WRAPUP À LA BIG NATE

[@dylcor]

Had to slide on that Patreon 🔥🙏 need more mfs to pull up it’s literally just me in the discord

[@rishiyk348]

Hey man I’m a Muslim, big fan of your channel from what I’ve seen. I appreciate you reading the Quran! Just wanted to address some things 1)Honestly I would say I agree that the Quran is a very repetitive text and honestly reading it all at once in English I’ve learned is not really a great approach for me personally bc of this but something to consider is that it is a religious text, not really something to read for entertainment. The way I read it is when I am having a hard time with something, I will just read a couple verses that I resonated with me that remind me of Allah. I personally think of this aspect of the text is Allah reminding the reader constantly of how important the concept of remembering Him is and that we are not alone in what we do, and generally just to be aware that what we do and say carries weight. This is really what makes Islam Islam, and one of the central takeaways of the Quran. 2)Many of the stories or points made are not continuous because the Quran wasn’t revealed all at once, it was revealed to Muhammad (pbuh) during certain periods in his life or when he was going through something or was challenged in his message. Something to consider is reading more about his life to gain more insight in the context many of the chapters were revealed in. This could also help explain the random laws you discussed, as Muhammad pbuh was not only a religious figure, but a successful general and politician I am no expert or scholar unfortunately I would recommend going to a local masjid and seeing what insight the imam might have on your issues with the Quran Hope this helps!!

[@bignatesbookreviews]

in hindsight i probably should have read the verses according to how penguin ordered them. the intro mentioned a lot of the things you did, and the book was arranged to ease the reader in. i just figured it would be better to read it in the order it was actually written. thank you for your comment!

[@Noah_1823]

What's good Nate, don't know if you're still interested cause this is an old video but I had some recommendations for reading the Qur'an. For a newcomer I wouldn't recommend going straight into it in the order of the Surahs tbh. The Qur'an is not just a spiritual text, it's also a guide for how to live, and it's intended to be something you can always refer back to if you're unsure how to go about something. The earlier Surahs tend to be longer and more prescriptive than most. For something more spiritual and poetic Surah 36 Ya-Sin is great, and the later ones like 81,82 and others near the end are really short and tend to be more poetic. Surah 12 is also a great place to start imo cause it tells the story of Joseph really beautifully Also, the translation is important. The translations I've read are very different in that section about men and women that you quoted for example. Also having some good annotations is really helpful. In the same excerpt you read, the translation I read doesn't say that men are superior to women, just says that men should protect and care for women, and doesn't recommend violence and actually forbids it. The book I took that from is called the Majestic Quran translated by Musharraf Hussain. My favourite though is the translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali which I think is available online. Ight that's it, peace out

[@bignatesbookreviews]

This is great info. I appreciate it!

[@Noah_1823]

@@bignatesbookreviews no problem man, I appreciate the videos! Thanks for the good vibes and for putting me onto so many books I wouldn't have heard of otherwise

[@davidnovakreadspoetry]

I read that same (and several other books by) Nietzsche not long ago, not much caring for it, but you pulled a lot more out of that book than I was able to - I’m not ready for a reread though. I read the Quran decades ago (in two different translations, none of them the Penguin), and don’t remember responding much different than you did - and there again I’m not up for a reread. Religion or even anti-Religion is not for me, but it’s interesting to hear talked about.

[@bignatesbookreviews]

totally valid. nietzsche is a lot, but i love him. slowly working my way up to zarathustra. what are some of your favorite philosophy books?

[@davidnovakreadspoetry]

@@bignatesbookreviews I don’t read a lot of philosophy, and very little recently, so it’s a good question to make me think. Off the cuff, my absolute favorite quote unquote philosopher is Epictetus (Robin Buss translation?) because it’s a very practical stoicism. Probably no book of philosophy has impacted me more greatly in life than the Richard Wilhelm I-Ching. Although you can read it straight through, it’s typical to ask a question, throw the coins and get some concise philosophical nuggets that you can apply to your situation (it’s not a device for prediction). I use it seldom anymore. You ask a really great question. Both of these books tend not to be something you think about externally to yourself, but end up internalizing to some degree.

[@kaileyidk]

U should do a podcast ep on Salinger’s short story “Teddy” 🫡 loved the video btw

[@bignatesbookreviews]

i've heard salinger has some banger short stories. i'll add it to the queue

[@chiefkeefofficalreal]

that patreon looking scrumptious

[@IanSchus]

Will any videogames be played in the discord tho

[@bignatesbookreviews]

bloons tower defense TBD

[@mariamh99]

I completely understand your reaction to reading the Quran, however since it is a religious text that is written in Arabic, I do think paying attention to translation is important as it can be easily misinterpreted (such as the part you mentioned regarding the men and women thing). Arabic is an extremely complex and difficult language and I don't think the penguin edition is a good source. There are many muslim scholars who have much better translations and interpretations (which hold more value than a literal translation since, like I previously mentioned, Arabic is extremely complex and not easy to translate, particularly when it comes to a text that is in some way poetic like the Quran). Also if you were looking for the story elements, they are more prevalent in the latter half of the Qur'an, so I would actually recommend reading backwards.

[@bignatesbookreviews]

thank you for the thoughtful comment! any translations that you would recommend?

[@chiefkeefofficalreal]

im tryna play some tf2 with you

[@Jackson-ev5hp]

Réel merde