The Qur'an (Koran Of Islam)

The word Qur'an, which means "recitation," embodies multiple implications. It refers to the fact that the text of the Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad as a recitation, spoken into his ear by the archangel Gabriel. It also refers to Muhammad's miraculous ability to recite the sacred verses of the Qur'an, exactly as he received them, in a language of such surpassing beauty and richness of reference that it transcends ordinary speech or writing.

And, finally, the word "recitation" embodies the way the Qur'an is used in worship throughout the Islamic world. The devout Muslim believes that oral recitation of the Qur'an constitutes direct contact with Allah and is the core of religious devotion. The believer may participate in worship either by listening to or by reciting the sacred verses.

The word "Islam" means submission to the Will of God, and the Qur'an articulates God's Will. The Qur'an concerns God's relationship with humanity. According to Islam, it is a revealed Book in the same tradition of revelation that includes the Torah, transmitted by Moses, and the Gospel, transmitted by Jesus. This chain of revelation goes back to the origin of mankind. Each of the world's peoples were sent a prophet, a messenger, to transmit God's word and to invite mankind to worship God, to submit to His Will and to turn away from evil. Most of these revelations have been lost over the vast reaches of time, and their prophets have been forgotten, though we still have the messages carried by Moses, Jesus, the Holy Vedas, and the Buddha.

Islam teaches that each of the previous revelations was incomplete, because humanity had not yet spiritually evolved to the point where man could receive and comprehend God's message in full. But as God's last prophet, Muhammad received and transmitted His final, comprehensive message, which concerns all of man's worldly and physical need and obligations. Unlike all of the earlier revelations, the Qur'an is complete. It embodies the essential message of each of the earlier revelations, but purges that message of contamination by later additions and changes that derived from human error or arrogance. The Qur'an is God's final Word, and therefore Muhammad is His final prophet, for no further revelation is necessary to complete God's message to mankind.

According to Islam, life is a moral struggle, and the Qur'an guides humanity in that struggle. But since there are many specific questions not addressed in the Qur'an, Islam has also relied on the life and sayings of Muhammad, collected in the "hadiths," to develop religious laws and observances.

The definitive text of the Qur'an is the Unthmanic text, so called because it was established by a commission appointed by Uthman ibn Affan, the third caliph, about twenty years after Muhammad's death. The commission used a copy written down within two years of Muhammad's death, which collated both written and oral versions of the verses of the Qur'an. The written versions were produced by Muhammad's "secretaries," followers who wrote down the revelations as he received them. Since some of Muhammad's companions had also memorized several chapters of the Qur'an, they were able to provide oral versions, as well. The Uthmanic text was accepted as the definitive text in the tenth century (the fourth century of the Islamic calendar). An Egyptian edition of the text printed in 1924 is now the official text used throughout Islam.

The Qur'an consists of 114 suras (chapters), each of which is divided into several ayat (verses). In the Uthmanic text, the sequence of the suras does not follow the order in which Muhammad received them. Instead, they are arranged in order of descending length, so that the first revelations, which were usually shorter, appear at the end rather than at the beginning.

Although the Qur'an has been translated, so that God's message can reach everyone, Muslims believe that the recitation of the Qur'an must be in the original language, as Muhammad received it, for it is the Word of God, which cannot be imitated.