Part of a series on the Qur'an

Mus'haf

Sura · Ayah

Qur'an reading

Tajwid · Hizb · Tarteel · Qur'anic guardian · Manzil · Qari' · Juz' · Rasm

Translations

List

Origin and development

Meccan revelations · Medinan revelations

Tafsir

Persons related to verses · Justice · Asbab al-nuzul · Naskh · Biblical narratives · Tahrif · Bakkah · Muqatta'at · Esoteric interpretation

Qur'an and Sunnah

Literalism · Miracles · Science · Women

Views on the Qur'an

Shi'a · Criticism · Desecration · Surah of Wilaya and Nurayn · Satanic Verses · Tanazzulat · Qisas Al-Anbiya · Beit Al Qur'an This box: view • talk • edit

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The Qur’an^[1] (Arabic: القرآن ‎ al-qur’ān, literally "the recitation"; also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran or Al-Qur’ān) is the central religious text of Islam. A Mus'haf ( مصحف, pronounced "Mus-haf" not "Mu-sh-af" is a "codex" or a collection of sheets ( Sahifa, see below Sura (sometimes spelt "Surah" ar سورة, plural "Suwar" ar سور is an Arabic term literally meaning "something enclosed or surrounded Ayah (ar آية, plural Ayat ar آيات) is the Arabic word for sign or Miracle, cognate with Hebrew ot, Qur'an reading is the reading ( Tarteel, Tajwid, or taghbir) aloud reciting, or Chanting of portions of the Tajwīd ( تجويد) is an Arabic word meaning proper pronunciation during Recitation, as well as recitation at a moderate speed Tarteel ( Arabic: ترتيل) is an Arabic term that is wide in meaning but is commonly translated in reference to the Qur'an as "recitation Hafith or Hafiz ( Arabic: حافظ قرآن or حافظ plural huffaz) literally meaning 'guardian' is a term used by Muslims in modern Manzil ( Arabic: منزل; plural manazil, منازل) is the Arabic word for one of seven parts of roughly equal length into which Qari' (قَارٍئplural qurra') literally meaning "reader" is a person who recites the Qur'an with the proper rules of recitation ( Tajweed A juz' (جزء plural اجزاء ajza') literally means "part Rasm (رسم is an Arabic term that signifies "sketch pattern mark design form" Translations of the Qur'an are interpretations of the holy book of Islam in languages other than Arabic. This is a sub-article to Translation of the Qur'an. By first printing date 600s Salman the Persian The study of the origins and development of the Qur’an can be said to fall into two major schools of thought the first being a Traditionalist Muslim view and The Meccan suras are the chronologically earlier Suras of the Qur'an that were revealed at Mecca. The Medinan suras of the Qur'an are those Suras which were revealed at Medina, after Muhammad 's hijra from Mecca, when the Tafsir ( Arabic: تفسير, tafsīr, "interpretation" is the Arabic word for Exegesis Some of the Qur'anic verses are said to be revealed pertaining to some specific person Islamic Justice, truth-telling various virtues and sins the prohibition of Perjury in the Qur'an are repeated many times Justice Asbāb al-nuzūl اسباب النزول, an Arabic term meaning "occasions/circumstances of revelation" is a secondary genre of Qur'ānic Exegesis Naskh (نسخ is an Arabic language word usually translated as " abrogation " it shares the same root as the words appearing The Qur'an, the central religious text of Islam, contains references to over fifty people also found in the Bible, typically in the same or similar Tahrif ( Arabic: ar تحريف "corruption forgery" the stem-II verbal noun of the consonantal root, "to make oblique" Bakkah (بكة is a place mentioned in Surah 396 of the Qur'an. Muqatta`at (Arabic ar مقطعات,are unique letter combinations that begin certain chapters of the Quran. An esoteric interpretation of the Qur'an is an Interpretation of the Qur’an which includes attribution of Esoteric or mystic meanings to the Qur'an and Sunnah is an often quoted Islamic term regarding the sources of Islam Qur'anic literalism is the belief that the verses of the Qur'an should be taken at their apparent meaning rather than employing any sort of interpretation Muslims consider the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, as the word of God and a Miracle. The relation between Qur'an and science is a strong relation in the Islamic thought This article is about female figures that appear in the Qur'an This is a sub-article to Shī‘a Islam and the Qur'an The Shī‘a view of the Qur'an has some differences from the Sunni view but it must Muslims believe that the Qur'an is the literal word of God as recited to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel. Qur'an desecration is defined as insulting the Qur'an, by defiling or defacing it The Surah of Wilaya and Nurayn are two surahs (chapters that are supposedly claimed to be included in the Qur'an by some Shiite sects Satanic Verses is an expression coined by the historian Sir William Muir in reference to a few verses delivered by Muhammad as part of the Qur'an Tanzil and Inzal, or "to send down" ( Arabic تنزيل refers to the act of descent of the pre-existing Qur'an through different Realms The "Qisas Al-Anbiya" (قصص الأنبياء or Stories of the Prophets refers to various collections of tales adapted from the Quran. Beit Al Qur'an (بيت القرآن means House of Qur'an in Arabic. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Aqidah (sometimes spelled Aqeeda, Aqidah or Aqida) (عقيدة is an Islamic term meaning Creed. Allah ( Arabic: الله, ʔalˤːɑːh) is the standard Arabic word for ' In Islam, God is believed to be the only real supreme being all-powerful and all knowing Creator Sustainer Ordainer and Judge of the universe Islam puts a heavy emphasis IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics Muslims regard as Prophets of Islam ( Arabic: نبي) those non-divine humans chosen by Allah as Prophets The Five Pillars of Islam (Arabic أركان الإسلام is the term given to the five duties incumbent on every Muslim. The Shahada ( Arabic: ar الشهادة, from the verb ar شهد "to testify" is the Islamic Creed. Ṣalāt ( Arabic: صلاة‎, pl ṣalawāt, Qur'anic Arabic: صلوة ṣalawah) (also munz in Pashto and Sawm ( Arabic: صوم is an Arabic word for Fasting regulated by Islamic jurisprudence. This is a sub-article of Islamic economical jurisprudence. Zakaat ( زكاة zækæːh zakaat or zakāh, has the implied The Hajj (حج is a pilgrimage to Mecca (Makkah It is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world Muslim history began in Arabia with the Muhammad 's first recitations of the Qur'an in the 7th century Caliph Caliph is the term or title for the Islamic leader of the Ummah, or community of Islam There is much more to Muslim history than its military and political aspects this particular chronology is almost entirely of military and political nature See also Muhammad's wives Ahl al-Bayt ( Arabic:ar أهل البيت is an Arabic phrase literally meaning People of the House, or family In Islam, the Ṣaḥābah (الصحابة "Companions" were the companions of the Islamic prophet Muḥammad. The Rightly Guided Caliphs or The Righteous Caliphs ( ar الخلفاء الراشدون) is a term used in Sunni Islam to refer to the first Imāmah (إمامة is the Shī‘ah doctrine of religious spiritual and political leadership of the Ummah. Qur'an Text Surahs ** Ayah Commentary/Exegesis Tafsir Sharia ( Arabic: ar شريعة) is the body of Islamic Religious law. Sunnah ar (سنة plural سنن Sunan literally means “trodden path” and therefore the sunnah of the prophet means “the way and the manners of the prophet” Hadith ( ar الحديث, pl aḥadīth; lit. "narrative" are oral Traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic Fiqh ( Arabic: فقه, fɪqəh is Islamic Jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the Sharia Islamic law—based directly on the Sharia ( Arabic: ar شريعة) is the body of Islamic Religious law. Kalām (علم الكلام is the Islamic philosophy of seeking Islamic theological principles through Dialectic. Sufism ( تصوّف - taṣawwuf, Persian: صوفی‌گری sufigari, Turkish: tasavvuf, Urdu: تصوف Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic Muslim Culture is a term primarily used in Secular Academia to describe all cultural practices common to historically Islamic peoples The term Muslim world (or Islamic world) has several meanings This is a sub-article to Religious education, Academic discipline, and Islam. This article is about Animals in Islamic thought The Qur'an assigns an inferior status to animals in comparison with humans and has a tendency towards Islamic art encompasses the arts produced from the 7th century onwards by people (not necessarily Muslim) who lived within the territory that was inhabited by culturally The Islamic calendar or Muslim calendar ( Arabic: التقويم الهجري at-taqwīm al-hijrī; Persian: تقویم هجری قمری ‎ The topic of Islam and children includes the rights of children in Islam children's duties towards their parents and parent's rights over their children both males and females Listing of Muslims by country Important note Population counts by religious affiliation like most demographic characteristics of a Population Muslim holidays are mostly based around the life of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, especially the events surrounding the first hearing of the Qur'an. A "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller privately owned mosque and the larger Islamic philosophy is a branch of Islamic studies, and is a longstanding attempt to create harmony between Philosophy ( Reason) and the religious teachings See also Modern Islamic philosophy, Islamism, Islamic terrorism Political aspects of Islam are derived from the Quran, the Sunna Over the centuries of Islamic history, Muslim rulers Islamic scholars, and ordinary Muslims have held many different attitudes towards other religions The historical interaction between Christianity and Islam, in the field of Comparative religion, connects fundamental ideas in Christianity with similar ones in Islam Hinduism and Islam, from the of arrival of the Arabs as far back as the eighth century AD has had a checkered history Islam and Jainism came in close contact with each other following the Islamic conquest from Central Asia and Persia in the seventh The historical interaction of Judaism and Islam started in the 7th century CE with the origin and spread of Islam in the Arabian peninsula. In Islam, Muhammad is the last and final Prophet of God Islam views Jews Christians and Muslims as " People of the Book Arguments critical to religion in general or specific to monotheism such as the Existence of God, are not dealt with here Islamophobia is a Neologism that refers to Prejudice or Discrimination against Islam or Muslims The term itself dates back to the The following list consists of Concepts that are derived from both Islamic and Arab tradition which are expressed as words in the Arabic language. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Different approaches and methods for the Romanization of Arabic exist For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Muslims believe the Qur’an to be the book of divine guidance and direction for mankind, and consider the original Arabic text to be the final revelation of God. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. ^[2][3][4][5] Islam holds that the Qur’an was revealed to Muhammad by the angel Gibraele (Gabriel) over a period of 23 years. IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics Gabriel ( Latin: Gabrielus; Greek:, Gabriēl; Arabic: جبريل Jibrīl or جبرائيل ^[2][6][7] Muslims regard the Qur’an as the culmination of a series of divine messages that started with those revealed to Adam, regarded in Islam as the first prophet, and continued with the Suhuf-i-Ibrahim (Scrolls of Abraham),^[8] the Tawrat (Torah),^[9][10] the Zabur (Psalms),^[11][12] and the Injeel (Gospel). See also Adam and Eve Adam ( Hebrew: אָדָם was according to a literal interpretation of Genesis, the first man created by In Religion, a prophet (or prophetess) is a person who has encountered the Supernatural or the divine and serves as an intermediary Abraham ( Ashkenazi   Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez: Tawrat ( Tawrah or Taurat, Arabic: توراة is the Arabic transliteration of the Hebrew word Torah (also known as the Five term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to Zabur ( زبور) is the holy book of the Sebo'un ( Arabic:صابؤون Greek:Σεβομενοι and according to Islam, one of the Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included The Injil ( Arabic إنجيل (or Injeel) is one of the five Islamic Holy Books the Qur'an records as revealed by God, the others This article is about the canonical books of the New Testament ^[13][14][15] The aforementioned books are not explicitly included in the Qur’an, but are recognized therein. ^[16][17] The Qur’an also refers^[18] to many events from Jewish and Christian scriptures, some of which are retold in comparatively distinctive ways from the Bible and the Torah, while obliquely referring to other events described explicitly in those texts. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin

