Column Here, We Open the Qur’an Together, and Love Shines Through

Our Arab and Islamic heritage is a vast space illuminated by the lanterns of knowledge, literature, and art—this is something we all know. In this sky, dense with thousands of stars, there is a sun that has shone upon souls and minds for fourteen centuries, and thus hundreds of branches have blossomed. The Qur’an, as a fundamental component of our culture and heritage, is that very sun under whose light many thinkers, philosophers, mystics, artists, poets, and others have stood, creating works of art, thought, and poetry throughout the ages. But here, we do not wish to be philosophers, poets, or intellectuals. Instead, we are just ordinary people who have received this beautiful text, read it, loved it, or were amazed and captivated by it.

In this column, we pull the Qur’an down from the shelf and open it to look at it once more—not just as a sacred text, but as a book brimming with literary, spiritual, and intellectual beauty. We explore the impact its verses have had on its readers—not only Muslims but also people of other faiths and cultures.

The book that has inspired an abundance of interpretations and exegeses, the text that has moved thousands of architects and painters to add beauty to the world, is one we should take pride in our affiliation to. And here, we remind ourselves that we do not read it to prepare for battle, but rather, when we place it back on the shelf after reading, our souls should be ready for mercy and love, just as it says: “{And We have not sent you except as a mercy to the worlds}.”