The Family of Imran

#4 Sura Al Imran (3: 103)

Difference is an integral part of human nature. But so, too, is the quest for unity and the role of gratitude in harnessing that diversity for strength — instead of fomenting it to sow discord.

Ink and gold folio from an early Qur’an in the typically angular script known as Kufic. The gold band at the bottom contains the title of the third chapter of the Qur’an, Sura Al Imran. From the Central Islamic lands, 9th-10th-century. In the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession no. 37.99.2

And hold fast, all together, by the Rope that God stretches out for you, and be not divided amongst yourselves. And remember, with gratitude, God’s favour upon you. For you were enemies and he joined your hearts in love so that, by His Grace, you became brethren. And you were on the brink of a pit of fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does God make His signs clear to you, that you may be guided.