It's the End of the World As We Know It?

Hello!

For this week’s blog post I thought I would discuss my reactions to the assigned reading in Approaching the Qur’an.

After completing the reading, two things immediately struck me. The first was the similarity of the Qur’an to the Christian Bible and the Jewish Torah. Unlike the Vedas, which contained descriptions of rituals and philosophical discussions, the suras revolved around the idea of praising an almighty God. The second major thing I noticed was the motif of punishment and the emphasis between “right” and “wrong.” 

In almost every passage, there seemed to be a reference to people who are “wrong.” In some cases, these people are deniers (al-mukadhdhibun). To clarify, this is not to imply that all “wrong” people are nonbelievers. Some, as mentioned in “The Opening” have merely “lost the way” (42). However, there are some “wrong” people who have violated the fundamental principles of the Qur’an. As described in “The Dawn,” these people “are unforgiving...do not demand food for those who hunger...feed on inheritances and devour” (80). 

This is where the idea of punishment comes into play.

Although the Qur’an does acknowledge that “sometimes wrongdoers do seem to prosper,” (79) when the day of reckoning roles around, these same wrongdoers will be held accountable for their actions. Although the details of the actual punishment remain hazy, rest assured it will not be pleasant. “The Most High” passage seems to indicate that the wrongdoers “will be put to the fire, neither dying in it nor living” (72). 

To me, this idea of “a day of reckoning” culminating in judgment and punishment is what sets the Qur’an apart from the Vedas and Pali Nikayas. Although all three texts help the reader become closer to the divine, the Qur’an alone warns the reader of the consequences if they do not do so.