Diversity in Thought and Practice

 The Qur'an is a complex text that is widely studied in our society today and one that is very intriguing. In "Approaching the Qur'an" Sells mentions that the universal text of Islam is full of metaphors, personifications, and allegories that discusses a great number of issues such as taqwa, justice, existential and personal issues, fundamental values, God's oneness, and prayer. For many Muslims, the Qur'an is the ultimate guidance to mankind by God. The beauty of the texts arises from passages or ayats that can have multiple interpretations. These interpretations have led to different beliefs and practices and ultimately to many sects of Islam. This diversity within the text itself is very interesting to note. Although the Qur'an is the word of God, there are many translations and interpretations of the holy text. Not only is the Qur'an a source of guidance but also a text that relies heavily on its recitation. These two points are significantly correlated with each other-what the text means is related to how it is recited or tajweed. The oral dimension of the Qur'an has a spiritual and emotional significance. It aims to involve its reader in divine speech and deeply and moves and affects the reciter. The recitation of the Qur'an is the action that allows one to understand the belief more deeply. This is in contrast to the Bhuddist belief of orthopraxy whereas Muslims value both orthodoxy and orthopraxy-one dependent on the other for ultimate guidance. This also relates to the concept of the horizontal and the vertical dimensions of man's life in which he must do both in order to lead a complete life. The horizontal dimension refers to the material life that should be lived ethically with the sense of brotherhood  whereas the vertical dimension is the relationship with the divine that is strengthened through remembrance and daily prayer. The complete nature of the Qur'an-the way it is formatted and written to the way its recited- is of great interest to me so I thought I'd share some of what I know.