Islam & The Holy

Quran.

What is Islam?
Islam is derived from the Arabic root "Salema": peace, purity,
submission and obedience. In the religious sense, Islam means
submission to the will of God and obedience to His law.
The word Allah in the Arabic language means God, or more
accurately, The One and Only Eternal God, Creator of the
Universe, Lord of all lords, King of all kings, Most
Compassionate, Most Merciful. The word Allah to mean God
is also used by Arabic speaking Jews and Christians.
Muslims call their religion Islam, and the Arabic word Islam
implies the attainment of peace through submission to Allah.
The word Muslim is an adjective derived from the noun Islam,
and implies one who has peace within himself from his
submission to Allah.

Muslims believe in the One, Eternal God, Who created the

heavens and the earth and all that exists. In Arabic, God is
called Allah. There is absolutely no difference between Allah
and the God of Abraham, Moses and Jesus, peace be upon
them all. Muslims do not believe that Prophet Muhammad was
the only Prophet; rather they believe that he was the last of the
Prophets of the Old and New Testaments.

"Say Ye: 'We believe in Allah and the revelation given to us,
and to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes, and that
given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) Prophets from
their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of
them: and we submit to Allah.'" (Qur'an 2:136)

THE HOLY QURAN

The Quran could be defined as Allah's words, revealed in Arabic in
a rhythmical form to Prophet Muhammad. Its recitation is used
in acts of worship and its smallest chapter (Surah) is of
miraculous nature.

"Verily, this Quran guides

(humanity) to that which
is most just."
[Noble Quran 17:9]
The Book has also been
referred to by other names;
for example, the Furqan
(The Distinction):
That is, Quran literally
"Blessed is He who revealed
means "a reading or
the Furqan to His slave in
reciting." However, the
order that he may be a
term "Quran" has been
warner to all the worlds."
historically used
[Noble Quran 25:1]
specifically to refer to the
and the Dhikr, (The
book which was revealed
Reminder):
to Prophet Muhammad.
"Verily, I revealed the Dhikr
The term "Quran" is
and verily I will preserve it."
mentioned in a number of
[Noble Quran 15:9]

The word "Quran," a

verbal noun, is
equivalent in meaning
to "qira'ah," as both
come from the verb
"qara'a" which means
"to read."

places throughout the

HISTORY OF THE
QURAN
-QURAN: Chapter 4, Verse 82: "Do they not consider (ponder) on the Quran? If
it had been from anyone except Allah, they would surely have found in it
much discrepency (contradictions)."
Chapter 2, Verses 23 & 24: "And if you are in doubt as to what We have
revealed to our servant, Then produce a Chapter like thereunto; And call
your witnesses or helpers besides Allah, If you are true. But if you cannot,
and surely you cannot, Then fear the fire Whose fuel is men and stones,
Which is prepared for those who reject."

Language of the Quran

The language of the Quran is pure and
clear Arabic.
The Quran is divided into 30 parts
(Parahs in Urdu of Juz in Arabic).
There are 114 chapters (Surahs) in the
Quran.
There are 540 paragraphs (Rukoos) in
the Quran.

Brief about the Quran.

The Noble Quran, is divided into one hundred and fourteen (114)
Surahs (chapters) of varying lengths.
Ninety-three chapters (93) were revealed in Makkah, while the
remaining twenty-one (92) were revealed in Madinah.
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) received his first revelation in
610CE, in the Cave of Hira in the Mountain of Light (Jabale-Noor),
2 and miles away from the House of Allah in the city of Makkah
in Arabia.
The first revelation was the first 5 verses of Surah (chapter) AlAlaq and the last revelation was the 3rd verse of Surah Al-Maidah,
which was sent down to the Prophet in 632 C.E.
In Madinah, Surah Al-Mutaffifeen was the first one revealed after
the Hijrah (migration).

