An atheist tries to read the Qur'an

  • Thread starter Thread starter czgibson
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czgibson said:
Greetings,


I gave up on reading it all the way through. I've probably read most of it by now in different sittings, but the four translations I've tried just don't hold my interest for long enough to get all the way through in one go.

I wrote a PM to Muhammad with my thoughts about it which I will send you as well if you like.

Peace
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It is far better to listen to it being recited in Arabic with the translation under it. After all it was revealed in Arabic for a reason so Youtube is your friend!
 
czgibson said:
Greetings,


I gave up on reading it all the way through. I've probably read most of it by now in different sittings, but the four translations I've tried just don't hold my interest for long enough to get all the way through in one go.

I wrote a PM to Muhammad with my thoughts about it which I will send you as well if you like.

Peace
Click to expand...

If memory serves me correctly I was about 17 years old the first time I read an English translation of the Qur'an. At that point I was a very typical devote Catholic and it looked like utter nonsense to me. I could not make any sense out of it. The next time I read it I was no longer a Catholic, but was an Evangelical Christian in Morocco and studying Arabic. I got an Arabic copy of the Qur'an. although I did not believe the words in it I found the beauty of the Arabic Language in it's best form. Common Daily spoken Arabic does not impress me very favorably, but the beauty of the Qur'an is unbelievable. Pure beauty in words.

Latter as time went on I read and studied the Qur'an many times, mostly to refute it. But, as I grew older things happened and a nearly 40 year passage of time passed before I read it again and that reading sunk in and that is when I said the Shahadah.
 
Greetings czgibson,

Here's a nice site which allows you to listen to any part of the Qur'an whilst reading/hearing the translation at the same time:

http://www.quranexplorer.com/Quran/Default.aspx

It also allows you to choose different reciters and view translations by different people.


Another thing that might help is to gain an understanding of the history of the Qur'an - how it was revealed and compiled, as well as reading about the style of the Qur'an and the different sciences involved in understanding it. Having more background information should help you to understand how the Qur'an stands out amongst all other works and to gain an insight as to why it reads the way it does.

For example:

http://www.islamicboard.com/quran/134271346-introduction-literary-linguistic-excellence-qur.html
http://www.islamicboard.com/quran/50085-repetition-qur-aan-types-benefits.html

Don't give up on your journey to find the truth! :smile:
 

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