I am a catholic but I find it very comforting to read the Quran. I do it privately because in the west it can be a little problematic you know but my question is I am catholic is it bad to find god thru another religion
I am a Muslim and I listened to Alexander Scourby’s reading of the King James Version. It made me shiver and brought tears to my eyes in many places. To me the Bible and the Quran come from the same place, the Quran is just like a cleaner version of the same “drug”. So I see nothing wrong with you enjoying the Quran, it is very admirable that you are able to leap over theological differences and appreciate God’s words for what they are. I wish all Christians could do that.
The Quran says this about some Christians who read the Quran:
83. And when they hear what was revealed to the Messenger, you see their eyes overflowing with tears, as they recognize the truth in it. They say, “Our Lord, we have believed, so count us among the witnesses.”
84. “And why should we not believe in God, and in the truth that has come to us, and hope that our Lord will include us among the righteous people?”
85. God will reward them for what they say—Gardens beneath which rivers flow, where they will stay forever. Such is the reward of the righteous. (The Quran, verses 5:83-85)
Note that this doesn’t imply that they have to convert to Islam to appreciate the truth of the Quran. The Quran never says that Christians have to convert to Islam to be considered good and righteous people by God (despite what many scholars say). The Quran says to Muslims who like to think that only they will attain salvation:
123. It is not in accordance with your wishes, nor in accordance with the wishes of the People of the Scripture. Whoever works evil will pay for it, and will not find for himself, besides God, any protector or savior.
124. But whoever works righteousness, whether male or female, and is a believer—those will enter Paradise, and will not be wronged a whit. (The Quran, verses 4:123-124).
The part where it says to Muslims “[i]t is not in accordance with your wishes” couldn’t be any clearer, but unfortunately some people ignore it. There are of course many scholars, especially those of al-Azhar University, who agree with my way of thinking.
Follow-up question
Hello again! I’m the catholic girl again! I’m on mobile so i don’t know if you have a faq section but can you please suggest some scholars reading or name some authors because I really want to get more invested into religion and particularly in the Quran. Thank you for being so understanding and always being so kind and thorough with your thoughts
Hello,
You are very welcome. You may be interested in Being Muslim and The New Muslim’s Field Guide, which explain the basics of Islam. My own book An Intelligent Person’s Guide to Understanding Islam and Muslims explains in detail how Muslims really think and what Islam is about (free online versions here).
Many people have found my book The Sayings of Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah very helpful in gaining a deeper understanding of the spiritual side of Islam (free online version here).
Books by Dr. Jonathan Brown (a convert to Islam) are all very good.
If you want to learn more about the Quran, many people highly recommend The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary.
Best wishes.