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Its mode of revelation, its compilation in the early years of Islam, its structure and major themes Its authority and place in Islamic beliefs, its relationship with other sources of knowledge The bride of the Qur'an opens up her veil (secrets) at a place where the metropolis of faith (Imam) is free from pollution. (Persian poet)
The Qur'an is replete with historical discourses and allusions without being a book of history.
The Qur'an is the only authentic, contemporary document of Muhammad's lifetime. The first revelation of the Qur'an began on the 15th night of the month of Ramadan in the 41st year of the Prophet's life. Its first Surah was revealed in the cave Hira when the following verse was revealed: Recite in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created- Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood. The last verse of the Qur'an was revealed on the 9th Dhul Hajja in the year 10AH (63rd year of Prophet's life): This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you,and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. The period in which the Qur'an was revealed in its entirety was 22 years, 2 months and 22 days. At the death of Muhammad, there was not in existance any written collection of revelations of the Qur'an in final form. As long as the Prophet was alive , new revelations were continually being added to the earlier ones. The body of Divine revelation continued to grow throughout the life time of the Prophet. But even at that time, much of the later Qur'an must have already been written down. As soon as the need for securing Allah's revelations through His Prophet was realised, it became necessary not to rely solely on memory work, as a good deal of the "words" could get lost - human memory being what it is. The task therefore naturally presented itself of collecting this valuable legacy in as complete and accurate form as posssible and preserving it from destruction. The people soon felt obliged to secure the revelations from Allah by writing them down; and it is easy to understand that to begin with, materials readiest to hand, like shoulder-blades, palm leaves, stones etc., were used for writing purposes. Amongs the earliest recorders of these revelations were Zaid bin Thabit, Mu'awiyah bin Abi Sufiyan, Kahlid bin al-Walid and Zubair bin al-Awam all of whom were the companions of the Prophet. The Prophet himself was unlettered (Ummi) and the Qur'an was the greatest miracle revealed to him from Allah. Revelation, we are told in the Qur'an, is granted to man in three forms: "And it is not vouchsafed to any mortal that Allah should speak to him, except by revelation (wahy) or from behind a veil, or by sending a messenger and revealing by His permission what He pleases. The first of these three modes is called wahy, which is generally translated as meaning revelation. Nature of the Prophet's revelation: "It comes to me sometimes as the ringing of a bell and this is hardest on me, then he (the angel) leaves me and I remember from him what he says; and sometimes the angel comes in the shape of a man and he talks to me and I remember what he says" . These are the only two forms in which the Quranic revelation came to the Prophet. In both cases, the angel came to him and was seen by him; in both cases a certain message was delivered in words which he at once committed to memory. It all started with the realisation of the unfortunate fact that many of the people who knew Qur'an by heart (Huffaz) had perished in the battle with the false prophet Musailima. This aroused in 'Umar the fear that some knowledge of the revelations might be lost. 'Umar then induced the Caliph, Abu Bkar, to begin the collection of the scattered discourses. The work was entrusted to the companion and the secretary of Muhammad, Zaid bin Thabit. The latter collected everything that was written on different, often primitive, materials and compared it with what people had retained in their memories, and wrote them on seperate leaves which he gave to Abu Bkar. The book was given to Hafsa, the widow of Prophet, for safe-keeping. It was this same first copy that later formed the basis of the work of compilation done by the thrid Caliph, 'Uthamn bin 'Affan. With the reign of 'Uthman the third Caliph, there were in existence 4 editions of the Qur'an (they gradually disappeared after the authorization of the final edition in 'Uthman's period) which found accpetance, each in particular region: Damsacus, Hums, Kufa and Basra. It was open to individuals to recite the collection of Qur'an in their own dialect, with the possibility of misunderstanding in detail, or to use ther collections . In a campaign of Muslim troops from Syria and Mesopotamia against Armenia the commander found such a difference in the recitation of the holy verses that he reported it to 'Uthman. The existance od several dvergenet versions in the matter of arrangement would produce uncertainty among the believers - it is too obvious and inevitable. To avoid this unfortunate situation, something had to be done. 'Uthman asked Hafsah to let him have the suhuf (the copy of the Qur'an in her posession) so that copies might be made of them. The people entrusted with this work (one of which was Zaid bin Thabit) had an important assignement of writing down the Holy Book in the dialect of the Quraish to whom Muhammad belonged and of arranging the chapters of the Qur'an as they exist today. The Qur'an was revealed in the dialect of the Quraish (Uthman's order was to write it in the manner of the Quraish; Zaid was a Madinite while his colleagues were Quraish.) if there was any difference between 4 Uthman's standard copy and the collection made by Abu Bakr, it was a difference only as to the mode
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if there was any difference between 4 Uthman's standard copy and the collection made by Abu Bakr, it was a difference only as to the mode of writing certain words
In short, there was no change of words, no change of verses and no change in the order of chapters. Of the second copies then made, one was kept in Mecca, while three were sent as standard texts to Kufa, Basra and Damscus. From these only must copies henceforth be made, and to prevent disobediance all other copies were ordered to be burned. The only difference which now affects the reader is a slight variety in the numbering of the verses. It was in this way that there came unto existance the authorized version of the Qur'an whic has generally remained authoritative to the present day and has formed with the Sunnah the solid foundations for Muslim's life and thought. It is true to say that there has not been any change even of a word in the Holy Qur'an from the time of the Prophet till to-day.
