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	<title>Raam Dev &#187; Islam</title>
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	<link>http://raamdev.com</link>
	<description>Cultivating a human perspective</description>
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		<title>An Excerpt from the Koran (8-20)</title>
		<link>http://raamdev.com/2009/an-excerpt-from-the-koran-8-20/</link>
		<comments>http://raamdev.com/2009/an-excerpt-from-the-koran-8-20/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:48:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Raam Dev</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Essays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Koran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.raamdev.com/?p=3677</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[While eating lunch at Life Alive today, I picked up a book called The Essential Koran (the Qur&#8217;an is the most important religious text of Islam). I consider myself very neutral when it comes to religions: I&#8217;m not atheist, but I follow no religion. I remain open minded. From the forty pages I read, the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>While eating lunch at <a href="http://lifealive.com">Life Alive</a> today, I picked up a book called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062501984?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=radeswe-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=390957&#038;creativeASIN=0062501984">The Essential Koran</a> (the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qur%27an">Qur&#8217;an</a> is the most important religious text of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam">Islam</a>). I consider myself very neutral when it comes to religions: I&#8217;m not atheist, but I follow no religion. I remain <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Exercise-an-Open-Mind">open minded</a>.</p>
<p>From the forty pages I read, the following excerpt really stood out. (It&#8217;s very important to read slowly, and understand each line. The context changes a lot, so you might need to read it a few times to fully appreciate it.)</p>
<blockquote><p><em>(8-20)</em><br />
Is it not that they are in fact<br />
the troublemakers,<br />
without even knowing it?</p>
<p>And when it is said to them,<br />
&#8220;Believe as the people believe,&#8221;<br />
they say, &#8220;Shall we believe<br />
as imbeciles believe?&#8221;<br />
No, it is they,<br />
they who are the imbeciles,<br />
though they do not know. </p>
<p>And when they encounter<br />
those who believe,<br />
they say, &#8220;We believe.&#8221;<br />
But when they are alone<br />
with their obsessions,<br />
they say,<br />
&#8220;We are in fact with you;<br />
we were only joking.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p>While everyone will of course read the text from a different context and therefore interpret it differently (that&#8217;s what makes humanity so interesting), my take on it was that it seemed to explain the way so many people in this world behave: deceptive. And while I&#8217;m sure there is plenty of intentional deceptiveness that goes on in this world, I&#8217;m also fairly certain there is as much, if not more, unintentional deception that goes on under the covers (&#8220;troublemakers without even knowing it&#8221;). But how? How can people be deceptive without even knowing it? Simple: By deceiving themselves! In deceiving themselves they are unable to be fully aware of their actions towards others.</p>
<p>We must make a conscious effort to be true to ourselves so that we may be true to others.</p>
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