Watched it, Ads & Notes on Quran - Sura 28

I know you all will be so happy to know I finally watched the Disney Pixar movie, Up! I mentioned a couple of times on my blog that I'd borrowed it from church friend, Cindy, when we went to her house several weeks back. I'd read like eight books she loaned me, yet never watched the 96 minute movie she also lent me. But now...NOW I have watched it. And it was pretty cute. I liked the pictures of Carl and Ellie in the album and around the house and also the little boy Russell.

I keep these sura notes in Gmail drafts until I'm ready to publish them. I've read and written notes up to sura 37, but as you can see this is only 28. So I'm reading and writing posts faster than I'm publishing them. Anyway, I'm smiling because the Gmail sponsored links presently are Hundreds of Hijab Styles, Halal Jerky, Hijab Abaya from $12 and Cashmere Pashimina Scarf. :-)

Tomorrow I may post the piece on Father Jerzy. For now, more sura notes . . .



Sura 28 -- al-Qasas

"The Story" is quite a mishmash of various Old Testament stories. First I must say that the Quran looooooooooooooooooooooves Moses! Yes, indeed this sura has Moses' story yet again! At least this time we get to hear something besides the burning bush story...though that one is in there, too. I particularly liked reading the account of how Moses was spared from death as an infant. It's not entirely like the biblical account, but pretty close. Also it was good reading about how Moses killed the Egyptian and fled the country. I don't recall hearing the story of Moses working for eight years in order to marry one of the old man's daughters (vs. 27) although this story is similar to the story of Jacob in the Bible as he agreed with Laban to work for seven years in order to marry Rachel.

The Pharoah and Haman story (vs. 38) was dramatic! I recognized Pharoah from Moses' story, Haman from the story of Esther (he was the one who wanted to kill the Jews in Persia), the Tower of Babel as the place where God confused the languages and then back to Pharoah being cast into the sea (vs. 40).

Also we see Qarun or Korah in this passage (vs. 76). Apparently his crime was being too rich and maybe thinking too highly of himself because of his richness. In the Bible, the earth opened up to swallow Korah because he rebelled against Moses. See how Korah and his followers challenged him? Numbers 16 says:

³ They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, "You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the LORD's assembly?"

⁴ When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. ⁵ Then he said to Korah and all his followers: "In the morning the LORD will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him. ⁶ You, Korah, and all your followers are to do this: Take censers ⁷ and tomorrow put fire and incense in them before the LORD. The man the LORD chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far!"

I guess I just liked these verses as I noted them.

56. You cannot guide any one you like: God guides whosoever He please. He knows best who will come to guidance.

70. He is God. There is no god but He. His alone is praise first and last, and His the judgement, and to Him will you be brought back in the end.

77. So seek the abode of the Hereafter through what God has given you, and do not forget your part in this world. Do good to others as God has done good to you, and do not try to spread corruption in the land. Surely God does not like corrupters."

I like how we are told to do good to others just as God has done good to us. Great principle to live by!