The Qur'an is itself clear on this point: "And those who disbelieve say: Why has not the Qur'an been revealed to him all at once? Thus (it is) that We may strengthen thy heart by it, and We have arranged it well in arranging" (25 : 32) The arrangement of the Qur'an was thus a part of the Divine scheme. Since no one could take the liberty of changing a word or the place of a word in a verse, no one could change a verse or the place of a verse in a chapter; and so the committing of the Qur'an to memory by so many of the Companions of the Prophet, and their constant recitation of it, would have been impossible unless a known order was followed. The Prophet could not teach the Qur'an to his companions nor the companions to each other, nor could he or anyone else lead the public prayers, in which long portions of the Book were recited, without following a known and accepted order.
Previous revelations were limited in their scope. Each was designed to meet the needs of the people to whom it was sent during the stage of development. Each contained fundamental truths, valid through the ages in respect of the whole of mankind, but it also contained guidance, directions, commandments, and prohibitions which were of a local or temporary character. Moreover in course of time, portions of those revelations were lost or forgotten. That which was of universal and permanent application in these previous revelations, and other scriptures, has been affirmed in the Qur'an. Such portions as had been lost or were overlooked or forgotten but were still needed, have been revived. That which was of purely local or temporary application and was no longer needed has been omitted. That which was not contained in previous rvelations, the need for it not yet having arisen, but which would henceforth be needed by mankind, was added. The Qur'an reaffirms all that was fundamental in previous revelations and which is still needed by mankind. That is part of the guidance which the Prophet, and through him the Muslims, and indeed, all mankind are exhorted to follow. The guidance revealed by God through the prophets. No just estimate of Allah do they make when they say: "Nothing doth Allah send down to man (by way of revelation)" Say: "Who then sent down the Book which Moses brought?- a light and guidance to man: But ye make it into (separate) sheets for show, while ye conceal much (of its contents): therein were ye taught that which ye knew not- neither ye nor your fathers." Say: "(Allah) (sent it down)" (6:91) Thus the Qur'an, while reaffirming the truth of all previous revelations, itself comprises all truth for the whole of mankind for all time. It has been described as "pure scriptures, comprising lasting commandments". The Qur'an is thus a universal possession and inheritance; its message is directed to the whole of mankind. O men! I am sent unto you all, as the Messenger of Allah, to Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth: there is no god but He...(7:158)
We are now asked to listen to the proclamation of Muhammad's universal mission. We contemplate no longer, after this, partial truths. It is not now a question of saving Israel from the bondage of Egypt, nor teaching Midian the ethics of business, nor reclaiming the people of Lut from sexual sin or Thamud from the sin of oppression in power, or 'Ad from arrogance and ancestor-worship. Now are set forth plainly the issues of Life and Death, the Message of Allah, the One Universal God to all mankind.