The Qur'an itself expresses that it is the book of guidance. Therefore it rarely offers detailed accounts of historical events; the text instead typically placing emphasis on the moral significance of an event rather than its narrative sequence. ^[19] It does not describe natural facts in a scientific manner but teaches that natural and supernatural events are signs of God. Nature, in the broadest sense is equivalent to the natural world, physical universe, material world or material universe. The term supernatural or supranatural ( Latin: super, supra "above" + natura "nature" pertains to entities events ^[20]

The Qur’an was written down by Muhammad's companions while he was alive, although the prime method of transmission was oral. In Islam, the Ṣaḥābah (الصحابة "Companions" were the companions of the Islamic prophet Muḥammad. It was compiled in the time of Abu Bakr, the first caliph, and was standardized in the time of Uthman, the third caliph. Early life Abu Bakr was born at Mecca some time in the year 573 CE, in the Banu Taym branch of the Quraysh tribe The Caliph is the Head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah Uthman (a=عثمان|t=Othman Osman Usman Ozman is a male Arabic given name meaning "the chosen one amongst the tribe of brave and noble people" "honest" The Qur’an in its actual form is generally considered by academic scholars to record the words spoken by Muhammad because the search for variants in Western academia has not yielded any differences of great significance and that historically controversy over the content of the Qur’an has never become a main point. ^[21][22] Therefore all Muslims, Sunni or Shia use the same Qur’an. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic

Contents 1 Etymology and meaning 2 Structure 2.1 Literary structure 3 Qur’an as a religious text 4 History of Qur’an 4.1 The Prophet era 4.2 Making Mus'haf 5 Literary usage 5.1 Recitation 5.1.1 Schools of recitation 5.2 Writing and printing 5.3 Translations 6 Levels of meaning 6.1 Tafsir 6.2 Inward Aspects of the Qur’an 6.3 Ta'wil 7 Relationship with other literature 7.1 The Torah and the Bible 7.2 Influence of Christian apocrypha‎ 7.3 Arab writing 8 Qur'an miracles 9 Qur'anic Initials 10 In culture 11 Criticism 12 See also 13 Notes 14 References 14.1 Further reading 15 External links

Etymology and meaning

The original usage of the word qur`ān is in the Qur’an itself, where it occurs about 70 times assuming various meanings. It is a verbal noun (maṣdar) of the Arabic verb qara`a (Arabic: قرأ), meaning "he read" or "he recited", and represents the Syriac equivalent qeryānā which refers to "scripture reading" or "lesson". Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language See Syriac (disambiguation for other uses Syriac (syr ܠܫܢܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ leššānā Suryāyā) is an Eastern Aramaic language While most Western scholars consider the word to be derived from the Syriac, the majority of Muslim authorities hold the origin of the word is qara`a itself. <sup>[23]</sup> In any case, it had become an Arabic term by Muhammad's lifetime. <sup>[2]</sup> Among the earliest meanings of the word Qur’an is the "act of reciting", for example in a Qur’anic passage: "Ours is it to put it together and [Ours is] its qur`ān". ^[24] In other verses it refers to "an individual passage recited [by Muhammad]". In the large majority of contexts, usually with a definite article (al-), the word is referred to as the "revelation" (wahy), that which has been "sent down" (tanzīl) at intervals. Wahy (وحي) is the Arabic word for revelation. In Islamic context it refers to the revelations and inspirations of God (Arabic Allah) to Tanzil and Inzal, or "to send down" ( Arabic تنزيل refers to the act of descent of the pre-existing Qur'an through different Realms ^[25][26] Its liturgical context is seen in a number of passages, for example: "So when al-qur`ān is recited , listen to it and keep silent". A liturgy is the customary public worship done by a specific religious group according to their particular traditions ^[27] The word may also assume the meaning of a codified scripture when mentioned with other scriptures such as the Torah and Gospel. Tawrat ( Tawrah or Taurat, Arabic: توراة is the Arabic transliteration of the Hebrew word Torah (also known as the Five The Injil ( Arabic إنجيل (or Injeel) is one of the five Islamic Holy Books the Qur'an records as revealed by God, the others ^[28]

The term also has closely related synonyms which are employed throughout the Qur’an. This article deals with the general meaning of the term "synonym" Each of the synonyms possess their own distinct meaning, but their use may converge with that of qur`ān in certain contexts. Such terms include kitāb ("book"); āyah ("sign"); and sūrah ("scripture"). Kitab (کتاب is the Arabic word for Book. The word is also used in the Persian, Swahili (as "kitabu" Hindi, Punjabi Ayah (ar آية, plural Ayat ar آيات) is the Arabic word for sign or Miracle, cognate with Hebrew ot, Sura (sometimes spelt "Surah" ar سورة, plural "Suwar" ar سور is an Arabic term literally meaning "something enclosed or surrounded The latter two terms also denote units of revelation. Other related words are: dhikr, meaning "remembrance," used to refer to the Qur’an in the sense of a reminder and warning; and hikma, meaning "wisdom," sometimes referring to the revelation or part of it. Dhikr ذکر Plural اذكار Adhkaar ( Zikir in Turkish and Malay, Zikr in Urdu, Jikir in Bengali and Zekr ^[23][29]

The Qur’an has many other names. Among those found in the text itself are al-furqan ("discernment" or "criterion"), umm al-kitāb (the "mother book", or "archetypal book"), al-huda ("the guide"), dhikrallah ("the remembrance of God"), al-hikmah ("the wisdom"), and kalamallah ("the word of God"). Huda is the Arabic word for guidance or guide. In Islamic context the Qur'an itself is considered a huda, a (true guidance Hikmah is an Arabic word meaning Wisdom. Hikmah is important to Islamic philosophy. Another term is al-kitāb ("the book"), though it is also used in the Arabic language for other scriptures, such as the Torah and the Gospels. The term mus'haf ("written work") is often used to refer to particular Qur'anic manuscripts but is also used in the Qur’an to identify earlier revealed books. A Mus'haf ( مصحف, pronounced "Mus-haf" not "Mu-sh-af" is a "codex" or a collection of sheets ( Sahifa, see below ^[2]

Structure

Main articles: Sura and Ayah

The Qur’an consists of 114 chapters of varying lengths, each known as a sura (pl. Sura (sometimes spelt "Surah" ar سورة, plural "Suwar" ar سور is an Arabic term literally meaning "something enclosed or surrounded Ayah (ar آية, plural Ayat ar آيات) is the Arabic word for sign or Miracle, cognate with Hebrew ot, suar). Chapters are classed as Meccan or Medinan, depending on where the verses were revealed. The Meccan suras are the chronologically earlier Suras of the Qur'an that were revealed at Mecca. The Medinan suras of the Qur'an are those Suras which were revealed at Medina, after Muhammad 's hijra from Mecca, when the Chapter titles are derived from a name or quality discussed in the text, or from the first letters or words of the sura. Muslims believe that Muhammad, on God's command, gave the chapters their names. ^[2] Generally, longer chapters appear earlier in the Qur’an, while the shorter ones appear later. The chapter arrangement is thus not connected to the sequence of revelation. Each sura with the exception of one, commences with the Basmala. Basmala (Arabic بسملة is an Arabic language noun which is used as the collective name of the whole of the recurring Islamic phrase bismi-llāhi ar-raḥmāni ^[30][31]

Each sura is formed from several ayat (verses), which originally means a sign or portent sent by God. The number of ayat differ from sura to sura. An individual ayah may be just a few letters or several lines. The ayat are unlike the highly refined poetry of the pre-Islamic Arabs in their content and distinctive rhymes and rhythms, being more akin to the prophetic utterances marked by inspired discontinuities found in the sacred scriptures of Judaism and Christianity. The history of Pre- Islamic Arabia before the rise of Islam in the 630s is not known in great detail This article is about the poetic technique For the form of ice see Rime ice. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings The actual number of ayat has been a controversial issue among Muslim scholars since Islam's inception, some recognizing 6,000, some 6,204, some 6,219, and some 6,236, although the words in all cases are the same. The most popular edition of the Qur’an, which is based on the tradition of the school of Kufa, contains 6,236 ayat. Kufa ( Arabic, ar الكوفة) is a city in modern Iraq, about 170 km south of Baghdad, and 10 km northeast of Najaf. ^[2]

There is a crosscutting division into 30 parts, ajza, each containing two units called ahzab, each of which is divided into four parts (rub 'al-ahzab). A juz' (جزء plural اجزاء ajza') literally means "part The Qur’an is also divided into seven stations (manazil) ^[2]

The Qur’anic text seems to have no beginning, middle, or end, its nonlinear structure being akin to a web or net. Manzil ( Arabic: منزل; plural manazil, منازل) is the Arabic word for one of seven parts of roughly equal length into which ^[2] Critics have commented on the textual arrangement pointing out lack of continuity, absence of any chronological or thematic order, and presence of repetition. ^[32][33]

Literary structure

The Qur’an's message is conveyed through the use of various literary structures and devices. In the original Arabic, the chapters and verses employ phonetic and thematic structures that assist the audience's efforts to recall the message of the text. Phonetics (from the Greek φωνή ( phonê) "sound" or "voice" is the study of the physical sounds of human speech There is consensus among Arab scholars to use the Qur’an as a standard by which other Arabic literature should be measured. Muslims assert (in accordance with the Qur’an itself) that the Qur’anic content and style is inimitable. ^[34]

Richard Gottheil and Siegmund Fränkel in the Jewish Encyclopedia write that the oldest portions of the Qur’an reflect significant excitement in their language, through short and abrupt sentences and sudden transitions. The Jewish Encyclopedia was an Encyclopedia originally published between 1901 and 1906 by Funk and Wagnalls. The Qur’an nonetheless carefully maintains the rhymed form, like the oracles. An oracle is a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic opinion an Infallible authority usually spiritual in nature Some later portions also preserve this form but also in a style where the movement is calm and the style expository. ^[35]

"The values presented in the very early Meccan revelations are repeated throughout the hymnic Suras. There is a sense of directness, of intimacy, as if the hearer were being asked repeatedly a simple question: what will be of value at the end of a human life?"
- Sells[36]

Michael Sells, citing the work of the critic Norman O. Brown, acknowledges Brown's observation that the seeming "disorganization" of Qur’anic literary expression — its "scattered or fragmented mode of composition," in Sells's phrase — is in fact a literary device capable of delivering "profound effects — as if the intensity of the prophetic message were shattering the vehicle of human language in which it was being communicated. Michael Anthony Sells is currently the John Henry Barrows Professor of Islamic History and Literature at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago. Norman Oliver Brown ( September 25 1913, El Oro Mexico &ndash October 2 2002, Santa Cruz California) was an "^[36][37] Sells also addresses the much-discussed "repetitiveness" of the Qur’an, seeing this, too, as a literary device.

