About the Qur'ân; Qur'ân Recitations & Translations
About the Qur’ân
The documented sources of Islam are the Qur'ân (القرآن, also spelled Koran or Quran) and ahadith (حديث, reports of sayings, doings, or contentions of the Prophet Mohammad, Peace Be Upon Him, PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم). The Qur'ân is translated to “the recitation” and is the exact word of Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) as revealed to the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم); its authenticity, originality and totality are intact in Arabic. In addition, the Qur'ân has been preserved by generation after generation of Muslims who have memorized the Qur’an in Arabic in it’s entirety. The Qur'ân has been analyzed time and time again for corruption, and evidence of the purity of this 'guarded tablet' has been well documented.
The revelations to Prophet Mohammed (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم) began one night during the month of Ramadan in the Cave of Hira’ (كهف حراء) in the year 610 A.D., when a voice from heaven called out to Mohammed (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم) with the command, "Recite! Recite! Recite!" At each command, the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم) responded “I am not a reader”. The angel, Gabriel /Jibreel (جبريل) recited three verses to Prophet Mohammed (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم) while he was sleeping, and when he awoke he had these verses, as he said, inscribed in his heart, and carved in his memory. Mohammed (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم) then realized he was a prophet and messenger of Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى), the last in a line of prophets and messengers, beginning with Prophet Abraham/Ibrahim (AS, عليه السلام) and ending with Prophet Jesus Christ/Issa (AS, عليه السلام), and responsible for inscribing the last, comprehensive, and most important of Allâh's (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) direct messages to the world. The people of Allâh (SWT سبحانه وتعالى) (the Jews and the Christians), were going astray, and revelations were provided to Prophet Mohammed (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم) to restore the people back on the right path. Revelations continued to be provided to Prophet Mohammed (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم) at different times over a period of approximately 23 years, and each time Prophet Mohammed (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم) would then repeat what he had heard and these would be memorized by several companions trained in remembering verses (al-qurra’, القرّاء) and written by some (writers of the revelations or katabit il-wahi, كتبة الوحي). However it was not written in entirety at once and not integrated or assembled into one book.
Early on during the revelations, the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم) on some occasions hasted in propagating to the writers and memorizers what he was hearing and seeing of the “guarded tablet” (اللوح المحفوظ), out of protectiveness of the script while he was receiving the revelation over a finite time – he was then handed down the verse in which Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) assured him and instructed him:
"Stir/move not thy tongue therewith that thou mayest hasten it (reading/reciting the Qur’an) (16) Verily, upon us the putting together thereof and promulgating thereof (enabling [you to perform] the recital thereof) (17) Wherefore when We recite it, follow thou the reading/recital thereof (18) And therafter, verily, upon us is the expounding thereof." (Reference: Qur'ân, Surat Al-Qiyama 75:16–19).
Verse 15:9 above was also revealed to the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم) assuring him and all of us that Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى) has promised to preserve the Qur'ân in its true form (as inscribed in the the “guarded tablet” (اللوح المحفوظ)), and his way was in part that a myriad people had the Qur'ân completely memorized during the lifetime of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم), and that has continued to be the case, with growing numbers, ever since, so that even now (and in the future) corrupting the Qur'ân by removing, adding, or altering content is impossible to achieve by enemies of Islam.
The revelations continued until the year of the death of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم), year 632 A.D. Prior to his death, Prophet Mohammad (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم) revealed the last verse of the Holy Qur'ân during his pilgrimage (called the ‘goodbye pilgrimage’, or حجة الوداع), and several companions shed tears as the listened to the final verse, as they realized that the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم) has concluded his message and took that as a sign of his departure soon afterwards.
After the death of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم), memorized revelations were written down in the caliphate of Abu Bakr (RA, رضي الله عنه), the verses in order in their respective suwar. Caliph 'Uthman (RA, رضي الله عنه) later ordered a definitive written copy of the text. Caliph 'Uthman (RA, رضي الله عنه) corroborated two sources in gathering and integrating the text: the written text that had been prepared at the time of Abu Bakr (RA, رضي الله عنه), and the memorization of the entire Qur’anic verses by many Muslims during the lifetime of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم). There were no variations or discrepancies between these two sources, so the documentation by ‘Uthman (RA, رضي الله عنه) was largely a codifying of a single version of a text so that it is all in one book. This version, the 'Uthmanic rescension, is the version of the Qur'ân that has remained, unchanged, the central Holy book in Islam, the word of Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى). Hadith relating to capturing the Qur'an in written form is in Bukhari Volume 6, Book 61, #509.
The Qur'ân assumes familiarity with major narratives recounted in Jewish and Christian scriptures, as it affirms the validity of these messages in their unaltered initial form as predecessors that gradually built upon each other along in the monotheistic chain, and that Islam is the correct, final, and complete religion that is the conclusion of this chain. The Qur'ân recounts some of the narratives of Jewish and Christian scriptures, expands upon some of them, and in some cases presents alternative accounts and interpretations of events to that which was propagated to many people across time between the times these scriptures were revealed and the arrival Islam, demonstrating corruption of certain recounts of historical events that occurred prior to the initiation of the revelations of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم).
The revelations continued until the year of the death of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم), year 632 A.D. Prior to his death, Prophet Mohammad (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم) revealed the last verse of the Holy Qur'ân during his pilgrimage (called the ‘goodbye pilgrimage’, or حجة الوداع), and several companions shed tears as the listened to the final verse, as they realized that the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم) has concluded his message and took that as a sign of his departure soon afterwards.
