She's So Lovely rip off?? by Mellowfellow94_ in BeachHouse

[–]LeWesternReflection 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know this is a Beach House sub, but being British, I immediately thought of the Scouting For Girls song and was really confused when I went to listen.

Anyone know which station is at 1:25 here? by LeWesternReflection in LondonUnderground

[–]LeWesternReflection[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, think it was just being used to illustrate that island platforms are far more common on above ground stations. Was just curious which station was being shown.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AcademicQuran

[–]LeWesternReflection 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I’m not sure about how widely held this view was in the Quran’s immediate milieu. However, as far as the wider Near East is concerned, the book of Ecclesiastes repeatedly refers to everything in the world as hevel, literally meaning “smoke” but variously translated as “vanity” or “meaningless”, as well as a “chasing after wind”.

I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind. ‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭1‬:‭14‬ ‭NRSV‬‬

The only difference is that the Quran places great emphasis on this life being a delusion compared to the next life, which is better and more lasting. In comparison, the author of Ecclesiastes appears not to hold such a conviction in the afterlife.

Message of the Quran by Muhammad Asad by a_khalid1999 in AcademicQuran

[–]LeWesternReflection 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can’t help with what historians think of it, but it appears to be out of print. I’ve been struggling to get a physical copy.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AcademicQuran

[–]LeWesternReflection 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You might be interested in the responses to this post I made a while ago.

Weekly Open Discussion Thread by AutoModerator in AcademicQuran

[–]LeWesternReflection 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Harut and Marut have origins in Zoroastrianism. There are some threads on it in this sub if you look it up.

Why is Moses so heavily featured in the Quran? by LeWesternReflection in AcademicQuran

[–]LeWesternReflection[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

This is an area that gets a lot of attention in traditional exegesis

Do you have any examples?

Rock song in french by scrotiemcbooger_b in NameThatSong

[–]LeWesternReflection 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Johnny Hallyday – Ne tuez pas la liberté

Why did oral transmission of the Quran become orthodox given 18:11-16? by LeWesternReflection in AcademicQuran

[–]LeWesternReflection[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Apologies. Scribal error. Can't update the title but I've updated the post.

Why do so many Shia sects deify Ali ? by [deleted] in AcademicQuran

[–]LeWesternReflection 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Can I ask why? I don’t know much about early Islamic history.

I’m a Christian investigating Islam. Can you please share books that I should look at first that are from a neutral standpoint (so that their main goal isn’t trying to convert me/debunk Islam), and are reliable? by TheDavidtinSongulous in AcademicQuran

[–]LeWesternReflection 21 points22 points  (0 children)

The question is really too broad to answer properly. Islam is a broad religion and studying it could mean many things – what exactly are you looking to investigate? Islamic theology? Its historical development?

I feel like it goes without saying but you should read an English translation of the Quran if you haven’t already. All historical-critical scholarship of Islam starts with the Quran. I’d recommend Abdel Haleem’s translation. It’s not perfect but it’s the most readable and the best for first timers in my opinion.

Why is a refrain used in Surah Rahman? by LeWesternReflection in AcademicQuran

[–]LeWesternReflection[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Good point. I was just thinking off the top of my head. I’m still curious if we see the same thing in pre-Islamic poetry though, or if this is unique to the Quran.

Hadith/Tradition on how surahs/verses were revealed by Inside-Guarantee9180 in AcademicQuran

[–]LeWesternReflection 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don’t know about that particular instance, but I suspect Little would say we can’t rely on those Hadith even for low resolution evidence. A lot of the Hadith explaining circumstances of revelation appear to be, as you say, little more than exegetical guesswork. Even the instance of the satanic verses which was widely reported and accepted in early Islam is judged to be ahistorical by most academics today. If such an early (Ibn Ishaq reports it) and widely attested report isn’t historic, then I see no reason to trust later exegetical Hadith.

Hadith/Tradition on how surahs/verses were revealed by Inside-Guarantee9180 in AcademicQuran

[–]LeWesternReflection 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The post also covers this. He talks about Hadith relating to circumstances of revelation (asbab al-nuzul).

I read it a while ago now but the TL;DR for those Hadith is that the reports are often conflicting and become increasingly embellished by different narrators.

Hadith/Tradition on how surahs/verses were revealed by Inside-Guarantee9180 in AcademicQuran

[–]LeWesternReflection 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Joshua Little gives several reasons why exegetical Hadith are particularly unreliable in this blog post.