Miracle Brothers: A K-Drama with a Quranic Verse
Miracle Brothers is a mystery drama that airs on JTBC every Wednesday and Thursday at 22:30 (KST). The drama stars Jung Woo, Bae Hyun-sung, Park Yu-rim, Oh Man-seok, and Lee Ki-woo. It tells the story of a warm friendship between Yuk Dong-joo, an aspiring writer who has nothing but debt, and Kang San, an unidentified boy with mysterious abilities.
In one of the episodes, there is a dialogue in which a character says, “I want to save a person. There is a saying that if you save a person, you saved entire mankind.” This dialogue is based on a verse from the Quran, the holy book of Islam. The verse is from Surah Al-Ma’idah (The Table Spread), chapter 5, verse 32. The verse says:
“Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land – it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one – it is as if he had saved mankind entirely. And our messengers had certainly come to them with clear proofs. Then indeed many of them, [even] after that, throughout the land, were transgressors.”
The verse was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a reminder that all human life is sacred and that taking a life is a grave sin. The verse also encourages people to do good deeds and save lives. The verse was originally decreed upon the Children of Israel, the descendants of Prophet Jacob (peace be upon him), who were also given many prophets and scriptures by God.
The use of this verse in the drama may be seen as a way of showing respect and appreciation for the Islamic faith and its teachings. However, some viewers may also feel that the verse was not properly referenced or explained in the context of the drama. We see Gandhi name was mentioned several times in kdramas even with the qoutes that were not originally even said by him but we dont see any reference of Quran when they qouted the exact same verse from Quran. Muslim community would love to see this sweet, kind and true projection of Quran when whole world is accusing the Islam for fake propagandas. This should have done at first place, but we dont know why they did this its not that hard to google this information.
The drama’s writer, Kim Ji-woo, has not commented on the reason behind using the verse in the dialogue. However, he has said that he wanted to write a story about warm friendship and humanity that unfolds when two people with different backgrounds and personalities meet. He also said that he wanted to explore the themes of identity, memory, and destiny in the drama.
Miracle Brothers is one of the many K-dramas that have incorporated elements from different cultures and religions in their stories. Some examples are Crash Landing on You, which featured North Korean culture and language; Itaewon Class, which had characters from different ethnicities and sexual orientations; and Vincenzo, which mixed Korean and Italian culture and law.
These dramas reflect the diversity and creativity of the Korean entertainment industry, as well as its global appeal and influence. However, they also raise questions about how accurately and respectfully these elements are portrayed and represented in the dramas. As viewers, we should always be mindful and critical of what we watch and learn from different sources.