Friday, February 09, 2007

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.

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