Sura 85: The Towering Constellations

"Their only grievance against them was their faith in God, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy, to whom all control over the heavens and earth belongs: God is witness over all things." (The Towering Constellations 85.8-85.9)


Sura eighty-five really highlights the all-powerfulness of Allah.  Likewise, it also shows Allah's dedication to protecting his believers.  This particular Sura stood out to me, amongst the rest because it wasn't like anything we've read before in search up until this point.  The Allah portrayed in this Sura seems more removed from the actions of mortals yet very stern in deciding an individual's experience in the afterlife.  In a sense Allah is portrayed in a paternal light looking out for his followers in the long run.  Although not providing immediate condolences or punishment for the persecutors of his followers, the Quran states, " For those who persecute believing men and women, and do not repent afterwards, there will be the torment of Hell and burning, (The Towering Constellations 85.11)"  My question for you, my fellow classmates is how would the Quran's description of Allah, their God/divine authority, compare to the other portrayals of "God" we've read about this year?

The Jinn- Sura 72

"Places of worship are for God alone-- so do not pray to anyone other than God" (Jinn 72.18)
The Jinn was a religious group of the time that overheard the Qur'an and immediately realized its truth and became Muslim. This chapter explains how God can never be escaped, and that those who submit to him should fear no "loss or injustice". This similarly relates to Christian teaching, as Christians believe that through Jesus, they too should fear no loss or injustice as the Lord will protect them. The above quote remind me of one of the Ten Commandments of Christianity: "Thou shall not worship idols." This is one of the worst sins an individual can commit in both religions. From my reading thus far, I have been finding many similarities between The Qur'an and The Bible. My question for the class is as follows. Has anyone else found these similarities? If so, do you think these two religions were influenced by each other through their creation?

Sura 4: Women

"Concerning your children, God commands that a son should have the equivalent share of two daughters"(Women 4:11).

This quote exemplifies gender inequality in the Qur'an, a problem that continues to occur in Muslim society today. Many of the most notable religious texts, including the Bible, contain passages that seen to demean women. Men were seen as the dominant and superior gender of the time these ancient texts were written, and it is often difficult to transfer over these texts to resound with women of religion today. This chapter of the Qur'an ends with the following quote: "a man is titled to twice the sharing of the female" (Women 4:176). This reiterates the fact that men were believed to have more value than women. My question for the class is as follows, keeping in mind that I am not familiar with Islam. Does the Qur'an demean women more than other religious texts, or are these passages simply a product of the time in which they were written, similar to other philosophical works from this time period? 

Livestock Qur'an

“If you find rejection by the disbelievers so hard to bear, then seek a tunnel into the ground or a ladder into the sky, if you can, and bring them a sign: God could bring them all to guidance if it were His will, so do not join the ignorant” (Livestock 6:28)

            This quote seems to be arguing that God has control of those who believe and him and those that do not. This is reinforced later in this book: “God leaves whoever He will to stray, and sets whoever He will on a straight path” (Livestock 6:28). I believe that this is included to provide comfort to Muslims who are exposed to people who argue that Islam is a myth. By telling Muslims that they are selected by God himself to be his follower, followers of Islam will be less inclined to listen to others that are opposed to Islam. This is also a unifying force for followers of Islam, the belief that God chose you and your fellow Muslims specifically provides a sense of community and security. This is similar to Yahweh choosing the Israelites as his people in the Old Testament; it was the unity that Judaism provided the Israelites that inspired them to leave Egypt.

            I do not have a lot of prior knowledge about the history of Islam so I would love to hear from others who do.Was there any event that occurs in Islamic history that was similar to the unification of the Israelites and their escape from Egypt?

Augustine's Praise

Uploaded late due to blog problems.

In book IX Augustine’s mother dies and Augustine tells a story from her teenage years.  Augustine’s mother would sneak wine from her parent’s cellar all the time and she got in a fight with one of their servants over it.  In the fight the servant basically called her an alcoholic and that really hit home for her.  She realized that what she had been doing was wrong and this led to her change in faith and why she keeps pushing for Augustine to convert.  Though Augustine’s mother came to this point by herself and the help of her parents, Augustine still thanks God entirely.  “Through one unwholesome soul you brought wholesomeness to another” (170, book 8 section 18).

            With Augustine’s sinful past it might make him feel safer knowing that there is a figure guiding all that he does, so he doesn’t slip up and go back down that lustful path.  Why do you think he is so adamant about thanking God for everything?

The Rule of Saint Benedict

"Place your hope in God alone.  If you notice something good in yourself, give credit to God, not to yourself, but be retain that the evil you commit is always your own and yours to acknowledge." (Ch. 4 Pg.13)

This quote from the Rule of Saint Benedict reminds me a lot of something Augustine would say in his Confessions.  This quote accredits God with the good within an individual, and places the responsibility of sin and evil not with the nature of God, but with the free will of humans.  Both place significance on taking responsibility for one's own evil.  Both suggest God cannot be held accountable for one's own wrongdoing and sin as God is inherently good.    However my question to you, my fellow classmates is: what do you think Augustine would have to say about the guidelines St. Benedict is writing for religious communities to live by?  Would he promote the same values?  What would he criticize?    

The Differences Between The Rule of Saint Benedict and Confessions

While reading the prologue to The Rule of Saint Benedict, I noticed a few differences between this book and the book we just read, Confessions. The first difference is between good and evil.  In Confessions, Augustine is trying to find the origin of evil and he is frantically searching for the answer. He ends up deciding that "all that [God] created is good" and that for God "evil does not exist" (Augustine 148). However, in The Rule of Saint Benedict, Saint Benedict is talking about God and he says "In his goodness, he has already counted us as his sons, and therefore we should never grieve him by our evil actions" (Saint Benedict 3). Saint Benedict believes our actions can be evil. While both Augustine and Saint Benedict agree on God's goodness, they disagree on evil. Another difference I noticed is when Saint Benedict is talking about believing in God "With his good gifts which are in us, we must obey him at all times that he may never become the angry father who disinherits his sons, nor the dread lord, enraged by our sins, who punishes us forever as worthless servants for refusing to follow him to glory" (Saint Benedict 3). Saint Benedict is saying that if we do not obey and believe in God, then God will punish us. All throughout Confessions, Augustine is writing about how he has defied God throughout his lifetime and does not believe in him and yet, God still loves him and is leading Augustine to him. Both of these outlooks on God are very different. Which one do you believe to be true?