"The calamity; what is the calamity? And what shall apprise thee of the calamity? A day wherein mankind shall be like scattered moths, and the mountains shall be like carded wool."
Quran 101:1-5
There are many passages in the Quran where you get a glimpse of the poetic majesty of the work, even when you're reading it in Arabic. I would argue that this is one of them, which probably explains, at least initially, why I chose it. These are the opening five verses to al-Qari'ah, the 101st surah, here rendered as "The Calamity." It is a beautiful, although terrifying, image of the day of judgment that is painted. At the same time, and this gets us to the second reason why I chose it, it is a terrifying image if you believe in a day of judgment or at least a day of judgment that would take that form. Truthfully, I don't know how I feel about the notion that one day the stars will shatter and the sky will split asunder, which is why I continue to study and pray and meditate on my faith. As I've said, trying to be honest and not to just say what my brothers and sisters would prefer me to say, I think a lot of this is a metaphor, a way of explaining the ineffability of the divine. I think every action that we take moves us close or further away from the quiet, still, kindness at the heart of everything - and I do think your actions matter - but does that equate with the end of the world as it is often painted (and not just in Islam)? I don't know. Is it only a metaphor for the fact that your actions and words have a weight and you should measure them because someday you - and the people you hurt or helped - won't be here anymore. Is that enough? I'm still working on that one.
Quran 101:1-5
There are many passages in the Quran where you get a glimpse of the poetic majesty of the work, even when you're reading it in Arabic. I would argue that this is one of them, which probably explains, at least initially, why I chose it. These are the opening five verses to al-Qari'ah, the 101st surah, here rendered as "The Calamity." It is a beautiful, although terrifying, image of the day of judgment that is painted. At the same time, and this gets us to the second reason why I chose it, it is a terrifying image if you believe in a day of judgment or at least a day of judgment that would take that form. Truthfully, I don't know how I feel about the notion that one day the stars will shatter and the sky will split asunder, which is why I continue to study and pray and meditate on my faith. As I've said, trying to be honest and not to just say what my brothers and sisters would prefer me to say, I think a lot of this is a metaphor, a way of explaining the ineffability of the divine. I think every action that we take moves us close or further away from the quiet, still, kindness at the heart of everything - and I do think your actions matter - but does that equate with the end of the world as it is often painted (and not just in Islam)? I don't know. Is it only a metaphor for the fact that your actions and words have a weight and you should measure them because someday you - and the people you hurt or helped - won't be here anymore. Is that enough? I'm still working on that one.
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