The Light Shineth in Darkness by -Udo Schaefer- 4 Para

The holy book of Islam, the 'Qur'an', which according to the Orientalist von Hammer "is as unmistakably the word of Muhammad as the Muslims believe that it is the Word of God", is often treated by the critical non-Muslim reader with lack of appreciation and often with arrogance. This is why he reaches a conclusion about the book which is often subjective, unjust and presumptuous. Whoever decides to read this book should do so with the understanding that it is a holy book-- for centuries a guiding-star for countless human beings. The reader should approach this work if not with a feeling of awe, then at least with respect, and mindful of the warning given by the eighteenth-century scientist Lichtenberg about one's approach to reading a book, should remember the following points. (139:1)

The judgment passed on a holy writing depends to a great extent on the religious concepts and the emotional values held by the one judging it. The European's ideas, even if he is an agnostic, are shaped by Christianity. To the Christian, the Gospel is the essence of the Word of God. He has known and loved this work since his childhood. He understands it, or thinks he does. He considers it to be 'a priori' different from every other writing. He adopts it as a standard by which he judges unfamiliar revealed writings like the 'Qur'an', with which he only becomes familiar through the veil of inadequate translations since he has no command of Arabic, and is without any knowledge of the ideas, situation and conditions of that period of history, which are occasionally referred to in the 'Qur'an' itself. And after a superficial reading of it he lays this book aside, disappointed and convinced of the unsurpassable and matchless quality of the Gospel. In doing so he fails to realize that the language of the Word of God is very varied. The divine truth has been expressed at different periods, in different places, in very different forms of human thought and language. To say nothing of the holy writings more removed from us like the Bhagavad Gita and the Dhammapada, even the writings of the Old Testament are very different in content and stylistic form. The gospels, too, show differences in their stylistic characteristics: the Gospel of St. John differs from the synoptic gospels to a great degree by its adoption of Hellenistic ways of thinking and speaking. The 'Qur'an' which, for the first time, preserves for mankind the pure, directly spoken and undistorted word of the Almighty, cannot be compared on its literary quality to any of the books of the Old and New Testaments. Apart from the philological aspect of the work, namely the extraordinarily expressive Arabic language which is capable of the finest nuances, and which has been, since Muhammad's advent, the language of revelation, this uniqueness lies in the singular way the book is presented and in the overpowering spirit of its prophetic parts. Thus the 'Qur'an' is described by non-Muslim experts of the Arabic language as a great masterpiece of literature. Of course, to the superficial reader who remains aloof, its original character, its poetic expression and the hidden, symbolic meaning of its verses disclose themselves just as little as the "Art of Fugue' would to the man who does not understand Bach's polyphony. (140:1)

Another fact should be considered: Islam claims-- like Judaism and the Baha'i Faith-- to be not only the rule of conduct and the guide to God for the individual in need of salvation but also the remedy and guidance for a lamentably sick human society. The social order is also an object of divine solicitude. Therefore in Muhammad's proclamation man as a whole is addressed, as an individual as well as a social, political body. This is why the 'Qur'an' also contains ordinances and laws; this is why it is also-- like the Pentateuch-- a book of laws. But by no means a systematic code of laws in the sense of our modern codification! Baha'u'llah's warning about the 'Kitab-i-Aqdas', the book of laws which he revealed, applies also to the 'Qur'an': "Think not that we have revealed unto you a mere code of laws. Nay, rather we have unsealed the choice Wine with the fingers of might and power." "Say: O leaders of religion! Weigh not the Book of God with such standards and sciences as are current amongst you, for the Book itself is the unerring balance established amongst men." (141:1)

The critic sometimes finds one feature of the 'Qur'an' unusual and wearisome: the frequent repetitions of the same topics. Varied as the 'Qur'an' is, giving in many places an account of the earlier divine messengers and of the life and sufferings of Christ, the following points recur time and again as 'Leitmotive' of the revelation: the testimony to the unity and awe-inspiring omnipotence of God, to the reward for the ones devoted to doing the will of God and to the chastisement of those denying his signs. Above all the 'Qur'an' proclaims God's mercifulness: "My mercy embraceth all things." "In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful" thus reads the introductory formula which opens each surah. Goethe's verdict upon these passages, which repeat the central themes in new contexts and which are obviously founded in the Prophet's educative purpose was: "Unlimited tautologies and repetitions form the body of this Holy Book which, every time we take it up, revolts us anew, fills us with amazement and finally commands our veneration." Understanding this book depends, as Baha'u'llah continually reminds us, on "purity of heart, chastity of soul, and freedom of spirit". Whoever calls it a confused, obscure and muddled work is like the blind of whom Baha'u'llah writes: "Yea, the blind can perceive naught from the sun except its heat , and the arid soil hath no share of the showers of mercy. "Marvel not if in the Qur'an the unbeliever perceiveth naught but the trace of letters, for in the sun, the blind findeth naught but heat." (143:1)

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