What is the Quran?
The Quran is the last holy book that Allah sent down to human beings.
The Quran was sent down to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) by Gabriel (pbuh) through revelation and it was transmitted from him through tawatur (*) and reached today.
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(*) Tawatur: Sound news that has no possibility of containing lies and that is based on a group of people; sound news based on a group of people not an individual.
The Glorious Quran is a material and spiritual guide for the individual and the society, all ranks of people, the whole human life in all countries and ages. Everybody, from the prime minister and commander to the ordinary citizen and the man in the street, finds in it what is related to him. Everybody receives the necessary information and lesson for their worldly and otherworldly peace and bliss.
The merits and qualities that the Quran has are stated as follows in verses and hadiths:
* “And this is a Book which We have revealed as a blessing: so follow it and be righteous, that ye may receive mercy” (al-An’am, 155).
* “And this is a Book which We have sent down, bringing blessings and confirming (the revelations) which came before it: that thou mayest warn the Mother of Cities and all around her. Those who believe in the Hereafter believe in this (Book), and they are constant in guarding their prayers” (al-An’am, 92).
* “Do they not ponder on the Qur'an (with care)? Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely have found therein much discrepancy.” (an-Nisa, 82).
* “…the Qur'an as a guide to mankind also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (between right and wrong)...” (al-Baqara, 185).
* “…a confirmation of what went before and guidance and glad tidings for those who believe”(al-Baqara, 97).
* “(Here is) a Book which We have sent down unto thee, full of blessings, that they may meditate on its Signs, and that men of understanding may receive admonition” (Sad, 29).
• The Quran was not sent down to the Prophet all at once but in 23 years in slow, well-arranged stages gradually. (al-Furqan 25/32)
The reasons why it was sent down in stages are as follows:
- so that it will be memorized more easily
- so that it will be transmitted in a short time
- so that its meaning will be understood more easily
- so that the memories and the minds will understand and get used to the truths in it gradually
- so that Islamic beliefs and values will be strengthened and settled gradually...
* The following is narrated from Harith bin A’war:
One day, Hazrat Ali said, “I heard from Messenger of Allah: “Soon, there will be fitnah (testing, oppression)”. Thereupon, I asked him, “O Messenger of Allah, how can we get rid of those fitnahs?” He said, “Through the book of Allah, the Quran. (Then, the Prophet explained the qualities of the Quran as follows)
It contains the history of the people that lived before you, the news about people that will come after you and the judgments about the problems among you. It is a definite judgment that discriminates between the truth and the wrong. He who looks for guidance in something other than the Quran will be confused by Allah. It is the unbreakable, sound rope of Allah, strong book of thought and the right path. It is the only reason why minds do not go astray and tongues are not confused. The Quran is a book that scholars cannot have enough of, that does not become old no matter how many times it is read, and whose amazing superiority never ends. It is such a unique book that when the jinn listened to it, they could not help saying, “We have really heard a wonderful Recital! It gives guidance to the Right.” Anyone who speaks based on it tells the truth; anyone who practices it, gains rewards; anyone who judges based on it, serves justice; anyone who calls people to it, becomes on the right path.
* “The Quran is an obvious light, a wise word and the straightest path.”
* “The Quran is the rope of Allah hanging down from the sky to the earth.”
* “The superiority of the Quran to other words is like the superiority of Allah to the beings He created.”
* “Anyone who reads a verse from the book of Allah, it becomes a light for him in the Day of Judgment.”
* “Enlighten and illuminate your homes by performing prayers and reading the Quran.”
* Names of the Quran:
The Quran lexically means “to put together, to read and to bring together. That name is given by the Quran itself (See: al-Baqara, 185)
It is stated that it is called the Quran because it brought the verses and chapters together, because it contained the belief, worshipping, ethical, legal, etc principles of Islam, and because it is the most widely read book in the world.
The Quran has many other names. Some of those names are as follows: Kitab (Book), Furqan (Criterion between truth and falsehood), Dhikr (Mentioning), Hukm (Judgment), Hikmah (Wisdom), Shifa (Healing), Huda (Guidance), Rahmah (Mercy), Ruh (Spirit), Bayan (Eloquence), Nimah (Blessing), Burhan (Evidence), Nur (Light), Haqq (Truth)...
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