Obviously, this was only two sections of the Koran, and that’s not much to create an opinion of a religion on. I, myself, have a Christian background, so most of the things I will be commenting on will be in conjunction with my experiences with Christianity.
In the Maryam section, there were a few things that caught my attention. First, the birth of Jesus is significantly different than any Christmas story I’ve ever heard. It never included Mary giving birth next to a palm tree or having dates showered on her, and Jesus is not recorded in the Bible as being able to speak while still an infant. Also, in the Christmas story Joseph was around, whereas in the Koran he was never mentioned. Then there were also those shepherds that never showed up at the non-existent stables (after all, she gave birth leaning on a palm tree). Also, according to the Koran, she’s taken a vow of silence. There are some places where the Bible and the Koran agree, but this area is notably not one of them.
The second thing I found interesting in the Maryam section was the description of life after death. The Bible talks about every man individually standing before God on His throne and being judged. In the Koran, it says that all men and devils being assembled together around hell. From there, according to 019.069, "Then We shall pluck out from every sect whichever of them was most stubborn in rebellion to the Beneficent." Those people will stay and be burned. So apparently we are condemned if, in comparison to our neighbors, we are MORE evil. Our salvation depends on how bad other people have been. In comparison, the Bible in Titus 3:5 says, "Not by the good works that we have done, but according to His (God’s) mercy, He saved us." Also, it also says in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For you are saved by grace though faith, and not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, so that no man can boast." To me, how a person is saved is a pretty important thing for a religion. Such a fundamental difference in theology shows clearly a point of contention between Muslims and Christians.
Those were the only two things that really struck me. Considering how long they were, I was really hoping to find more theology in them, but oh well.
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You're right, there is quite a difference between the Maryam interpretation and Christianity. Even though it goes against what we've been taught, it's still pretty interesting to see other people's interpretations.
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