The Must Know Guide to the Qur'an for the Western World

Copyright

The Must Know Guide

to the Qur’ān

for the Western World

by

TheQuran.com

2011 © Copyright USA

ISBN 978-193557704-1

TheQuran.com

www.thequran.com

Qdilemma@thequran.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any

form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the

case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Preface

The Qur’ān: is it a book of terror or a book of peace? A divinely inspired text or a political agenda for jihād , sharī‘a law, and global domination? How is one to know the truth about the Qur’ān? Where does one even begin a personal study?

With the growing global interest in Islam and the teachings of the Qur’ān, Islam’s main source and foundation, the need to provide an objective tool to investigate the truth about Islam as a religion and way of life has become crucial.

This scholarly work is a valuable beginner’s guide. Designed to provide readers with background information and address important issues raised in the Qur’ān, it enables readers to better understand Islam and its impact on Muslim communities. The Must Know Guide to the Qur’ān for the Western World is a modified version of The Qur’ān Dilemma (Volume One), and contains most of Parts I and III of this earlier publication (2011). The content in both The Must Know Guide to the Qur’ān for the Western World and The Qur’ān Dilemma represent the effort and production of many former Muslim writers, Islamic specialists, scholars, editors, researchers, and translators.

To non-Muslims who want to unravel the mysteries of Islam, this book presents information that Islamic resources rarely disclose—to allow those seeking the truth to comprehend the full picture with all its outlines, colors, and dimensions.

To Muslims who seek genuine choices far from the culture of indoctrination, this book opens a world of understanding to them, so that they can decide for themselves their intellectual and spiritual paths.

Divisions of this Book

The book is divided into two main parts: Background of the Qur’ān and Resources and References. The first part includes a series of articles on important topics, e.g., compilation and chronological order of the Qur’ān, women in Islam, Islam’s treatment of people of other faiths, and other topics related to the Qur’ān.

The second part provides readers with valuable resources and additional information essential for their research and any future reference work utilizing this book. These resources will aid them in gaining a greater understanding of the many Islamic terminologies, references, historical Islamic events and well-known figures. These references make this book a valuable resource and handyl reference for readers, researchers, and scholars.

Readers of this Kindle book who wish to advance their knowledge are encouraged to read The Qur’ān Dilemma, which includes a comprehensive verse-by-verse parallel commentary of the Qur’ān itself, examining the Qur’ān from three distinct perspectives: critical analysis, abrogation, and variant readings.

Bibliography and Endnotes

Nearly all of the sources used in the research and writing of this book come directly from classical and modern Islamic, Arabic sources; all of these sources are known and respected by the Islamic scholarly community. The writing team balanced the selection and inclusion of these sources to help guide readers toward an unbiased conclusion or view.

Source references are listed in the back of the book in a footnote format (rather than in-text parenthetical documentation) to enhance readability. A complete bibliography of all sources, divided into three categories (Arabic Commentaries, Arabic Sources, and Non-Arabic Sources), is also provided.

Background of the Qur’ān

Introduction

Religion is man’s systematic search for God and truth. It is a collection of beliefs and thoughts regarding the deity of God and his relationship to man. When one is considering the claims of a religion, one must consider the source of the authority upon which that religion bases its claims.

According to Islāmic doctrine, Muḥammad is the messenger[D] of Allah[D] (examples: Q 2.101, 279; Q 3.32) and the Seal of the Prophets (Q 33.40) on whom the Qur’ān was revealed through a heavenly intermediary. This intermediary is called the Faithful Spirit (Q 26.193) and other times Holy Spirit (Q 16.102). After Muḥammad’s migration to Medina, this intermediary became known as Gabriel (Q 2.97-98). (See the article Muḥammad’s Jibrīl)

The Qur’ān was revealed to Muḥammad in the Arabic language (Q 12.2, Q 13.37, Q 20.113). Muḥammad gave this revelation to a people group that, previous to this time in history, had no heavenly revealed books, and had never had a prophet sent to them (Q 34.44). The Qur’ān makes the claim within its verses that it is part of the series of the holy books, e.g., the Torah[D], the Gospel (Q 2.41, 91, 97; Q 3.3, 50).

This period of revelation took place over the course of twenty-three years (AD 610-632), during which Muḥammad declared himself a prophet. After the death of Muḥammad, his Companions[D] gathered the Qur’ān into a book. (See the article Compilation of the Qur’ān.)

