THE HOLY BOOK OF ISLAM

The Quran Is Probably The Most Often Read Book In The World, Surely “ The Most Often Memorized” And “Possibly The Most Influential” In The Daily Life Of The People Who Believe In It. Unlike The New Testament, Which Is Written In An Exalted Style, It Is Neither Poetry Nor Ordinary Prose, Yet It Possesses The Ability To Arouse Its Hearers To Ecstasies Of Faith. Its Rhythms Have Been Compared To The Beat Of Drums To The Echoes Of Nature And To The Chants Which Are Common In All Early Societies. It Is Written In Arabic, And Devout Muslims Have Often Insisted That It Must Not Be Translated Into Any Other Language. One Might Expect That Such A Wish Would Have Limited The Spread Of Islam. On The Contrary, All Over The World Men Have Laboured To Learn Arabic, Not An Easy Language Just To Be Able To Read Their Holy Book And Pray In The Original.

The Quran Was Revealed To Mohammed Between The Years 610 And 632 AD In The Cities Of Mecca Medina. Devoted Scribes Wrote It Down On “Scraps Of Paper, Bark And The White Shoulder Blades Of Animals. The Early Revelations Were Dazzling Assurances That There Was Only One God, Merciful And Compassionate He Is Allah, The Creator, The Maker, And The Fashioner. Whatever Is In The Heavens And The Earth Declares His Glory And He Is The Mighty, The Wise. It Was This Message That Inspired Men To Revolutionize Their Lives And Their Nations. In Later Years, When Islam Began To Penetrate Large Areas Of Arabia And Had Acquired Much Power, The Revelations Dealt With The Organization Of Society Its Laws, Procedures And Problems.

The Christian Or Jew Who Reads The Quran Finds Himself On Familiar Ground A Good Deal Of The Time. Many Revered Names From Christianity And Judaism Appear In The Quran. For Example, Five Of The Important Chapters Are Entitled Noah Jonah, Joseph, Abraham, And Mary. Lacking Specific Chapters Of Their Own, But Playing Quite Important Roles Are Jesus, Adam, David, Goliath, Job, Moses, Lot And Solomon. Islam Is Partly Founded On The Words Of Four Prophets Who Lived Before Mohammed; Jesus, Noah, Abraham, Moses. The Quran Does Not Acknowledge That Jesus Was The Son Of God And That He Suffered Death Upon The Cross. If Jesus Were Acknowledged The Child Of God, Muslims Believe It Would Compromise God’s Oneness, The Belief Which Is The Cornerstone Of Islam. It Would, Moreover Be Difficult Thereafter To Contend That Mohammed Was The Bearer Of The Final Perfect Revelation As Muslims Do. It Is This Dedication To One God Plus Practical Instruction That Makes The Quran Unique. Each Islamic Nation Contains Many Citizens Who Are Convinced That Their Land Will Be Groaned Well Only If Its Laws Conform To Quran.