Chapter 3.2.
The Main Message of the Quran
1. Confusion about the Main Message of the Quran.
When I first read the Quran, that was my overwhelming experience. It was impossible to get any One Overall Message to summarise it for myself. I was totally confused, but I thought it was just a result of my own lack of understanding. I thought: May be I was just stupid.
I am used to read the Bible and, although the Bible also has many different stories and topics, its is very easy to give a short summarised answer: It's all about "the Gospel of Jesus Christ"
(Read more about "the main message of the Bible" in Chapter 2.2. of this Book)
Therefor, in trying to get the Main Message of the Quran, I decided to do some "research" in searching for this to Muslims.
This was my question boosted on a Muslims Page:
Muslim friends, please help me with some research in my study of the Quran.WHAT WILL YOU SAY IS THE SUMMARIZED MAIN MESSAGE OF THE QURAN?(Please try to write it in a few short sentences say 50 Words).Welcome to still write it in the Comment section.
Response Received:
- People Reached: 24,136
- People engaged: 989 (4% responded)
- Most people only Liked it: 258 (26% of all that responded)
- With comments: 15 (only 3 that is usable for this research).
- In summary, most people mentioned something like that the main message of the Quran is guiding people to the right part of worshipping the true God to obtain paradise.
- A few people responded on that again, mostly commented on the concept "Paradise", comparing the Christian and Muslim Paradise. One responded with... "Allah mentioned food of many kinds the one we know and the one we know not, milk, honey, alcohol and beautiful woman that no man have ever seen"; Following this another asked about the 'alcohol' that is included?
- (One in Arabic; translated to English) Allah is the Greatest, O Allah, may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him, I ask forgiveness of Allah, the Great, and I repent to Him. (no further response on that)
- To guide mankind to not associate partners with Allah, be just, enjoy good and forbid evil. (no further response on that)
What I found was...
Firstly, from the hundreds of people that saw this request, very few even tried to respond with an answer - only 3 out of 24,136 gave a usable answer.
What can the reason be that so few responded? You can decide yourself. I think if they had something to say and felt that this was important for them, they would have tried.
Therefor my conclusion was... Disinterested; Uncertainty what to say; Of no importance for them.
Secondly, from the few answers received, there is no clear idea of how to summarise the variety of viewpoints as each was focussing on a different aspect.
Is it wrong for me to use the word Confusion to describe it?
I also discussed this research with many other people; mostly people busy with studying Islam and the Quran or Christians that are evangelists that are busy sharing the Gospel with Muslims. Most of them agreed with me; although they could give a list of separate points that they could think of, nobody was really sure what to use as a summarised one sentence phrase.
Their answers can thus only be summarized with the word CONFUSION.
Read here more about Confusion of the Quran.
2.THE TOPICS THAT THE QURAN COVERED.
Before criticizing any book, one should read it and get to know it.
Two Books that help a lot to explain the topics in the Quran:
1) Your Book and My Book: A topical comparison of the Qur'an with the Bible. Similarities and differences between the Holy Books of Islam and the Christian faith. by Gerhard Nehls
2) Another book that one can use: A Topical Study of the Qur'an:
However, the Qur'an is not an easy book to understand.
Here is a helpful starting point to get an overview on its major topics:
Get the Book: A Topical Study of the Qur'an - From a Christian Perspective by M. J. Fisher
3. VERSES FROM THE QURAN ABOUT SELECTED TOPICS
Click on the Links of each Topic underneath:
Or try the following link as from an Islamic Website - TheQuran.com)
https://www.thequran.com/information/topics-list
The Promotion of Virtue And Prevention of Vice
4. How People understand the Quran
People debate the meaning of the Qur'an on television talk shows as well as at the corner coffee shop. World leaders cannot cite unmistakable evidence whether the Qur'an teaches peace or demands a holy war. Neighbours disagree whether Mohammed is comparable with Jesus. One thinks that both were great religious leaders who taught goodness and morality while the other believes Mohammed was a false prophet who lived an immoral life and founded a frightening religion. Neither can support their views with verses from the Qur'an because their understanding of the Qur'an is hindered in three ways.
