, Koran, Qur’an, Quraan, Quran

In that one man's refuse is another man's food, I would be remiss in not sharing what our distinguished Islamic cleric had to say about the splendor of the 92nd surah. "According to the style of the Qur'an's brief surahs three moral characteristics of one kind and three of another have been presented as an illustration from among a vast strivings of man. Truth has been described in such brief, elegant, and pithy sentences that they move the heart and go down into memory as soon as one hears them."

Such lavish praise is well beyond my meager means. Let's see if the pithy sentences of the next surah move the heart as they elegantly etch themselves into our memories. Qur'an 92:1 "I swear by the night when it draws a veil, and the day when it shines, and the creating of the male and the female, lo your effort is dispersed toward diverse ends. So he who gives and fears, and accepts the best, We will make smooth for him the path to Bliss." The Islamic deity needs a new speechwriter, perhaps one who is literate. This is gobbledygook. The Islamic god likes those who give and fear and take the best for themselves. But hey, I suppose a confused spirit is better than one fixated on deceit, pain, and punishment.

Unfortunately, Islam was conceived to steal money. Islam is the absence of freedom. Islam's dark spirit facilitates the path to misery. Qur'an 92:8 "But he who is a greedy miser and is unconcerned, acting niggardly, considering himself free, rejecting, We will make smooth for him the path to misery."

Qur'an 92:11 "And his wealth will not avail him when he goes down (in destruction)." My daddy could have written this surah. He used to tell me: "There are no Brinks trucks in funeral processions."

Qur'an 92:12 "Verily We [plural] take upon Ourselves [plural] (to show) the way, and verily unto Us [plural] (belong) the last and the first. Therefore do I [singular] warn you of a Fire blazing fiercely; ["I used to be schizophrenic, but we're better now."] None shall enter it but the most unhappy." The story of unhappy crispy critters entering the blazing fires of hell doesn't sound pithy or elegant to me.

Qur'an 92:16 "He who giveth the lie denieth and turneth away. [I thought it might sound better left in the King's English but it doesn't help] But he who fears shall be removed from it, those who spend their wealth for increase in self-purification, and no one has with him any boon for which he should be paid back, but only the desire to seek the Countenance of their Lord. He will attain complete pleasure." Since "their Lord" hangs out in hell, that's pretty ominous.