10/9/2015 QuranWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Quran&printable=yes 1/32
ManuscriptoftheQuran.BrooklynMuseum.
11thcenturyNorthAfricanQuranintheBritishMuseum.
QuranFromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia
TheQuran(/krn/[n1]korAHNArabic:alqurn,[n2]literallymeaning"therecitation"alsoromanizedQur'anorKoran)isthecentralreligioustextofIslam,whichMuslimsbelievetobearevelationfromGod(Arabic:,Allah).[1]ItiswidelyregardedasthefinestpieceofliteratureintheArabiclanguage.[2][3]Somehavecriticisedthetext'shistoricalauthenticityandmorality.Quranicchaptersarecalledsurasandverses,ayahs.
MuslimsbelievetheQuranwasverballyrevealedbyGodtoMuhammadthroughtheangelGabriel(Jibril),[4][5]graduallyoveraperiodofapproximately23years,beginningon22December609CE,[6]whenMuhammadwas40,andconcludingin632,theyearofhisdeath.[1][7][8]MuslimsregardtheQuranasthemostimportantmiracleofMuhammad,aproofofhisprophethood,[9]andtheculminationofaseriesofdivinemessagesthatstartedwiththemessagesrevealedtoAdamandendedwithMuhammad.
Accordingtothetraditionalnarrative,severalcompanionsofMuhammadservedasscribesandwereresponsibleforwritingdowntherevelations.[10]ShortlyafterMuhammad'sdeath,theQuranwascompiledbyhiscompanionswhowrotedownandmemorizedpartsofit.[11]ThesecodiceshaddifferencesthatmotivatedtheCaliphUthmantoestablishastandardversionnowknownasUthman'scodex,whichisgenerallyconsideredthearchetypeoftheQuranwehavetoday.However,theexistenceofvariantreadings,withmostlyminorandsomesignificantvariations,andtheearlyunvocalizedArabicscriptmeantherelationshipbetweenUthman'scodextoboththetextoftoday'sQuranandtotherevelationsofMuhammad'stimeisstillunclear.[10]
TheQuranassumesfamiliaritywithmajornarrativesrecountedintheJewishandChristianscriptures.Itsummarizessome,dwellsatlengthonothersand,insomecases,presentsalternativeaccountsandinterpretationsofevents.[12][13][14]TheQurandescribesitselfasabookofguidance.Itsometimesoffersdetailedaccountsofspecifichistoricalevents,anditoftenemphasizesthemoralsignificanceofaneventoveritsnarrativesequence.[15][16]TheQuranisusedalongwiththehadithtointerpretsharialaw.[17]
Duringprayers,theQuranisrecitedonlyinArabic.[18]
SomeonewhohasmemorizedtheentireQuraniscalledahafiz.SomeMuslimsreadQuranicayah(verse)withelocution,whichisoftencalledtajwid.DuringthemonthofRamadan,MuslimstypicallycompletetherecitationofthewholeQuranduringtarawihprayers.InordertoextrapolatethemeaningofaparticularQuranicverse,mostMuslimsrelyonthetafsir.[19]
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10/9/2015 QuranWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia
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QuraninMashhad,IranwrittenbyAli.
Contents
1Etymologyandmeaning2History
2.1Propheticera2.2Compilation
3SignificanceinIslam3.1InWorship3.2InIslamicart3.3Inimitability
4Textandarrangement5Contents
5.1Monotheism5.2Eschatology5.3Prophets5.4Ethicoreligiousconcepts
6Literarystyle7Interpretation
7.1Esotericinterpretation7.1.1HistoryofSuficommentaries
7.2Levelsofmeaning7.3Reappropriation
8Translations9Recitation
9.1Rulesofrecitation9.2Variantreadings
10Writingandprinting10.1Writing10.2Printing
11Relationshipwithotherliterature11.1TheBible11.2Relationships11.3Arabwriting
12Seealso13Notes14References15Furtherreading16Externallinks
Etymologyandmeaning
Thewordqurnappearsabout70timesintheQuranitself,assumingvariousmeanings.Itisaverbalnoun(madar)oftheArabicverbqaraa(),meaning"heread"or"herecited".TheSyriacequivalentis()qeryn,whichrefersto"scripturereading"or"lesson".[20]WhilesomeWesternscholarsconsiderthewordtobederivedfromtheSyriac,themajorityofMuslimauthoritiesholdtheoriginofthewordisqaraa
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CaveofHira,locationofMuhammad'sfirstrevelation.
