WHAT IS THE QUR’AN?
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Written by Arshad Chadhry
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Tuesday, 11 October 2011 09:30
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1.
ALLAH, The Exalted, Revealed and Sent, The
QUR’AN, In Truth
“We have revealed the
Quran with the truth, and with the truth it has come down.”
[17:105 – Wahiduddin]
“We have sent down the
Qur´an with the Truth, and it is with the Truth that it has descended.”
[17:105 – Maududi]
2.
ALLAH, The Exalted has Commanded the mankind,
thus:
“O you who have attained
to faith! Hold fast unto your belief in God and His Apostle, and in the
divine writ which He has bestowed from on high upon His Apostle, step by
step, as well as in the revelation which He sent down aforetime: for he who
denies God, and His angels, and His revelations, and His apostles, and the
Last Day, has indeed gone far astray.”
[Quran - 4:136 - Asad]
3.
ALLAH’S Unique Revelation
Inscribed in a Tablet
Preserved [85:22]
Protected against
corruption [15:9]
Easy to Remember (Memorize)
[54:17]
A 2007 estimate indicates
that By ALLAH’S Mercy, there were 30 Million Muslim Huffaz (who has memorized the whole Qura’an) of The Qur’an, in the World. [1]
4.
ALLAH’S Imperishable Revelation
If all the Copies of the
Text of The Qur’an, all Tapes, CDs, Hard Drives or any other means for
preserving Texts, known to man, containing the Quranic Text were destroyed,
ALLAH’S Qur’an will still be with mankind. By ALLAH’S Mercy, ALLAH’S Guidance
will continue to be Transmitted, Understood, Embraced and Practiced, as has
been done, for more than 1400 years, via Oral Transmissions. [2]
5.
QUR’AN speaks about itself to mankind, thus:
“And indeed (by revealing
it through human language) We have made the Qur’an easy for remembrance (of
God, and taking heed), then is there any that remembers and takes
heed?”
[54:17 – Ali Unal: Repeated and Reiterated in following Verses 54:22; 32; 40]
“Will they not, then,
ponder over this Qur’an? - Or are there locks upon their hearts?
[47:24 – Asad]
“This Qur'an, assuredly,
guides to that which is most upright and gives to the believers, who do
righteous deeds, the glad tidings that there awaits them a great
reward,”
[17:9 – Amatul Rahman Omar]
“All praise belongs to
Allah, who has sent down the Book to His servant and did not let any
crookedness be in it,”
[18:1 – Ali Quli Qara’i]
“Do they not, then,
ponder about the Qur‘an? Had it been from someone other than Allah, they
would have found in it a great deal of discrepancy.”
[4:82 – Taqi Usmani]
“Indeed We have explained
in this Qur‘an every subject in various ways for the benefit of the people,
but out of all creation, man is most disputing.”
[18:54 – Taqi Usmani]
“Now that the guidance is
here, nothing must keep people from believing and seeking forgiveness from
their Lord. Else, the tradition of the earlier folks would be repeated, and
they would come face to face with a severe torment.”
[18:55 – Dr. Munir Munshey]
“THUS, step by step, We
bestow from on high through this Qur'an all that gives health [to the spirit]
and is a grace unto those who believe [in Us], the while it only adds to the
ruin of evildoers:”
[17:82 – Asad]
“If you (all) are in any
doubt about what We have sent down to Our servant, then bring a chapter like
it and call in your witnesses besides God if you are so truthful.”
[2:23 – T. B. Irving]
“This Qur'an is not such
as can be produced by other than Allah; on the contrary it is a confirmation
of (revelations) that went before it, and a fuller explanation of the Book -
wherein there is no doubt - from the Lord of the worlds.”
[10:37 – Abdullah Yusuf Ali]
“And when you recite the
Qur'an, seek refuge with Allah from satan, the rejected.”
[16:98 – Amatul Rahman Omar]
6.
