thank you
This will be long, but i'll enjoy it!
In the first part I will include and merge parts of relevant wikipedia articles to save me time struggling with the English language. However, only parts which reflect my knowledge and what i believe to be true, and are simply better put than what i could manage.
To answer both question you need to first understand the situation in Arabia (The Arabian Peninsula) before Islam. And i mean relevant to the Arabs and not more ancient civilizations, which are probably linked but irrelevant to this discussion.
The pre-Islamic era is called "jahiliyyah" in Arabic, which comes from the root word meaning ignorance. Its mostly meant in connection to religion, as idol worship and polytheism was spread through the land. The people were separated in the form of tribes, only two of which are known to have been Christian and Jewish. There are positive aspects like hospitality which Arabs are known for till today, and also poetry which held an important position and was mostly used for praise of the tribe and lampoons denigrating other tribes. A few poets were considered great also after Islam and some texts are studied even today and hold a high position in the Arabic literature.
see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanged_Poems
There was a lack of a legal system. Disputes were usually solved by battle and war. The tribes of Makkah (main city) were constantly feuding with one another. Raids are known to have been common mean with which to obtain cattle/goods and even women.
At this time women held a woefully low position. They had no human or legal rights and were treated as the possessions of their fathers and then husbands. One of the known practices to have been common at the time is the burying of women alive. As infants because a tribe could sustain only so much people, and depending on the situation sometimes men were favored. Also it's said that a tribe would bury women alive before an incoming raid, one they couldn't repel, just so the raiders won't be able to take them. This was forbidden in the Quran btw.
I'd like to mention that the Quran, contrary to Islam seen as degrading to women today, was revolutionary in the status it gave women, considering the time and settings of curse.
And now regarding what you asked for, Why I think changing the Quran is impossible:
The Quran is regarded as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language, up till today of curse . I have only read a minor part of it but it seems to be evident, and also agreed upon by Arabic scholars. It is simply inimitable, as a masterpiece in every way. The entire book has a certain melody to it, which partially explains why so many people have known, and know, the entire book by hard (over 77,000 words).
Problem is, you cannot judge the Quran and its linguistic "miracles" if you do not speak Arabic. It stands alone in that category of the linguistic level. None of the long poems mentioned before, or any other post-Islamic poetry, even comes close to the level.
It is regarded as the main miracle of Muhammad, and proof of his prophethood.
Anyway, that question has never bothered me. What bothers me sometimes is that many things in the Quran are the way they are because of the settings in which it emerged. And that's what i meant by saying it has distortions. Maybe its not distorted per se, but considering the following:
It emerged in an anarchical society, and so the Quran is a book by which you can run a country. It contains some clearly stated rules regarding laws of inheritance for example. The society was also based on the rule of force, thus much attention was given to the strength/rule/unquestionable power of God. As a joke i used to entertain the idea of Jesus, with his unique message, coming instead of Muhammed at that time. I honestly believe he wouldn't have survived a day.
I think every religion, as it emerges, is somehow "tailored" to the society in which it rises. The Quran contains many strict rules, which were meant for bringing order to a broken mess of a land. Muhammed had to "fight his way" many times against different tribes, thus the Quran contains a lot of information regarding the justice of battle in the name of the one creator so to speak. That in turn explains why concepts like martyrdom, and jihad, are very important in Islam. Although these concepts may be interpreted in a variety of ways. Also, the worship of idols and such being so dominant at the time could account for the intolerance Islam holds for such things, considering one of its purposes was eradicating it, and spreading the belief in the one and only God.
Although I'm not a Muslim I've always been fascinated by Islam. Regardless, its also a part of my History/culture.
Follow up questions will be appreciated.
P.S Don't take everything as a 100% fact, this is my opinion and take on a matter from my own life experience.
This will be long, but i'll enjoy it!
In the first part I will include and merge parts of relevant wikipedia articles to save me time struggling with the English language. However, only parts which reflect my knowledge and what i believe to be true, and are simply better put than what i could manage.
To answer both question you need to first understand the situation in Arabia (The Arabian Peninsula) before Islam. And i mean relevant to the Arabs and not more ancient civilizations, which are probably linked but irrelevant to this discussion.
The pre-Islamic era is called "jahiliyyah" in Arabic, which comes from the root word meaning ignorance. Its mostly meant in connection to religion, as idol worship and polytheism was spread through the land. The people were separated in the form of tribes, only two of which are known to have been Christian and Jewish. There are positive aspects like hospitality which Arabs are known for till today, and also poetry which held an important position and was mostly used for praise of the tribe and lampoons denigrating other tribes. A few poets were considered great also after Islam and some texts are studied even today and hold a high position in the Arabic literature.
see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanged_Poems
There was a lack of a legal system. Disputes were usually solved by battle and war. The tribes of Makkah (main city) were constantly feuding with one another. Raids are known to have been common mean with which to obtain cattle/goods and even women.
At this time women held a woefully low position. They had no human or legal rights and were treated as the possessions of their fathers and then husbands. One of the known practices to have been common at the time is the burying of women alive. As infants because a tribe could sustain only so much people, and depending on the situation sometimes men were favored. Also it's said that a tribe would bury women alive before an incoming raid, one they couldn't repel, just so the raiders won't be able to take them. This was forbidden in the Quran btw.
I'd like to mention that the Quran, contrary to Islam seen as degrading to women today, was revolutionary in the status it gave women, considering the time and settings of curse.
And now regarding what you asked for, Why I think changing the Quran is impossible:
The Quran is regarded as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language, up till today of curse . I have only read a minor part of it but it seems to be evident, and also agreed upon by Arabic scholars. It is simply inimitable, as a masterpiece in every way. The entire book has a certain melody to it, which partially explains why so many people have known, and know, the entire book by hard (over 77,000 words).
Problem is, you cannot judge the Quran and its linguistic "miracles" if you do not speak Arabic. It stands alone in that category of the linguistic level. None of the long poems mentioned before, or any other post-Islamic poetry, even comes close to the level.
It is regarded as the main miracle of Muhammad, and proof of his prophethood.
Anyway, that question has never bothered me. What bothers me sometimes is that many things in the Quran are the way they are because of the settings in which it emerged. And that's what i meant by saying it has distortions. Maybe its not distorted per se, but considering the following:
It emerged in an anarchical society, and so the Quran is a book by which you can run a country. It contains some clearly stated rules regarding laws of inheritance for example. The society was also based on the rule of force, thus much attention was given to the strength/rule/unquestionable power of God. As a joke i used to entertain the idea of Jesus, with his unique message, coming instead of Muhammed at that time. I honestly believe he wouldn't have survived a day.
I think every religion, as it emerges, is somehow "tailored" to the society in which it rises. The Quran contains many strict rules, which were meant for bringing order to a broken mess of a land. Muhammed had to "fight his way" many times against different tribes, thus the Quran contains a lot of information regarding the justice of battle in the name of the one creator so to speak. That in turn explains why concepts like martyrdom, and jihad, are very important in Islam. Although these concepts may be interpreted in a variety of ways. Also, the worship of idols and such being so dominant at the time could account for the intolerance Islam holds for such things, considering one of its purposes was eradicating it, and spreading the belief in the one and only God.
Although I'm not a Muslim I've always been fascinated by Islam. Regardless, its also a part of my History/culture.
Follow up questions will be appreciated.
P.S Don't take everything as a 100% fact, this is my opinion and take on a matter from my own life experience.