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Uses Of Scripture Within Islam Essay

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Sarah LaBanc
REL C 351
2 November 2016
One Does Not Simply Read The Qu’ran
Use of Scripture Within Islam The center stage text for the Muslim community is the Qu’ran, which is a direct record of the revelations given to Muhammad in 610 C.E., by the angel Gabriel (Palmer, 1990). This text stands as the word of God and the proof of Muhammad’s prophethood. Originally, the words that were given to Muhammad were memorized and repeated word for word, then preached to others. Eventually, they were collected and record; therefore, the Qu’ran is the exact verbiage of God. Moreover, the Qu’ran has no reflection of the prophet Muhammad or his own personal thoughts, rather the text is considered “other than” (Palmer, 1990) Muhammad and represent the mind and will of Allah. As a result, muslims place divine authority and power in the words of the Qu’ran. First and foremost, the Qu’ran is used as an oral tradition, meaning the words are memorized and recited, which has led to a high prevalence of these words in almost all aspects of life in Islamic societies. In many cases, “one hears the sounds of recitation constantly at the market, in taxis, in government offices, in public schools, before and after television broadcasts, and in private homes” (Barker, 2011). Unlike the Bible, which covers a historical narrative with intermittent sermons which frame the coming of a Messiah, the Qu’ran has no narrative, however, it teaches practical principles for daily life. One man explained that

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