Qur’an

I

Introduction

Qur’an or Koran, the holy book of Islam. For Muslims it is the very word of Allah, the absolute God of Islamic faith, and was revealed to the prophet Muhammad. The angel Gabriel is said to have spoken Allah’s words into the Prophet's ear. According to Muslim tradition, after this ecstatic experience Muhammad was able to recite exactly what he had been told. The term Qur’an, which means 'recitation,” occurs several times in the text itself; the term refers either to a fragment of the revelation or to the entire collection of revelations that are known as the Qur’an.

Oral recitation of the Qur’an is believed by Muslims to be the believer’s most direct contact with the word of God. The art of recitation, known as tajwid or tartil, is consequently highly valued among Muslims. Heard day and night on the streets, in mosques (Muslim houses of worship), in homes, in taxis, and in shops, the sound of the Qur’an being recited is far more than the pervasive background music of daily life in the Islamic world. Recitation of the Qur’an is the core of religious devotion. The sound of voices reciting the holy book inspires much of Muslim religious and social life. Participation in recitation, whether as reciter or listener, is itself an act of worship, for both acts are basic to a Muslim's religion and invoke a tradition beginning with Muhammad that transcends the particular occasion.

II

The Teachings of the Qur’an

The main topic of the Qur’an is God’s relationship with humanity. The Qur’an summons humans to acknowledge God's sovereignty over their lives and invites them to submit to his will. The chief doctrines laid down in the Qur’an are that only one God and one true religion exist; that all people will undergo a final judgment, with the just being rewarded with eternal bliss and the sinners being punished; and that when humankind turned from truth, God sent prophets to lead the way back. The greatest of these prophets were Abraham, Moses, Jesus Christ, and Muhammad.

According to this sacred scripture, humankind’s fundamental role in this world is one of moral struggle. Each person will be held accountable for this struggle at the end of time. God sent the prophet Muhammad and the Qur’an to instruct humanity in how to lead a moral life. The teachings of the Qur’an are dispersed and repeated throughout the holy book rather than being organized as topics. The subjects of these teachings include God and creation, prophets and messengers from Adam to Jesus, Muhammad as a preacher and as a ruler, Islam as a faith and as a code of life, disbelief, human responsibility and judgment, and society and law. On many specific questions the Qur’an is silent, and so the life and sayings of Muhammad collected in the hadiths were necessary for the development of Islamic laws and most religious practices.

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While the Qur’an itself does not instruct about the nature of humanity’s moral struggle in detail, the significance of this responsibility is emphasized by the portrayal of the Day of Judgment in some of the most powerful passages of the Qur’an. Muslims believe that on that day the world will come to an end, the dead will be resurrected, and a judgment will be pronounced on every person in accordance with his or her acts. The Qur’an vividly depicts the torment of Hell and the bliss of Paradise, the two realms to which people will be sent once judgment has been pronounced. In chapter 100, the Day of Judgment is described:

Although the Qur’an accepts the miracles of earlier prophets, including the prophets of the Hebrew and Christian Bibles (Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and others), it declares their teachings outdated. The central miracle of Muhammad's life is the receiving of the Qur’an itself, the like of which no human can produce.

III

The Place of the Qur’an in Muslim Life

For Muslims, the Qur’an teaches the meaning of life. Consequently, it holds a pride of place at the very center of Muslim religious life and practice. There is no more eloquent testimony to the place accorded the Qur’an in a Muslim’s life than the effort that many pious individuals make to internalize the scripture by memorizing it in its entirety. A person who has thus memorized the complete text is known as a hafiz, one who keeps the Qur’an in his or her heart.

Parts of the Qur’an are recited on many different occasions. A Muslim who observes the five daily prayers will recite several short chapters from the Qur’an each day. Passages are recited at birth to the newborn and at death to the dying. All the great events of life and the rites of passage in the Muslim world are marked by recitation of the Qur’an. Parts of the holy book are incorporated into the rites of marriages and funerals. A new venture of any kind, whether in public or private life, is inaugurated by the recitation of blessings from the Qur’an. In many Muslim countries every public meeting starts with the recitation of Qur’anic verses. It is a special mark of devotion to recite the whole of the Qur’an at least once during Ramadan, the month of fasting.

Evidence of the reverence Muslims have for the written text of the Qur’an is also apparent in the ornate design given to the text by calligraphers, illuminators, and bookbinders. The art of the calligrapher has been beautifully demonstrated in the decoration of Qur’anic text. Qur’anic verses also appear as architectural decoration on mosques, mausoleums, and other public buildings. Along with the practice of recitation, the abiding presence of the written text reflects the Muslim faith in the presence of God’s word in their lives. Muslims observe rituals for approaching and handling the sacred text. Before touching the holy book, Muslims follow rituals for purification including washing and preparing the mind, body, and spirit. Care must be taken that the Qur’an does not come into contact with any unclean substance, and it is never to be laid upon the ground.

IV

The Historical Origins of the Qur’an

The significance of the Qur’an and the Muslim understanding of its sacredness can first be understood within the story of the prophet Muhammad. According to Islamic belief, the experience of receiving the revelations transformed Muhammad, a human being like any other, into a prophet who became the leader of his people and a man who profoundly influenced the history of the world. See Spread of Islam.

Muhammad’s home, the Arab city of Mecca, was a major religious center and site of the revered sanctuary and shrine, the Kaaba. According to legend, the ancient religious patriarch of the Hebrew Bible, Abraham, and his son, Ishmael, built the shrine using foundations laid by the first human being and father of humankind, Adam. During Muhammad’s years there, from about ad 570 to 622, Mecca was also an environment of spiritual and intellectual unrest. The people of Mecca lived under an ancient system of tribes and clans; this system had evolved from their former nomadic lifestyle of herding and moving from place to place according to seasonal changes. But the moral values of this tribal social system were breaking down as the people struggled to adapt themselves to the lifestyle of Mecca, a thriving commercial town. As an orphan, dependent on his uncle for protection and a livelihood, Muhammad experienced the bitter competition and politics of his times.

Muhammad was probably exposed to both Christian and Jewish religious dialogues in Mecca. Prior to his prophetic call, Muhammad had developed the custom of retreating to a cave outside Mecca to meditate and pray. During one such retreat when he was 40 years old, he experienced the call to prophethood. The following verses (Qur’an 96:1-5) are said to be the first revelation.

According to Islamic tradition, revelations such as this continued to come to Muhammad in Mecca for 13 years, and later in Medina, a city about 300 km (200 mi) to the north, where he migrated in 622 and lived until he died in 632. The revelations came in fragments as responses to the circumstances that he and his emerging Muslim community faced. The fragmentary nature of the revelations distinguishes the Qur’an from other sacred texts, including many books of the Hebrew Bible, which tell a coherent history or story.

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