Qur’an as a religious text

Muslims believe the Qur’an to be the book of divine guidance and direction for mankind and consider the text in its original Arabic to be the literal word of God,^[38] revealed to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel over a period of twenty-three years^[6][7] and view the Qur’an as God's final revelation to humanity. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Allah ( Arabic: الله, ʔalˤːɑːh) is the standard Arabic word for ' IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics Gabriel ( Latin: Gabrielus; Greek:, Gabriēl; Arabic: جبريل Jibrīl or جبرائيل ^[39][6]

The Christian concept of revelation which means God incarnating and unveiling himself and become visible and audible for mankind is foreign to Islam. Wahy in Islamic and Qur’anic concept means the act of God addressing an individual, conveying a message for a greater number of recipients. Wahy (وحي) is the Arabic word for revelation. In Islamic context it refers to the revelations and inspirations of God (Arabic Allah) to The process by which the divine message comes to the heart of a messenger of God is tanzil (to send down) or nuzul (to come down). Tanzil and Inzal, or "to send down" ( Arabic تنزيل refers to the act of descent of the pre-existing Qur'an through different Realms As the Qur'an says, "With the truth we (God) have sent it down and with the truth it has come down. " It designates positive religion, the letter of the revelation dictated by the angel to the prophet. It means to cause this revelation to descend from the higher world. According to hadith, the verses were sent down in special circumstances known as asbab al-nuzul. Asbāb al-nuzūl اسباب النزول, an Arabic term meaning "occasions/circumstances of revelation" is a secondary genre of Qur'ānic Exegesis However, in this view God himself is never the subject of coming down. ^[40]

The Qur'an frequently asserts in its text that it is divinely ordained, an assertion that Muslims believe. The Qur'an — often referring to its own textual nature and reflecting constantly on its divine origin — is the most meta-textual, self-referential religious text amongst all religious texts. The Qur'an refers to a written pre-text which records God's speech even before it was sent down. ^[41][42]

The issue of whether the Qur'an is eternal or created was one of the crucial controversies among early Muslim theologians. Kalām (علم الكلام is the Islamic philosophy of seeking Islamic theological principles through Dialectic. Mu'tazilis believe it is created while the most widespread varieties of Muslim theologians consider the Qur'an to be eternal and uncreated. Muʿtazilah ( Arabic المعتزلة al-mu`tazilah) is a theological school of thought within Sunni Islam. Kalām (علم الكلام is the Islamic philosophy of seeking Islamic theological principles through Dialectic. While in the popular mind eternity often simply means existing for a limitless amount of Time, many have used it to refer to a timeless existence altogether outside of Sufi philosophers view the question as artificial or wrongly framed. ^[43]

“	And if ye are in doubt as to what We have revealed from time to time to Our servant, then produce a Sura like thereunto; and call your witnesses or helpers (If there are any) besides God, if your (doubts) are true. But if ye cannot — and of a surety ye cannot — then fear the Fire whose fuel is men and stones, which is prepared for those who reject Faith.	”
—Qur'an 2:23-4 (Yusuf Ali)

Muslims maintain the present wording of the Qur'anic text corresponds exactly to that revealed to Muhammad himself: as the words of God, said to be delivered to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel. Hafiz Abdullah Yusuf Ali ( 14 April 1872 - 10 December 1953) was a South Asian Islamic scholar who translated IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics Gabriel ( Latin: Gabrielus; Greek:, Gabriēl; Arabic: جبريل Jibrīl or جبرائيل Muslims consider the Qur'an to be a guide, a sign of the prophethood of Muhammad and the truth of the religion. They argue it is not possible for a human to produce a book like the Qur'an, as the Qur'an itself maintains.

Therefore an Islamic philosopher introduces a prophetology to explain how the divine word passes into human expression. Islamic philosophy is a branch of Islamic studies, and is a longstanding attempt to create harmony between Philosophy ( Reason) and the religious teachings In Religion, a prophet (or prophetess) is a person who has encountered the Supernatural or the divine and serves as an intermediary This leads to a kind of esoteric hermeneutics which seeks to comprehend the position of the prophet by mediating on the modality of his relationship not with his own time, but with the eternal source from which his message emanates. An esoteric interpretation of the Qur'an is an Interpretation of the Qur’an which includes attribution of Esoteric or mystic meanings to the Muslims regard as Prophets of Islam ( Arabic: نبي) those non-divine humans chosen by Allah as Prophets This view contrasts with historical critique of western scholars who attempt to understand the prophet through his circumstances, education and type of genius. ^[44]

History of Qur’an

Main article: Origin and development of the Qur'an

The Prophet era

See also: Wahy

According to hadith and Muslim history, after Muhammad emigrated to Medina and formed an independent Muslim community, he ordered a considerable number of the companions (sahaba) to recite the Qur’an and to learn and teach the laws which were being revealed daily. The study of the origins and development of the Qur’an can be said to fall into two major schools of thought the first being a Traditionalist Muslim view and Wahy (وحي) is the Arabic word for revelation. In Islamic context it refers to the revelations and inspirations of God (Arabic Allah) to A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion The Hijra (هِجْرَة or withdrawal is the migration of Muhammad and his followers to the city of Medina in 622 ( Common Era) In Islam, the Ṣaḥābah (الصحابة "Companions" were the companions of the Islamic prophet Muḥammad. Companions who engaged in the recitation of the Qur’an were called qurra'. Qari' (قَارٍئplural qurra') literally meaning "reader" is a person who recites the Qur'an with the proper rules of recitation ( Tajweed Since most sahaba were unable to read or write, they were ordered to learn from the prisoners-of-war the simple writing of the time. Thus a group of sahaba gradually became literate. As it was initially spoken, the Qur’an was recorded on tablets, bones and the wide flat end of date palm fronds. The Date Palm ( Phoenix dactylifera) is a palm in the genus Phoenix, extensively cultivated for its edible Fruit. Most chapters were in use amongst early Muslims since they are mentioned in numerous sayings by both Sunni and Shia sources, relating Muhammad's use of the Qur'an as a call to Islam, the making of prayer and the manner of recitation. Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic However, the Qur’an did not exist in book form at the time of Muhammad's death in 632. IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics Events By Place Europe Khan Kubrat starts to rule in Great Bulgaria. ^[45][46]

Welch, a scholar of Islamic studies, states in the Encyclopedia of Islam that he believes the graphic descriptions of Muhammad's condition at these moments may be regarded as genuine, seeing as he was severely disturbed after these revelations. The Encyclopaedia of Islam ( EI) is the standard Encyclopaedia of the Academic discipline of Islamic studies. According to Welch, these seizures would have been seen as convincing evidence for the superhuman origin of Muhammad's inspirations by the people around him. Muhammad's critics, however, accused him of being a possessed man, or of being a soothsayer or magician since his claimed experiences were similar to those made by such figures well known in ancient Arabia. The history of Pre- Islamic Arabia before the rise of Islam in the 630s is not known in great detail Additionally, Welch states that it remains uncertain whether these experiences occurred before or after Muhammad began to see himself as a prophet. ^[47]

The Qur’an states that Muhammad was ummi, interpreted as illiterate in Muslim tradition. traditional definition of literacy is considered to be the ability to read and write or the ability to use Language to read, write, listen, According to Watt, the meaning of the Qur’anic term ummi is unscriptured rather than illiterate. Watt argues that a certain amount of writing was necessary for Muhammad to perform his commercial duties though it seems certain that he had not read any scriptures.

Making Mus'haf

See also: Mus'haf and Tahrif

According to Shia and some Sunni scholars, Ali compiled a complete version of the Qur’an mus'haf^[2] immediately after death of Muhammad. A Mus'haf ( مصحف, pronounced "Mus-haf" not "Mu-sh-af" is a "codex" or a collection of sheets ( Sahifa, see below Tahrif ( Arabic: ar تحريف "corruption forgery" the stem-II verbal noun of the consonantal root, "to make oblique" The order of this mus'haf differed from that gathered later during Uthman's era. Early life Uthman was born in Ta’if, which is situated on a hill and the presumption is that Uthman was born during the summer months since wealthy Meccans Despite this, Ali made no objection or resistance against standardized mus'haf, but kept his own book. The study of the origins and development of the Qur’an can be said to fall into two major schools of thought the first being a Traditionalist Muslim view and ^[45][48]

After seventy reciters were killed in the Battle of Yamama, the caliph Abu Bakr decided to collect the different chapters and verses into one volume. The Battle of Yamama was fought in December AD 632 in the plain of Aqraba in the region of Yamama between the forces of Muslim Caliph Abu Bakr Early life Abu Bakr was born at Mecca some time in the year 573 CE, in the Banu Taym branch of the Quraysh tribe Thus, a group of reciters, including Zayd ibn Thabit, collected the chapters and verses and produced several hand-written copies of the complete book. Zayd ibn Thabit (Zaid Ibn Thabit (زيد بن ثابت) was the personal Scribe of Muhammad and an Ansar. ^[49][45]

In about 650, as Islam expanded beyond the Arabian peninsula into Persia, the Levant and North Africa, the third caliph Uthman ibn Affan ordered the preparation of an official, standardized version, in order to preserve the sanctity of the text (and perhaps to keep the Rashidun Empire united). The British Museum is a Museum of human history and culture in London. Events By Place Asia The first Chinese Paper money is issued yet these banknotes will not become government-issued The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia See also Names of the Levant The Levant (lə'vænt is a geographical term that denotes a large area in Western Asia, roughly bounded on the north by the Early life Uthman was born in Ta’if, which is situated on a hill and the presumption is that Uthman was born during the summer months since wealthy Meccans Five of the reciters from amongst the companions produced a unique text from the first volume which had been prepared on the orders of Abu Bakr and which was kept with Hafsa bint Umar. Ḥafsah bint ‘Umar ( Arabic: حفصة بنت عمر; literally Daughter of a Lion; born c The other copies already in the hands of Muslims in other areas were collected and sent to Medina where, on orders of the Caliph, they were destroyed by burning or boiling. This remains the authoritative text of the Qur’an to this day. ^[50][51][45]

The Qur’an in its present form is generally considered by academic scholars to record the words spoken by Muhammad because the search for variants in Western academia has not yielded any differences of great significance and that historically controversy over the content of the Qur’an has never become a main point. ^[52] However, this consideration might also point to the effectiveness of Uthman's censorship. Censorship is the suppression of speech or deletion of communicative material which may be considered objectionable harmful or sensitive as determined by a censor

Literary usage

In addition to and largely independent of the division into suar, there are various ways of dividing the Qur’an into parts of approximately equal length for convenience in reading, recitation and memorization. Sura (sometimes spelt "Surah" ar سورة, plural "Suwar" ar سور is an Arabic term literally meaning "something enclosed or surrounded The thirty ajza can be used to read through the entire Qur’an in a week or a month. A juz' (جزء plural اجزاء ajza') literally means "part Some of these parts are known by names and these names are the first few words by which the juz' starts. A juz' is sometimes further divided into two ahzab, and each hizb subdivided into four rub 'al-ahzab. A different structure is provided by the ruku'at, semantical units resembling paragraphs and comprising roughly ten ayat each. The word (ركعة pl ركعات) refers to one unit of Islamic prayer or Salah. Some also divide the Qur’an into seven manazil to facilitate complete recitation in a week. Manzil ( Arabic: منزل; plural manazil, منازل) is the Arabic word for one of seven parts of roughly equal length into which

Recitation

“	. . . and recite the Qur’an in slow, measured rhythmic tones.	”
—Qur'an 73:4 (Yusuf Ali)

One meaning of Qur’an is "recitation", the Qur’an itself outlining the general method of how it is to be recited: slowly and in rhythmic tones. Hafiz Abdullah Yusuf Ali ( 14 April 1872 - 10 December 1953) was a South Asian Islamic scholar who translated Tajwid is the term for techniques of recitation, and assessed in terms of how accessible the recitation is to those intent on concentrating on the words. Tajwīd ( تجويد) is an Arabic word meaning proper pronunciation during Recitation, as well as recitation at a moderate speed Recitation means a repetition of what has been said before It is used in a religious an oratorical and an educational sense ^[53]

To perform salat (prayer), a mandatory obligation in Islam, a Muslim is required to learn at least some suar of the Qur’an (typically starting with the first one, al-Fatiha, known as the "seven oft-repeated verses," and then moving on to the shorter ones at the end). Ṣalāt ( Arabic: صلاة‎, pl ṣalawāt, Qur'anic Arabic: صلوة ṣalawah) (also munz in Pashto and Sura Al-Fatiha ( سورة الفاتحة, Sūratu al-Fātihah, "The Opening" is the first chapter of the Muslim holy Until one has learned al-Fatiha, a Muslim can only say phrases like "praise be to God" during the salat.

