Creation Stories in Judaism and Islam

Another paper I wrote for my Euro. Lit. class.

It is interesting to note the similarities and differences between the three monotheistic religions of the world today; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. What many may not know is that they have common roots and some surprising similarities. What Christians call the "Old Testament" is the holy scripture in Judaism. In Islam, the Quran is in Arabic as God revealed it. Thus, a translation isn't the same as the original in Arabic and will therefore have some faults when translated from Arabic to another language. Some knowledge, like the creation of the world, Adam and Eve, and Eve's influence, can be gained with a basic English translation of the Quran, such as by Saheeh International.

Primarily, the slight difference between the Jewish and Islamic belief regarding the story of the world's creation is interesting. In the Genesis: The Creation of the World, it is written, "On the sixth day, God completed all the work he had been doing, and on the seventh day, he ceased from all his work. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on that day he ceased from all the work he had set himself to do" (141). In Islam too, God (Allah, the One, True God in Arabic) created everything between the heavens and the earth in six days. "And We did certainly create the heavens and earth and what is between them in six days, and there touched Us no weariness" (The Holy Quran 50:38). The difference between the two lies in what happens after the six days of creation. In Islam, God is not like his creation and vice versa, thus, God doesn’t tire like humans. Exhaustion is natural for humans, not God.

Additionally, the creation of Adam and Eve, the first humans, is another point to mention. In Genesis: The Beginnings of History, "The Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Thus the man became a living creature" (142). Muslims, the followers of Islam, also believe that God created Adam from dust. In the Quran, it is written, "Indeed, the example of Jesus to Allah is like that of Adam. He created Him from dust; then He said to him, "Be," and he was" (The Holy Quran 3:59). Muslims believe that since God is the Most Powerful, He can command anything that suits His majesty to happen. So it is not surprising for God to just say "Be" and it happens.

Furthermore, both the Jewish and Islamic teachings talk about Adam's first encounter with animals: "So God formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of heaven. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name" (Genesis 142). Basically, God let Adam choose the names for all the animals we know of today. In Islam, it is the opposite. God taught Adam the name of the different animal species. "And He taught Adam the names – all of them… (The Holy Quran 2:31).

Most importantly, Eve plays a major role in both of these religions and ways of life. In Genesis, God wanted a partner for Adam so He created animals, but that wasn’t suitable for a human being. Eve's creation in Judaism is as follows: "And so, the Lord God put the man into a trance, and while he slept, he took one of his ribs and closed the flesh over the place. The Lord God then built up the rib, which he had taken out of the man, into a woman" (142). In the Quran, the creation of Adam and Eve is described as such: "O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul (Adam) and created from it its mate (Eve, or Hawwa in Arabic) and dispersed from both of them many men and women…" (The Holy Quran 4:1). In an authentic, recorded saying of Prophet Muhammad's (may God's peace and blessings be upon him), also known as hadeeth, it is mentioned that women were created from a rib. The rib is fragile and thus, men are told to be gentle and take care of women.

Finally, the belief that Eve is completely responsible for tempting Adam to disobey God in Judaism and Christianity differs dramatically from Islam. In the Jewish faith, a snake tempted Eve to eat from a tree that God forbade. Eve also gave some fruit to Adam to eat. Consequently, their eyes opened and they realized they were naked. They got caught by God and He cursed the three of them. The punishment for women because of Eve was increase in pain when giving birth and  obeying her husband, like a master. (Genesis 143-144). This is how the idea of original sin in Judaism and Christianity started.

In Islam there is no such thing as original sin. Humans are born free of sin and are responsible for their own actions. In regards to Adam and Eve sinning, God forgave them after they repented. "Then Satan whispered to him; he said, “O Adam, shall I direct you to the tree of eternity and possession that will not deteriorate?” And Adam and his wife ate of it… And Adam disobeyed his Lord and erred. Then his Lord chose him and turned to him in forgiveness and guided [him]" (The Holy Quran 20:120-122). In Islam, Eve didn’t entice Adam to sin, thus there is no blame on women. Women in Islam aren't looked at as evil or seducing men into disobedience. All in all, there are some similarities and differences in the teachings of creation between  Judaism/ Christianity and Islam, which are fascinating to learn about.

Works Cited

 

"Genesis." The Bedford Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Paul Davis. Vol. 1. Boston: Bedford/       St. Martin, 2004. 141-44. Print.

 

"The Holy Quran." The Holy Quran. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.        http://www.allahsquran.com/read/verses.php?ch=1.

