John A. Williams Translation Of Surahlican

As a Muslim reading selections from the Qur'ān, I learned and noticed things I did not notice before about Islam and its teachings. John A. Williams translations of the Qur'ān highlighted important verses and their message. Metaphors and descriptions in the Quran are beautiful and encourage the believer and nonbeliever to think of how to live their life. Allah questions the reader numerous times in the Qur'ān.For example, in Surat Waqiah it states “And have you seen the water that you drink? Is it you who brought it down from the clouds, or is it We who bring it down?” These questions encourage one to analyze the simple things around them that they would usually deem as normal. Personally, this verse has changed the way I look at simple

In Williams translation of Surah Al Baqarah he states “...a cloudburst of heaven which is darknessand thunder, and lightning-- they put their fingers in their ears against the thunderclaps, fearful of death.” Initially, I did not understand what this meant, but the more I pondered on it, it made sense. It is illogical for one to cover their ears as an attempt to avoid death from the thunder. People who try to deceive God are actually deceiving themselves, just as they think they are helping themselves by covering their ears but are not. Another example is from verse 176 in Surat Al-A’raf “So the likeness of him is as the likeness of a dog; if thou attackest it lolls its tongue out, or if thou leavest it, it lolls its tongue out. That is that people's likeness who cried lies to Our signs.” I had to listen and read these verses multiple times to finally grasp an idea of its meaning. No matter what you do (attack or leave), the dog will not stop panting or sticking its tongue out. The dog’s condition is not satisfied and it remains uncomfortable and hot. The consequence of denying God’s signs is that the ignorant will lack innerpeace. These are metaphors that Allah gives people so “they will reflect” This descriptive image of a panting sweaty dog is unpleasant and conveys to the reader the discomfort that will be