A person whose recital repertoire encompasses the whole Qur’an is called a qari', whereas a memoriser of the Qur’an is called a hafiz (fem. Qari' (قَارٍئplural qurra') literally meaning "reader" is a person who recites the Qur'an with the proper rules of recitation ( Tajweed Hafith or Hafiz ( Arabic: حافظ قرآن or حافظ plural huffaz) literally meaning 'guardian' is a term used by Muslims in modern Hafaz) (which translate as "reciter" or "protector," respectively). Muhammad is regarded as the first qari' since he was the first to recite it. Recitation (tilawa تلاوة) of the Qur’an is a fine art in the Muslim world. Qur'an reading is the reading ( Tarteel, Tajwid, or taghbir) aloud reciting, or Chanting of portions of the

Schools of recitation

Main article: Qira'at

There are several schools of Qur’anic recitation, all of which are possible pronunciations of the Uthmanic rasm: Seven reliable, three permissible and (at least) four uncanonical - in 8 sub-traditions each - making for 80 recitation variants altogether. Qira'at, in the context of Islam, means literally the readings that is the method of recitation Surat Al-Ahzab (سورة الأحزاب) (The Clans The Coalition The Combined Forces is the 33rd sura of the Qur'an with 73 Ayat. Rasm (رسم is an Arabic term that signifies "sketch pattern mark design form" ^[54] A canonical recitation must satisfy three conditions:

1. It must match the rasm, letter for letter.
2. It must conform with the syntactic rules of the Arabic language. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language
3. It must have a continuous isnad to Muhammad through tawatur, meaning that it has to be related by a large group of people to another down the isnad chain. A Hadith was originally just an Arabic story As the stories began to be used formally it became common to provide their chain of transmitters (or sanad سند plural IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics Mutawatir (متواتر is an Arabic word meaning "consecutive

These recitations differ in the vocalization (tashkil) of a few words, which in turn gives a complementary meaning to the word in question according to the rules of Arabic grammar. For example, the vocalization of a verb can change its active and passive voice. It can also change its stem formation, implying intensity for example. Arabic is a Semitic language See Arabic language for more information on the language in general Vowels may be elongated or shortened, and glottal stops (hamzas) may be added or dropped, according to the respective rules of the particular recitation. Hamza ( Arabic: ar الهَمْزة ʼal-hamzah) (ar [[wiktء ء]] is a letter in the Arabic alphabet, representing the Glottal stop. For example, the name of archangel Gabriel is pronounced differently in different recitations: Jibrīl, Jabrīl, Jibra'īl, and Jibra'il. Gabriel ( Latin: Gabrielus; Greek:, Gabriēl; Arabic: جبريل Jibrīl or جبرائيل The name "Qur’an" is pronounced without the glottal stop (as "Qur’an") in one recitation, and prophet Abraham's name is pronounced Ibrāhām in another. Abraham ( Ashkenazi   Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez: The more widely used narrations are those of Hafss (حفص عن عاصم), Warsh (ورش عن نافع), Qaloon (قالون عن نافع) and Al-Duri according to Abu `Amr (الدوري عن أبي عمرو). Muslims firmly believe that all canonical recitations were recited by Muhammad himself, citing the respective isnad chain of narration, and accept them as valid for worshipping and as a reference for rules of Sharia. A Hadith was originally just an Arabic story As the stories began to be used formally it became common to provide their chain of transmitters (or sanad سند plural Sharia ( Arabic: ar شريعة) is the body of Islamic Religious law. The uncanonical recitations are called "explanatory" for their role in giving a different perspective for a given verse or ayah. Ayah (ar آية, plural Ayat ar آيات) is the Arabic word for sign or Miracle, cognate with Hebrew ot, Today several dozen persons hold the title "Memorizer of the Ten Recitations. " This is considered a great accomplishment amongst Muslims.

The presence of these different recitations is attributed to many hadith. Hadith ( ar الحديث, pl aḥadīth; lit. "narrative" are oral Traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic Malik Ibn Anas has reported:^[55]

Abd al-Rahman Ibn Abd al-Qari narrated: "Umar Ibn Khattab said before me: I heard Hisham Ibn Hakim Ibn Hizam reading Surah Furqan in a different way from the one I used to read it, and the Prophet (sws) himself had read out this surah to me. TemplateInfobox Muslim scholars --> Malik ibn Anas ibn Malik ibn 'Amr al-Asbahi ( Arabic مالك بن أنس Umar (a=عمر بن الخطاب|t=`Umar ibn al-Khattāb c 581-83 CE &ndash 7 November, 644) also known as Umar the Great or Omar the Great Surat Al-Furqan (سورة الفرقان) (The Criterion The Standard is the 25th sura of the Qur'an with 77 Ayat. IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics Consequently, as soon as I heard him, I wanted to get hold of him. However, I gave him respite until he had finished the prayer. Then I got hold of his cloak and dragged him to the Prophet (sws). I said to him: "I have heard this person [Hisham Ibn Hakim Ibn Hizam] reading Surah Furqan in a different way from the one you had read it out to me. " The Prophet (sws) said: "Leave him alone [O 'Umar]. " Then he said to Hisham: "Read [it]. " [Umar said:] "He read it out in the same way as he had done before me. " [At this,] the Prophet (sws) said: "It was revealed thus. " Then the Prophet (sws) asked me to read it out. So I read it out. [At this], he said: "It was revealed thus; this Qur’an has been revealed in Seven Ahruf. You can read it in any of them you find easy from among them.

Suyuti, a famous 15th century Islamic theologian, writes after interpreting above hadith in 40 different ways:^[56]

“

And to me the best opinion in this regard is that of the people who say that this hadith is from among matters of mutashabihat, the meaning of which cannot be understood. TemplateInfobox Muslim scholars --> Imam Jalaluddin Al-Suyuti (c

”

Many reports contradict the presence of variant readings:^[57]

• Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami reports, "the reading of Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Zayd ibn Thabit and that of all the Muhajirun and the Ansar was the same. Early life Abu Bakr was born at Mecca some time in the year 573 CE, in the Banu Taym branch of the Quraysh tribe Umar (a=عمر بن الخطاب|t=`Umar ibn al-Khattāb c 581-83 CE &ndash 7 November, 644) also known as Umar the Great or Omar the Great Uthman (a=عثمان|t=Othman Osman Usman Ozman is a male Arabic given name meaning "the chosen one amongst the tribe of brave and noble people" "honest" Zayd ibn Thabit (Zaid Ibn Thabit (زيد بن ثابت) was the personal Scribe of Muhammad and an Ansar. Muhajirun ( Arabic: المهاجرون; The Emigrants) are the early Muslims who followed Muhammad on his Hijra (withdrawal They would read the Qur’an according to the Qira'at al-'ammah. This is the same reading which was read out twice by the Prophet (sws) to Gabriel in the year of his death. Gabriel ( Latin: Gabrielus; Greek:, Gabriēl; Arabic: جبريل Jibrīl or جبرائيل Zayd ibn Thabit was also present in this reading [called] the 'Ardah-i akhirah. Zayd ibn Thabit (Zaid Ibn Thabit (زيد بن ثابت) was the personal Scribe of Muhammad and an Ansar. It was this very reading that he taught the Qur’an to people till his death". ^[58]
• Ibn Sirin writes, "the reading on which the Qur’an was read out to the prophet in the year of his death is the same according to which people are reading the Qur’an today". Muhammad Ibn Sirin ( Arabic, محمد بن سيرين)(born in Basra, Iraq) was a Muslim interpreter of dreams who lived in the ^[59]

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi also purports that there is only one recitation of Qur’an, which is called Qira'at of Hafss or in classical scholarship, it is called Qira'at al-'ammah. Javed Ahmad Ghamidi ( Urdu: جاوید احمد غامدی) (b The Qur'an has also specified that it was revealed in the language of the prophet's tribe: the Quraysh. Quraish is also the name of a Surah in the Qur'an. Quraysh or Quraish (Arabic ar قريش ^{[Qur'an 19:97][Qur'an 44:58]})^[57]

However, the identification of the recitation of Hafss as the Qira'at al-'ammah is somewhat problematic when that was the recitation of the people of Kufa in Iraq, and there is better reason to identify the recitation of the reciters of Madinah as the dominant recitation. The reciter of Madinah was Nafi' and Imam Malik remarked "The recitation of Nafi' is Sunnah. " Moreover, the dialect of Arabic spoken by Quraysh and the Arabs of the Hijaz was known to have less use of the letter hamzah, as is the case in the recitation of Nafi', whereas in the Hafs recitation the hamzah is one of the very dominant features.

AZ [however] says that the people of El-Hijaz and Hudhayl, and the people of Makkah and Al-Madinah, to not pronounce hamzah [at all]: and 'Isa Ibn-'Omar says, Tamim pronounce hamzah, and the people of Al-Hijaz, in cases of necessity, [in poetry,] do so. Mecca ˈmɛkə also spelled Makkah ˈmækə (in full Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Arabic mækːæ(t ælmʊkarˑamæ مكّة المكرمة, literally Honored ^[60]

So the hamzah is of the dialect of the Najd whose people came to comprise the dominant Arabic element in Kufa giving some features of their dialect to their recitation, whereas the recitation of Nafi' and the people of Madinah maintained some features of the dialect of Hijaz and the Quraysh.

However, the discussion of the priority of one or the other recitation is unnecessary since it is a consensus of knowledgable people that all of the seven recitations of the Qur’an are acceptable and valid for recitation in the prayer.

Moreover, the so-called "un-canonical" recitations such as are narrated from some of the Companions and which do not conform to the Uthmani copy of the Qur’an are not legitimate for recitation in the prayer, but knowledge of them can legitimately be used in the tafsir of the Qur’an, not as a proof but as a valid argument for an explanation of an ayah.

Writing and printing

Most Muslims today use printed editions of the Qur’an. There are many editions, large and small, elaborate or plain, expensive or inexpensive. Bilingual forms with the Arabic on one side and a gloss into a more familiar language on the other are very popular.

Qur’ans are produced in many different sizes. Most are of a reasonable book size, but there exist extremely large Qur’ans (usually for display purposes) and very small Qur’ans (sometimes given as gifts).

Qur’ans were first printed from carved wooden blocks, one block per page. There are existing specimen of pages and blocks dating from the 10th century AD. Mass-produced less expensive versions of the Qur’an were later produced by lithography, a technique for printing illustrations. Lithography is a method for Printing using a plate or stone with a completely smooth surface Qur’ans so printed could reproduce the fine calligraphy of hand-made versions.