Harry Potter This/ That Tag

Here is another tag for those Harry Potter fans! For those who aren't familiar with tags online, it's basically a questionnaire that people answer and they tag a number of people to also answer them as well. For my tags, I will try to vary my answers without making them up and ask that everyone else try to do the same. Feel free to answer the questions here in the comments below ;)

1.      Sorting hat? Hufflepuff/ Ravenclaw
2.      Not take class with? Professor Lockhart/ Quirrell
3.      Travel by? hippogriff/ dragon
4.      Participate in? Quidditch World Cup/ Triwizard Tournament
5.      Own? phoenix/ owl
6.      Go up against? Nagini/ Basilisk
7.      7th movie? part 1/2
8.      Book? 1/7
9.      Shop at? Diagon Alley/ Hogsmeade
10.  Work with? Dementors/ Death Eaters

Bonus!!

1.      Meet? Cedric/ Viktor & Cho/ Fleur
2.      Read HP books/ watch HP movies
3.      Visit? HP theme parks/ HP movie set

If you liked this tag and want to answer more questions, check back soon for another fun tag! Feel free to do this tag if I didn't tag you and tag others who haven't been tagged yet :)

Cycle of Seasons

Another poem I wrote for my Intro. to Creative Writing class. I wanted to try writing a haiku and a poem about the seasons, so I combined the two. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Enjoy ;)

Winter's cold weather,

Bring families together,

For fun in the snow.

Flowers bloom in Spring,

Colors and new life all sing,

Lovely scene for all.

Summer's warm sunlight,

The ocean's sunrise so bright,

Put smiles on faces.

Leaves in Autumn fall,

Raked in one big pile so tall,

To jump in with joy.

All the four seasons,

With their good and bad reasons,

Are part of our world!

Barnes and Noble and Zohra Sarwari Book Haul

 

I recently ordered another set of books online from Barnes and Noble and also from Zohra Sarwari's website. I just received one of my books from Barnes and Noble today, so that is why I posted today instead of my usual Sunday post. I need the first two books in particular for uni. and got the other three for fun and to get free shipping with a $25 purchase from Barnes and Noble. The five books I got from Barnes and Noble were: (click the titles for more info. and to purchase)

Merriam-Webster's Rhyming Dictionary

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glassby Lewis Carroll

Night Road by Kristin Hannah

The Map of Time: A Novelby Felix J. Palma

Midnight Angels: A Novelby Lorenzo Carcaterra

 

From Zohra Sarwari's website I ordered:

Powerful Time Management Skills For Muslims

Speaking Skills Every Muslim Must Know

I am currently reading Night Road, and when I am done with it, I might write a review for it so check back soon if you are interested ;)

Most Influential Person in History

Another poem I wrote for my Intro. to Creative Writing class. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Enjoy ;)

Who deserves to be ranked #1
of the most influential person in history?
Would you give the title to Einstein, your daughter or son?
I promise, it's really not a mystery!

Before the great men and women in time

are given credit or praise,
Mothers should be first in line,
For these individuals they raised.

We all recognize the respect our mothers deserve,

And would even fight others to defend them,
But then where do we get the nerve,
To ignore, hurt, or even curse at some?

For all the pain and sacrifices they went through,
The time and effort they put in,
Raising, teaching, and taking care of you,
Disobeying them in good is a great sin. (1)

You love her home cooked meals, comfort, and advice,

There is almost nothing she wouldn’t do for you,
The least you could do is be helpful and nice,
For the countless things she continues to do.

Mothers deserve the best for these reasons and many others,

You will never be able to pay her back for all she has done,
It's been said, "No matter what a man does, he will never be able to have the status of a mother,"
And that's why she is #1!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) In Islam, when parents advise something good according to God, we should try our best to do so. Likewise, when they tell us something that we shouldn't do because God said so, it is not a sine to not listen to them.  

Teacher Man by Frank McCourt 4/5

 

For this month's book review, I will be sharing a book I had to read for a class at uni. last semester. The book Teacher Man by Frank McCourt, is a memoir about McCourt's journey through his many years of teaching. Majoring in elementary and middle school education, this book was interesting for me even though McCourt taught high school and college. We can all learn something from the experiences of other teachers!   

Overall, I enjoyed reading McCourt's book on his experiences in teaching. I like how he got creative with his students in his lessons, like his grammar lesson in "disguise," his lesson using excuse notes, teaching with food, and creative writing with reviews. McCourt also includes his encounters with parents of students and problems students went through like racism and conflicts with students meeting parent's expectations. One chapter in particular was ironic to me because I went through similar situations in one of my English classes my first year at uni. My professor had a lesson on fairy tales like McCourt and she also taught the same poem, "My Papa's Waltz." Throughout the book, McCourt included stories from his personal life, like memories of his childhood he would tell his students, him as a husband and father, and his work other than teaching. There was also some humor put into Teacher Man that I thought was funny.

There are some parts of the book that I thought was interesting and worth sharing here. In his prologue, McCourt describes what others felt was the status of teachers at the time. Unfortunately, it wasn't good. He writes, "In America, doctors, lawyers, generals, actors, television people and politicians are admired and rewarded. Not teachers." But even with this negative view of the teaching profession, McCourt did have a number of students telling him they wanted to teach in the future too, which I'm sure is nice for teachers to hear.