Names of the Qur’ān

Muslims have called their most holy book several different names, each with its own origin and meaning.

The Qur’ān

The common name for the holy book of Islām is the Qur’ān (Q 2.185). The name Qur’ān appears about seventy times in the Qur’ān. The opinions of scholars vary regarding the origin and meaning of the word Qur’ān:

1. Qur’ān comes from the word qara’a, meaning to recite. Those who hold this view say that the expression the Qur’ān appears with this meaning in Q 75.17-18, where the Arabic reads with the word Qur’ān and its derivatives:

It is for us to collect it and to read it; and when we read it then follow its reading. [1]

2. Qur’ān is a description following the Arabic grammatical form fu‘lān. Qur’ān then is considered a derivative of the word qar’ī, meaning to gather. It is similar to the saying qara’ta al-mā’a fī al-ḥawḍ, which means you gathered the water in the tub.[2]

3. Qur’ān is derived from qarantu, meaning to pair one thing to another or to merge them together. The Qur’ān received this name because of the manner in which its sūras, verses, and letters were merged together to form the whole.[3]

4. Qur’ān "is derived from qarā’in because its verses confirm one another and, in many ways, look the same; hence, they are similar."[4]

5. Qur’ān is a unique proper noun, not borrowed from other known sources. It is applied to the words revealed to Muḥammad.[5]

It is interesting to note that many Muslim commentators and exegetes have disregarded the Semitic root of qur’ān, which is (qara’a), meaning to recite. This root word, qara’a, is likely to have come from the Aramaic-Canaanite region. The word qur’ān is present in Hebrew, Phoenician, Aramaic, and Syriac.[6]

One opinion maintains that the origin of the word qur’ān was influenced by the Hebrew expression , which later came to mean recitation, reading according to the Old Testament (Neh. 8.8). This expression is also repeated in rabbinical writings several times. However, most researchers lean toward the idea that qur’ān comes from the Syriac , which means reading, recitation and is used in connection to the study of the Bible.

The similarity between the Arabic and the Syriac words is clear. The Syriacs called the books, or chapters, of the Bible that are read in church , or lectionaries. Thus Muḥammad chose for his book the name that was familiar to him then. Without a doubt, the word qur’ān reached Muḥammad from Christian sources.[7]

In the Qur’ān the verb qara’a appears whenever Muḥammad shares a revelation—with the exception of four locations. Two of these exceptions refer to the other holy books (Q 10.94; Q 17.93). The other two refer to the Book (Record of Deeds) that are given to people on the Day of Judgment[D] (Q 17.71; Q 69.19). All of these references show that the inclusion of the verb qara’a in the Qur’ān is always associated with the heavenly books.[8]

Al-Muṣḥaf

A common name for the Qur’ān is al-Muṣḥaf (the Codex), the plural of which is maṣāḥif. The root of the word appears to be ṣuḥuf. According to an Islāmic narrative, the word has an Abyssinian root. When the first caliph Abū Bakr[N] had assembled the various parts of the Qur’ān, he gathered his advisors to discuss the issue of naming the book. Some of them wanted to name it Injīl[D] (Gospel), but that suggestion was rejected. Others proposed naming it al-Sifr (the Book, the Record), but this suggestion was rejected as well. One advisor, Ibn Mas‘ūd[N], said that he had heard that the Abyssinians used the name al-Muṣḥaf and suggested it. His suggestion was accepted.[9]

Al-Furqān

The famous name al-Furqān[D] (the Criterion) is used considerably but is less common than al-Qur’ān and al-Muṣḥaf. It is mentioned in Q 2.185, Q 3.4, and Q 25.1.

The expression al-Furqān is not limited to the Qur’ān but is mentioned when dealing with other holy books. For example, this phrase is used to describe the books of Moses (Q 2.53; Q 21.48). The Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament) and the New Testament are also collectively called by this name (Q 3.4).

The Qur’ān states that if a person believes in Allah, he would make that belief for the person a furqān (Q 8.29). In addition, the victory of Badr (Q 8.41) is called (in Arabic) "the day of al-Furqān." [10]

All of the various uses of the name al-Furqān cause us to consider its Semitic root. This word is present in the rabbinical literature[D] as , which means to save or to redeem.[11]

In his book, The Foreign Vocabulary of the Qur’ān, Arthur Jeffery, Western Orientalist[D], traces the history of this word furqān and offers this summation:[12]

No doubt Muḥammad himself borrowed the word ‘Furqān’ to use it as a technical term and gave it his own special meaning. The origin that was borrowed from was, without a doubt, the concordance of the Aramaic-speaking Christians.