The oldest surviving Qur’an for which movable type was used was printed in Venice in 1537/1538. Venice ( Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venesia or Venexia) is a city in Northern Italy, the capital of the It seems to have been prepared for sale in the Ottoman empire. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Catherine the Great of Russia sponsored a printing of the Qur’an in 1787. Catherine II, called Catherine the Great (Екатерина II Великая Yekaterina II Velikaya;) reigned as Empress of Russia for 34 years Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending This was followed by editions from Kazan (1828), Persia (1833) and Istanbul (1877). Kazan (Каза́нь Казан tt Qazan) is the capital city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, and one of Russia's largest cities The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia Istanbul (historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see the other Names of Istanbul) is the largest city of Turkey ^[61]

It is extremely difficult to render the full Qur’an, with all the points, in computer code, such as Unicode. In Computing, Unicode is an Industry standard allowing Computers to consistently represent and manipulate text expressed in most of the world's The Internet Sacred Text Archive makes computer files of the Qur’an freely available both as images^[62] and in a temporary Unicode version. The Internet Sacred Text Archive (ISTA is a Website dedicated to the preservation of electronic Public domain texts specifically those with significant cultural ^[63] Various designers and software firms have attempted to develop computer fonts that can adequately render the Qur’an. ^[64]

Before printing was widely adopted, the Qur’an was transmitted by copyists and calligraphers. Since Muslim tradition felt that directly portraying sacred figures and events might lead to idolatry, it was considered wrong to decorate the Qur’an with pictures (as was often done for Christian texts, for example). Muslims instead lavished love and care upon the sacred text itself. Arabic is written in many scripts, some of which are both complex and beautiful. Arabic calligraphy is a highly honored art, much like Chinese calligraphy. Islamic calligraphy, equally known as Arabic calligraphy, is the art of writing and by extension of bookmaking The art of Calligraphy is widely practiced and revered in the East Asian Civilizations that use or used Chinese characters. Muslims also decorated their Qur’ans with abstract figures (arabesques), colored inks, and gold leaf. The arabesque is an elaborative application of repeating geometric forms that often echo the forms of plants and animals Pages from some of these antique Qur’ans are displayed throughout this article.

Translations

Main article: Qur'an translations

Translation of the Qur’an has always been a problematic and difficult issue. Translations of the Qur'an are interpretations of the holy book of Islam in languages other than Arabic. Since Muslims revere the Qur’an as miraculous and inimitable (i'jaz al-Qur’an), they argue that the Qur’anic text can not be reproduced in another language or form. Furthermore, an Arabic word may have a range of meanings depending on the context, making an accurate translation even more difficult. Polysemy ( or) (from the Greek πολυσημεία = "multiple meaning" is the capacity for a sign (e ^[65]

Nevertheless, the Qur’an has been translated into most African, Asian and European languages. Translation is the interpreting of the meaning of a text and the subsequent production of an equivalent text likewise called a " translation ^[65] The first translator of the Qur’an was Salman the Persian, who translated Fatihah into Persian during the 7th century. TemplateInfobox Salaf --> Salman the Persian or Salman al Farisi ( سلمان فارسی Salman e Farsi Sura Al-Fatiha ( سورة الفاتحة, Sūratu al-Fātihah, "The Opening" is the first chapter of the Muslim holy ^[66] The first complete translation of Quran was into Persian during the reign of Samanids in the 9th century. The Samanids (819–999 ( Sāmāniyān) were a Persian dynasty in Central Asia and Greater Khorasan, named after its founder Saman Islamic tradition holds that translations were made for Emperor Negus of Abyssinia and Byzantine Emperor Heraclius, as both received letters by Muhammad containing verses from the Qur’an. Heraclius, or Herakleios (Flavius Heraclius Augustus;) (c 575 - February 11, 641) was a Byzantine Emperor, who ruled the East This is a sub-article to Muhammad in Medina. After the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, Muhammad decided to send letters to many rulers of the world ^[65] In early centuries, the permissibility of translations was not an issue, but whether one could use translations in prayer.

In 1936, translations in 102 languages were known. ^[65]

Robert of Ketton was the first person to translate the Qur’an into a Western language, Latin, in 1143. Robert of Ketton ( Latin: Robertus Ketenensis) (1110? &ndash 1160? was an English Medieval theologian, astronomer and Arabist. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. ^[67] Alexander Ross offered the first English version in 1649. Alexander Ross (c 1590 - 1654 was a prolific Scottish writer and controversialist In 1734, George Sale produced the first scholarly translation of the Qur’an into English; another was produced by Richard Bell in 1937, and yet another by Arthur John Arberry in 1955. George Sale (1697 Kent, England &ndash1736 London, England was an Orientalist and practicing Solicitor. Richard Bell may refer to Richard Bell (artist, Australian Artist Richard Bell (director, Canadian writer and director Arthur John Arberry ( Portsmouth, May 12 1905 &ndash Cambridge, October 2 1969) was a respected and most prolific scholar All these translators were non-Muslims. There have been numerous translations by Muslims; the most popular of these are by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan and Dr. Sheikh Dr Muhammad Muhsin Khan ( Arabic, Pashto, Urdū: محمد محسن خان; born 1345 Al-Hijri (1927 is a contemporary Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din al Hilali, Maulana Muhammad Ali, Abdullah Yusuf Ali, M. H. Shakir, Muhammad Asad and Marmaduke Pickthall. This page is about Maulana Muhammad Ali the religious scholar belonging to the " Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement for the Propagation of Islam " Hafiz Abdullah Yusuf Ali ( 14 April 1872 - 10 December 1953) was a South Asian Islamic scholar who translated Mohammed Habib Shakir, (1866 Cairo &ndash1939 Cairo (محمد حبيب شاكر was an Egyptian Judge, born in Cairo and a graduate from Al Azhar Muhammad Asad (born Leopold Weiss in July 1900 in what was then Austro-Hungarian Lwów in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, now Lviv in ( Mohammed) Marmaduke Pickthall (1875– May 19, 1936) was a Western Islamic scholar, noted as a poetic translator of the Qur'an

The English translators have sometimes favored archaic English words and constructions over their more modern or conventional equivalents; for example, two widely-read translators, A. Yusuf Ali and M. Marmaduke Pickthall, use the plural and singular "ye" and "thou" instead of the more common "you. YOU' ' is a South African magazine which is the English version of the Afrikaans family magazine Huisgenoot. " Another common stylistic decision has been to refrain from translating "Allah" — in Arabic, literally, "The God" — into the common English word "God. " These choices may differ in more recent translations.

Levels of meaning

Shias and Sufis as well as some Muslim philosophers believe the meaning of the Qur’an to be not restricted to the literal aspect. Sufism ( تصوّف - taṣawwuf, Persian: صوفی‌گری sufigari, Turkish: tasavvuf, Urdu: تصوف Islamic philosophy is a branch of Islamic studies, and is a longstanding attempt to create harmony between Philosophy ( Reason) and the religious teachings ^[68] The Qur’an also has inward aspects. Henry Corbin narrates a hadith that goes back to Muhammad:

"The Qur'an possesses an external appearance and a hidden depth, an exoteric meaning and an esoteric meaning. Henry Corbin ( 14 April 1903 - October 7, 1978 was a Philosopher, Theologian and professor of Islamic Studies at Hadith ( ar الحديث, pl aḥadīth; lit. "narrative" are oral Traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics This esoteric meaning in turn conceals an esoteric meaning (this depth possesses a depth, after the image of the celestial Spheres which are enclosed within each other). So it goes on for seven esoteric meanings (seven depths of hidden depth). "^[69]

Commentaries dealing with the zahir (outward aspects) of the text are called tafsir, and hermeneutic and esoteric commentaries dealing with the batin are called ta'wil (“interpretation” or “explanation”), which involves taking the text back to its beginning. According to some Muslim groups the Zahir is the external or apparent meaning of the Quran. Batin is defined as the interior or hidden meaning of the Quran. An esoteric interpretation of the Qur'an is an Interpretation of the Qur’an which includes attribution of Esoteric or mystic meanings to the Esoteric commentators believe that the ultimate meaning of the Qur’an is known only to God. ^[2]

In contrast, Qur'anic literalism which follows by Salafis and Zahiris is the belief that the Qur'an should be taken at its apparent meaning, rather than employing any sort of interpretation. Qur'anic literalism is the belief that the verses of the Qur'an should be taken at their apparent meaning rather than employing any sort of interpretation Zāhirī (ظاهري is a school of thought in Islamic jurisprudence This includes, for example, the belief that Allah has appendages such as hands as stated in the Qur’an; this is generally explained by the concept of bi-la kaifa, the claim that the literal meanings should be accepted without asking how or why. Bi-la kayf ( Arabic بلا كيف is an Arabic phase roughly translated as "without asking how

Tafsir

Main article: Tafsir

The Qur'an has sparked a huge body of commentary and explication, known as tafsir. Tafsir ( Arabic: تفسير, tafsīr, "interpretation" is the Arabic word for Exegesis This commentary is aimed at explaining the "meanings of the Qur’anic verses, clarifying their import and finding out their significance. "^[70] and best tafseer is done by Allah himself. ^[71]

Tafsir is one of the earliest academic activities of Muslims. According to the Qur’an, Muhammad was the first person who described the meanings of verses for early Muslims. ^[72] Other early exegetes included a few Companions of Muhammad, like Ali ibn Abi Talib, Abdullah ibn Abbas, Abdullah ibn Umar and Ubayy ibn Kab. In Islam, the Ṣaḥābah (الصحابة "Companions" were the companions of the Islamic prophet Muḥammad. ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (a=علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب|t=ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib 13th Rajab, 24 BH – 21st Ramaḍān, 40 AH Abd-Allah ibn Abbas (عبد الله ابن عباس) was a cousin of Muhammad. TemplateInfobox Muslim scholars --> Abdullah ibn Umar (عبدالله بن عمر بن الخطاب (ca Ubay ibn Ka'b (d 649 also known as Abu Mundhir (the father of Mundhir was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a person of high esteem in the early Exegesis in those days was confined to the explanation of literary aspects of the verse, the background of its revelation and, occasionally, interpretation of one verse with the help of the other. If the verse was about a historical event, then sometimes a few traditions (hadith) of Muhammad were narrated to make its meaning clear. Hadith ( ar الحديث, pl aḥadīth; lit. "narrative" are oral Traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic ^[73]

Because the Qur’an is spoken in classical Arabic, many of the later converts to Islam (mostly non-Arabs) did not always understand the Qur’anic Arabic, they did not catch allusions that were clear to early Muslims fluent in Arabic and they were concerned with reconciling apparent conflict of themes in the Qur’an. Classical Arabic (CA also known as Qur'anic or Koranic Arabic, is the form of the Arabic language used in literary texts from Umayyad Commentators erudite in Arabic explained the allusions, and perhaps most importantly, explained which Qur’anic verses had been revealed early in Muhammad's prophetic career, as being appropriate to the very earliest Muslim community, and which had been revealed later, canceling out or "abrogating" (nāsikh) the earlier text (mansukh). Naskh (نسخ is an Arabic language word usually translated as " abrogation " it shares the same root as the words appearing ^{[74] [75] [76]} Memories of the occasions of revelation (asbāb al-nuzūl), the circumstances under which Muhammad had spoken as he did, were also collected, as they were believed to explain some apparent obscurities. Asbāb al-nuzūl اسباب النزول, an Arabic term meaning "occasions/circumstances of revelation" is a secondary genre of Qur'ānic Exegesis

Inward Aspects of the Qur’an

It is an essential idea for Shia as well as Sufi Muslims that the Qur’an has inward aspects too^[77]. Sufism ( تصوّف - taṣawwuf, Persian: صوفی‌گری sufigari, Turkish: tasavvuf, Urdu: تصوف They refer to several hadith of Muhammad such as

"The Qur’an possesses an external appearance and a hidden depth, an exoteric meaning and an esoteric meaning. This esoteric meaning in turn conceals an esoteric meaning (this depth possesses a depth, after the image of the celestial Spheres which are enclosed within each other). So it goes on for seven esoteric meanings (seven depths of hidden depth). "^[78]

According to this view, it has also become evident that the inner meaning of the Qur’an does not eradicate or invalidate its outward meaning. Rather, it is like the soul, which gives life to the body. ^[79]

On the base of this viewpoint, Henry Corbin considers the Qur’an to have a part to play in Islamic philosophy, because gnosiology itself goes hand in hand with prophetology. Henry Corbin ( 14 April 1903 - October 7, 1978 was a Philosopher, Theologian and professor of Islamic Studies at Islamic philosophy is a branch of Islamic studies, and is a longstanding attempt to create harmony between Philosophy ( Reason) and the religious teachings The term gnosiology (μελέτη της γνώσης is derived from the Greek words Gnosis ('knowledge' γνώση and logos ('word' or In Religion, a prophet (or prophetess) is a person who has encountered the Supernatural or the divine and serves as an intermediary ^[80] However, it is clear that those who don't believe in the divine origin of the Qur’an or any kind of sacred or spiritual existence completely oppose any inward aspect of the Qur’an.

