down water (rain) from the sky and brought forth therewith fruits as a provision for you. Then do not set up rivals unto Allah (in worship) while you know (that He Alone has the right to be worshipped).
23. And if you (Arab pagans, Jews, and Christians) are in doubt concerning that which We have sent down (i.e. the Qur'an) to Our slave (Muhammad Peace be upon him ), then produce a Surah (chapter) of the like thereof and call your witnesses (supporters and helpers) besides Allah, if you are truthful.
24. But if you do it not, and you can never do it, then fear the Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for the disbelievers.
25. And give glad tidings to those who believe and do righteous good deeds, that for them will be Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise). Every time they will be provided with a fruit therefrom, they will say: "This is what we were provided with before," and they will be given things in resemblance (i.e. in the same form but different in taste) and they shall have therein Azwajun Mutahharatun (purified mates or wives), (having no menses, stools, urine, etc.) and they will abide therein forever.
26. Verily, Allah is not ashamed to set forth a parable even of a mosquito or so much more when it is bigger (or less when it is smaller) than it. And as for those who believe, they know that it is the Truth from their Lord, but as for those who disbelieve, they say: "What did Allah intend by this parable?" By it He misleads many, and many He guides thereby. And He misleads thereby only those who are Al-Fasiqun (the rebellious, disobedient to Allah).
There are several parts in the above I find enlightening. One is that "Allah mocks at them and gives them increase in their wrong-doings to wander blindly." So the grace-giving, and merciful, Allah withholds from some, insults them, and increases their ignorance. Again we have believers and non-believers, the difference being "an Allah who has set a seal on the non-believers' hearts and hearings."
According to verse 26, if anyone interprets, as I am doing, we are misled. Is the whole of this interpreted Quran, the above, the artifact of a de facto non-believer or apostate? Isn't this authoritative translation--with interpretation--in error?
Yet the text (Quran/revelation) is clear enough without interpretation: grace is not guaranteed, mercy is not mercy, belief is belief, non-belief is non-belief, and Allah decides all.
If someone of this faith wishes to clarify to me where I err in my understanding here without using other words than are in the text itself, well, they jeopardize their own status, I guess.
All this we-they rhetoric is familiar to us: Christian and non-Christian, Jew and Gentile, those for and those against.
The following verses from the above are also enlightening.
23. And if you (Arab pagans, Jews, and Christians) are in doubt concerning that which We have sent down (i.e. the Qur'an) to Our slave (Muhammad Peace be upon him ), then produce a Surah (chapter) of the like thereof and call your witnesses (supporters and helpers) besides Allah, if you are truthful.
24. But if you do it not, and you can never do it, then fear the Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for the disbelievers.
Those not Arab, Jew, or Christian seem to have been excluded from the injunction against coming up with an alternative to Islam, or the Quran. I think it rather easy, contrary to the assertion of impossibility expressed in verse 24, to produce a chapter with an alternate or no-belief system, and witnesses are aplenty in a world where Allah is lord of all that exists. And by the way, why would Allah create or rule over such a divided world? Sorry. Not supposed to ask.
I give all due respect to the contributions of Islam as well as the sincerity and goodness of its followers; however, Allah's book, without going into other problematic matters, is difficult to reconcile with itself. How then could it possibly resolve the dilemmas faced by humankind in human much less eternal affairs?
The evidence again from the events of the day reveal it can't and it doesn't. No wonder Islam is being attacked from outside. Attackers from the inside--presumably because of different interpretations, interpretations forbidden by the holy book--also don't give the faith a clear example or recommendation for belief and adherence.
A small example of this discord both within and between the they and the we, consider this question: Does the Quran really promise Islamic martyrs 72 virgins? This site (http://www.justislam.co.uk/product.php?products_id=216) says,
The simple answer is NO! There is no promise of 72 virgins for martyrs, terrorists or suicide bombers anywhere in the Quran.
The section many people claim promises this is Chapter (78) surat l-naba (The Great News). The controversy is due to the poor translation of ONE verse from verses 29 to 34.
Other than cited examples of mistranslation on this page, we also have from http://www.clearquran.com/: "And full-breasted [companions] of equal age," as well as "And young full-breasted (mature) maidens of equal age" (http://www.noblequran.com/translation/).
Gosh, and I do mean Gosh, the non-believer and would-be believer and believer and no-beliefer must get confused as to what the good book is trying to tell . . . me.
In the face not of the events of the day but from primary sources both raw and translated and interpreted, Islam is a tough sell. I wonder what the attraction is. Certainty, but based on these words of (a capricious) Allah?
