Summary

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The readings selected for Session Three illustrate the role that the Qur’an plays in the lives of Muslims as an oral/aural scripture. While Jews and Christians view their holy books as narratives of divine inspiration that are accessible through the written word, many Muslims interact with and encounter their holy book primarily through the sound of the recited text. The sound permeates every day life in Muslim majority countries as people hear the recited Qur’an in “secular” environments such as markets and shopping malls, over the radio and at a variety of public functions. As such, Muslims are more likely to hear the Qur’an rather than read it. Indeed, it has been said that the majority of the world’s Muslims encounter the Qur’an through the ear rather than the eye. Most Muslims believe that the Qur’an embodies God’s actual speech in Arabic as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel. Not surprisingly, the oral recited Qur’an is absolutely integral to the believer in incorporating a relationship with the Divine into daily life. Muslims view the beauty and perfection of the Qur’an to be manifest in the sound and imagery that the spoken word emotes in the listener. In fact, believers point to this very perfection of the text as the proof of the prophethood of Muhammad. For many, the notion that the Qur’an is inimitable, that is, no human could possibly have produced anything so perfect, proves that it had to be God who revealed this message to Muhammad.

Guiding Questions

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1. Some scholars claim that the Muslim emphasis on hearing the Divine Word (Qur’an) in its recited form results in a different understanding of communing with God than that of Jews and Christians. As you go through these readings, document examples that highlight this claim of difference. Think about what the practical effect these differences produce within the believer, if any. As you learn more about Islam and Muslim cultures, compare and contrast the ideals represented in the recited scripture versus the way that people behave. Is this substantially different in other religions?
2. Consider the nature of a religion’s emphasis on the recitation of a holy message. How is this emphasis related to the cultural/literary context in which the Qur’an was revealed? In what ways would this emphasis be uplifting and deeply touching in a personal context? In what ways would it be anti-individual and restricting? What freedom does the individual reciter have in determining the manner and style of his/her recitation? How does looking at religion through a cultural context change what you think about both someone else’s religion and your own system of beliefs which may be religious or not.
3. How do the three monotheistic religions use scripture differently? How does the way a believer looks at scripture predispose his/her response to his/her own religion? How do you think that these differences substantially reflect culture? How do these differences stand in the way of mutual understanding?
4. What key information do these readings highlight which you think make a difference in a better/clearer understanding of Islam by non-Muslims?

Summary

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The readings selected for Session Three illustrate the role that the Qur’an plays in the lives of Muslims as an oral/aural scripture. While Jews and Christians view their holy books as narratives of divine inspiration that are accessible …

Summary

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Session Four readings consider the Qur’an as a written literary text, that is, in its physical form as a compiled book. Discussion of the Qur’an’s style, structure and contents, its terminology and world-view and the diverse ways in which Muslim communities interpret it, help the reader understand the “mechanics” of this book that is of central significance to Muslims around the world. To provide a broader frame of reference for the study of the Qur’anic text as well as an understanding of the manner in which the Islamic tradition relates itself to Christianity and Judaism, the session includes an examination of the story of Joseph in a comparative context, that is, its narration in the Bible and the Qur’an. The readings on the Joseph story and its literary and artistic expressions in various cultural contexts invite an exploration of the role that cultural contexts play in creating diverse Muslim interpretations of the same text.

The brief discussion of eight central themes of the Qur’an, in the readings from Kenneth Cragg, lays the foundation for understanding Islamic expectations concerning faith, worship and behavior. The eight themes, as stated by Cragg, are:
• God and His praise
• Man in creation
• Prophethood in human guidance prior to Muhammad
• Muhammad in his Meccan environment
• Muhammad in his Medinan locale
• Religious Law and devotion
• Social Law and society
• The Last Things

Study of the Qur’an is not complete without an understanding of the importance that aesthetics of recitation plays in worship. As we have already discussed in Session Three, memorization and recitation of Qur’anic verse are important Muslim practices. The aural dimension of the Qur’an helps the believer access God’s message through sound. As we shall explore later, calligraphic Arabic writing adds an artistic dimension in revering Allah’s word as well.

Guiding Questions

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Introductory:

1. Cragg states that “Muslim conviction sees divine communication and Muhammad’s messengership as the two aspects of a single fact.”(page 18)

• How is the merging of these two concepts important to Islamic theology?
• What roles did the conception and recording of the Qur’an play in explaining Cragg’s quote and in establishing this as a holy book?

2. Cragg also discussed the concept of “‘there-and-then’ in concern for ‘here and now.’” (p. 27). Is there a correlation between the role and interpretations of the Qur’an and the life styles of Muslims during different historical time periods? Explain.

3. Discuss the role of the Qur’an in providing direction for an ethical life. Incorporate the inclusion of the eight themes in the discussion.

Joseph Story:
The Joseph story is one of the best known and best-loved traditional narratives among Jewish, Christian and Muslim peoples. Jews and Christians know it in its Biblical form as it appears in Genesis 35-50. (Jews also know many embellishments to the story, which are found in Talmudic literature.) Muslims know it its Qur’anic form as told in Surah 12 (Chapter 12). The reading from J. Kaltner, Inquiring of Joseph, ix-xx; 23-43 will be particularly helpful in framing your reading of the Quranic and Genesis accounts of the Joseph story.

4. In comparing the Biblical and Qur’anic traditions of the Joseph materials, try to assess what the distinctive features of each narrative are: the stylistic aspects of each account, it’s probable role in Jewish, Christian or Muslim religious lives, and its place in the larger historical understanding of each of these traditions. What are the differences in the plots of the two accounts? How does character development differ in the two accounts? What might bethe purpose and/or effect of such differences? What is the narrative standpoint from which each account is told? Which accounts seem more didactic? Where do the emphases upon particular events lie in each account? Are the virtues and vices depicted in each account comparable? How does Joseph himself appear in each account? Finally, can you make some generalizations about the overall character of the Qur’anic narrative as opposed to the Biblical narrative?

5. After comparing the Biblical and Qur’anic versions of the story of Joseph, read the Malay and Swahili narratives. How do these stories and their portrayals of Joseph compare and contrast with those of the Bible and the Qur’an? Given that the Joseph story is already told in the Muslim scripture, what do you think is achieved by re-telling it in each tradition? In the re-telling of the story, how is it “indigenized” or acculturated?

6. John Renard writes that because of the “long love affair” that generations of Muslims across the world have had with Joseph, he has become “a comprehensive reminder of the various aspects of the Islamic tradition.” Provide some instances from the readings in support of this statement.

7. Cragg states that “Creed, code, cult, community and culture are five ‘c’s in necessary inter-relation in every religion.” (page 41). Use these five concepts to compare and contrast the variations of the Joseph story included in the readings. Include how the sources of the Joseph story reflect Christian, Jewish and Islamic ideologies.

8. After viewing and hearing the multi-media resources, reflect upon the importance of the aural and visual arts in Muslim devotional life.

Summary

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Session Four readings consider the Qur’an as a written literary text, that is, in its physical form as a compiled book. Discussion of the Qur’an’s style, structure and contents, its terminology and world-view and the diverse ways in …