This week I read mostly from chapter 23, before Hajira. Some stuff on those who might deny the afterlife... Reminded me of Sanhedrin 10 in the Mishnah that denies a place in the world to come to those who deny that the Pentateuch teaches resurrection.
Also some other traditions if I wondered were biblical in origin. One story sounded a bit like the rich man and Lazarus parable in Luke. Another passage mentioned the Great Throne and I wondered if Merkabah Jewish mysticism was in the air.
I know Muhammed himself is said to have been illiterate. But I also believe he was surrounded by individuals who were able to write his revelations down and who thus may have had some literary knowledge of things Jewish and Christian. I have been gaining the impression that we see in the Quran a number of traditions that have swirled around, some biblical in origin, some from later Judaism and Christianity, and of course I assume there were a lot of local traditions and variations as well (Iblis?).
Chapter 24 is after Hajira. Some material on wives and in particular on accusations of impropriety. They are fair to the wife, indicating that a man who falsely accuses his wife of impropriety is in big trouble: "Those who calumniate chaste, unwary, believing women are cursed in this world and the Hereafter."
Arabic exercises this week are in recognizing words with shadda, or doubling...
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