Friday is Quran Day

My reading this week continued in chapter 22. It had both mention of Jew and Christian as groups between which Allah would judge on the day. Yet elsewhere it mentioned Allah defending those who worship him in synagogue and church. Also in this section is a curious statement that God has appointed various ways of worship--by implication including non-Islamic types of worship. The statement, "Allah will judge between you and me on the Day of Judgment" might leave open the door that some Jews and Christians might be accepted even though they worship differently. I'm not sure, but superficially it seems very possible to read it this way.

Some wonderful tortures in store for the damned. ;-) Way more stuff about hell in the Quran than in the Bible! I wonder if some of the Fire imagery and interaction has more in common with the Zeitgeist of Christianity in the 500's more than the New Testament. Since most people today read later church flavors into the Bible, I can see where a person might think that the Quran and Bible are a lot alike on these things.

One curious thing was about sacrifices. I didn't think Muslims sacrificed. But the sacrifice of camels is mentioned. It does say that the flesh doesn't reach heaven.

Also some Ancient House is mentioned whose site was shown to Abraham. I wasn't sure if this was referring to Mecca (which I consider most likely) but wondered if some equated this with the Dome of the Rock.

Found an allusion to the OT--a day with the Lord is as a 1000 years. Also found in 2 Peter 3.

Take this comment: "Whenever we send a messenger or a prophet ... Satan puts obstacles in the way." This is a common Christian way of talking as well in many churches, particularly charismatic churches. But it is not a particularly major New Testament way of talking.

Thursday was Physics Day

I was well pleased with myself yesterday. I have a long project going to understand one equation, Schroedinger's equation. It is an equation related to potential. So I went to a chapter on electric potential, which lead me to review in a chapter on work (W=Fs or more specifically F dot s). I ended up reviewing in the first chapter on vector notation.

The thing that made me happy was when I saw that I was looking at something called a dot product, the words "as opposed to a cross product" came to mind. I smiled, turned the page, and there it was, the cross product.

I don't remember learning these two the first time. I wonder if I understand them better this time than I did twenty-five years ago. But I was happy that somewhere in the dark recesses of my mind, I remembered something!

Arabic/Quran Day

I've been pronouncing the a sound wrongly and so my click pick for Arabic is wrong. It's a short a as in man.

I'm in chapter 21 this week. Some legends about Abraham and idols, a glimpse of a cosmogony. Lot, Noah are mentioned, David, Solomon, Job, Zachariah and even non-biblical figures (is Dhul Nun Daniel? Probably not). The Virgin Mary may be alluded to or maybe Hannah?

One allusion to Christians, "those who say the Gracious One has taken to himself a son..."

Destroyed cities cannot be revived. Gog and Magog are mentioned. Hell is mentioned way more than in the Bible. The judgment involves a rolling up of the skies (like Hebrews and Psalms). A Book of David is mentioned... Psalms?

The most interesting thing is the end of the chapter. A person confronts an unbeliever and asks them if they will submit to the fact that there is one God. But the person seems allowed to turn away with a rebuke. There is no killing of them here. (written before Hijra)

I barely began chapter 22. It seems like things are much harsher after Hijra. Human creation here.

Physics Day

V(x, t) is a "potential." I assume it is a function relative to location (x) and time (t). This is the task of the day.

Potential is potential energy per unit charge. So usually, V = U/Q0, where U is potential energy and Q0 is a test charge.

This leads me to ask what potential energy is. But I've run out of time. To be continued...

Latin Day

Livy 1.16.4: "Romulus taught them [the Caeninenses] how vain anger is without strength."

How can humans become gods? Principally by becoming immortal. Power is part of the equation as well, I would say. Hercules and Romulus both become gods.