Other Names

The Qur’ān is called by other common names:

• al-Kitāb (the Book) in Q 2.2

• al-Waḥī (the Inspiration) in Q 21.45

• al-Dhikr [D](the Reminder) in Q 15.9

In the books of Qur’ānic science, there are fifty-five names given to the Qur’ān, including the following examples:[13]

• Nūr (Light) in Q 4.174

• Shifā’ (Healing) in Q 17.82, Q 41.44

• Maw‘iẓa (Guidance) in Q 3.138, Q 10.57

Structure of the Qur’ān

There are four main structural elements to the Qur’ān:[14]

Al-Qur’ān is the book.

Al-Sūra is a chapter of the Qur’ān and is equivalent to a poem.

Al-Āya is similar to a line of poetry and will be called a verse in this book.

Al-Fāṣila is the end of the verse and acts as the rhyme.

The Sūra

The sūra is a chapter of the Qur’ān. Its plural is suwar (sūras). The word sūra appears in the Qur’ān in Q 2.23, Q 10.38, and Q 11.13.

Most of the verses that mention the word sūra is not associated with the holy books, whereas the word sūra , which is a known term for section markers in the Hebrew books. Jeffery believes the word sūra , which means writing.[15]

According to the ‘Uthmānic codex, which is the most widely used Qur’ān, there are 114 sūras. By some counts, Q 8 and Q 9 are considered to be one sūra, which makes the total number of sūras 113.[16] The number of sūras in the codex[D] of Ibn Mas‘ūd is 112 sūras, since he does not include Q 113 and Q 114, known as al-Mu‘awwidhatayn, the two refuge-seeking chapters. However, in the codex of Ubayy Ibn Ka‘b the number of sūras is 116, because he adds the two sūras al-Ḥafd and al-Khal‘.[17] (See Controversional Qur’ānic Text.) Others say that the codex of Ibn Ka‘b actually contains 115 sūras because he combines Q 105 and Q 106 into one sūra.[18] (See the article Compilation of the Qur’ān.)

A sūra may often have more than one name. For example, sūra Muḥammad (Q 47) is also called al-Qitāl (The Fighting).[19] The formal name for Q 65 is sūra al-Ṭalāq, or Divorce Chapter. Q 65 is nicknamed sūra al-Nisā’ al-Qusrā (The Smaller Chapter about Women) because it contains similar content (women’s issues) as Q 4 but is shorter in length.

The Āya

The word āya is sometimes translated as verse. The plural of āya is āay or āyāt. This word appears several times in the Qur’ān and its Arabic meaning is the mark. It also occurs in the old poetry…[of well-known Arab poet] Imrū’ al-Qays…and so was in use before the time of Muḥammad.[20]

Later on, the expression āya came to mean a verse of the Qur’ān. Despite the fact that the word āya is repeated throughout the Qur’ān, it rarely appears in the Meccan verses[D].[21]

Even though there is no root for the word āya (āyāt) . In Hebrew, the word āya are very close to the Qur’ānic meaning of the word.[22]

Disagreements about the totals of sūras (chapters) mentioned earlier similarly occur with the number of verses in the Qur’ān. Though based on the ‘Uthmānic codex, even the most famous schools of reading[D] have tabulated the verses differently:[23]

• First Medinan (according to Kufa: 6217 verses; yet, according to Basra: 6214 verses)

• Latter Medinan: 6214 verses

• Meccan: 6210 verses

• Basran: 6204 verses

• Damascan: 6227 verses (and also 6226 verses)

• Hummusan: 6232 verses

• Kufan: 6232 verses

For another example, Q 112 has five verses according to the Meccan and the Syrian schools of reading but only four verses according to the rest of them.[24]

Al-Fāṣila

Al-fāṣila is the last word in a verse of the Qur’ān. These fāṣilas resemble the rhymes in the poetic lines of Arabic poem anthologies. The fāṣila often had to be taken into consideration during the composition of the current Arabic Qur’ān to preserve the poetic qualities of the sentence. This practice led to weak, irregular, or illogical construction of some of the syntax and sentence structures, as displayed in the following examples:[25]

• Q 54.41: The subject and object of the