There were many other parts in his book that I marked because I liked them, but a few that I didn't like. For example, there were two  parts were McCourt got physical with his students and hit them, which I don't think a teacher should ever do. Also, a few personal stories on his private "romantic" life didn't have to be included in my opinion. Nonetheless, I did like this book for the most part and gave it a 4/5 stars. If you do plan to teach in the future or currently teach, I would recommend this book to you, but also if you are curious to know a little bit about the teaching profession. After all, as a quote says, "Teaching is the profession that teaches all the other professions."

If you would like to purchase a copy of Teacher Man by Frank McCourt, then check out Teacher Man: A Memoir by Frank McCourt 

God in The Iliad

While reading The Iliad, I couldn’t help but notice how the gods were described. I know there are polytheistic religions, both in the past and present, but I never understood them well until reading Homer's work. Homer's The Iliad  is an example of how the ancient Greeks viewed God. They believed in a number of gods, such as Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, etc. But not only were there numerous gods for almost every aspect of life, these gods were similar to humans. Being a Muslim, the basic belief of Islam is to acknowledge and believe in One God. This belief includes not associating partners with God, worshiping Him alone, and not comparing Him to His creation or vice versa. Of course people are free to believe what they want, but because The Iliad is an example of people who did believe and worship many gods, this caught my attention. I like learning about religions and what people believe, so I found it uncomfortable, yet interesting, to read and learn the lifestyle and beliefs of ancient Greeks as depicted in The Iliad.

Most importantly, the gods in The Iliad can be compared to humans. These gods are jealous and selfish. This is seen throughout The Iliad. For example, the Trojan War begins with the actions of jealous and selfish gods. Paris, the prince of Troy, is picked by Zeus to decide which goddess deserves the golden apple with "for the fairest" inscribed in it. Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite want to claim this apple, thus they bribe Paris. He gives the apple to Aphrodite who has promised him the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen, the wife of Menelaus. Paris and Aphrodite get what they want, but trouble begins once Helen is taken away (Fitzgerald 280). This is a selfish motive of the goddess and only leads to problems for the humans. I found this jealous and selfish trait of the Greek gods and goddesses to be unlike the true nature of God. God doesn’t have selfish motives and He also doesn’t need someone else to do His work for Him. Unlike humans, God isn't selfish, jealous, or in need of assistance.

Furthermore, the fact that there are many gods and goddesses creates problems. As seen in the apple incident, tension occurs when gods/ goddesses compete against each other. In addition, they argue amongst themselves such as in the case of Zeus and his wife, Hera. Zeus promises to help the Trojans because he owes Thetis a favor, but he knows that Hera will not like it because of her dislike of the Trojans. When Hera brings this up to Zeus in conversation, the two bicker. Zeus says to Hera,

Marvelous, you and your guesses; you are near it, too. But there is not one thing that you can do about it, only estrange yourself still more from me… And now you just sit down, be still, obey me, or else not all the gods upon Olympuscan help in the least when I approach your chair to lay my inexorable hands upon you (Fitzgerald 306).

Not only does Zeus silence Hera, but he also threatens her! This again was uncomfortable to read because God doesn’t have a family like humans where he would have to compete, disagree, or make threats. His Oneness makes it possible for things to occur (like creation) or else gods/ goddesses would be bickering about everything and nothing would get done.

Finally, the close interactions of the Greek gods/ goddesses to humans is also worth mentioning. In The Iliad, Athena directly gets involved in human affairs when Achilles gets ready to kill Agamemnon if the latter was to take Achilles' "prize". Athena is sent by Hera to prevent any violence between the two men: "And Athena, stepping up behind him, visible to no none except Achilles, gripped his red-gold hair… 'Enough: break off this combat, stay your hand upon the sword hilt. Let him have a lashing with words, instead: tell him how things will be'" (Homer 295). Athena is made to get involved and do the thinking for humans. In reality, God doesn't get directly involved in human affairs like this where he makes "appearances". The gods/ goddesses do this frequently and favor certain humans, especially Athena, in both The Iliad and The Odyssey.

All in all, the behavior of the Greek gods/ goddesses was interesting to read about and made an impression on me. Although I don’t agree with the ancient Greek's belief and interactions with the gods/ goddesses, I understood the idea more that in the past, some nations were polytheistic. I've known this but didn’t get into the subject deeply until I read The Iliad. Homer's story involved gods/ goddesses that were selfish, jealous, had families and helpers, would argue with each other, and directly get involved in the world. While some people may agree with these beliefs to explain the events that occur in the world, I believe otherwise.

Works Cited

Fitzgerald, Robert, trans. "The Iliad." The Bedford Anthology of World Literature. Vol. 1. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin, 2004. 280+. Print.