QUR’AN DESCRIBED BY MUSLIM SCHOLARS
a. Qur’an
– Description by – Ali, 4th Caliph
of Islam,
May ALLAH Be Pleased with him
“Kitabullah (The
Book of ALLAH) is the way, for it contains information of what happened
before you, news of what will come after you a decision regarding matters
that will occur among you. It is the Distinguisher and is not jesting. If any
overweening person abandons it, Allah will break him, and if anyone seeks
guidance elsewhere ALLAH will lead him astray. It is ALLAH’S stalwart rope,
the wise reminder, the straight path; it is by which desires do not swerve
nor the tongue becomes confused, and the learned cannot grasp it completely.
It is not worn out by repetition nor do its wonders ever cease. It is that of
which the jinn did not hesitate to remark when they heard it: ‘We have heard
a wonderful recitation which guides to what is right, and we believe in it’;
he who utters it speaks the truth, he who acts according it is rewarded, he
who pronounces judgment according to it is just, and he who invites
people to it guides them to the straight path”. [3]
b.
Qur’an – Description by – theholybook.org
“The
Qur’an is God’s miraculous, matchless message that has been sent to all
humanity via His last Messenger. With the Qur’an, God has shown humanity, one
last time, a short-cut to His good pleasure. He has communicated to us about
His Essence, Attributes, and Names. He has expressed in the most explicit
way, leaving no room for any misunderstanding, His will to be known and
recognized in the correct way, to be believed in and worshipped. Almighty God
has put emphasis on the duties and responsibilities of believers, while enthusing
hearts and agitating souls with His promise for punishment and reward. He has
presented the Qur’an as a sign for perfection and completion and as an orbit
to rotate around for His good pleasure, while condescending to offer this
gift to us as a compliment greater than any that has been or will ever be
granted to anyone else”. [4] “Having
come from the Supreme Throne of God, and originated in His Greatest Name, and
issued forth from the most comprehensive rank of each Name, and as is
explained in The Twelfth Word, the Koran is both the word of God as regards
His being the Lord of the worlds, and His decree in respect of His having the
title of the Deity of all creatures, and a discourse in the name of the
Creator of all the heavens and earth, and a speech from the perspective of
the absolute Divine Lordship, and an eternal sermon on behalf of the
universal Sovereignty of the All-Glorified One, and a register of the favors
of the Most Merciful One from the viewpoint of the all-embracing Mercy, and a
collection of messages some of which begin with a cipher, and a holy book
which, having descended from the surrounding circle of the Divine Greatest
Name, looks over and surveys the circle surrounded by the Supreme Throne of
God”. [5]
c. Qur’an
- Description by – Muhammad Asad
THE
TRUE WORD OF GOD
“the
fact remains, that to all who believed and believe in it, the Qur'an
represents the ultimate manifestation of God's grace to man, the ultimate
wisdom, and the ultimate beauty of expression: in short, the true Word of
God”.[6]
d.
Qur’an – Description by – Yahiya Emerick
QUR’AN -- GOD’S PERSONAL
LETTER TO MANKIND
“The Qur’an is a personal Letter from God to you, asking you to become something more than you thought you could be: someone whom God loves and someone who loves His world so much that he or she will do everything in their power to take good care of it.” “The Qur’an is more of a Book of persuasion – it is a Book that speaks to you like a friend. Stories of famous people are given only as way to prove a point. Laws are few and are connected with trying to make you a better person. Poetic phrases become beautiful ways to remember sound advice and good teachings”. [7]
7.
QUR’AN DESCRIBED BY NON-MUSLIM SCHOLARS
a.
Quran - Description by - Arthur Arberry
In making the present
attempt to improve on the performance of my predecessors, and to produce
something which might be accepted as echoing however faintly the sublime
rhetoric of the Arabic Koran, I have been at pains to study the intricate and
richly varied rhythms which - apart from the message itself - constitute the
Korans undeniable claim to rank amongst the greatest literary masterpieces of
mankind... This very characteristic feature - that inimitable symphony, as
the believing Pickthall described his Holy Book, the very sounds of which
move men to tears and ecstasy - has been almost totally ignored by previous
translators; it is therefore not surprising that what they have wrought
sounds dull and flat indeed in comparison with the splendidly decorated
original. [8]
b.