5. Barriers in understanding the Quran
The first is a barrier of confusion resulting from the fact that the Qur'an rarely offers a topical presentation of teachings. In the Qur'an, most chapters sporadically change topics in a disjointed manner. This book tries to arrange the teachings of the Qur'an topically. Briefly you can discover what the Qur'an teaches on subjects ranging from warfare to marriage. There is a great amount of repetition in the Qur'an so I would often choose one verse to represent many verses that taught the same thing.
The second barrier hinders comprehension of English translations of the Qur'an… I paraphrased each passage into contemporary English…
...this book amplifies the meaning of the Qur'an verses to enhance the reader’s understanding.
For example, an Islamic translation of the Qur'an’s chapter 10 verse 94 (10:94) reads as follows; "If thou wert in doubt as to what we have revealed unto thee, then ask those who have been reading the book from before thee (2).” The meaning of that same verse is unveiled by my paraphrased version which reads, "If you (Mohammed) doubt the reliability of the Qur'an, you should ask those who are reading the Bible, which was revealed prior to your life (10:94)."
To be a reliable paraphrased translation, great care must be given to a correct understanding of the passage. To ensure the most objective and accurate interpretation of the Qur'an, I used five different translations to cross-reference the verses… an honest attempt was made to translate correctly while paraphrasing the Qur'an verses in modern English.
The third barrier is censorship, which takes two forms. Some Islamic promotional materials selectively collect and present only the attractive verses arranged by subjects, such as faith, prayer, and charity. Other passages are left out which are controversial or offensive to non-Muslims, such as those about holy war, the command to beat rebellious women or the ownership of slaves. Since I wanted to offer you a complete presentation of what the Qur'an teaches, no subject was intentionally omitted.
Censorship takes another form in many of the English translations of the Qur'an. Some translators attempt to make the Qur'an more acceptable to western readers by their choice of words. For example, some translate violent verses like "fight for Islam" as "strive for Islam" or unscientific sounding verses like "Allah levelled the earth flat" as "Allah spread out the earth." To ensure that the word usage in this book reflected the true meaning of the passage, the verses were not only studied in context but in comparison with other verses on the same topic.
6. TEACHINGS OF THE QURAN
What does the Qur'an teach and how does it compare with the Bible? What do Muslims believe? What is at the heart of the Islamic faith? Now more than ever before, it is important for all non-Muslims to know the answers to these questions. With this topical, paraphrased, and uncensored presentation of the teachings of the Qur'an, conclusions are left up to the reader.
Muslims themselves may find this book enlightening… The author would invite feedback from Muslims, as well, who read this work and wish to comment.
Fisher gives a summary of the teachings of the Quran.
He mentions that a few themes repeat themselves often in the Qur'an. The foremost are the commands to believe in Allah’s oneness as opposed to idolatry and Mohammed’s validity as a prophet equal to Biblical prophets. In support of these beliefs, the Qur'an repeats the wonders of creation, the foolishness of idol worship, the terrors of Judgment Day and the alleged confirmation from the Bible.
The word “alleged” is used in reference to the Qur'an’s link with the Bible for a good reason. When the Jews and Christians of the time heard the Qur'an’s references to the Bible, they recognized two problems. They found many strange tales being portrayed as Biblical stories. One example is King Solomon communicating with ants and birds. This was one reason Mohammed lacked the support he expected from the other monotheistic faiths.
The second was that the theology of the Qur'an contradicted the Bible. The Qur'an claimed to agree with the Gospel of Jesus Christ while denying the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, and salvation through the cross and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
To persuade readers to believe and obey the teachings of the Qur'an, several incentives are reiterated in the text. Earthly rewards are extended such as victory in battle and the spoils of war which come from fighting for the cause of Islam. After death, there are promises of sensual pleasures in the Gardens of Paradise contrasted with the many horrors of hell.
