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   From: bv4bv4bv4@gmail.com   
      
   The Quran...A Book You Can Believe In   
      
      
   We invite you to take a few minutes to learn something about a book   
   that is the foundation of the worldwide & culture of almost one-fourth   
   of   
   the people on this planet.   
      
   The Quran A book you can believe in   
      
   The Quran is the most often-read book in the world. Revealed by God to   
   the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the 7th century, and   
   revered by Muslims being God's final Scripture and Testament; its   
   words have been lovingly recited, memorized, and implemented by   
   Muslims Of every nationality ever since.   
      
   The faithful are inspired, consoled often moved to tears by its   
   eloquence and poetic imagery, especially when recited aloud. And yet,   
   the Qur'an is unique in being the only Scripture that is free of   
   scientific inaccuracies, whose historical authenticity can be   
   verified, and whose text has been so carefully preserved that just one   
   authorized version (in Arabic) exists. Approximately the length of the   
   New Testament, the Qur'an is also the only holy book that can be   
   memorized in its entirety by people of all ages and intellectual   
   abilities including non Arabic speakers, which Muslims consider to be   
   one of its miracles. We invite you to take a few minutes to learn   
   something about a book that is the foundation of the worldview and   
   culture of almost one-fourth of the people on this planet.   
      
      
   A Scientific Scripture for a scientific age   
      
   One of the most remarkable things about the Qur'an is that it contains   
   many verses which accurately describe natural phenomena in various   
   fields such as embryology, astronomy, geology and oceanography.   
   Scientists have found its descriptions to be inexplicably valid for a   
   book dating from the 6th century, in fact, many of the processes and   
   functions mentioned in the Qur'an have been discovered only recently.   
   This fact alone has been the cause of a number of distinguished   
   scientists embracing Islam. It never arose in Islam; the Qur'an   
   repeatedly encourages people to reflect and use their intelligence,   
   and most Muslim scientists and inventors have also been pious   
   believers.   
      
   Some of the Qur'an's 'scientific' verses include an accurate   
   description of embryonic development during the first forty days of   
   life; an explanation that the roots of mountains are like pegs which   
   help to anchor and stabilize the earth's crust, that a natural barrier   
   exists wherever two seas meet (each maintains its own salinity,   
   temperature and density); that waves occur in layers in the depths of   
   the ocean; that the heavens and earth were first joined together   
   before being split apart; and that the heavens emerged from "smoke',   
   i, e, the gases and dust that characterize nebulas as stars are   
   forming.   
      
   The Qur'an was never meant to be a 'science textbook'; whether   
   highlighting the wonders of nature or the lessons of history, its   
   verses direct us to reflect on the glory of God, However, no other   
   ancient book or Scripture is accurate in this way, Muslims believe   
   that this is one of the Qur'an's proofs; one of the things that makes   
   it a credible, ' living revelation' for a modern age, and allows it to   
   reveal itself afresh with passing time.   
      
      
   The Qur'an and the development of knowledge   
      
   The word 'Qur'an' means 'recitation'. And the first verse; of the!   
   Qur'an to be revealed by the Angel Gabriel to the prophet Muhammad was   
   a command to {Read! In the name of your Lord...}   
      
   {اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ...}   
      
   Transliteration: Iqra biismi rabbika   
   This directive to a man who, like most people of the time, could   
   neither read nor write; marked the beginning of a new age in human   
   communication, learning, and development. Whereas earlier Scriptures   
   had been written and passed down by elite circles of priests and   
   scribes usually long after the death of the religion's founder the   
   preservation of the Qur'an was a community effort from the beginning,   
   and it was completed during the Prophet Muhammad's own lifetime. The   
   Prophet's early followers eagerly memorized and recorded each new   
   revelation as it was revealed: by the time he passed away, thousands   
   had memorized the entire Qur'an by heart. Within two years after the   
   Prophet's death, the first caliph Abu Bakr requested the Prophet's   
   secretary Zayd to collect all existing copies and fragments of the   
   Qur'an in one place, in order to compile a standard edition. This   
   manuscript became the basis for the authorized editions that were   
   distributed to each Muslim province during the rule of 'Uthman (the   
   third caliph): remarkably, a few of those early manuscripts have been   
   preserved and can still be viewed in museums today.   
      
   Following the example of the beloved Prophet, who encouraged all   
   Muslims, male and female, to seek beneficial knowledge, mosques became   
   centers of learning as well as prayer. The concept of universal, free   
   basic education originated in Islam; children learned to read, write,   
   memorize the Qur'an and do basic maths at village mosque schools;   
   bright students were sent to cities to pursue higher education. The   
   world's first universities, hospitals and postal services were   
   established by Muslims. Early caliphs set up institutions like the   
   'House of Wisdom' in Baghdad, where scholars were paid to translate   
   scientific, literary and religious works from every known language   
   into Arabic. It was this open-mindedness that inspired Jews and   
   Christians under Muslim rule in Spain to translate classical Roman and   
   Greek texts from Arabic into European languages, sparking the European   
   Renaissance.   
      
      
   A Book with a Message & a Purpose   
      
   Like all books, the Qur'an is a means to convey a message in this   
   case, a very special message from the Creator to all humanity.   
      
   The Qur'an is an 'owner's manual for the human being': whoever wonders   
   about the purpose of life and their own existence will find to be   
   guide par excellence.   
      
   Building on prior revelations, this Final Testament confirms the age-   
   old truths of previous Scriptures, but clarifies points of faith where   
   error or confusion have crept into them over the centuries. Those who   
   have read the Bible will find much that is familiar: descriptions of   
   God's handiwork, stories of the Prophets. Satan, angels and the Day of   
   Judgment, moral and ethical guidelines, and spiritual practices like   
   prayer and fasting. Yet the Qur'an is not just a re-hashing of old   
   stones, its perspective is unique and fresh, and its worldview   
   eminently suited to people of today.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)