Ta'wil

Main article: Esoteric interpretation of the Qur'an

See also: Qur'anic hermeneutics and Exegesis

As Ja'far al-Kashfi has defined ta'wil means to lead back or to bring back something to its origin or archetype is a science whose pivot is a spiritual direction and a divine inspiration, while the tafsir is the literal exegesis of the letter; its pivot is the canonical Islamic sciences. An esoteric interpretation of the Qur'an is an Interpretation of the Qur’an which includes attribution of Esoteric or mystic meanings to the Qur'anic hermeneutics is the study of theories of the interpretation and understanding of the Qur'an, the Muslim holy book Exegesis (from the Greek 'to lead out' involves an extensive and critical interpretation of an authoritative text, especially of a Holy Exegesis (from the Greek 'to lead out' involves an extensive and critical interpretation of an authoritative text, especially of a Holy ^[81] Allameh Tabatabaei says according to popular explanation among the later exegetes ta'wil indicates that particular meaning towards which the verse is directed. The meaning of revelation (tanzil), as opposed to ta'wil, is clear or according to the obvious meaning of the words as they were revealed. Tanzil and Inzal, or "to send down" ( Arabic تنزيل refers to the act of descent of the pre-existing Qur'an through different Realms But this explanation has become so wide spread that, at present, it has become the real meaning of ta'wil, while originally this word meant "to return" or "the returning place". In his view what has been rightly called ta'wil, or hermeneutic interpretation, of the Qur’an is not concerned simply with the denotation of words. Rather, it is concerned with certain truths and realities that transcend the comprehension of the common run of men; yet it is from these truths and realities that the principles of doctrine and the practical injunctions of the Qur’an issue forth. Interpretation is not the meaning of the verse; rather it transpires through that meaning - a special sort of transpiration. There is a spiritual reality which is the main objective of ordaining a law, or basic aim of describing a divine attribute; there is an actual significance to which a Qur’anic story refers. ^[82][83]

However Shia and Sufism on one hand and Sunni on the other hand have completely different positions on its legitimacy. An esoteric interpretation of the Qur'an is an Interpretation of the Qur’an which includes attribution of Esoteric or mystic meanings to the A verse in the Qur’an^[84] points out this issue, but Shia and Sunni disagree on how it should be read. According to Shia, those who are firmly rooted in knowledge like the Prophet and imams, know the secrets of Qur’an, while Sunnis believe just God knows it. According to Allameh Tabatabaei "none knows its interpretation except Allah", remains valid, without any opposing or qualifying clause. Therefore, so far as this verse is concerned, the knowledge of the Qur’an's interpretation is reserved for Allah. But he uses another verses and concludes those who are purified by God know the interpretation of the Qur’an to a certain extent. ^[83]

The most ancient spiritual commentary on the Qur'an consists of the teachings which the Shia Imams propounded in the course of their conversations with their disciples. Imāmah (إمامة is the Shī‘ah doctrine of religious spiritual and political leadership of the Ummah. It was the principles of their spiritual hermeneutics that were subsequently to be brought together by the Sufis. These texts are narrated from Imam Ali and Ja'far al-Sadiq by Shia and Sunni Sufis. ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (a=علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب|t=ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib 13th Rajab, 24 BH – 21st Ramaḍān, 40 AH Jaʿfar al-Sadiq (702-765 in accurate transliteration Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq Arabic: جعفر الصادق in full Jaʿfar ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Husayn ^[85]

As Corbin narrates from Shia sources, Ali himself gives this testimony:

Not a single verse of the Qur’an descended upon (was revealed to) the Messenger of God which he did not proceed to dictate to me and make me recite. ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (a=علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب|t=ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib 13th Rajab, 24 BH – 21st Ramaḍān, 40 AH Ayah (ar آية, plural Ayat ar آيات) is the Arabic word for sign or Miracle, cognate with Hebrew ot, Wahy (وحي) is the Arabic word for revelation. In Islamic context it refers to the revelations and inspirations of God (Arabic Allah) to IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics Qira'at, in the context of Islam, means literally the readings that is the method of recitation I would write it with my own hand, and he would instruct me as to its tafsir (the literal explanation) and the ta'wil (the spiritual exegesis), the nasikh (the verse which abrogates) and the mansukh (the abrogated verse), the muhkam (without ambiguity) and the mutashabih (ambiguous), the particular and the general. A Mus'haf ( مصحف, pronounced "Mus-haf" not "Mu-sh-af" is a "codex" or a collection of sheets ( Sahifa, see below Tafsir ( Arabic: تفسير, tafsīr, "interpretation" is the Arabic word for Exegesis Naskh (نسخ is an Arabic language word usually translated as " abrogation " it shares the same root as the words appearing . . ^[86]

According to Allameh Tabatabaei, there are acceptable and unacceptable esoteric interpretations. Acceptable ta'wil refers to the meaning of a verse beyond its literal meaning; rather only the implicit, whose ultimate meaning is known only to God and can't be comprehended directly through human thought alone. An esoteric interpretation of the Qur'an is an Interpretation of the Qur’an which includes attribution of Esoteric or mystic meanings to the God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. The verses in question here are those which refer to the human qualities of coming, going, sitting, satisfaction, anger and sorrow apparently attributed to God. In Islam, God is believed to be the only real supreme being all-powerful and all knowing Creator Sustainer Ordainer and Judge of the universe Islam puts a heavy emphasis Ta'wil that is unacceptable means "to transfer" the apparent meaning of a verse to a different meaning by means of a proof; this method is not without obvious inconsistencies. Although this view has gained considerable acceptance, it is incorrect and cannot be applied to the Qur’anic verses. The correct interpretation is that reality to which a verse refers; it is found in all verses, the decisive and the ambiguous alike; it is not a sort of a meaning of the word; it is a real fact that is too sublime for words; Allah has dressed them with words so as to bring them a bit nearer to our minds; in this respect they are like proverbs that are used to create a picture in the mind and thus help the hearer to clearly grasp the intended idea. ^{[87] [83]}

Therefore Sufi spiritual interpretations usually are accepted by Islamic scholars as authentic interpretations as long as certain conditions were met. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. ^[88] In Sufi history, these interpretations were sometimes considered religious innovations (bid'ah), as Salafis today believe. In Islam, bid‘ah ( is any type of Innovation. Though innovations in worldly matters are acceptable to an extent innovation within the religion is seen as a sin However, even among Shia, ta'wil is extremely controversial. For example, when Ayatollah Ruhallah Khomeini, the leader of Islamic revolution, gave some lectures about Surat al-Fatiha in December 1979 and January 1980, some protests forced him to suspend it before he could proceed beyond the first two verses of the surah. Ayatollah ( Persian: آيت‌الله, âyato-llâh, from Arabic: آية الله, āyatu 'llāh, meaning 'the sign of Seyyed Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini ( Persian:, pronounced muːsæviː-je xomejniː}}( September 24, 1902 – June 3 1989 The Iranian Revolution' (mostly known as the Islamic Revolution, Persian: انقلاب اسلامی Enghelābe Eslāmi was the Revolution that transformed Sura Al-Fatiha ( سورة الفاتحة, Sūratu al-Fātihah, "The Opening" is the first chapter of the Muslim holy ^[89]

Relationship with other literature

The Torah and the Bible

See also: Biblical narratives and the Qur'an and Tawrat

“	It is He Who sent down to thee (step by step), in truth, the Book, confirming what went before it; and He sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guide to mankind, and He sent down the criterion (of judgment between right and wrong). The Qur'an, the central religious text of Islam, contains references to over fifty people also found in the Bible, typically in the same or similar Tawrat ( Tawrah or Taurat, Arabic: توراة is the Arabic transliteration of the Hebrew word Torah (also known as the Five [90]	”
—Qur'an 3:3 (Yusuf Ali)

The Qur'an speaks well of the relationship it has with former books (the Torah and the Gospel) and attributes their similarities to their unique origin and saying all of them have been revealed by the one God. Hafiz Abdullah Yusuf Ali ( 14 April 1872 - 10 December 1953) was a South Asian Islamic scholar who translated term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to This article is about the canonical books of the New Testament ^[91]

The Qur'an retells stories of many of the people and events recounted in Jewish and Christian sacred books (Tanakh, Bible) and devotional literature (Apocrypha, Midrash), although it differs in many details. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings See also Old testament, Septuagint, Targum, Peshitta The Tanakh (תַּנַ"ךְ (taˈnax or; also Tenakh or Tenak is Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Midrash ( Hebrew: מדרש plural midrashim, lit "to repeat" is a Hebrew term referring to the not exact but comparative ( homiletic Adam, Enoch, Noah, Heber, Shelah, Abraham, Lot, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Jethro, David, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Jonah, Aaron, Moses, Ezra, Zechariah, Jesus, and John the Baptist are mentioned in the Qur’an as prophets of God (see Prophets of Islam). Adam (אָדָם ʼĀḏām, "dust man mankind" آدم; Ge'ez: አዳ and Eve (חַוָּה Ḥawwā, "living Enoch ( Hebrew:; Tiberian: Ḥănōḵ, Standard: Ḥanokh, Ashkenazi, Jiddish: jHenosch Noah (or Noe, Noach;; Nūḥ; Arabic: نوح; "Rest") was according to the Bible, the tenth and last of According to the Bible, Shelah / Shela ( was the youngest brother among Judah 's first three sons and was born at Chezib. Ishmael ( Hebrew: יִשְׁמָעֵאל, Standard Yišmaʿel Tiberian Yišmāʿêl Arabic: إسماعيل According to the Hebrew Bible, Isaac ( Hebrew: Yitzchak יִצְחָק, Standard Yiẓḥaq Jacob ( Hebrew: יַעֲקֹב, Standard   Yaʿaqov Tiberian   Yaʿăqōḇ; Joseph or Yosef (יוֹסֵ Standard Yosef Tiberian Yôsēp̄, يوسف Yusuf; "He Jobe (/'dʒoʊb/; Arabic: أَيُّوبٌ,) is a character in the Book of Job in the Hebrew Bible, as well as a prophet Jethro can refer to People In the Bible Jethro (Bible, the father-in-law of Moses Fictional characters David, Arabic: داوود or داود dawud, "beloved" was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible King Solomon ( Ge'ez: ስለሞን Arabic: ar سليمان, Sulayman, all from the Triliteral root S-L-M, "peace" Elijah or Elias ( was a Prophet in Israel in the 9th century BC Elisha ( Greek el Ελισσαίος Elisaios) is a Biblical prophet According to the Hebrew Bible ( Tanakh / Old Testament) and Qur'an, Jonah (; Arabic: يونس, Yunus or This article is about Aaron the Levite in the Hebrew Bible, the Qu'ran, and other sources Moses ( Latin: Moyses,; Greek: grc Mωυσής in both the Septuagint and the New Testament; Arabic: ar موسىٰ Ezra ( was a Jewish Priestly Scribe who led about 5000 Israelite exiles living in Babylon to their home city of Jerusalem Zechariah (Hebrew prophet -->In the Bible, Zechariah Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Saint John the Baptist ( heb. Jochanan ben Sacharja, arab. يحيى Yaḥyā or يوحنا Yūḥanna, aram. Muslims regard as Prophets of Islam ( Arabic: نبي) those non-divine humans chosen by Allah as Prophets Muslims believe the common elements or resemblances between the Bible and other Jewish and Christian writings and Islamic dispensations is due to their common divine source, and that the original Christian or Jewish texts were authentic divine revelations given to prophets.

