Qur'an

The Qur'an ({{lang-ar|أَلْقُرآن}} al-qur'ān literally "the recitation"; also called Al Qur'ān Al Karīm or "The Noble Qur'an"; or transliterated Quran, Koran, and less commonly Alcoran) is the holy book of Islam. It is a tenet of Islam that the Qur'an is the literal word of God in Arabic and the culmination of God's revelation to mankind, revealed to Muhammad, the final prophet of Islam, over a period of 23 years through the angel Jibril (Gabriel).

The language of the Qur'an

The Qur'an is one of the first written works in Arabic. It is written in an early form of classical Arabic termed in English “Quranic” Arabic. There are few other examples of Arabic from that time. (The Mu'allaqat, or Suspended Odes, are believed by some to be examples of pre-Islamic Arabic; others say that they were created after Muhammad. Only five pre-Islamic Arabic inscriptions survive.)

Related Topics:
Arabic - Mu'allaqat - Pre-Islamic Arabic inscriptions

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Soon after Muhammad's death in 632 CE, Islam burst out of Arabia and conquered much of what was then the “civilized” world. Arab rulers had millions of foreign subjects, with whom they had to communicate. The language rapidly changed in response to this new situation, losing complexities of case and obscure vocabulary. Several generations after the prophet's death, many words used in the Qur'an had become opaque to ordinary sedentary Arabic-speakers, as Arabic had changed so much, so rapidly. The Bedouin speech changed at a considerably slower rate, however, and early Arabic lexicographers came to seek out Bedouin to explain difficult words or elucidate points of grammar. Partly in response to the religious need to explain the Qur'an to poorer speakers, Arabic grammar and lexicography soon became important sciences, and the model for the literary language remains to this day the speech used in Qur'anic times, rather than the current spoken dialects.

Related Topics:
Bedouin - Arabic grammar

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Muslims contend that the Qur'an is remarkable for its poetry and grace, and that its very literary perfection is evidence of its divine origin. Since this perfection is apparent only to those who speak Arabic, this stands as one reason why only the original Arabic text is considered the real Qur’an. Translations are considered mere glosses, as intepretations of - rather than the direct word of - God. The traditions governing the translation and publication of the Qur'an state that when the book is published, it should never simply be entitled "The Qur'an." The title should always include a defining adjective (avoiding conceivable confusion with other "recitations", in the Arabic sense), which is why most available editions of the Qur'an are titled The Glorious Qur'an, The Noble Qur'an, and other similar titles.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Every reputable Islamic scholar should be able, at the least, to read and understand the Qur'an in its original form. Many Muslims, children and adults, including many who do not otherwise understand Arabic, memorize the Qur'an partially or as a whole; indeed, doing so is necessary in order to perform salat (prayer).

Related Topics:
As a whole - Salat

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~