Opus 2026-330: Is the Confusion Deliberate?

I have read the Koran, cover to cover, in a language I can understand, translated by Muslims so I can at least say it is what they want me to believe it says.  I have yet to meet an American who has done the same.  Most Americans have no idea what the Koran actually says.  When I say that I include American Muslims.  They also have not read the Koran in a language they can understand.

This is one of the important secrets that people don’t stumble across.  Most Muslims can recite portions of the Koran but even the parts they have memorized they do not understand.  Picture being a typical Catholic before the mass had Latin replaced by the local language.  For almost 1,200 years Roman Catholics only had the Bible in Latin.  When Jerome translated it into the Latin Vulgate most Catholics had already left Latin behind.  I remember attending Cathoic mass and following along in the missal.  I could kind of handle the Latin.  I recognized a few root words.  I had no idea what I was reading.  Picture that in medieval Europe with illiterate peasants and much of the clergy also illiterate.  That is modern Isalm.

What got me off on this was a meme that was titled, “This Is What Muslims Believe”.  As I looked down the list it seemed accurate.  I had heard all of the claims many times but being who I am I wanted a little more confirmation.  What do you do?  Look up what they claim is the source.  And then comes the hard part, thinking through what you have read.

The first item in the meme was “Rape, Marry, and Divorce Pre-pubescent girls.”  The source from the Quran was 65:4.  Surah 65 is titled “Divorce”.  My problem came when I went to read verse 4 and found this,

“4.  As to such of your wives as have no hope of the recurrence of their times, if ye have doubts in regard to them, then reckon three months, and let the same be the term of those who have not yet had them. And as to those who are with child, their period shall be until they are delivered of their burden. God will make His command easy to him who feareth Him.”

Even if you don’t pick up the theme it seems that this has nothing to do with what was claimed in the meme.  What I have printed is from what used to be the standard text, translated by an Englishman.  I checked my printed copy what was printed and endorsed by Muslims.  I then checked my most current translation, again by a Muslim.  It wasn’t until I had read the last one several times that the meaning of what I was reading became clear.

Just for clarification, this is saying that when you divorce a woman you must wait three months to make sure she is not pregnant.  Where do we get the treatment of pre-pubescent girls?  It is to some degree a reflection of the culture of the translator.  The key is in the phrase above, “... let the same be the term of those who have not yet had them.”

Rodwell’s translation was done in the time period of Queen Victoria.  Referring to body parts or body functions showed a lack of culture.  “The term” or “their times” refers to a woman’s menstrual period.  That initially flew under my radar.

My second source was a translation by Mohammed Marmaduke Pickthall.  He was raised in the home of an Anglican pastor and later converted to Islam.  His translation is dated in 1930, a period that was not known for the restraint of the Victorian Age.  He uses the term menstruation in this verse but muddies the refernce to pre-pubescent girls by using the phrase, “...along with those who have it not.”  QII, p. 402.  I would imagine he knew England was still not ready for child brides.

I did not see it clearly until it was waved in my face in the third translation.  When it got to this portion it said, “for such women who have not menstruated (for some other reasons)”.  QIII, p. 646.  The other reason would be that she was not mature enough to have a menstrual period.  This kind of brings it home.  Not only is it accepted to marry a young girl and be sexually involved with them, but you can then divorce them before they reach maturity.  Most of us would consider this sick.  Evidently there are a number of Muslims who feel the same.

Any way you want to cut it, this is what the Koran is teaching.  I have not spoken to many Muslims, never on this level but the people I am listening to would say that Muslims deny that this is what Islam teaches.  When you meet someone like that keep in mind church attenders you know who claim the Bible says nothing about homosexuality.  I had that discussion on the platform of a Methodist church with the worship leader.

Read and think.  Do your homework.  The truth can be hard to swallow but it is there.

All Koran quotes unless otherwise identified are from the translation by Rev. J.M. Rodwell, M.A. provided by the Gutenberg Project.

QII, The Glorious Qur’an Translation.  Translated by Mohammed Marmaduke Pickthall.  New York:  Tahrike Tarsile Qur’an, Inc., No date.

QIII, The Holy Qur’an, Based on explanation of ‘Allamah Nooruddin, First paperback edition, 2010.

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