Directions: For each of the passages from Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and the Koran, annotate specifically for the following elements:

RepetitionParallelism (general)Antithesis ImagerySimiles and metaphorsSpecific phrases that establish mood

Background for the PsalmsThe Book of Psalms, which appears in the section of the Hebrew Bible called Writings, contains 150 poems that were combined into a single collection around the fourth century B.C. Although nearly half the psalms carry the title “Song of David,” not all the poems were composed by King David, who lived around 1000 B.C. Some psalms were recited in sacred rituals long before David ruled; others, such as Psalm 137, were composed after his reign.The origin of the word psalm, from the Greek word psalmos (meaning “a plucking of strings”) implies that the psalms were sung to musical accompaniment. Many psalms, like Psalm 8, offer praise to God; not surprisingly, their Hebrew title, Tehillim, means “songs of praise.” But adoration is not the only emotion the psalms express. Like other lyric poems, they range in emotion from joyous exultation to bitter anger. The Book of Psalms includes laments, personal meditations, and even battle songs. What makes the psalms unique among the books of the Hebrew Bible is their emphasis on personal, heartfelt responses to God.

Psalm 8 Psalm 23King James Bible King James BibleO Lord our Lord, The Lord is my shepherd;How excellent is thy name in all the earth! I shall not wantWho has set they glory above the heavens, He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings has thou He leadeth me beside the still waters.ordained strength He restoreth my soul:Because of thine enemies, He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for hisThat thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. name’s sake.When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadowThe moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with What is man, that thou art mindful of him? me;For thou has made him a little lower than the angels, Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.And has crowned him with glory and honor. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence ofThou madest him to have dominion over the works mine enemies:of thy hands; Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth Thou has put all things under his feet: over.All sheep and oxen, Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all theYea, and the beasts of the field; days of my life:The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.And whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.O Lord our Lord,How excellent is thy name in all the earth!

Ecclesiastes 3King James BibleTo every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from

embracing;A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Background for the Koran (Qur’an)

To the more than one billion Muslims worldwide, the Koran (kə ·ran´) is the word of Allah, the Arabic name for God. According to Muslim belief, the Koran comes from tablets kept in Heaven, dictated by the angel Gabriel to the prophet Muhammad.

Muhammad was born into a prominent family in the Arabian city of Mecca around A.D. 570. Despite his family’s high social position, Muhammad’s childhood was filled with hardship and sorrow. By the age of six, he was an orphan. Nevertheless, by adulthood he had managed to become a worldly and successful merchant.

When he was about forty, the prosperous businessman, possibly troubled by civil unrest in Mecca, began to meditate at night in a hillside cave near his home. It was here that, according to Islamic belief, the angel Gabriel appeared to Muhammad and announced: “You are the messenger of God.” Muhammad experienced numerous visions, or revelations, in the years that followed, and he dedicated his life to preaching the oneness of God and rejecting the beliefs that many Arabs held in his day.

Muhammad recognized the similarities between the messages he had received and the doctrines of Christianity and Judaism. However, more than these religions, Muhammad’s preaching emphasized the power of divine judgment and the need for pious submission to the will of Allah. Hence, the name given to Muhammad’s religion, Islam, means “submission.” One who accepts Islam is a Muslim—“one who submits to God.”

According to tradition, Muhammad could neither read nor write, so his followers memorized his utterance or jotted them down on whatever they could find—a leaf, a scrap of leather, a rock. After Muhammad died, his followers feared that his words would be lost forever if they did not gather all the versions and record them in a single authoritative Arabic text. Within twenty years, a group of scribes had accomplished his goal and had ordered the destruction of all other versions of Muhammad’s revelations. They called this scripture the Koran (also written as Qur’an), an Arabic word meaning “recitation,” and decreed it the official scripture of Islam.

Critical Thinking Questions1. In “The Exordium,” Muhammad prays for guidance to “the path of those whom

You have favored, / Not of those who have incurred Your wrath.” The righteous, described in the first clause, stand in antithesis to the sinful, described in the second clause. Find and explain other examples of antitheses in these excerpts.

2. Many of the sentences in “Daylight” and “Comfort” are written as questions. How

does the use of questions reinforce the lessons being taught in these passages?

3. Which of the images in these excerpts do you find most striking and memorable? What impact do you think these images are intended to have on readers or listeners?

from the Qur’antranslated by N.J. Dawood

The Exordium IN THE NAME OF GOD THE COMPASSIONATE THE MERCIFUL

Praise be to God, Lord of the Universe, The Compassionate, the Merciful, Sovereign of the Day of Judgment! You alone we worship, and to You alone we turn for help. Guide us to the straight path, The path of those whom You have favored, Not of those who have incurred Your wrath, Nor of those who have gone astray.

DaylightIn the Name of God, the Compassionate, the MercifulBy the light of day, and by the dark of night, your Lordhas not forsaken you nor does He abhor you.The life to come holds a richer prize for you than this

present life. You shall be gratified with what your Lord will give you.Did He not find you an orphan and give you shelter?Did He not find you in error and guide you?Did He not find you poor and enrich you?Therefore do not wrong the orphan, nor chide away thebeggar. But proclaim the goodness of your Lord.

ComfortIn the Name of God, the Compassionate, the MercifulHave we not lifted up your heart and relieved you of theburden which weighed down your back?Have We not given you high renown?With every hardship there is ease. With every hardship there is ease.When your prayers are ended resume your toil, and seek your Lord with all fervor.