A few questions from a seeker
I hope you'll all forgive my ignorance of Islam. I'm 27, born, raised, and currently living in Atlantic Canada. I was raised an atheist but in the last half-dozen years I've found myself unsatisfied with that world-view. I've been experimenting with and exploring various religious and spiritual perspectives (it's a long story, available upon request to anyone bored enough!), and I currently consider myself an agnostic--by which I mean that I don't claim to know what God is or isn't. Lately I've become interested in Islam. I've done some research online, and I have a few questions that I thought might best be asked of those "on the inside", as it were.
First off, I'll admit that I haven't yet read the Qur'an all the way through. I've read the first six chapters of an English translation by T. B. Irving, published 1985, which was designed to be readable by North American children, so the language is very simple and, honestly, tediously dull. I'm considering ordering this translation, but I'd like some input regarding the accuracy of the translation.
My next question is about the status of the Qur'an. In Christianity, there are multiple perspectives on the Bible depending on one's tradition and socio-political perspective, ranging from strict literalism to ideas that the Bible must be read with historical context in mind, and, for example, that some of the rules are not necessarily applicable to modern life in the West or China or what have you. My question is this: Is there a similar range of perspectives on the Qur'an? The only statements I've found are simply that the Qur'an is the Word of God as given to Muhammad (pbuh) via Jibril. Yet this statement does not say anything about literalism vs. metaphorical reading, or whether every word is applicable to modern life. And it's clear that there is a great variety of socio-political perspectives within Islam, as Muslims are not all "fundamentalists"; some get along with the West and much of its ideology just fine. I know there are some Muslims who do not follow Hadith at all, while others do. So I'm wondering what the spectrum is of Islamic interpretations of the Qur'an.
I've read that the fundamental quality of being a Muslim is submission to the will of Allah. What I have not found so far is an explanation of what that means. It sounds straightforward, but what is the will of Allah? Is it the Qur'an? or the Qur'an plus hadith? or is it less tangible, based on a personal relationship with Allah and knowing Him in one's heart, as many Christians relate to Jesus? Or is it something else entirely?
Is the Prophet (pbuh) considered divine? I know Islam states that Jesus was a prophet but not the "son of God"--yet he also did not die but ascended into Heaven. What about Muhammad (pbuh)?
Can anyone recommend resources (books, websites) regarding Islamic history? By this I mean not just the history of the religion of Islam itself, but of the Islamic world. History as it is taught in the West tends to skip over everything outside of Christianity, yet I know there's more to the world than that. The fact that our number system comes from Arabic alone suggests there must be a history of mathematics in the Islamic world, and clearly there is a long tradition of art (Arabic calligraphy is truly beautiful!).
My last question is about the vocabulary I've seen used in this community and on several websites. I've begun trying to learn Arabic with the help of this website, but I'm still working on the alphabet and pronunciation, not yet vocabulary. Is there a glossary someone might recommend for terms like "Assalaamu alaykum", "inshAllah", "Alhamdulillah", "Muharram", and so on, just so I can follow along with the community's discussions? (I do know what "Allah" means, don't worry!) Also, I've noticed several different English spellings of these terms: e.g., inshALLAH, in shah Allah; Salaam alaikum, assalam alaykum, asalaamu alaykum. Is there a difference, or is it a question of transliterating slightly varying pronunciations of the Arabic?
Thank you for your patience with my questions. I don't know yet whether I will convert to Islam, but I'm the type to get as much information as possible and make a sound decision, on the assumption that if God granted me a brain, it would be disrespectful not to use it! I'm sure I'll pop up again with more questions in the future.
Peace be with you all.
First off, I'll admit that I haven't yet read the Qur'an all the way through. I've read the first six chapters of an English translation by T. B. Irving, published 1985, which was designed to be readable by North American children, so the language is very simple and, honestly, tediously dull. I'm considering ordering this translation, but I'd like some input regarding the accuracy of the translation.
My next question is about the status of the Qur'an. In Christianity, there are multiple perspectives on the Bible depending on one's tradition and socio-political perspective, ranging from strict literalism to ideas that the Bible must be read with historical context in mind, and, for example, that some of the rules are not necessarily applicable to modern life in the West or China or what have you. My question is this: Is there a similar range of perspectives on the Qur'an? The only statements I've found are simply that the Qur'an is the Word of God as given to Muhammad (pbuh) via Jibril. Yet this statement does not say anything about literalism vs. metaphorical reading, or whether every word is applicable to modern life. And it's clear that there is a great variety of socio-political perspectives within Islam, as Muslims are not all "fundamentalists"; some get along with the West and much of its ideology just fine. I know there are some Muslims who do not follow Hadith at all, while others do. So I'm wondering what the spectrum is of Islamic interpretations of the Qur'an.
I've read that the fundamental quality of being a Muslim is submission to the will of Allah. What I have not found so far is an explanation of what that means. It sounds straightforward, but what is the will of Allah? Is it the Qur'an? or the Qur'an plus hadith? or is it less tangible, based on a personal relationship with Allah and knowing Him in one's heart, as many Christians relate to Jesus? Or is it something else entirely?
Is the Prophet (pbuh) considered divine? I know Islam states that Jesus was a prophet but not the "son of God"--yet he also did not die but ascended into Heaven. What about Muhammad (pbuh)?
Can anyone recommend resources (books, websites) regarding Islamic history? By this I mean not just the history of the religion of Islam itself, but of the Islamic world. History as it is taught in the West tends to skip over everything outside of Christianity, yet I know there's more to the world than that. The fact that our number system comes from Arabic alone suggests there must be a history of mathematics in the Islamic world, and clearly there is a long tradition of art (Arabic calligraphy is truly beautiful!).
My last question is about the vocabulary I've seen used in this community and on several websites. I've begun trying to learn Arabic with the help of this website, but I'm still working on the alphabet and pronunciation, not yet vocabulary. Is there a glossary someone might recommend for terms like "Assalaamu alaykum", "inshAllah", "Alhamdulillah", "Muharram", and so on, just so I can follow along with the community's discussions? (I do know what "Allah" means, don't worry!) Also, I've noticed several different English spellings of these terms: e.g., inshALLAH, in shah Allah; Salaam alaikum, assalam alaykum, asalaamu alaykum. Is there a difference, or is it a question of transliterating slightly varying pronunciations of the Arabic?
Thank you for your patience with my questions. I don't know yet whether I will convert to Islam, but I'm the type to get as much information as possible and make a sound decision, on the assumption that if God granted me a brain, it would be disrespectful not to use it! I'm sure I'll pop up again with more questions in the future.
Peace be with you all.