Qur’an - Description by – Goethe
Speaking about the Quran,
Goethe says, "It soon attracts, astounds, and in the end enforces our
reverence... Its style, in accordance with its contents and aim is stern,
grand - ever and always, truly sublime -
So, this book will go on exercising through all ages a most potent influence". [9]
c.
Qur’an - Description by – Margoliouth
"The Koran (Quran)
admittedly occupies an important position among the great religious books of
the world. Though it is the youngest of the epoch making works belonging to
this class of literature, it yields to hardly any in the wonderful effect
which it has produced on large masses of men. It has created an all but new
phase of human thought and a fresh type of character. It first transformed a
number of heterogeneous desert tribes of the Arabian Peninsula into a nation
of heroes, and then proceeded to create the vast politico-religious
organizations of Muslims worldwide which are one of the great forces with
which Europe and the East have to reckon with today". [10]
d.
Qur’an - Description by – N. J. Dawood
“It is acknowledged that
the Koran is not only one of the most influential books of prophetic
literature but also a literary masterpiece in its own right”. [11]
8.
QUR’AN -- as understood by those
"whose hearts tremble when Allah is mentioned" [Quran - 8:2]
Quran is ALLAH’S Gift of
Guidance and Mercy for the believers. The Qur’an (in Arabic - Recital) is
ALLAH’S Final Revelation for mankind. The Qur'an is a record of
the exact words revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet
Muhammad, in stages (portions), in Prophet’s own language, Arabic,
between 610 – 632 C.E. The Quran was memorized by Muhammad (pbuh) and
then dictated to his Companions, and written down by scribes, who
cross-checked it during Prophet’s lifetime. The Qur'an, the last revealed
Word of God, is the Supreme Jurisprudence for Muslims in all matters of
faith. It deals with all the subjects which concern us as human beings:
wisdom, doctrine, worship, and law, but its basic theme is the relationship
between God and His creatures. At the same time it provides guidelines for a
just society, proper human conduct and an equitable economic system. [12]
And the humble ones
say:
"We believe in
Allah, and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham,
Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and in (the Books) given to Moses,
Jesus, and the prophets, from their Lord: We make no distinction between one
and another among them, and to Allah do we bow our will (in
Islam)."
[3:84 – Yusuf Ali]
1.
1.
QUR’AN - THE CONTENT [What The Qur’an
contains]
QUR’AN --
HISTORY and FACTS
Muslim Scholars are in
agreement:
The Qur’an in Arabic
means RECITAL (Recitation) and
applies to the whole of The REVELATION. The physical text in
our hands today is the written compilation of that Recital known as The
Uthmanic Recessions, also known as Uthmanic Codex -- [3rd Rightly
Guided Caliph of Islam ( May ALLAH Be Pleased with him), Uthman Ibn Affan,
Codified the Text of the Quran in c. 653/654 A.H.]
Revelation
of The Quran Commenced -- 17 th of Ramadhan -- 610 CE
Revelation commenced
at -- in cave named Hira,
in the Jabal al-Nur mountain
range, in the neighbourhood of Macca.
First Verse of The
Revelation -- [96:1]
Last Verse of The
Qur’an Revealed -- [5:3]
Revelation of The
Qur’an Completed -- on 9 Dhu al-Hijjah, 10 AH (632 C.E)
during Prophet’s FAREWELL SERMON, in the Uranah valley of Mount
Arafat, in Macca,
seventy-two days before Prophet’s death, at the end of his final pilgrimage.
[IMPORTANT
NOTE: Muslim Scholars are not unanimous in their views about the
identity of the Final Verse of The Qur’an that was Revealed to The Prophet. A
comprehensive review of all the claimed Final Revealed Verses of The Qur’an
has been completed by Dr Louay Fatoohi and is available for reference and
study. [13] For the
Believers, it is important to note that the lack of agreement between Scholars
about the identity of the Final Verse Revealed, does not in any way inhibit
or hinder the understanding of The Message of The Qur’an; just as a unanimous
agreement amongst Scholars, about the identity of the Final Verse Revealed
would not in any way enhance or elevate the understanding of The Message of
The Qur’an. Only The All Knowing Knows the true identity of the Final Verse
Revealed.]