After the death of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم), memorized revelations were written down in the caliphate of Abu Bakr (RA, رضي الله عنه), the verses in order in their respective suwar. Caliph 'Uthman (RA, رضي الله عنه) later ordered a definitive written copy of the text. Caliph 'Uthman (RA, رضي الله عنه) corroborated two sources in gathering and integrating the text: the written text that had been prepared at the time of Abu Bakr (RA, رضي الله عنه), and the memorization of the entire Qur’anic verses by many Muslims during the lifetime of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم). There were no variations or discrepancies between these two sources, so the documentation by ‘Uthman (RA, رضي الله عنه) was largely a codifying of a single version of a text so that it is all in one book. This version, the 'Uthmanic rescension, is the version of the Qur'ân that has remained, unchanged, the central Holy book in Islam, the word of Allâh (SWT, سبحانه وتعالى). Hadith relating to capturing the Qur'an in written form is in Bukhari Volume 6, Book 61, #509.
The Qur'ân assumes familiarity with major narratives recounted in Jewish and Christian scriptures, as it affirms the validity of these messages in their unaltered initial form as predecessors that gradually built upon each other along in the monotheistic chain, and that Islam is the correct, final, and complete religion that is the conclusion of this chain. The Qur'ân recounts some of the narratives of Jewish and Christian scriptures, expands upon some of them, and in some cases presents alternative accounts and interpretations of events to that which was propagated to many people across time between the times these scriptures were revealed and the arrival Islam, demonstrating corruption of certain recounts of historical events that occurred prior to the initiation of the revelations of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم).
Structure of the Qur’ân
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The documented revelations were collected into a group of chapters/suwar and generally ordered according to length. The order of the suwar does not reflect the chronological order of revelation (e.g. the first five verses of the 96th chapter were undoubtedly the first revelations, which were followed by the first part of the 74th chapter, etc.). Some chapters were revealed complete, but the revelation of others was fragmented and extended over long periods. Surah are often noted to be revealed while the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH, SAW, صلى الله عليه وسلم) was in Makka ('Makiyya surah'), or while in Medina ('Madaniyya surah'). The first surah of the Qur'ân is Makkan and is comprised of seven verses, and contains the essense of the whole of the Qur'ân; the second surah of the Qur'ân opens with a clear statement as to the aims and objects of the Qur'ân; and the teachings of Islam and comparison with previous teachings is continued through the first four suwar of the Qur'ân.
The Qur'ân is broken down accordingly:
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Terminology |
Qur’ân translations
If you do not have a deep understanding of the Arabic language, then you must rely on translations of the Qur'ân to learn about Islam and to understand what is recited in the prayers. While the Arabic Qur'ân is perfectly preserved, each interpretation is different, and often the precision in the meaning may be slightly or significantly lost or limited upon translation. Therefore, it is imperative that converts learn Arabic. For information on learning Arabic, please visit our “About the Arabic Language” page. For those that do not yet know Arabic, we have provided links to Qur'ân translations and recitations.
While you read translations of the Qur'ân, it is important to consider the differences in perspective by each translator. It is also important to bear in mind that any translation, and all translations, cannot reach beyond an approximate interpretation that is intended as a tool for study and understanding of the original text in Arabic The following articles provide information about each translator/translation: Middle East Forum - Assessing English Translations of the Qur'an; and Ilmgate - A Survey of English Translations of the Quran. If you are curious about whether it is OK to read a translation of the Qur'an vs reading it in Arabic, the scholar Suhaib Webb has a statement on this here.
While you read translations of the Qur'ân, it is important to consider the differences in perspective by each translator. It is also important to bear in mind that any translation, and all translations, cannot reach beyond an approximate interpretation that is intended as a tool for study and understanding of the original text in Arabic The following articles provide information about each translator/translation: Middle East Forum - Assessing English Translations of the Qur'an; and Ilmgate - A Survey of English Translations of the Quran. If you are curious about whether it is OK to read a translation of the Qur'an vs reading it in Arabic, the scholar Suhaib Webb has a statement on this here.
Online Qur’ân Translations
- House Of Qurân: Translations as well as word-by-word recitation and memorization tool. Also available on smart phones.
- Qurân Explorer: Word search, phrase search, find a particular verse by several different translators, recites portions of the Qur'ân, also includes Arabic script. This is the tool used for the references for this website.
- Muslim-Web: Word search in Arabic only, find a particular verse but only one English translation, recites portions of the Qur'ân, also includes Arabic script. Also allows one to track which portions of the Qur'ân has been memorized.
- Tanzil: Word search, pages in Arabic vs translation.
Online Qur’ân Recitations
The following links will help you learn how to recite the Qur'ân in Arabic:
Online Qur’ân Tafsir (Explanation of the Qur’ân)
Tafsir is the explanation of the contents of the Qur'ân. While it is impossible to bring the exact meaning of everything from Qur'ân to English, tafsir is an excellent way to bring about a better understanding for English speaking readers. The Word tafsir is an arabic word تفسير which is derived from the root 'fassara.' Someone who writes tafsir is a 'mufassir." Several organizations and mosques in Chicagoland offer tafsir sessions. The following is a list of recommended resources providing recorded tafsir in English:
- Suhaib Webb
- Omer Mozaffer (Chicago teacher)
Online & Downloadable Arabic Qur'ans
- Qur'an Flash allows you to view different Qur'an prints, and also has an application you can download with these prints where clicking on a verse will bring up options for Tafsiir, Translation, and Transliteration.