There are five basic pillars of Islam which Muslims highlight as being taught by the Qur'an and their sacred history books called the Hadith. They include the confession that Allah is one and Mohammed is a prophet (Kalima), prayer facing Mecca five times each day (Salat), alms giving (Zakat), a month of fasting during the daylight hours practiced annually (Ramadan), and a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a Muslim’s life (Hajj).
7.WHEN A CHRISTIAN READS THE QUR'AN.
A Christian Reads the Qur'an - Honest Reading, Honest Reflection.
The Book is an Authentic Meditation of the Quran Text. The Author, James Wright, asked: Why would a Christian read the Qur’an? To criticize it. To convert to Islam. Many of my Muslim friends want me to read it because they believe the Qur'an is the most important book in the world.
He said: I don’t want to criticize the Qur’an. My purpose is to invite others on a quest for truth and respect. Far too often Muslims and Christians live in parallel universes. Reading the Qur’an can help build bridges of respect between one other. The Qur’an says, “do not argue with the People of the Book except in the best way” (Surah 29:46 Al-Ankabut).
Wright made a thorough evaluation of the Qur’an through the eyes of a Christian. It is a daunting task and his years of working in the Islamic world have given him some good insights and stories to share which do raise many valid questions. These questions should provide some decent food for thought for the average Muslim to think about.
You can buy the book here. It is also translated in Arabic and Turkish.
Mr. Nadir, Arab author: "This can also be very readable to Muslims because it runs smoothly and seems to contain no dogmatic complexities... I like the conclusions especially the ultimate one in chapter 55. I would say, Yes, it's perfect for the audience..."
My personal experience when I try to read the Quran as a Christian:
As a Christian, I read it myself and learned a lot about Muslim people; To say the truth, I don’t envy them.
I won’t go as far as to write so openly as what some other non-Muslims wrote underneath about their emotions when reading the Quran (I am too Politically correct to be so honest as they are)…
From The Origins of the Koran, Classic Essays on Islam’s Holy Book by Ed. Ibn Warraq. Prometheus Books.
- In some Westerners it engenders other emotions. For Gibbon it was an "incoherent rhapsody of fable," for Carlyle an "insupportable stupidity," while here is what the German scholar Salomon Reinach thought: "From the literary point of view, the Koran has little merit. Declamation, repetition, puerility, a lack of logic and coherence strike the unprepared reader at every turn.
- It is humiliating to the human intellect to think that this mediocre literature has been the subject of innumerable commentaries, and that millions of men are still wasting time absorbing it."
Therefore, as I was also trying to read the Quran (as a book - chapter by chapter – not only a nice, sounded verse here and there) - which was not at all easy or of any personal value for my own faith - I strongly want to invite Muslims to also read the Bible the same way. At least you will follow the line of the stories and understand what the author wants to say.
May God bless you in this and you enjoyed it as much as I am.
8. A Christian's understanding of the MAIN MESSAGE OF THE QURAN?
Don Richardson in his book "Secrets of the Koran" wrote...
Muslim apologists have a lot of praising for the Koran, but few Muslims know what the MAIN MESSAGE from the Quran is if one researches the book. That which one can quote in a one sentence phrase.
What will you say?
- In the Koran there is a continuous list of threats and damnation for punishment of sin; over and over it is repeated: hell, punishment, wrath, God's curse etc. - both for infidels (unbelievers or non-Muslims) and disobedient Muslims.
- Also, anyone who refuses to go to battle for Islam or retreats from battle for Islam, draws down the same threats of hell (8:16; and 9:49).
Summarized by Richardson: 1 threat of hell and damnation in every 7,9 verses (some verses with more than one warning each are counted only once) ...
Hellfire! What a threat to live under day by day! This is Bad News!
I am so sad for my Muslim friends!
I am so glad I am a Christian that know the Good News of the Gospel!
Muslim friend, do you realise the Bible is full of Good News; not this terrible Bad News mentioned above.
You can read more about this Good News here.
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