Qur’an, Suras 1, 53, 98 (c. 610–632)
The remarkable rise of Islam during the seventh century had far-reaching consequences. Muhammad (c. 570–632), a merchant-turned-holy man from the Arabian city of Mecca, founded the new faith based on what he believed were direct revelations from God, which he first received around 610. The messages continued until his death and soon thereafter were written down and compiled into what became the Qur’an, the holy book of Islam. Comprising 114 hymnic chapters (suras), the Qur’an begins with the Fatihah (“opening”), which emphasizes God’s oneness and the believer’s recourse to God alone. The “road straight” is the path of right worship. The first eighteen verses of the Star, among the earliest of Muhammad’s revelations, explicitly reveal his position in the divine plan, casting him as God’s companion and servant. The final selection, the Testament, represents the later period of Muhammad’s prophecy when he and his followers confronted the challenges posed by people who resisted the new religion.
From Approaching the Qur’an: The Early Revelations, trans. Michael Sells (Ashland, OR: White Cloud Press, 1999), 35, 42, 44, 47, 104–6.
1 The Opening
In the name of God
the Compassionate the Caring
Praise be to God
lord sustainer of the worlds
the Compassionate the Caring
master of the day of reckoning1
To you we turn to worship
and to you we turn in time of need
Guide us along the road straight
the road of those to whom you are giving
not those with anger upon them
not those who have lost the way
53:1–18 The Star
In the Name of God the Compassionate the Caring
By the star as it falls
Your companion2 has not lost his way nor is he
deluded
He does not speak out of desire
This is a revelation
taught him by one of great power
and strength that stretched out over
while on the highest horizon—
then drew near and came down
two bows’ lengths or nearer
He revealed to his servant what he revealed
The heart did not lie in what it saw
Will you then dispute with him his vision?
He saw it3 descending another time
at the lote4 tree of the furthest limit
There was the garden of sanctuary
when something came down over the
lote tree, enfolding
His gaze did not turn aside nor go too far
He had seen the signs of his lord, great signs
98 The Testament
In the Name of God the Compassionate the Caring
Those who denied the faith—
from the peoples of the book5
or the idolators—
could not stop calling it a lie
until they received the testament
A messenger of God
reciting pages that are pure
Of scripture that are sure
Those who were given the book
were not divided one against the other
until they received the testament
And all they were commanded
was to worship God sincerely
affirm oneness, perform the prayer
and give a share of what they have
That is the religion of the sure
Those who deny the faith—
from the peoples of the book
or the idolators—
are in Jahannam’s fire
eternal there
They are the worst of creation
Those who keep the faith
and perform the prayer
they are the best of creation
As recompense for them with their lord—
gardens of Eden
waters flowing underground
eternal there forever
God be pleased in them
and they in God
That is for those who hold their lord in awe
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