Muslims believe that those texts were neglected, corrupted (tahrif) or altered in time by the Jews and Christians and have been replaced by God's final and perfect revelation, which is the Qur'an. Tahrif ( Arabic: ar تحريف "corruption forgery" the stem-II verbal noun of the consonantal root, "to make oblique" ^[92] However, many Jews and Christians believe that the historical biblical archaeological record refutes this assertion, because the Dead Sea Scrolls (the Tanakh and other Jewish writings which predate the origin of the Qur’an) have been fully translated,^[93] validating the authenticity of the Greek Septuagint. The Dead Sea Scrolls consist of roughly 1000 documents including texts from the Hebrew Bible, discovered between 1947 and 1979 in eleven Caves See also Old testament, Septuagint, Targum, Peshitta The Tanakh (תַּנַ"ךְ (taˈnax or; also Tenakh or Tenak is The Septuagint (ˈsɛptuədʒɪnt or simply " LXX " is the Koine Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, translated in stages between the ^[94]

Influence of Christian apocrypha‎

The Diatessaron, Protoevangelium of James, Infancy Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew and the Arabic Infancy Gospel are all alleged to have been sources that the author/authors drew on when creating the Qur'an. The Diatessaron ( c 150 - 160 is the most prominent Gospel harmony. The Gospel of James, also sometimes known as the Infancy Gospel of James or the Protoevangelium of James, is an apocryphal Gospel probably written about The Infancy Gospel of Thomas is a non- canonical text that was part of a popular genre Aretalogy, of the 2nd and 3rd centuries&mdash a miracle The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew is a part of the New Testament apocrypha, and sometimes goes by the name of The Infancy Gospel of Matthew, but the actual name of the The Arabic Infancy Gospel is one of the texts found in the New Testament apocrypha concerning the infancy of Jesus ^[95] The Diatessaron especially may have led to the misconception in the Qur'an that the Christian Gospel is one text. ^[96] However this is strongly refuted by Muslim scholars, who maintain that the Qur’an is the divine word of God without any interpolation, and the similarities exist only due to the one source.

Arab writing

After the Qur’an, and the general rise of Islam, the Arabic alphabet developed rapidly into a beautiful and complex form of art. The Arabic alphabet is the script used for writing several languages of Asia and Africa such as Arabic, Persian, and Urdu. ^[97]

Wadad Kadi, Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at University of Chicago and Mustansir Mir, Professor of Islamic studies at Youngstown State University state that:^[98]

Although Arabic, as a language and a literary tradition, was quite well developed by the time of Muhammad's prophetic activity, it was only after the emergence of Islam, with its founding scripture in Arabic, that the language reached its utmost capacity of expression, and the literature its highest point of complexity and sophistication. The University of Chicago is a Private university located principally in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. Youngstown State University, founded in 1908 is an accredited University located in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. Indeed, it probably is no exaggeration to say that the Qur’an was one of the most conspicuous forces in the making of classical and post-classical Arabic literature.

The main areas in which the Qur’an exerted noticeable influence on Arabic literature are diction and themes; other areas are related to the literary aspects of the Qur’an particularly oaths (q. v. ), metaphors, motifs, and symbols. As far as diction is concerned, one could say that Qur’anic words, idioms, and expressions, especially "loaded" and formulaic phrases, appear in practically all genres of literature and in such abundance that it is simply impossible to compile a full record of them. For not only did the Qur’an create an entirely new linguistic corpus to express its message, it also endowed old, pre-Islamic words with new meanings and it is these meanings that took root in the language and subsequently in the literature. . .

Qur'an miracles

Main article: Qur'an miracles

Islamic scholars believe that the Qur’an is miraculous by its very nature in being a revealed text and that similar texts cannot be written by human endeavor. Muslims consider the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, as the word of God and a Miracle. Its miraculous nature is claimed to be evidenced by its literary style, suggested similarities between Qur’anic verses and scientific facts discovered much later, and various prophecies. The relation between Qur'an and science is a strong relation in the Islamic thought The Qur’an itself challenges those who deny its claimed divine origin to produce a text like it. ^{[Qur'an 17:88][Qur'an 2:23][Qur'an 10:38]}. ^{[99][100][101]} These claims originate directly from Islamic belief in its revealed nature, and are widely disputed by non-muslim scholars of Islamic history. ^[102]

Qur'anic Initials

Main article: Muqatta'at

14 different Arabic letters form 14 different sets of “Qur’anic Initials” (the "Muqatta'at", such as A. Muqatta`at (Arabic ar مقطعات,are unique letter combinations that begin certain chapters of the Quran. L. M. of 2:1) and prefix 29 suras in the Qur’an. The meaning and interpretation of these initials is considered unknown to most Muslims. In 1974, Egyptian biochemist Rashad Khalifa claimed to have discovered a mathematical code based on the number 19^[103], which is mentioned in Sura 74:30^[104] of the Qur’an. Rashad Khalifa ( Arabic: رشاد خليفة; November 19, 1935 &ndash January 31, 1990) was an Egyptian-American 19 ( nineteen) is the Natural number following 18 and preceding 20.

In culture

Most Muslims treat paper copies of the Qur’an with veneration, ritually washing before reading the Qur’an. ^[105] Worn out, torn, or errant (for example, pages out of order) Qur’ans are not discarded as wastepaper, but rather are left free to flow in a river, kept somewhere safe, burnt, or buried in a remote location. Many Muslims memorize at least some portion of the Qur’an in the original Arabic, usually at least the verses needed to perform the prayers. Those who have memorized the entire Qur’an earn the right to the title of Hafiz. Hafith or Hafiz ( Arabic: حافظ قرآن or حافظ plural huffaz) literally meaning 'guardian' is a term used by Muslims in modern ^[106]

Based on tradition and a literal interpretation of sura 56:77-79: "That this is indeed a Qur’an Most Honourable, In a Book well-guarded, Which none shall touch but those who are clean. Surat Al-Waqʿia (سورة الواقعةAl-Waqiah is an Arabic name that means Inevitable Event or Revolution ", many scholars opine that a Muslim perform wudu (ablution or a ritual cleansing with water) before touching a copy of the Qur’an, or mus'haf. This article is about Hygiene in Islam. Wudu ( Arabic: الوضوء al-wuḍū', Persian:آبدست ābdast A Mus'haf ( مصحف, pronounced "Mus-haf" not "Mu-sh-af" is a "codex" or a collection of sheets ( Sahifa, see below This view has been contended by other scholars on the fact that, according to Arabic linguistic rules, this verse alludes to a fact and does not comprise an order. The literal translation thus reads as "That (this) is indeed a noble Qur'ān, In a Book kept hidden, Which none toucheth save the purified," (translated by Mohamed Marmaduke Pickthall). It is suggested based on this translation that performing ablution is not required.

Qur'an desecration means insulting the Qur’an by defiling or dismembering it. Qur'an desecration is defined as insulting the Qur'an, by defiling or defacing it Muslims must always treat the book with reverence, and are forbidden, for instance, to pulp, recycle, or simply discard worn-out copies of the text. Respect for the written text of the Qur’an is an important element of religious faith by many Muslims. They believe that intentionally insulting the Qur’an is a form of blasphemy. Blasphemy is the disrespectful use of the name of one or more gods.

Criticism

Main article: Criticism of the Qur'an

The Qur’an's teachings on matters of war and peace have become topics of heated discussion in recent years. Muslims believe that the Qur'an is the literal word of God as recited to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel. On the one hand, some critics interpret that certain verses of the Qur’an sanction military action against unbelievers as a whole both during the lifetime of Muhammad and after. ^{[107][108][109]} On the other hand, other scholars argue that such verses of the Qur’an are interpreted out of context,^{[110][111][112]} and argue that when the verses are read in context it clearly appears that the Qur’an prohibits aggression,^{[113][114][115]} and allows fighting only in self defense. ^[116][117]

Some scholars, such as Patricia Crone, Michael Cook, and Gerd-R. Patricia Crone, PhD, (born 1945 Denmark) is a Scholar, Author and historian of early Islamic history working at the Michael Cook is an English Historian and scholar of Islamic history. Puin, are skeptical of traditional religious accounts of the Qur'an's creation and history. ^[118]

See also

• Ayat
• Esoteric interpretation of the Qur'an
• Hafiz
• Legends and the Qur'an
• Online Quran Project (OQP)
• Origin and development of the Qur'an
• Persons related to Qur'anic verses
• Qur'an alone
• Qur'an and Sunnah
• Qur'an and miracles
• Qur'anic literalism
• Qur'an reading
• Sana'a Qur'an find
• Sura
• Tafsir
• Women in Qur'an
• There are also articles on each of the suras, or chapters, of the Qur'an. Ayah (ar آية, plural Ayat ar آيات) is the Arabic word for sign or Miracle, cognate with Hebrew ot, An esoteric interpretation of the Qur'an is an Interpretation of the Qur’an which includes attribution of Esoteric or mystic meanings to the Hafith or Hafiz ( Arabic: حافظ قرآن or حافظ plural huffaz) literally meaning 'guardian' is a term used by Muslims in modern This article considers the relation of the Qur'an, the central religious text of Islam, and myths and legends The Online Quran Project ( OQP) (sometimes spelled as Online Qur’an Project / Online Qur’ān Project) is a quranic project launched in late 2007 aimed to provide The study of the origins and development of the Qur’an can be said to fall into two major schools of thought the first being a Traditionalist Muslim view and Some of the Qur'anic verses are said to be revealed pertaining to some specific person Qur'an alone Muslims Qur'anic Muslims, or sometimes Anti-Hadith Muslims, is a term used to refer to Muslims who reject Hadith, or reported traditions of Qur'an and Sunnah is an often quoted Islamic term regarding the sources of Islam Muslims consider the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, as the word of God and a Miracle. Qur'anic literalism is the belief that the verses of the Qur'an should be taken at their apparent meaning rather than employing any sort of interpretation Qur'an reading is the reading ( Tarteel, Tajwid, or taghbir) aloud reciting, or Chanting of portions of the Gerd Rüdiger Puin (born 1940 is a German scholar and the world's foremost authority on Qur'anic Paleography, the study and scholarly interpretation of Sura (sometimes spelt "Surah" ar سورة, plural "Suwar" ar سور is an Arabic term literally meaning "something enclosed or surrounded Tafsir ( Arabic: تفسير, tafsīr, "interpretation" is the Arabic word for Exegesis This article is about female figures that appear in the Qur'an Sura (sometimes spelt "Surah" ar سورة, plural "Suwar" ar سور is an Arabic term literally meaning "something enclosed or surrounded Click on a chapter number to view the article.