It expounds and explains all that is, or may be needed by mankind for the complete fulfillment of life: ...and We have sent down to thee the Book explaining all things, a Guide, a Mercy, and Glad Tidings to Muslims. Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, that ye may receive admonition. (16:89-90) It seeks to create faith in God through revelation of God's signs; it makes provision for mankind's welfare-material, moral, and spiritual; it teaches all that is needed for the beneficent regulation of human life through various legislations. It draws attention to the various Divine Attributes, their operation and the manner in which mankind may derive benefit from the knowledge thereof. In short, all that is basic for the promotion of human welfare in all spheres, is set forth and expounded. It is this comprehensiveness of the Qur'an, the need to make provision for guidance in every respect, for all peoples for all time, that made it necessary that the guidance should be conveyed in verbal revelation. The Qur'an is literally the Word of God and possesses the quality of being alive, as the universe is alive. It yields new truths and fresh guidance in every age and at every level. It is a standing and perpetual miracle. The Qur'an speaks at every level, it seeks to reach everytype of understanding. One of the many characteristics of the Qur'an which marks it the Word of God is that to arrive at the comprehension of its deeper meaning and significance, the seeker must, in addition to certain level od knowledge of the language and the principles of interpretation, cultivate purity of thought and action. Book well-guarded, which none shall touch but those who are clean...(56:78-79)
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Book well-guarded, which none shall touch but those who are clean...(56:78-79) The Qur'an is a perpetual message given to the Prophet for the purpose of setting forth the guidance that may be needed in the new age, and for illustrating the values demanded by the exigencies with which man may then be faced.
The arrangement of verses in the Qur'an does not follow any chronological order. Whenever a verse or group of verses were revealed the Prophet indicated its place in the order and sequence of the Qur'an. One reason why the present arrangement does not adhere to the chronological order is that the revelation came as it was needed in the contemporaneous state of the people to whom it was immediately addressed, the purpose being, first to create faith in the existence and unity of God, then to lay the foundations of a beneficent society in accordance with the principles of Islam; then to reconstruct society on these principles and to train it in their exercise so that the people could become the bearers of the Divine message and illustrate it in practice in daily living. In view of the lack of the mass printing facilities, the method adopted for safeguarding the revelation was to commit it to memory rather than to preserve it in the form of a book, though the text of each revelation comprising one or more verses, was also written down as it was received. The contents of the Qur'an were early divided into the obvious and the ambiguous: some of its signs are of themselves perspicuous these are the basis of the Bookand others are figurative. But they whose hearts are given to err, follow its figures, craving discord, craving a selfish interpretation; yet none knoweth its interpretation but God. It was recognized that some passages were capable of more than one interpretation; these were to be explained in the light of those whose meaning was beyond doubt. Also some verses had been cancelled by later revelations. Opinions among modern Muslim scholars tend to suggest that this cancellation is not a contradiction but only limitation. For liturgical purposes, the Qur'an is divided into thirty equal parts. Merit is to be got by reading the Qur'an and the thirty parts are usually recited during the thirty nights of Ramadan during Tarawih prayers. Its division is partly literary, partly liturgical; the former is original, the latter secondary. Division into verses is structural. They are named ayat or signs, and the ambiguity between this word and the same term for miracles (semeia) is played upon by Muhammad when he places those who reject his verses on a level with those who despised the signs of earlier prophets, or when he makes his ayat of utterance equal in value to their ayat of action. The verses of the Qur'an are built up into chapters called Surahs, a word which may mean a layer of stones in a wall. These chapters vary very greatly in length, ranging from 286 verses in S. 2 (the Cow) to 3 verses in S. 108 (Abundance). The manner of their arrangement, according to length (see p. 2), has resulted, generally speaking, in an inversion of the chronological order, as the longest Surahs, which are mainly the latest, come first, while the shortest and earliest are placed last. The verses in the Arabic text are divided by small circles, but the position of these is not quite uniform in all editions, so that the total number of verses in the book varies from 6239 to 6211. For liturgical and devotional purposes the Qur'an is further divided as foIIows : Ruku (= bow) is the name given to sections of about ten verses, after each of which the devout reader makes a bow of reverence. Juz' (portion), in Persian sipura (a thirtieth), signifies one of the portions for recitation on each day of the month of Ramazan. The juz' is divided into four sections : rub' = a quarter; nisf = a half; thulth = three quarters. Manzil (stage). Of these there are seven to guide the worshipper who desires to read the Qur'an through in a week. The Holy Qur'an is a mine of information of Islamic teachings. It discusses the principles of religious beliefs. These are the faith in the Unity of Allah without any association with Him; the eschatological beliefs like rewards for good actions in the next world, the punishment for evil doers, the Heaven and the Hell and the Angelic World. In the matter of devotion, it explains the Five Pillars of Islam, Prayers (Salat), Fasting (Saum) Alms giving (Zakat), and the Pilgrimage (Hajj), etc. On sociological matters, it deals with the institutions like marriage, divorce, care of the orphans and widows, prohibited degree of relations and inheritance after the death of a Muslim. At individual level, the Holy Qur'an teaches good conduct, discusses Islamic ethics and lays down rules guiding the exchange of visits to one another, treatment of guests, neighbours, orphans, wayfarers, poor and needy members of society. The Holy Qur'an teaches that justice should be done in every matter by a true believer. In order to give lessons as to what happened to the earlier people, many stories are told of the communities like 'Ad, Thamud and the individuals like Korah, Pharaoh and Shaddad. As against these evil characters, the good examples from the lives of the prophets and the messengers of Allah are cited so as to guide people of all times to come.
