From: Harvey Newstrom (mail@HarveyNewstrom.com)
Date: Thu Oct 25 2001 - 08:09:00 MDT
Zero Powers wrote,
> >From: Michael Wiik <mwiik@messagenet.com>
>
> >Anyone got any examples of those 20% of koranic verses said to be pure
> >gibberish? Perhaps they might be given an extropian spin....
> >
>
> How's this:
>
> 86:1 By the Sky and the Night-Visitant (therein);
> 86:2 And what will explain to thee what the Night-Visitant is?-
> 86:3 (It is) the Star of piercing brightness;-
> 86:4 There is no soul but has a protector over it.
> 86:5 Now let man but think from what he is created!
> 86:6 He is created from a drop emitted-
> 86:7 Proceeding from between the backbone and the ribs
This is gibberish? It seems to be typical mystical poetry using the analogy
of sexual conception to describe the creation of man by god. If you had not
attributed this to the Quran, I could have assumed it came from Solomon's
writings, Rabbinical expansions to the Torah, early Christian mysticism, or
something Regardie or Crowley wrote. Rather than showing how alien the
Quran is, it emphasizes to my mind how similar all religious writings are.
They all seem to explore the same ponderings of ancient minds.
See if this pseudo-translation helps explain my interpretation of the above
verses:
86:1 By the Almighty Sky-God above and the night-time meeting of humanity
below;
86:2 And what is produced from this midnight meeting of humanity?-
86:3 A single cell of unimaginable importance;-
86:4 It has no soul at the point of conception, but it was conceived by
Divine Plan before it was conceived by physical humanity.
86:5 Let each one think how we all come from this first point of conception!
86:6 Each of us started out as a mere drop of seminal fluid-
86:7 proceeding from the loins between the back and the front
-- Harvey Newstrom <www.HarveyNewstrom.com> Principal Security Consultant, Newstaff Inc. <www.Newstaff.com> Board of Directors, Extropy Institute <www.Extropy.org> Cofounder, Pro-Act <www.ProgressAction.org>
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