The last verse sent down to the Prophet was the saying of ALLAH
which means: This day I have perfected for you your religion and
completed My favour upon you and have approved for you Islam as
religion... [Quran: 5:3]
Allah SWT will forever preserve the Quran against all attempts to
destroy or corrupt it. Being guarded by Allah SWT, it will always
remain pure. There does not exist a single copy with any variation
from the recognised text.
Upon the command of the Prophet, his Companions would write
down what was revealed of the Noble Quran. They used, for this
purpose, palm branches stripped of leaves, parchments, shoulder
bones, stone tablets, etc. About forty people were involved in this
task. Among them was Zayd Ibn Thaabit who showed his work to
the Prophet .
Thus, the Quran was correctly arranged during the Prophets life,
but it was not yet compiled into one book. In the meantime, most of
the Prophets Companions memorised the Quran.

When Abu Bakr became Caliph after the Prophet died, a large
number of the Companions were killed during the War of
Apostasy. 'Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab went to the Caliph and discussed
the idea of compiling the Quran into one volume.
He was disturbed, as most of those who memorised it had died.
Then, Abu Bakr called for Zayd and commissioned him to collect
the Quran into one book, which became known as the 'Mushaf.'
During the Caliphate of 'Uthmaan, Islam reached many countries,
and readers began to recite the Quran in different ways (dialects).
'Uthmaan then had various copies made and sent them out to the
different Muslim lands, lest these dialects would cause alterations
to the Quran, and kept the original copy with Hafsah .
Today, every copy of the Quran conforms with the standard copy of
'Uthmaan.

Manners of reciting the

Quran
1. Perform Wudhoo before you prepare to read the
Quran. Allah says: None can touch it (the Quran)
save the purified ones (56:79).
2.Read Duaa before Tilaawa. Reading of the Duaa
helps to keep our focus and reminds us of what we
need to take from the Holy Book.
3.Always say Aoodhubillaahi minash shaytaanir rajeem
(
) when you begin reading the
Quran. It means: I seek refuge in Allah from the
cursed Shaytaan.
4,Next say Bismillaahir rahmaanir raheem (
) The meaning of this phrase is: In the name of
Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
5.5. Sit facing Qiblaah when reciting the Quran.

Importance Of Quran

Indeed, this Quran leads on to an appropriate and secure

path. It gives the good news to those who perform righteous
deeds, that theirs is a great reward! And We have prepared a
painful punishment for those who do not believe in the
afterlife.
The Holy Quran, Chapter 17, Verse 9 & 10

Importance of Quran
1. It is the most truthful speech (the speech of Allah
SWT)
2. It is in original language: Prophet Muhammad (S) was
an Arab and the majority of people in Mecca and
Medina spoke Arabic. Therefore the Quran was sent in
Arabic.
3. The Holy Quran contains Allahs message to all
people. It tells people how to act correctly. It guides us
to a correct way of life in this world.
4. Quran brings happiness in this world and the
Hereafter. Following the Quran brings happiness in this
world and the world after death.
5.It is the only Divine book that has remained unchanged.
6.

Quran and Science.

-The Quran on Human Embryonic Development:

We created man from an extract of clay. Then We
made him as a drop in a place of settlement,
firmly fixed. Then We made the drop into an
alaqah (leech, suspended thing, and blood clot),
then We made the alaqah into a mudghah
(chewed substance)... (Quran, 23:12-14)

-The Quran on the Origin of the Universe:

The illuminating stars we see at night were, just as
was the whole universe, in that smoke material.
God has said in the Quran: Then He turned to the
heaven when it was smoke... (Quran, 41:11)
Because the earth and the heavens above (the sun,
the moon, stars, planets, galaxies, etc.) have been
formed from this same smoke, then out of this
homogeneous smoke, they formed and
separated from each other.
God has said in the Quran:
Have not those who disbelieved known that the
heavens and the earth were one connected entity,
then We separated them?... (Quran, 21:30)

-The Quran on Seas and Rivers:

The Holy Quran mentioned that there is a barrier between
two seas that meet and that they do not transgress.
God has said:
He has set free the two seas meeting together. There is
a barrier between them. They do not transgress.
(Quran, 55:19-20)
But when the Quran speaks about the divider between
fresh and salt water, it mentions the existence of a
forbidding partition with the barrier. God has said in
the Quran:
He is the one who has set free the two kinds of water,
one sweet and palatable, and the other salty and bitter.
And He has made between them a barrier and a
forbidding partition. (Quran, 25:53)