Lesley Hazleton: A "tourist" reads the Koran

Translator: Abdikani Hassan Reviewer: Abdinasser Ahmed

Laga yaabee inaad maqasheen

You may have heard about the Koran's idea of paradise

aragtida Quraanka ee Janada

being 72 virgins,

inay ku jiraan 72 xuuraylcayn ahi,

Waana idiin balanqaadayaa inaan xuuralcaynta kusoo noqon doono.

and I promise I will come back to those virgins.

Laakiin, xaqiiqdii halkan waqooyigalbeed

But in fact, here in the Northwest, we're living very close

Waxanu ku noolahay wax u dhow

to the real Koranic idea of paradise,

aragtida Quraanka ee Janada,

defined 36 times as "gardens watered by running streams."

lagu sheegay 36 jeer

inay yihiin 'beero ay qulqulayaan durduro.''

Since I live on a houseboat on the running stream of Lake Union,

Maadaamoo aan ku noolahay guri dooni ah oo ku yaal durdurka Harada Union,

Tani dareen qiima leh bay ii samaysay.

this makes perfect sense to me.

But the thing is, how come it's news to most people?

Laakiin arintu waa, siday u arkaan dadku arintan warkeeda?

I know many well-intentioned non-Muslims

Waxan og ahay gaalo niyad wanaagsan

who've begun reading the Koran, but given up,

kuwaasoo bilaabay akhrinta Quraanka, balse iska daayay,

disconcerted by its "otherness."

markii ay ku wareereen qariibnimadiisa.

Taariikhyahankii Thomas Caryle

The historian Thomas Carlyle considered Muhammad

wuxu u gartay Muxamed mid kamid ah geesiyaashii ugu waynaa aduunka,

one of the world's greatest heroes,

yet even he called the Koran

laakiin Quraanka wuxu ugu yeedhay

'' akhriskii ugu kakanaa ee aan dhexgalo

"as toilsome reading as I ever undertook; a wearisome, confused jumble."

kii ugu daalka iyo wareerka badnaa.''

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

Qayb kamida dhibaatadu, waxan filayaa,

Part of the problem, I think, is that we imagine

inay tahay inaan u haysano in Quraanka loo akhriyi karo

that the Koran can be read as we usually read a book --

sida aynu caadiyan u akhrino buug-

as though we can curl up with it on a rainy afternoon

oo aynu intaynu gees ula baxno galab roobaad

with a bowl of popcorn within reach,

inagoo salool dubana ina horyaalo,

as though God --

sidii oo Ilaahay--

and the Koran is entirely in the voice of God speaking to Muhammad --

Quraankuna gebi ahaanba waa hadalkii Ilaahay kula hadlayey Muxamad--

uu yahay mid kamida qoraayada liiska ugu wacan ku jira

were just another author on the best-seller list.

Yet, the fact that so few people do actually read the Koran

Welise xaqiiqadu waxay tahay in dad yari

ay dhabtii akhriyaan Quraanka

way cadahahay sababta ay aadka ugu fududahay in la soo xigto--

is precisely why it's so easy to quote -- that is, to misquote.

taas waxay tahay, in si khalkdan loo xigto.

(Laughter)

Jumlado iyo weedho dulucdoodii laga saaray

Phrases and snippets taken out of context

in what I call the "highlighter version,"

oo ah waxan ugu yeedho ''qeybta naqshada la mariyay'

which is the one favored by both Muslim fundamentalists

Kaasoo ah kay jecelyihiin Muslimiinta xagjirka ah

and anti-Muslim Islamophobes.

iyo kuwa islaamka neceb labbaduba.

Hadaba gu'gii ina dhaafay,

So this past spring,

anigoo u tafaxaydanaya

as I was gearing up to begin writing a biography of Muhammad,

inaan bilaabo qoraal aan ka qoro taariikhdii Muxamed

I realized I needed to read the Koran properly --

Waxan garawsaday inaan u baahan ahay inaan Quraanka akhriyo si tafatiran--

sida ugu haboon ee aan awooda, waa taas.

as properly as I could, that is.

