The word “Qur’an” comes from the Arabic verb, qara’a meaning “to recite”, “to read”. According to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the command given to him by Gabriel three times in the cave of Hira was “Iqra'” or read. Prophet Muhammad replied, “I do not read”? Thus, the word that was sent down by Allah Almighty through the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad is known as the Glorious Qur’an.
The Glorious Qur’an includes instructions of Allah Almighty for Prophet Muhammad
and his followers over the 23-years, from A.D. 610 to his departure in
632. The revelations, in the Glorious Qur’an are from an identical book
located in Heaven, revealed through the angel Gabriel.
What is the Qur’an?
The Glorious Qur’an is the very word of Allah, revealed through Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad. The language of the Glorious Qur’an
is Arabic, the dialect belonged to the Quraysh tribe, the tribe
entrusted with the city of Mecca and the tribe Prophet Muhammad’s family
was a part of.
The Glorious Qur’an is divided into 114 chapters, called surah(s), these
chapters, with the exception of the first are generally arranged
according to length. Surah 2, Al-Baqarah, is the longest chapter in the
Glorious Qur’an.
The chapters of the Glorious Qur’an also have a title derived from a
word within the text; these titles necessarily have a link to the
subject manner in the surah, from which it is derived. The titles have
names such as Al-Baqarah “The Cow” and An-Nisa’, “Women” An-Nahl “The
Bee”, etc.
In the beginning of every surah, there is a short prayer, the Basmalah,
which says “In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious the Most Merciful”.
This prayer is at the start of every surah except the ninth Surah
At-Tawbah.
The verses of the surah, called ayah vary in size (pl, ‘Ayat). The
Glorious Qur’an is written in rhyme prose, saj`a a style similar to the
prose that is unique style, different from poetry and prose.
The Glorious Qur’an is the speech of Allah Almighty that was talked to
Gabriel in order to convey it to the Prophet Muhammad. Allah refers to
Himself as “We” or “I” and Prophet Muhammad is addressed by “Say”. Prophet Muhammad
was ordered by his Lord to tell the message Allah has given him is
Allah’s final messenger to the world and Prophet Muhammad is the “seal
of the prophets”.
How was the Glorious Qur’an revealed?
The Glorious Qur’an is the written text
of the revelation which Muhammad received from Allah Almighty. The
account of how Muhammad first received the revelation of the Glorious Qur’an is recorded in the traditions of the Prophet and by early Islamic historians who explained the events.
In the year A.D. 610, Prophet Muhammad was forty-years old. When he was
mediating in the cave of Hira’ he received his call to Prophethood. This
Prophetic call was the beginning of the Glorious Qur’an. A Muslim historian, Muhammad H. Haykal, reports the events of Muhammad’s call, according to Islamic traditions as follows:
One day, while Muhammad was in the cave, an angel approached him. The
angel said to Muhammad, “Read.” Muhammad answered, “I do not read.” He
felt as if the angel had strangled and then released him and heard once
more the command, “Read.” Muhammad’s reply was, “I do not read.” Once
more he felt the angel strangling and then releasing him, and he heard
him repeat the command, “Read.” For the third time Muhammad answered, ” I
do not read.” fearful that this time the strangling would be stronger.
The angel replied, “Read in the name of your Lord, Who Created, created
man of a clot of blood. Read! Your Lord is Most Gracious. It is He Who
taught man by the pen that which he does not know. [Al-`Alaq
96:1-5]
Muhammad recited these verses, repeating them after the angel who
withdrew after they were permanently carved upon his memory. Thus the
earliest of the biographies reported, and so did ibn Is’haq.
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The Glorious Qur’an is the Word of Allah
Almighty that was sent down by Allah Almighty through the angel of
revelation Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad.
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Muhammad went home and confided to his wife, Khadijah about what just happened in the cave, he confessed he feared on himself, she reassured Prophet Muhammad (peace be up on him). Khadijah then went to her cousin Waraqah ibn Nawfal, who was had some knowledge of previous scriptures, she was eager for advice regarding Prophet Muhammad (peace be up on him). Upon hearing the events regarding Muhammad, Waraqah declared him a prophet of Allah to the whole world.
As Muhammad entered his house he asked Khadijah to wrap him in blankets. She could see that her husband was shivering as if struck with high fever. When he calmed down, he cast toward his wife the glance of a man in need of rescue and said, “O Khadijah, what has happened to me?” He told her of his experience and intimated to her his fear. She said to him, “Joy to my cousin! Be firm. By him who dominates Khadijah’s soul I hope that you are the Prophet of Allah Almighty. By God, He will not let you down. You are kind to your kin; your speech is always true; you rescue the weary; entertain the guest and help the truth to prevail. When Waraqah was informed about the event of Angel Gabriel he broke into these words: “Holy, Holy! By Him who dominates Waraqah’s soul, if your report is true, O Khadijah, this must be the Great Spirit that spoke to Moses. Muhammad must be the Prophet of Allah.
From this point forward, the angel who appeared to the Prophet Muhammad would come back over the remaining 22 years of his life, from forty to age sixty-two, giving him further revelations. The 114 Surahs recorded in the Glorious Qur’an are linked to the periods in Muhammad’s life, until his death in A.D. 632. The method of revelation was not always the same according to Islamic tradition.
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