itself.[1]Regardless,ithadbecomeanArabictermbyMuhammad'slifetime.[1]Animportantmeaningofthewordisthe"actofreciting",asreflectedinanearlyQuranicpassage:"ItisforUstocollectitandtoreciteit(qurnahu)."[21]
Inotherverses,thewordrefersto"anindividualpassagerecited[byMuhammad]".Itsliturgicalcontextisseeninanumberofpassages,forexample:"Sowhenalqurnisrecited,listentoitandkeepsilent."[22]ThewordmayalsoassumethemeaningofacodifiedscripturewhenmentionedwithotherscripturessuchastheTorahandGospel.[23]
ThetermalsohascloselyrelatedsynonymsthatareemployedthroughouttheQuran.Eachsynonympossessesitsowndistinctmeaning,butitsusemayconvergewiththatofqurnincertaincontexts.Suchtermsincludekitb(book)yah(sign)andsrah(scripture).Thelattertwotermsalsodenoteunitsofrevelation.Inthelargemajorityofcontexts,usuallywithadefinitearticle(al),thewordisreferredtoasthe"revelation"(way),thatwhichhasbeen"sentdown"(tanzl)atintervals.[24][25]Otherrelatedwordsare:dhikr(remembrance),usedtorefertotheQuraninthesenseofareminderandwarning,andikmah(wisdom),sometimesreferringtotherevelationorpartofit.[1][26]
TheQurandescribesitselfas"thediscernment"(alfurqn),"themotherbook"(ummalkitb),"theguide"(huda),"thewisdom"(hikmah),"theremembrance"(dhikr)and"therevelation"(tanzlsomethingsentdown,signifyingthedescentofanobjectfromahigherplacetolowerplace).[27]Anothertermisalkitb(TheBook),thoughitisalsousedintheArabiclanguageforotherscriptures,suchastheTorahandtheGospels.Theadjectiveof"Quran"hasmultipletransliterationsincluding"quranic","koranic",and"qur'anic",orcapitalisedas"Qur'anic","Koranic",and"Quranic".Thetermmus'haf('writtenwork')isoftenusedtorefertoparticularQuranicmanuscriptsbutisalsousedintheQurantoidentifyearlierrevealedbooks.[1]Othertransliterationsof"Quran"include"alCoran","Coran","Kuran",and"alQuran".[28]
History
Propheticera
Seealso:Wahy
IslamictraditionrelatesthatMuhammadreceivedhisfirstrevelationintheCaveofHiraduringoneofhisisolatedretreatstothemountains.Thereafter,hereceivedrevelationsoveraperiodof23years.AccordingtohadithandMuslimhistory,afterMuhammademigratedtoMedinaandformedanindependentMuslimcommunity,heorderedmanyofhiscompanionstorecitetheQuranandtolearnandteachthelaws,whichwererevealeddaily.ItisrelatedthatsomeoftheQurayshwhoweretakenprisonersatthebattleofBadrregainedtheirfreedomaftertheyhadtaughtsomeoftheMuslimsthesimplewritingofthetime.ThusagroupofMuslimsgraduallybecameliterate.Asitwasinitiallyspoken,theQuranwasrecordedontablets,bones,andthewide,flatendsofdatepalmfronds.MostsuraswereinuseamongstearlyMuslimssincetheyarementionedinnumeroussayingsbybothSunniandShiasources,relatingMuhammad'suseoftheQuranasacalltoIslam,themakingofprayerandthe
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Quranicversecalligraphy,inscribedontheshoulderbladeofacamelwithinks
PartofAlAlaq96thsuraoftheQuranthefirstrevelationreceivedbyMuhammad.
mannerofrecitation.However,theQurandidnotexistinbookformatthetimeofMuhammad'sdeathin632.[29][30][31]ThereisagreementamongscholarsthatMuhammadhimselfdidnotwritedowntherevelation.[32]
SahihalBukharinarratesMuhammaddescribingtherevelat