Secrets of the Koran in the Show Decoding the Past - Essay Example

MOVIE REVIEW Department MOVIE REVIEW It is absolutely clear that the human civilization is different from any other group that is formed by the living creatures. Indeed, abilities such as generating verbal interaction are not found anywhere beyond the boundaries of human society. In spite of the fact that they are so characteristic, they are not able to reflect the peculiarity of the human race, since on a deeper level there are some other aspects that define our identity. A good example is the highly developed spirituality that is a unique characteristic of the mankind. That is why one would make no mistake, suggesting that by making insights into religions, the researchers gain valuable knowledge about the very nature of the humans. This paper will analyze the episode that is titled Secrets of the Koran which is a part of the show that called Decoding the Past. To begin with, it would be quite important to provide an accurate account of the major themes of the Quran as they were presented in the episode. The first one that was mentioned in the chronological order is the desire to achieve the social justice. Indeed, at the present moment the people who actually comprise the intended audience of this show consider Islam to be a religion that almost enshrined the social inequality as well as oppression of women. However, the episode suggests that from the very beginning Islam was aimed at the groups of people who dominated the society and did not allow it to develop in the proper manner. In addition to that, a considerable number of scholars would prove that one of the highest virtues of Islam is closely connected to social justice (Gorder 20). Another interesting theme that was emphasized in the video is the war and violence in the Quran. The producers claim that a certain part of this sacred book is largely dedicated to fighting. Indeed, there are some verses which are called sword verses that clearly dictate a true Muslim how they should treat an enemy: fearlessly and fiercely in fight and mercifully after it (Smith and Furnish 77). In spite of that, the above mentioned verses are often recited without any context and they are thought to be aimed at the rest of humanity. The authors of the video suggest that this can be easily explained by the historical context in which the book was written: the newly founded city of the early Muslims was under attack of a powerful enemy and the conflict was primarily triggered by the differences in faith. The next theme of the Quran that was reviewed in the movie is the theological foundation of this religion, namely one of its major principles that claims that “there is not god, but God”. In spite of the fact that at the present moment this claim seems a little bit absurd, but it really made sense at the time when it was introduced (Sells 46). The movie presents a situation when the Pre-Islamic Arabs praised a large number of gods and a particular tribe was able to turn the pilgrimages to the most sacred place for them into a profitable business. It is suggested that the Prophet opposed this practice and claimed monotheism as the only right approach to spiritual life. Finally, there is another theme which is particularly important for the understanding of the sacred book in question. According to the scholars, a considerable part of the message that Islam sends to the world is that people are responsible for their actions and there is no power in the Universe that is able to deny this responsibility over one’s life. This is what truly differs Islam from Christianity, the religion which is the most popular in the world. In spite of the fact that the difference in the approaches towards the role of the human will might be insignificant in the long run, it resulted in the development of almost opposite approaches towards life. Having analyzed the major themes of the Quran as they were portrayed in the video in question, it would be quite important to examine them critically. First of all, it must be noted that the authors of the episode are somewhat oversimplify the message that is sent by this religion. Indeed, according to that, the Quran is a set of texts that were pronounced by a particular Arab in the particular time and is largely conditioned by different circumstances. For example, when Muhammad lived among the social injustice, the Quran featured the verses that encouraged social justice; when the city of the early Muslims did not have a set of law that would govern it, the Quran started featuring norms that were treated as legal principles. It is understandable that the authors did not take into account the spiritual foundation of this text. It is quite obvious that there is a different scholarly view on the issue. Generations of researchers and believers treated the Quran as the sacred text that was revealed to the Prophet according to the plan which was designed by God Himself. In other words, the approach, according to which this scripture should be viewed as some kind of a stream of conscience (the term which was used in the video) largely diminishes the significance of this book. The above mentioned views that are expressed by the scholars are usually based on many different sources. First of all, there is a spiritual tradition to treat the Quran as a mystical text that can not be explained by the human logic and does not necessarily adhere to certain logic. Indeed, just like the sacred texts of other Abrahamic religions, namely Judaism and Christianity, are thought to be inspired directly by God and are thought to be above the human conscience, the Quran should also be treated in a similar manner. Contrary to that, the authors of the video suggest that it was closely connected to the conditions of life of the Prophet and the circumstances defined the content of the verses, not vice versa. There are several reasons why the video would represent the issue in such a way. To begin with, one should always keep in mind that this was an episode a show that is dedicated to surprise people, present them with an unexpected “truth” about what they supposedly knew and so on. In other words, the authors are likely to develop any kind of approach that would seem unusual enough to make a good story. Of course, it does not mean that they deliberately misinterpreted the truth about Islam or distorted its understanding; they simply put emphasis on some aspects that make the reality seem a little bit more interesting that it actually is. In other words, they wanted to gain the attention of the audience. As one can easily see, the video that is titled Secrets of the Koran is a quite peculiar video since it presents the sacred text of the Muslims from a rather unexpected point of view. While the events that are being depicted in it are correct, the authors were able to make such an emphasis that would shift the balance and make this book appear in a different light. For example, one of the general ideas behind the video focuses on that the Quran was revealed gradually and every time the content of the verses would somehow reflect the actual needs of the Prophet. However, it is beyond any doubt that such an approach diminishes the significance of the book in question leaving no space for its exclusive and supernatural origin. References Gorder, A. Christian. Islam, Peace and Social Justice a Christian Perspective. New York, NY: James Clarke &, 2014. Sells, Michael Anthony. Early Islamic Mysticism: Sufi, Qurʼan, Miraj, Poetic and Theological Writings. New York: Paulist Press, 1996. Smith, Jack, and Timotny R. Furnish. Islam the Cloak of Antichrist. Enumclaw, Wash.: WinePress Pub, 2011. Read More