The Qur'an Sampled

Having been interested in, studied and been captivated by Islam for many years, I have noticed over the years that recitations of the Qur'an can be found in the least expected places within popular entertainment media. Though these are only a few examples, I'm sure there are more.

I remember hearing "Allahu Akbar" on Danny Tenaglia's Back to Mine mix and was astounded. Not only is the recitation itself powerful but the way it was sampled to the beat made it, dare I say, kind of funky.



As I continue to search out new music, I stumbled across My Life in the Bush of Ghosts by Brian Eno and David Brynes, a rather remarkable album in its own right, containing various samples interlaced throughout. One song, in particular, is called "The Qur'an". It met with protest upon its original release and was removed from future releases of the album. Religion holds a fascination even amongst those who view it from the lens of historical or cultural interest alone. But it is difficult to deny the power therein.



This is an example as found in the film Powaqqatsi, part of the 'Qatsi trilogy by Godfrey Reggio and Philip Glass, films that are required viewing.



Perhaps one of these days I'll get around to unveiling samples from Christian preachers laced throughout similar music (as found on the song "Jezebel Spirit" on Bush of Ghosts).

My Qur'an...

This is my copy of the Qur'an. It is one of several translations I now own but his was the first. I bought it brand new in 1996. Had the receipt but have since misplaced it. This is well used and well worn, the back held together with a piece of cardboard and some packing tape.

Muslims do not do this with their Arabic versions. The Qur'an is held in such high esteem that it is not marked up, it is well protected and the hands must be clean to even touch the book.

A well worn and well marked Bible is a banner of sorts for the Christian. While the Bible is called and even revered as the word of God, it is not quite the same as the word of God as Muslims see it. The Qur'an is the word of God to a Muslim. It contains God's words as dictated to Muhammad via the angel Gabriel. Verbatim. This doesn't mean that God spoke Arabic, as such, but that in the original Arabic is the language in which God contained His message for mankind. The Qur'an, in its written form, contains these very words.

On the other hand, though there are some Christians who believe the same about the Bible, most Christians understand that though the Bible is referred to as the word of God it is in the sense that it is through the Bible we come to know God. It is through the word of God that we come to know the Word of God, the Logos, incarnate in Jesus Christ.

There is a certain equivalency to comparing the Qur'an and Jesus as the Word of God in each respective faith. Even the Qur'an calls Jesus the Word of God, or a Word from God, but this does not have the same meaning as the Christian understanding of the phrase.

For the Muslim, to say Jesus is a Word from God is to say that he is a Prophet and bears the message; but he himself is not that word. Granted, no other Prophet is called the/a word from God in the Qur'an (most likely due to the influence or awareness of the fact that the Christians with whom Muhammad came in contact referenced Jesus as 'word' in some fashion) but in terms of the overall message of the Qur'an it doesn't change the fact that he is the messenger, not the message. For the Christian, while Jesus may be the messenger, he is in fact the message.

So my Qur'an is beat up. I do have an Arabic version and several English translation/transliterations with the Arabic and English side by side but never got beyond a very basic familiarity with Arabic. Though there are concordances for the Qur'anic Arabic, there is no comparative Strong's or Thayer's concordance/lexicon with such mass appeal.

But I studied and studied and studied my translation as shown in the photo above. Over time, I got better at finding a suitable translation and found this translation to be a bit verbose, almost Old English in its diction. It's a bit stuffy. But it was the one I cut my teeth on and is sentimental for that reason.

I have, over time, read it completely, maybe not cover to cover like a novel (which isn't how it is to be read anyhow) but, though it's faded somewhat, I had a good grasp on its overall worldview as I sought to understand from a Muslim point of view, not from a polemical point of view.

And I have great respect for it. I believe it to be inspired and a viable spiritual path on its own. It will not show the Jesus of the Christian church but it most certainly has a consistent view of Jesus within in its own worldview.

And, as noted before, it does capture a certain "spirit" that I find lacking in Christianity and in this can glean inspiration from it. As Jesus said, the Spirit blows where it will. Who are we to deny the Spirit's presence, no matter how faint it may seem to us, in any other tradition?

Call to Prayer...

Beginning sometime around 1996, my interest and love affair with Islam began. It was a great time of spiritual growth and my studies in Islam played a powerful role in this. Even today, I still have fond memories and find a certain sense of peace and presence of God when I reflect upon it.

One of my favorite things discovered during this time was hearing the Qur'an recited in its original Arabic. There is no question that English translations pale in comparison. Therefore, the debate over the "literal" meaning of the Qur'an does not take place in studying English translations as often happens in Biblical studies. Even studying the original Greek of the Bible is not the same as there is so much debate over which text is used in this study of the Bible.

While there is some debate over whether or not the Qur'an we have today is the same copy as existed in Muhammad's day, there is little question that whenever a final version was accepted, it has remained the only version to be copied. This version will be the same universally.

To hear it recited is a powerful tonic. I could listen to the call to prayer (adhan/azan) every day and never tire, as with Al-Fatihah, the first surah of the Qur'an.

Perhaps my favorite version I have come across is from the CD contained in Michael Sell's Approaching the Qur'an.

It is "recited" by Musrafa Ozcan Gunesdogdu, the winner of the Qur'an reading competition in Saudi Arabia in 1991. Some of his recitations can be found on YouTube.

Here is what it sounds like: