The Quran

Yesterday in my women’s studies class, a woman from Iran spoke to us about her time in prison (she was arrested for spreading information about democracy) and her spiritual journey with Islam. It was really great to see her art work and hear about her experience with prison and how that affected her faith when she was released after five years.
For about a year, she still had faith in Islam but was very torn between her belief of what Islam is versus that of her country (and other countries that observe Islam). So, after this year of confusion, she began a journey to seek the truth of her faith by going directly to the Quran. Here are some examples of the verses she shared that also had a profound impact on me.
Quran, 25:63
“The worshipers of the Most Gracious are those who tread the earth gently and when the ignorant speak to them, they only utter peace”
Quran, 2:256
“There shall be no compulsion in religion”
Quran, 39:18
“They are the ones who examine all words, then follow the best. These are the ones whom God has guided, these are the ones who possess intelligence”
Quran, 17:36
“You shall not accept any information, unless you verify it for yourself. I have given you the hearing, the eyesight, and the brain, and you are responsible for them”
I love that these verses from the Quran challenge the mainstream idea of Islam. These are all about peace and several mentioned the equality of men and women but admittedly, I couldn’t write them down quickly enough. I’ll have to research those in the near future. But I also loved how the Quran openly challenges all people to seek our own truth in life. As I continue my journey of faith and spirituality, this idea really resonates with me. Christianity has become rather compulsive in the sense that many followers of my faith believe that they need to convert everyone to their specific version of Christianity, in order to not go to “hell”. As someone who personally follows Christianity, I find this idea frustrating and feel a great sense of freedom with these verses from the Quran. We are all meant to seek our truth and when it’s truth, you cannot go wrong. My truth is not to practice intolerance or believe that God wants me to blindly follow Her. My truth and my spirituality is one of great thinking and PEACE. When there’s an injustice I will always speak, but my God is one of peace and good. Therefore, compulsive Christianity to escape the wrath of hell does not add up with my truth.