Imam Feisal Rauf  makes the following comment that includes a quote from the Koran near the conclusion of his treacly 9/7/10 New York Times, Op-Ed: The Koran declares in its 36th chapter, regarded by the Prophet Muhammad as the heart of the Koran, in a verse deemed the heart of this chapter, "Peace is a word spoken from a merciful Lord."Rauf is quoting, selectively sura 36, verse 58 (36:58; Arberry translation): "'Peace!' - such is the greeting, from a Lord All-compassionate."But the next verse, 36:59 states, "Now keep yourselves apart, you sinners, upon this day!"The noble sounding verse 36:58 refers to the Muslims who are to be kept apart from the disbelievers, i.e., the non-Muslims, at Resurrection.For example, the classical commentary of Ibn Kathir (d. 1373) calls v. 36:59, "The Isolation of the Disbelievers and Their Rebuke on the Day of Resurrection." Suyuti (d. 1505), another seminal Koranic commentator, referring to v. 36:59 says...(Read Full Post)