Afkayga carbeed wuxu ku xidhnaa

My Arabic is reduced by now to wielding a dictionary,

Qaamuus aan isticmaalo uun,

so I took four well-known translations

markaa waxan soo qaatay afar tafsiir oo caan ah

and decided to read them side by side, verse by verse,

waxan go'aansaday inaan isla akhriyo dacal ilaa dacal,

ayaad-aayad

along with a transliteration and the original seventh-century Arabic.

iyadoo alfabeet cod ahna lagu daray

iyo carabidii asalka ahayd ee qarnigii 7aad.

Halkaa faa'iidaan hore uga haystay.

Now, I did have an advantage.

My last book was about the story behind the Shi'a-Sunni split,

Buugaygii u danbeeyay

wuxu ku saabsanaa taariikhda ka danbaysa kala jabka Suniga iyo Shiicada

and for that, I'd worked closely with the earliest Islamic histories,

Markaas waxan si dhow ugu kuur galay taariikhdii hore ee Islaamka,

so I knew the events to which the Koran constantly refers,

Markaas waxaan ogaa dhacdooyinka

uu Quraanku sida joogtada u tilmaamayo,

its frame of reference.

Qaabkiisa ujeedka.

I knew enough, that is, to know that I'd be a tourist in the Koran --

Waxan si buuxda u ogaa

inaan ahaa dalxiise Quraanka dhex yimi--

an informed one,

mid war haya

an experienced one, even,

weliba mid khibrad u leh ah,

but still an outsider,

laakiin weli ah soo-galooti,

an agnostic Jew reading someone else's holy book.

Alla-kood Yahuudi ah.

oo akhriyaya kitaabka dhowrsan ee cid kale.

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

So I read slowly.

Marka si degan baan u akhriyay.

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

I'd set aside three weeks for this project,

Sadex todobaad baan u qorsheeyay mashruucas

and that, I think, is what is meant by "hubris" --

waxana filaya taasi waa waxa 'isla baxsanaanta' micneheedu yahay--

(Qosol)

(Laughter)

waayo waxay igu qaadatay sadex bilood.

because it turned out to be three months.

(Laughter)

I did resist the temptation to skip to the back,

Waxan isku celinayay dareenka ah inaan u boodo

meelaha danbe ee jusaska xaqiiqada dahsoon ku yaaliin.

where the shorter and more clearly mystical chapters are.

Laakiin markastoo aan is iraahdo

But every time I thought I was beginning to get a handle on the Koran --

hadaad Quraanka majaraha u qabatay--

that feeling of "I get it now" --

dareenkaas ah 'hadaan helay''--

waxay igaga sii badataa isla habeenkaas,

it would slip away overnight,

Aroortiina waxan kusoo noqdaa

and I'd come back in the morning,

wondering if I wasn't lost in a strange land.

anoo dhex wareegalaysanaya dhul aan ku dhex lumay,

laakiin weli dhulku wuxu iila eekaa midaan si fiican u garanayo.

And yet, the terrain was very familiar.

The Koran declares that it comes to renew the message

Quraanku wuxu sheegayaa inuu u yimid

inuu dib u cusboonaysiiyo fariintii Tawraad iyo Injiil.

of the Torah and the Gospels.

So one-third of it reprises the stories of Biblical figures

Sidaa awaadood 3 meelood meel

waxay ddib u sheegaysaa ashqaastii Injiil ku jirtay

like Abraham, Moses, Joseph, Mary, Jesus.

sida Ibraahim, Muuse,

Yuusuf, Maryama, Ciise

Ilaahay oo qudhiisu aad loogu bartay

God himself was utterly familiar

from his earlier manifestation as Yahweh,

bayaankiisii hore ee Yahweh--

jealously insisting on no other gods.

wuxu si adag u sheegayaa inaan Ilaahyo kale jirin.

The presence of camels, mountains, desert wells and springs

Joogitaanka geela, buuraha,

lama-deeganaada iyo durdurada

took me back to the year I spent wandering the Sinai Desert.

ayaa waxay dib iigu celiyeen sanadihii aan ku qaatay

dhex wareega Saxaraha Siinaay.

Waxan jirtay luqada

And then there was the language, the rhythmic cadence of it,

luuqda ku jirtaa,

reminding me of evenings spent listening to Bedouin elders

ay i xasuusinaysay habeeno aan ku qaatay dhegaysiga odayaal Badawiyiin ah

oo tirinaya gabayo saacado qaadanaya

recite hours-long narrative poems

gabigoodna korka ka shubaya.

entirely from memory.

