About Quran

The Qur'anic revelation was made by Archangel Gabriel to Prophet Mohamrned (PBUH). It took place over a period of more than 20 years beginning with the first verses of sura 96. After a three year hiatus, the revelation continued up to the death of the Prophet (PBUH) in 632 C.E.

Whenever a fragment of the Qur'an was revealed, the Prophet (PBUH) called one of his literate companions and dictated it to him, indicating at the same time the exact position of the new fragment in the fabric of what had already been revealed. Extremely diverse materials were used for this initial record e.g. leather, parchment, wooden tablets, bones and soft stones for inscription. At the same time the Prophet (PBUH) recommended his followers to memorise the Qur'an, thereby doubly preserving the text.

Following the death of the Prophet (PBUH) in 632 C.E., Abu Bakr (RA), the first Caliph of Islam, asked the Prophet's (PBUH) main scribe, Zaid Ibn Thabit, to make a copy which he duly did. On Omar's (RA) initiative (the then future second Caliph), Zaid consulted all the information he could assemble in Medina and produced a very faithful copy of the book.

Omar, Abu Bakr's successor in 634 C.E. subsequently made a single volume (mushaf) which he preserved and passed on to Hafsa, his only daughter and the Prophet's (PBUH) widow. The third Caliph, Uthman (RA), entrusted a commission of experts with the preparation of the great recension that bears his name. The commission evaluated the authenticity of the document produced under Abu Bakr (RA) and which had remained with Hafsa until then. They also consulted Muslims who had memorised the Qur'an. The critical analysis of the authenticity of the text was carried out very stringently. The agreement of the witnesses was deemed necessary before the slightest verse containing debatable material was retained. The result was a text containing an order of sura that reflects the order followed by the Prophet (PBUH) during his recitals in Ramadan. The 114 suras were arranged in approximately decreasing order of length although there were exceptions.

"Alif Laam Raa. A book which we have revealed to you (Muhammad) so that you may lead the people from out of the darknesses into the light by their Lord's leave to the path of the All-Mighty, the Praiseworthy." [Qur'an 14:1] 

The Qur'an ("Qor-Ann") is a Message from Allah to humanity. It was transmitted to us in a chain starting from the Almighty Himself (swt) to the angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad (saas). This message was given to the Prophet (saas) in pieces over a period spanning approximately 23 years (610 CE to 622 CE). The Prophet (saas) was 40 years old when the Qur'an began to be revealed to him, and he was 63 when the revelation was completed. The language of the original message was Arabic, but it has been translated into many other languages.

The Qur'an is one leg of two which form the basis of Islam. The second leg is the Sunnah of the Prophet (saas). What makes the Qur'an different from the Sunnah is primarily its form. Unlike the Sunnah, the Qur'an is quite literally the Word of Allah, whereas the Sunnah was inspired by Allah but the wording and actions are the Prophet's. The Qur'an has not been expressed using any human's words. Its wording is letter for letter fixed by no one but Allah.

Prophet Muhammad (saas) was the final Messenger of Allah to humanity, and therefore the Qur'an is the last Message which Allah has sent to us. Its predecessors such as the Torah, Psalms, and Gospels have all been superceded. It is an obligation - and blessing - for all who hear of the Qur'an and Islam to investigate it and evaluate it for themselves. Allah has guaranteed that He will protect the Qur'an from human tampering, and today's readers can find exact copies of it all over the world. The Qur'an of today is the same as the Qur'an revealed to Muhammad (saas).

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