Man's ingratitude for, and misuse of God's gifts God's power in nature Judgment Hell and
Paradise. There is in the Meccan passages a discussion of former and earlier prophets who appeared before Muhammad in the Jewish Religion and in the Christian Religion. Short accounts of the rejections of the Prophet at Mecca and of the punishment that will descend upon the pagans who rejected him, arc also contained in the Meccan Surahs. One significant fact about these Meccan Surahs is that they begin with short passages in a rhyming prose. Of the entire number of the Qur'anic Surahs, 93 were revealed at Mecca. It is extremely difficult to work out the exact dates of their revelations. The scholars of the Qur'an have at least succeeded in making a broad division of the Meccan Surahs into three groupings:
Total Surahs Number of the Surah 59 1, 17-21, 50-56, 67-97, 99, 109, 111-14 17 29-32, 34-39, 40-46
14 6, 7, 10-16, 23, 25-28
*It should be noted that Surah 110 was revealed at Mecca although it belongs to the Medinan period.
3 3, 58, 59 9 4, 5, 24, 33, 48, 57, 60, 63, 65 6 9, 22, 49, 66, 98, 110
a) Subject matter
When the Prophet disputes with his countrymen about the resurrection of the dead or the Oneness of God, when he refutes the assertion that he is a magician, a poet or one possessed; when he fights against the custom of burying newly born girls alive, we know that we are in Mecca. When we come to the Medinan period, on the other hand, we find the question relatively much easier to settle. Wherever we find warnings to the Jews on account of their evil deeds; summoning people to the holy war (on the path of Allah) or when the criminal or civil legislation are laid down, we are in Medina. References to contemporary events also help in determining what belongs to when. For instance, the references to events known to us from the Medinan period, the battles fought during Muhammad's wars, his discourses etc., afford us a particularly safe means of arranging the Surahs chronologically. In the Meccan Surahs, on the other hand, allusions to current events are few, as little is known about Muhammad's life at Mecca. Above all, there are no external means of dating the various pieces, the only grounds for deciding their order are stylistic.
b) Style
The Meccan Surahs show vigorous thoughts and considerable mastery of language and sound, while the moral and religious enthusiasm cannot be mistaken. The Surahs are written in short staccato sentences and phrases. On the other hand, the Surahs of the Medinan period are written in long and often unwieldy sentences with the result that the hearer has to listen carefully, or he will miss the meaning altogether. The language has become prose with rhyming words at intervals.
to simple and uneductaed Bedouin in the Srabian desert, as to the learned and sophisticated philosophers, and the retired Sufis and mysitics alike. It is this quality of being understandable and comprehensible to all classes of people that gives birth to new translations and commentaries. This is in fact the miracle of the Qur'an. There are two kinds of verses in the Qur'an, namely, the decisive and the allegorical the latter being those which are capable of different interpretations. The principles of Islam are enunciated in decisive words in the Qur'an; and, therefore, no attempt should be made to establish a principle on the strength of an allegorical passage, or of words susceptible of different meanings. The explanation of the Book should in the first place be sought in the Qur'an itself; for, whatever it has stated briefly, or merely hinted at, in one place, will be found expanded and fully explained elsewhere in it. The Tradition also affords an explanation of the Qur'an but a tradition can only be accepted when it is reliable and not opposed to what is clearly stated in the Qur'an.