Waxan bilaabay inaan fahmo

And I began to grasp why it's said

sababta loo yiri:

that the Koran is really the Koran only in Arabic.

Quraanku wuxu Quraan ku yahay

keliya Af-Carabi.

Take the Fatihah, the seven-verse opening chapter

Soo qaado suurada Faatixa

Suurada 7da aayadood ee bilowga ahi

that is the Lord's Prayer and the Shema Yisrael of Islam combined.

waa sidan: ''Ducada Eebe'' ee Kiristanka iyo ta Yuhuuda ee ''Shema Yisrael'' oo laysku daray.

It's just 29 words in Arabic,

Waa 29 kalmood af carabi ahaan,

laakiin waxay tagtaa 65 ilaa 72 marka la tafsiiro.

but anywhere from 65 to 72 in translation.

markastoo aad wax ku dartidna

And yet the more you add, the more seems to go missing.

waa markastoo micnihii sii lumo.

Carabidu waxay leedahay meerin,

The Arabic has an incantatory, almost hypnotic quality

taaso soo jiidasho sixira leh, tayoo

that begs to be heard rather than read,

u baahan in la dhagaysto iyadoon la akhrin,

la dareemo iyadoon la faaqidin.

felt more than analyzed.

It wants to be chanted out loud,

Waxay u baahantay in kor loogu heeso,

to sound its music in the ear and on the tongue.

si looga dhawaajiyo muusigeeda dhagaha iyo carabka.

Markaa Quraanka Ingiliishka ahi

So the Koran in English is a kind of shadow of itself,

wuxu u eeghay hadh wax daboolaya,

or as Arthur Arberry called his version,

ama sida uu Arthur Arberry uu ugu yeedhay

"an interpretation."

'' sharaxaad''

But all is not lost in translation.

Laakiin dhamaanteed ku lunto fasiraada.

Sida Quraanka lagu balanqaaday, sabirka waa la abaal marinayaa,

As the Koran promises, patience is rewarded,

and there are many surprises --

waxana jiri doona wax yaabo lala kulmi doono oo cajiib ah--

a degree of environmental awareness, for instance,

wacyigelin deegaanka ah ayaa ku jirta ah, tusaale ahaan,

and of humans as mere stewards of God's creation,

Biniaadamku waa khaliifka abuurta Ilaahay ee dhulka,

Injiil laguma sheegin.

unmatched in the Bible.

And where the Bible is addressed exclusively to men,

Halka Injiil si gaara loogula hadlayo raga

using the second- and third-person masculine,

iyadoo la isticmaalayo jinsiga rageed labbaad iyo sadexaad,

Quranku wuxu ku soo darayaa dumarka--

the Koran includes women --

talking, for instance,

wuxu ka hadlaya tuusaale ahaan;

of believing men and believing women,

raga mu'miniita ah iyo dumarka mu'miinta ah,

honorable men and honorable women.

raga sharafta badan iyo dumarka sharafta badan.

Or take the infamous verse about killing the unbelievers.

Ama soo qaado aayada aan caanka ahayn

ee ka sheekaynaysa gaalada oo la dilo.

Haa, saasay leedahay,

Yes, it does say that,

but in a very specific context:

laakiin duluc gaar ah weeye.

the anticipated conquest of the sanctuary city of Mecca,

Furashadii la filayay

ee magaalada barakaysan ee Maka

where fighting was usually forbidden.

taaaso dagaalku xaaraam ka yahay,

And the permission comes hedged about with qualifiers.

Ogolaanshuna wuxu la imanayaa shuruudo

Not "You must kill unbelievers in Mecca,"

Keliya ma aha ''Waa inaad dishaan gaalada Maka.''

but you can, you are allowed to,

Waad awoodaan, waa laydiin ogolyahay,

but only after a grace period is over,

laakiin keliya waa marka waqtiga xurmada lihi dhamaado

and only if there's no other pact in place,

waana keliya marka aan heshiis hore u jirin

and only if they try to stop you getting to the Kaaba,

waana keliya marka ay idinka joojiyaan galida Kacbada,

and only if they attack you first.

waana keliya haday marka hore idin soo weeraraan.

And even then -- God is merciful;

Intaasoo dhan kadibna-- Ilaahay waa naxariiste;

Cafiska ugu sareeya--

forgiveness is supreme --

and so, essentially,

Asal ahaantiina

better if you don't.

waxa kasii wanaagsan inaanaydin samayn.

