The Koran (or, as the Muslims would write it in English, QUR'AN
Many of us familiar with the Bible have difficulty appreciating the inspirational effect the Koran has had on millions of people. It lacks the narrative thread of the Old Testament and is poor in the vivid stories and the rich variety of characters and incidents that reading the Bible has taught us to expect in a book of revelation. And despite the fact that "the Merciful," (ar-rahmin) and "the Munificent" (ar-rahim) are the two commonest epithets given to God by Muslims, the revelations that make up the Koran more often speak of God's wrath and the punishments He inflicts on unbelievers than of His mercy and generosity. While acknowledging where one's personal tastes lie, however, it can be self-defeating to read the Koran simply as an inferior version of the Bible. Whatever else it is, the Koran is a work of revelation that has inspired and continues to inspire Muslims throughout the world. Even today, Islam is the fastest-growing evangelical religion and one that has hundreds of millions of adherents in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa as well as large and increasingly influential Communities in Europe, the U.K., and the United States. Indeed, it now seems likely that Muslims will displace Jews as the largest religious minority in the United States sometime early in the twenty-first century. Islam has served as the basis for a world civilization that in its golden age was the equal of any that existed before the modern transformation of Europe. The Koran has also provided the foundation for rich and varied literatures in a great many languages. For these reasons alone it merits careful study.
Muhammad's biography Genesis to Muhammad Koran vs. Western Values
Islam after Muhammad The Fatiha (or “opening”) Sura 12/Gen. 37 f.f. parallel texts
The History of the Text of the Koran Islamic Interpretations of the Koran
Online English
Version of the Koran
Online text of the Holy Qur'an (The Recitation) in Arabic script housed at IslamiCity
A few years ago we had a
Muslim faculty member on campus. We invited him to speak to the Honors class, at
which time he handed out a pamphlet with a brief overview of Islam. For those of
you who are interested in what Muslims say about themselves, click this link Islam
at a Glance.
Excerpts from the Infancy Gospel of Thomas [New Testament Apocrypha]; presumably Muhammad used it in compiling the Koran.