Jeffrey Lang

“The Qur’an sought to reform, not to destroy and start from scratch, tosalvage what was useful and then to modify and build on it. The task wasto get the Arabs to think about religion in a novel way, to inculcate in them a new conceptual frame of reference, to transfer them from one worldview to another, and higher, one. This process of transformation took them from traditionalism to individualism, from impulsiveness to discipline, from supernaturalism to science, from intuition to conscious reasoning and, in the end, ideally, harmonized the whole.”

“No one knows loneliness like an atheist. When an average person feels isolated, he can call through the depths of his soul to One who knows him and sense an answer. An atheist cannot allow himself that luxury, for he has to crush the urge and remind himselfof its absurdity.”

“Personal ignorance should be admitted, but it should not be allowed to place limits and bounds on the ways 'and means of revelation.”

“The Qur'an does not ask for human perfection, but rather asks that we persevere in striving for self-improvement and that we never become complacent or despondent about our progress.”

“يبدو اننا جميعا بحاجة كي نؤمن بأحد ما أو شيء ما. فالحياة دون معنى او اتجاه بائسة حقا. ويبدوانه يتوجب ان نحيا من اجل هدف او شيء ما عزيز علينا ونموت من اجله، سواء كان هذا الهدف او الشيء مبدأ سياسي او خطة حياتية او أمة اوحلما او فكرة او مالا او اسرة. اعتقد ان التقديس هو جبلة في الانسان، وأن قدرنا هو أن نكون عبيدا سواء شئنا ذلك ام ابينا.”