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

This was perhaps the biggest surprise --

Tanina macquul inay tahay cajiibnimadii ugu waynayd--

how flexible the Koran is,

ee ina tusta sida Quraanku u furfuranyahay,

at least in minds that are not fundamentally inflexible.

ugu yaraan maskaxaha aan

asalkoodu ahayn kuwa xidhxidhan.

"Some of these verses are definite in meaning," it says,

''Aayadaha qaarkood macnohoodu waa biya-kama-dhibcaan''

''qaarkoodna waxay leeyihiin micne mutaashih ah''

"and others are ambiguous."

Qalbiyada aan wanaaagsanayni

The perverse at heart will seek out the ambiguities,

kuwa macnohoodu mutashaabiha yahay ayay wax ka baadhaan,

trying to create discord by pinning down meanings of their own.

iyagoo is-diido abuuraya

markay ku ladhaan macne ay u samaysteen iyagu.

Only God knows the true meaning.

Ilaahay keliyaa og micnaha dhabta ah.

The phrase "God is subtle" appears again and again,

Jumalada ''Ilaahay waa ladiif''

ayaa soo noqnoqota in badan,

and indeed, the whole of the Koran is far more subtle

taasina xaqiiqdii waxay ina tusay in Quraanku la ladiifsanyay

than most of us have been led to believe.

sida in badan oo inaga midi u rumaysay.

Tusaale ahaa,

As in, for instance, that little matter of virgins and paradise.

arintii ku saabsanayd

bikranimada iyo jannada,

Old-fashioned orientalism comes into play here.

Oryantaaliiskii qadiimka ahaa ayaa arinka soo galaya markan.

The word used four times is "houris,"

Kelmeda afarta jeer lagu sheegay Quraanka

waa Xuur.

kelmeda waxa loo tarjuntay

rendered as dark-eyed maidens with swelling breasts,

jaariyado indha madmadow oo naasa buurbuuran,

or as fair, high-bosomed virgins.

ama curubooyin bikra ah.

Laakiin waxa carabida asalka ah ku jira

Yet all there is in the original Arabic is that one word: houris.

waxa weeye mid kaliya oo ah ''Xuur''.

Not a swelling breast or high bosom in sight.

Ma aha mid naasa buurbuuran mana aha mid curubo ah.

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

Now this may be a way of saying "pure beings," like in angels,

Tan waxa la dhihi karaa

''Abuur saafi ah' sida malaaigta oo kale,

ama sida Giriiga Kuuros ama Kooree,

or it may be like the Greek "kouros" or "kore,"

oo ah dhalinyarimo abadi ah.

an eternal youth.

But the truth is, nobody really knows.

Laakiin runtu waxay tahay qofna ma oga,

And that's the point.

taasina waa ujeedada.

Because the Koran is quite clear

Sababtoo Quraanku waa cadeeyay

when it says that you'll be "a new creation in paradise,"

markuu leeyahay waxaad noqon doontaan

''abuur cusub janada dhexdeeda''

and that you will be "recreated in a form unknown to you,"

taasina waxa weeye' waxa laguu abuuri donaa

qaab aanad garanayn adigu''

which seems to me a far more appealing prospect

Kaasoo kaba sii qurux badnaa kara

than a virgin.

xuuralcaynta aynu aamisannahay.

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

And that number 72 never appears.

Tiradaa 72 marna lama sheegin .

There are no 72 virgins in the Koran.

Laguma sheegin 72 bikro ah/xuuralcayn ah

Quraanka.

That idea only came into being 300 years later,

Aragtidaasi waxay aburantay 300 oo sano kadib

and most Islamic scholars see it as the equivalent

Culumada Islaamka waxay ku masaaleeen

of people with wings sitting on clouds and strumming harps.

sidii dad baalal leh oo daruuraha ku fadhiya

walax dhawaaq macaanna tumanaya.

Paradise is quite the opposite.

Janadu waa kasoo horjeedka taas.

bikronnimo maaha;

It's not virginity;

it's fecundity;

waa irmaan.

it's plenty.

waa badhaadhe.

Waa beero lagu waraabiyay

It's gardens watered by running streams.

durduro qulqulaya.

Mahadsanidiin.

Thank you.

(Applause)

(Sacab)