As-salaam wa-alaikum, brothers and sisters.
This is a bonus episode of the 17 Verses podcast. I’ve still released a Qur’anic recitation for today so feel free to download that episode as well.
But after doing over 200 episodes, I wanted to share some of my impressions on this journey. I am also grateful to each and everyone who has downloaded a podcast or shared feedback.
If you enjoy the podcast, HELP SPREAD THE WORD! Tell your friends and family, subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher and write us a review.
This project, to create a podcast and do a daily recitation of the Qur’an, is not my first attempt to finish the good book. So I’m not unfamiliar with it. I first finished the Qur’an in 1996 at the age of 16. It had probably taken 2 years of on/off reading to get to that point and I remember almost skimming the last one hundred or so pages. I just wanted to get done!
Since then, it’s usually taken about 1.5 years for each finish, done in fits and starts. When I first started the podcast, I would record a few days at once, take a couple days break, record a few days at once, etc. Because I went out of town for Thanksgiving, I once had to record 8 episodes in one-go and schedule them in advance. But I’ve found that recording almost every single night has made the biggest difference. Not from a programmatic/production standpoint; but a regular daily reading has proven to be best from a learning and spiritual growth standpoint. It lets me think, everyday, about what I’ve just recorded. And then I listen to the recordings themselves, sometimes at the gym or on the bus from/to work. Yes, I listen to my own podcast; more so just to make sure it sounds alright.
To the wider world, the Qur’an is a thing of controversy. If you’re so inclined, you can quote only the parts that talk of peace. And if you’re otherwise inclined, you can quote the parts that talk of war and strife. Islam is not an inherently violent religion but it does tell its adherents to defend themselves and the faith. So it’s not hard to see how the message can be perverted by cherry-picking verses and taking them out of their historical or spiritual context. It is an intensely impossible task to truly parse the meaning of God’s word. One of my favorite quotes is that, “Even in Arabic, the Qur’an is translated from the mind of God into the words of Men.” How, in heaven’s name, can we think any interpretation will be perfect, especially if makes use of bits and pieces. It is, of course, not God’s message which is flawed but its receivers, human beings, who are deeply, permanently flawed.
The message I take from the Qur’an is one of forgiveness, of reserving judgment. Whenever possible, forgive, because that’s what God does. And even if I may want to cast judgment (which I don’t!), it’s not my place. Only God can judge.
We can take an holistic approach to God’s word. So, yes, the Qur’an does talk of external struggles, of war. But more often, it talks of these internal struggles. That is the more frequent connotation behind the word, jihad – struggle. The struggle to forgive, even in the face of sometimes overwhelming hardship. The struggle not to judge even when things seem cut and dried. Ultimately, the struggle not to let our demons shout down the better angels of our minds.
As always, thank you for listening and be well.