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Notes

References

• Allen, Roger (2000). An Introduction to Arabic literature. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521776570.  
• Corbin, Henry (1993 (original French 1964)). Henry Corbin ( 14 April 1903 - October 7, 1978 was a Philosopher, Theologian and professor of Islamic Studies at History of Islamic Philosophy, Translated by Liadain Sherrard, Philip Sherrard. London; Kegan Paul International in association with Islamic Publications for The Institute of Ismaili Studies. ISBN 0710304161.  
• Esposito, John; Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad (2000). John Louis Esposito (born 19 May 1940 Brooklyn, New York City) is a professor of International Affairs and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University Muslims on the Americanization Path?. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-513526-1.  
• Esposito, John (2002). John Louis Esposito (born 19 May 1940 Brooklyn, New York City) is a professor of International Affairs and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515713-3.  
• Kugle, Scott Alan (2006). Rebel Between Spirit And Law: Ahmad Zarruq, Sainthood, And Authority in Islam. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0253347114.  
• Mahfouz, Tarek (2006). Speak Arabic Instantly. Lulu Press, Inc. . ISBN 1847289002.  
• Molloy, Michael (2006). Experiencing the World's Religions, 4th, McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0073535647.  
• Nasr, Seyyed Hossein (1993a). TemplateInfobox Muslim scholars --> Seyyed Hossein Nasr ( Persian سید حسین نصر) an Iranian The Need for a Sacred Science. SUNY Press. ISBN 0791415171.  
• Nasr, Seyyed Hossein (1993b). TemplateInfobox Muslim scholars --> Seyyed Hossein Nasr ( Persian سید حسین نصر) an Iranian An Introduction to Islamic Cosmological Doctrines: Conceptions of Nature. SUNY Press. ISBN 0791415155.  
• Nasr, Seyyed Hossein (2003). TemplateInfobox Muslim scholars --> Seyyed Hossein Nasr ( Persian سید حسین نصر) an Iranian Islam: Religion, History, and Civilization. HarperSanFrancisco. ISBN 0060507144.  
• Nasr, Seyyed Hossein (2007). TemplateInfobox Muslim scholars --> Seyyed Hossein Nasr ( Persian سید حسین نصر) an Iranian "Qur’an". Encyclopedia Britannica Online.  
• Peters, F. E. (1991). Francis Edward Peters was a Professor of Middle Eastern Studies History and Religion at New York University until 2008 "The Quest for Historical Muhammad". International Journal of Middle East Studies.  
• Tabatabae, Sayyid Mohammad Hosayn. Tafsir al-Mizan. Al-Mizan fi tafsiri'l-Qur'an, popularly known as Tafsir al-Mizan ( تفسير الميزان)is a remarkable Shi'a Muslim Tafsir (or  
• Tabatabae, Sayyid Mohammad Hosayn (1988). The Qur’an in Islam: Its Impact and Influence on the Life of Muslims. Routledge. ISBN 0710302665.  
• Wild, Stefan (1996). The Quʼran as Text. Brill. ISBN 9004093001.  

Further reading

Translations

• Online Quran Project (OQP) - quranic project launched in late 2007, aimed to provide an online, multilingual searchable Qur’an text with worldwide translations (60+ translation in over 20 languages). The Online Quran Project is the first website to offer a Qur’an text with full diacritics (tawjeed) rules online. The Online Quran Project ( OQP) (sometimes spelled as Online Qur’an Project / Online Qur’ān Project) is a quranic project launched in late 2007 aimed to provide
• Al-Quran English Translation - 3 translations & commentary of Surah with recitation
• Quran Explorer Interactive authenticated Qur'an translations & recitations in English, Urdu, Indonesian, Malay, Turkish, French and Dutch.
• Mystic Letters - Specialized site for easy reading of Qur'an online with English & Arabic views, page themes, and ability to customize font styling.
• Guided Ways Qur'an in English, Urdu, French, Spanish and German. English versions include translations by Dr. M. Mohsin Khan, Yusuf Ali and Pickthal.
• Quran - The Knazul Iman - English Version translated from the Original by Imam Ahmed Raza Khan, a Sunni Islamic Scholar. Ahmad Raza Khan or Ahmed Rida Khan (1856-1921 was a Sunni Muslim scholar and founder of Barelwi School of thought. Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic
• English Translation and Explanation of Quran, Maariful Quran by Mufti Taqi Usmani, Prof. Shamim (Tafsir by Mufti Maulana Muhammad Shafi Usmani RA)
• Global Quran over 30 different languages of translation and search in all of them at once, also be able add Qur'an on your site/blog.
• The Qur’an at USC-MSA - three translations (Yusuf Ali, Shakir, and Pickthal). Also, Abul Ala Maududi's chapter introductions to the Qur’an.
• The Qur’an at the Internet Sacred Text Archive
• Islam Awakened - ayat-by-ayat transliteration and parallel translations from eleven prominent translators. The Internet Sacred Text Archive (ISTA is a Website dedicated to the preservation of electronic Public domain texts specifically those with significant cultural
• The True Call - A Paradigm Shift Translations in English, French, German, Japanese, Russian and Portuguese with English and Phonetic Search
• IslamiCity Qur’an search
• Koran Search or browse the English Shakir translation
• Qur'an Verses in Chronological Order
• Text In Motion, concordance searchable by root or by grammatical form.

Older commentary

• al-Tabari, Muhammad ibn Jarir -- Jami' al-bayān `an ta'wil al-Qur'ān, Cairo 1955-69, transl. Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. J. Cooper (ed. ), The Commentary on the Qur’an, Oxford University Press, 1987. ISBN 0-19-920142-0
• Tafsir Ibn-Kathir, Hafiz Imad al-din Abu al-Fida Ismail ibn Kathir al-Damishqi al-Shafi'i - (died 774 Hijrah (Islamic Calendar))
• Tafsir Al-Qurtubi (Al-Jami'li-Ahkam), Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ahmad Abi Bakr ibn Farah al-Qurtubi - (died 671 Hijrah (Islamic Calendar))

Older scholarship

• Nöldeke, Theodor -- Geschichte des Qorâns, Göttingen, 1860. Theodor Nöldeke ( March 2, 1836 - December 25 1930 German Semitic scholar was born at Harburg, and studied at Göttingen

Recent scholarship

• Al-Azami, M. M. -- The History of the Qur’anic Text from Revelation to Compilation, UK Islamic Academy: Leicester 2003.
• Gunter Luling A challenge to Islam for reformation: the rediscovery and reliable reconstruction of a comprehensive pre-Islamic Christian hymnal hidden in the Koran under earliest Islamic reinterpretations. Günter Lüling (* October 25, 1928 in Varna, Bulgaria) is a German protestant theologian Philological scholar (Dr New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers 2003. (580 Seiten, lieferbar per Seepost). ISBN 81-2081952-7
• Luxenberg, Christoph (2004) -- The Syro-Aramaic Reading Of The Koran: a contribution to the decoding of the language of the Qur’an, Berlin, Verlag Hans Schiler, 1 May 2007 ISBN 3-89930-088-2
• McAuliffe, Jane Dammen -- Quranic Christians : An Analysis of Classical and Modern Exegesis, Cambridge University Press, 1991. Christoph Luxenberg is a German scholar and professor of ancient Semitic and Arabic languages. The Syro-Aramaic Reading of the Koran A Contribution to the Decoding of the Language of the Koran English Edition of 2007 ( Die syro-aramäische Lesart des Koran Ein Beitrag Jane Dammen McAuliffe is the eighth president of Bryn Mawr College, beginning her tenure in July 2008 ISBN 0-521-36470-1
• McAuliffe, Jane Damen (ed. ) -- Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an, Brill, 2002-2004. The Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an ( EQ) is a scholarly work with essays on the most important themes and subjects and an encyclopaedic dictionary of Qur'an terms concepts
• Puin, Gerd R. -- "Observations on Early Qur’an Manuscripts in Sana'a," in The Qur’an as Text, ed. Gerd Rüdiger Puin (born 1940 is a German scholar and the world's foremost authority on Qur'anic Paleography, the study and scholarly interpretation of Stefan Wild, , E. J. Brill 1996, pp. 107-111 (as reprinted in What the Koran Really Says, ed. Ibn Warraq, Prometheus Books, 2002)
• Rahman, Fazlur -- Major Themes in the Qur’an, Bibliotheca Islamica, 1989. ISBN 0-88297-046-1
• Louay M. Safi -- Quranic Themes
• Robinson, Neal, Discovering the Qur’an, Georgetown University Press, 2002. Louay M Safi is a Syrian - American, a recognized scholar of Islam and the Middle East and an advocate of Arab and Muslim American rights ISBN 1-58901-024-8
• Sells, Michael, -- Approaching the Qur’an: The Early Revelations, White Cloud Press, Book & CD edition (November 15, 1999). Michael Anthony Sells is currently the John Henry Barrows Professor of Islamic History and Literature at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago. ISBN 1-883991-26-9
• Stowasser, Barbara Freyer -- Women in the Qur’an, Traditions, and Interpretation, Oxford University Press; Reprint edition (June 1, 1996), ISBN 0-19-511148-6
• Wansbrough, John -- Quranic Studies, Oxford University Press, 1977
• Watt, W. M., and R. John Edward Wansbrough ( February 19, 1928 &ndash June 10, 2002) was an American historian who taught at the University of London William Montgomery Watt ( 14 March 1909 – 24 October 2006) was an Emeritus Professor in Arabic and Islamic Bell, Introduction to the Qur’an, Edinburgh University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-7486-0597-5

External links

Accurate Quran Text, 30+ Translations and 10+ Audio Online Quran Project (OQP) - An online, multilingual searchable Qur’an text with worldwide translations (60+ translation in over 20 languages) Three translations of the Quran from the University of Southern California Translation of the Meanings of The Noble Quran in 10 languages Quran Explorer, Interactive Audio Translations Kur'an audio (recordings of many Qur'an recitals - online easy stream) Listen Live to Quran Quran Search searchquran.org - very quick Qur'an search engine with over 10 translations. The University of Southern California (commonly referred to as USC, SC, Southern California, and incorrectly An online Qur’an browser Quran Arabic & English - translation of the Quran to English side by side to the Arabic source. Free Koran Request Form - ordering free Qur'an. Online Arabic-English Qur'an Searchable by Triliteral Root Manuscripts Islamic Awareness, The Qur’anic Manuscripts Quran Manuscripts Calligraphy Islamic

Audio/Video/Documentary Videos on different topics from Quran,science of Qiraat, Makharij: points of articulations and tajweed explained in English and French Video's on different topics from Quran Listen to Quran Quran Academy Audio/Video commentary/translation of the Qur'an Several Quran Tafseers in English and Arabic Videos of recitation, commentary, or prayer English Reading Reciter.org Video's Quran QuranChannel.com - A Collection of Qur'an playlists and radio channels English Quran, French, karaoke audio mode for Arabic. Quran Online - listen to Qur'an online or download in mp3 format. Encyclopedic articles Qur'an an article by Seyyed Hossein Nasr on Encyclopedia Britannica Online

TemplateInfobox Muslim scholars --> Seyyed Hossein Nasr ( Persian سید حسین نصر) an Iranian

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