[There are 6236
verses in the Quran (7 verses in the first chapter with Bismillah included
but with Bismillah not included for other Surahs), otherwise with including
all Bismillah at the beginning of all chapters then there are 112 + 6236 =
6348 verses] [15]
Number of words in The Qur’an -- 77,934
Number of Letters in The
Qur’an -- 323,670
Number Chapters
-- 114
Longest Chapter –
al-Baqarah [Chapter #2] – Number of Verses – 286
Shortest Chapter –
al-Kauthar [Chapter #108] – Number of Verses – 3
Number of Chapters
Revealed in Macca --
86 [Revelation Period 13 Years]
Number of Chapters
Revealed in Medina -- 28 [Revelation Period 10 Years]
First Complete Chapter
Revealed -- al-Fatihah – [Chapter #1]
Last Complete Chapter
Sent in a Single Revelation -- an-Nasr - [Chapter
#110]
Shortest Verse
-- [55:64] [Some Scholars believe, Ha Mim, present at
the beginning of Chapters, 40; 41; 42; 43; 44; 45; 46; to be the shortest
Verse of The Qur’an; Some Scholars are of the view that the shortest Verse is
36:1 and some are of the view that it is 20:1]
Longest Verse
-- [2:282] [128 Words; 540 Letters]
First Chapter of The
Qur’an -- Al-Fatihah -- [1]
Final Chapter of The
Qur’an -- an-Nas -- [114]
Number of Chapters
which start with -- Bismillah -- [113]
Number of Chapters
which DO NOT start with Bismillah -- [1] – [Chapter 9]
Number of Chapters
which have 2 Bismillahs -- 1 -- Chapter 27 has one
Bismillah at the beginning and one more in Verse 30
Number of Prostrations
during Recitation of The Qur’an -- 15 -- [There
are certain verses in the Quran where the Scholars have recommended to
prostrate. When those reciting the Qur’an, come to these verses, they stop
and prostrate then continue with the remaining reading or recitation. Verses
are: 7:206; 13:15; 16:49-50; 17:106-109; 19:58; 22:18; 22:77; 25:60; 27:2-27;
32:15; 38:24; 41:37-38; 53:62; 84:21; 96:19]
Number of Verses which
contain all the Letters of Alphabet -- 2 -- [3:154
and 48:29]
Name of ALLAH, in The
Quran -- 980 times (Nominative case); 592 times (Accusative
case); 1125 times (Genitive case); In addition ALLAH is mentioned in
Bismillah at the beginning of 113 Chapters.
Number of Chapters
prefixed with “Quranic Initials” (the
"Muqatta'at", such as A.L.M. of 2:1), in The Qur’an
-- [29]
Number of times the word
Qur’an appears in The Qur’an -- 99 times - [Yusuf Ali]
Number Prophets and
Messengers mentioned in The Qur’an -- 25
Number of Chapters
named after Prophets -- 7 -- Jonah [10], Hud [11],
Joseph [12], Abraham [14], Luqman [31], Muhammad [47], Noah [71]
First person to hear
The Qur’an recited by The Prophet -- Prophet’s wife Khadija, May
ALLAH Be Pleased with her.
First person to order
the compilation of The Qur’an into a Book -- Abu Bakr
As-Siddeeq, May ALLAH Be Pleased with him.
First person to compile
the Qur’an into a Book -- Zayd Ibn Thaabit, May ALLAH Be Pleased
with him.
[Citations]
[16], [17]
PERSONALITIES MENTIONED IN THE QUR’AN
.
FEMALE Personality mentioned in The Qur’an
Maryam (Mary) [34
times] [18]
a.