Major themes
The Doctrine of God
Muhammad was before all things a monotheist, and his teaching of God overshadows all else in the Qur'an, as it does in the daily life of the Prophet. Indeed it is this that gives its peculiar dignity and power to the Qur'an. The two names of God in the earliest Surah (96) are Rabb=Lord, and Allah. Later Allah becomes the predominant name and it remains so, though for a time Rahman is much used. Muslim theology has rightly determined that Allah is the name of essence as compared with all others which are names of attribute only. The name Allah was known to pagan Arabs, a sth given to a chief tribal deity among the Arab pagans by way of exalting him. Allah is the contraction of Al Ilah=The Deity, the article emphasizing His uniqueness. Allah as: Self-subsistent Unity. As such Allah is the Eternal and Enduring, the Living and Abiding. He is the First and the Last, the Outer and the Inner. Omnipotence. Allah is the source of all things, to whom all creatures return, the Powerful who fixes all; the King of the Kingdom who rules all; the Forceful; the All-Compelling; He is Creator, Maker and Fashioner; He sustains as Life Giver and Provider; He is the Dominator who subdues all things to His will. Omniscience. Allah is the Seer, all-seeing but unseen, the Hearer and the Knower and is Watchful over the men 's doings; He is the Reckoner who notes and writes all things. Justice. The title of 'Adl=Just is not found in the Qur'an, but He is spoken of as the Truth. He is the Avenger, the Judge and the Despot of the Day of Judgement. He will judge severely each man according to his works. He is the acknowledger of good-will and service on the part of men. Mercy. He is the Provider who feed all things living, the Bestower of mercy, the Protector of his servants, Loving to those who follow His Apostle. To sinners who believe and repent He is the Pardoner who blots out their sins, while to their weaknesses He is the Indulgent.
guidance from Allah, who makes his burden light because he was created weak. Man is prone to sin, but not of sinful nature. Sin. Idea of sin is a missing of the mark or standard set by God. Shirk is unpardonable sin. Sin, in the main, is disobedience to the command of Allah. Believers are generally to confess their sins and they will find that Rabb is merciful to those who avoid great sins and commit only venial faults. The nature of salvation. Salvation includes not only pardon but also acceptance, both those being granted on the Day of Judgement. In effect it is deliverance from the results of sin by obedience to Allah (Islam). The condition of salvation. These are Repentance, Faith and Good Works, the last branching out into the five religious duties. Repentance is turning from sin to Allah, with the desire for pardon, of which it is a condition. The way of salvation. Summed up in two main conceptions. It is the practice of piety (piety is to believe in the truth, to be sincere in worship, to choose the next life rather than this).
Forgiveness. The teaching of refraining from punishing those whom they have right to punish was given in the first place to the Arabs of the Jahiliyyah period, the most revengeful of all peoples. They prided themselves on returning evil for evil, and looked down on anyone who acted otherwise as weak and hindering. Food and drink.
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Food and drink. Forbidden to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked The name of other than Allah; that which hath been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by being gored to death; that which hath been (partly) eaten by a wild animal; unless ye are able to slaughter it (in due form); that which is sacrificed on stone (altars); (forbidden) also is the division (of meat) by raffling with arrows: that is impiety. This day have those who reject faith given up all hope of your religion: yet fear them not but fear Me. This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. But if any is forced by hunger, with no inclination to transgression, Allah is indeed Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. (5:3) The Qur'anic prohibition of wine or any other intoxicating drink gives the Muslims a general stamp of sobriety unknown among the followers of any other religion. In Judaism, wine forms an integral part of their religious festivities and is considered to be a sacred drink. In Christianity only its abuse is condemned and it was never absent from the Church nor from its clergy, and that it attained enormous proportions among the latter. In the Holy Qur'an wine is condemned as a "handiwork of Satan" and a sin. Virtuous conduct in general. Virtuous conduct is not limited to the family and personal relations. Virtue is public as well as private. Public misconduct and wrong government policies are acts of much greater impiety and disobedience to Allah. A Muslim is asked to earn his bread lawfully. A Muslim is asked neither to lend nor to borrow money on interest, multiplying manifold, i.e. Making the rich richer and the poor poorer. Usury engenders callousness, it encourages greed, it breeds jealousy, it entails misery and inculcates abjectness. Besides the Holy Qur'an, there are a number of Traditions of the Prophet asking the true believers to refrain from making distinctions on the basis of caste or class or showing any kind of racial prejudice. The racial or national label matters nothing; the character matters everything: O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things). A Muslim is asked to abstain from suspecting the moves of others and not to envy one another. He should live peace fully with his fellow beings. Backbiting is compared to feasting upon the corpse of a dead brother. The Holy Qur'an teaches all lessons necessary for a believer to live as an ideal man in this life. The human life in this world is short and a believer has to set a good example by his deeds. By prescribing various rules in the Qur'an, Allah does not want to make a believer's life miserable. He, on the contrary wants to make it easier. A human being is unable, if left to himself and unaided by Divine guidance, to avoid pitfalls. Allah seeks not only to confer benefits on man but also to make light his burden. Muslims are asked to follow the example of the Prophet, the standard by which the rest of the mankind will be judged on the day of Judgement.