MALE Personalities mentioned in The Qur’an
Idris (2
times)
Ilyas (2 times) Hud (25 times) Al-Yasa' (2 times - 6:86 and 38:48) Nuh (43 times) Lot (27 times) Azar (* Q 6:74) Ibrahim (69 times) Ishmael (12 times) Ishaq (17 times) Ya'qub (16 times) Yusuf (27 times) al-'Aziz (Q 12:30, 12:51) Job (Q 4:163, 6:84, 21:83, 38:41) Jonah (Q 4:163, 6:86, 10:98, 37:139) Shu'ayb (10 times) Dawud (16 times) Sulayman (17 times) Dhu l-Kifl (Q 21:85, 38:48) 'Uzayr (* Q 9:30) Talut (Q 2:247, 2:249) Luqman (* Q 31:13) Dhul-Qarnayn (3 times) Saleh (9 times) Moses (136 times) Fir'aun (74 times) Haman (Q 2:68, 28:8, 28:38, 29:39, 40:24, 40:36) Harun (19 or 20 times) Qarun (Q 28:76, 28:79, 29:39, 40:24) Al-Samiri (Q 20:85, 20:87, 20:95) Imran (father of Maryam) (Q 3:33, 3:35, 66:12) Zakariyya (7 times) Yahya (5 times) Maryam (34 times) 'Isa (25 times) Muhammad (4 times: Q 3:144, 33:40, 47:2, 48:29) and Ahmad (Q 61:6) Zayd (* Q 33:37) Abu Lahab (* Q 111:1)
[18]
ANGELS MENTIONED IN THE QUR’AN
Angel of Death (* Q
32:11)
[18]
DEVIL MENTIONED IN THE QURAN
FALSE GODS MENTIONED IN THE QUR’AN
Al-'Uzza (* Q 53:19)
Manat(* Q 53:20)
Wadd (* Q 71:23)
Suwa' (* Q 71:23)
Yaghuth (* Q 71:23)
Ya'uq (* Q 71:23)
Nasr (* Q 71:23)
Ba'l (* Q 37:125)
[18]
GENERAL GROUPS MENTIONED IN THE QUR’AN
Apostles
Christians
Hypocrites
Jews
Magians
Martyrs
Pagans
Prophets
Sabians
[18]
SPECIFIC GROUPS MENTIONED IN THE QUR’AN
Disciples of Jesus
Jinns of Solomon
Muhammad's wives
Scribes of the Quran
People of the Cave
Pharaoh's sorcerers
Twelve Tribes of Israel
[18]
COMMUNITIES MENTIONED IN THE QUR’AN
'Ad
Companions of the
Elephant
Companions of the Rass
Egypt
Israelites
Mesopotamia
Midian
Nineveh
Sodom and Gomorrah
Thamud
People of Tubba
People of the Wood
Quraysh
Romans
[18]
[IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: "There have been
some attempts to apply various kinds of numerological meanings to some of
these statistics, in at least one case going so far as using such claims as
justification for editing out some verses of the Qur'an. Careful study by
qualified academic mathematicians have shown that such claims are completely
without merit."
[IMPORTANT NOTE: There may be differences in
the Statistics (Numbers). This is primarily due to the different definitions
of a word, a letter, or the beginning of verses as used by different
Scholars.]
References
[1] - [Dr
Laurence B. Brown – Scriptural Sources and Translations, God’ed – 2007]
[3] - [At-Tirmidhi, Sunan, Fada’il al-Quran:14, Hadith
#2906]
[6] - [Excerpted from
- Muhammad Asad – Introduction to the Message of the Quran –
1980]
[7] – [Excerpted from
- Yahiya Emerick – Preface to The Holy Qur’an – Guidance for Life, 2000]
[8] - [Arthur J. Arberry,
THE KORAN INTERPRETED, London: Oxford University Press, 1964, p. x.]
[9]
- [Goethe, the supreme genius of modern German
Literature - quoted in T. P. Hughes "Dictionary of Islam", p.
526]
[10] - [G. Margoliouth in his Introduction to J. M. Rodwells - 'The Koran", New York - 'Everyman's Library, 1977, p VI] [11] – [N. J. Dawood – Introduction to The Koran – 2003]
[13] – [Ecerpted from - http://www.quranicstudies.com/louay-fatoohi/quran/the-last-verse-of-the-quran.html
[16] – [http://www.quranicstudies.com/articles/miscellany/statistical-analysis-of-the-holy-quran.html]
With Thanks To Brother
Waleed Kavalec for his Kind Support and Advice.
most humbly
Arshad Chaudhry
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