Read LR, pages 384-392.
Muslim Perceptions:
Qur’an is the sacred book of the Muslims. The term qur’an was derived meaning either “he read” or “he recited”. But more regularly it is referred as “a revealed discourse” which was unfolded over a period of 23 years in response to the particular need of the society. In short, the Qur’an, for Muslim is the “speech of God” - It is not a book inspired or influenced by God – But the very “word of God”.
Ibn Manzur (d.1312) reflects the general Muslim View of Qur’an: “ the inimitable revelation, the speech of God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel (existing today) literally and orally in the exact wording of the purest Arabic”.
Seyyed Hossein Nasr said: “The Qur’an for the Muslim is the revelation of God and the book in which His message to man is contained. It is the Word of God revealed to the prophet through the archangel Gabriel. The Prophet was therefore the instrument chosen by God for the revelation of His word, of His book of which the spirit and the letter, the content and the form, are Divine. Not only the content and meaning comes from God but also the container and form which are thus an integral aspect of the revelation”.
Fazlur Rahman puts it slightly differently. “Qur’an is entirely the word of God and, in an ordinary sense, also entirely the word of Muhammed”.
Origin of the Qur’an:
For Muslims the Qur’an is not the work of Muhammad – in the sense of the latter writing it! Muhammad is considered, among Muslims, as “unlettered and untutored in the matters spoken about in the Qur’an”. The Muslims cite Qur’anic passages to affirm the Divine origin of he Qur’an. Frequently, cited passages are: 52: 33-34; 17:88; 11:13; 10:38; 2:23 and so on. But does the Qur’an deny the process of collection of the Qur’an?
The argument is that no humans can produce what we see – the language, the content with so high ideals, and the harmony despite the fact that what is there was revealed through a period of 23 years, between 610-632 CE - in the Qur’an.
Structure:
Aya (pl. ayat) – literally it means a “sign”, a “miracle”, or a “token” of God’s existence and God’s controlling power. (Cf. 12: 105, 36: 33), referring to a “verse” – is the shortest division of the Qur’an. The total number of verses is variously estimated, numbering approximately 6200.
Sura (pl. surat) – “chapter”, but literally, it means “row” or “fence” – the passage wise division, a chapter set apart from the preceding, numbering 114. (Excepting “Sura 9”, Sura al Tawba, all the other begin with, “bismi…”. The same phrase occurs within the Qur’an once in 27: 30, making the total number of “bismi…” to 114.
The naming of sura – derived from a word within the text of that chapter (example – anfaal, The Booty (8: 1), baqara, The Cow (2: 67-71);
Muslim Perceptions:
Qur’an is the sacred book of the Muslims. The term qur’an was derived meaning either “he read” or “he recited”. But more regularly it is referred as “a revealed discourse” which was unfolded over a period of 23 years in response to the particular need of the society. In short, the Qur’an, for Muslim is the “speech of God” - It is not a book inspired or influenced by God – But the very “word of God”.
Ibn Manzur (d.1312) reflects the general Muslim View of Qur’an: “ the inimitable revelation, the speech of God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel (existing today) literally and orally in the exact wording of the purest Arabic”.
Seyyed Hossein Nasr said: “The Qur’an for the Muslim is the revelation of God and the book in which His message to man is contained. It is the Word of God revealed to the prophet through the archangel Gabriel. The Prophet was therefore the instrument chosen by God for the revelation of His word, of His book of which the spirit and the letter, the content and the form, are Divine. Not only the content and meaning comes from God but also the container and form which are thus an integral aspect of the revelation”.
Fazlur Rahman puts it slightly differently. “Qur’an is entirely the word of God and, in an ordinary sense, also entirely the word of Muhammed”.
Origin of the Qur’an:
For Muslims the Qur’an is not the work of Muhammad – in the sense of the latter writing it! Muhammad is considered, among Muslims, as “unlettered and untutored in the matters spoken about in the Qur’an”. The Muslims cite Qur’anic passages to affirm the Divine origin of he Qur’an. Frequently, cited passages are: 52: 33-34; 17:88; 11:13; 10:38; 2:23 and so on. But does the Qur’an deny the process of collection of the Qur’an?
The argument is that no humans can produce what we see – the language, the content with so high ideals, and the harmony despite the fact that what is there was revealed through a period of 23 years, between 610-632 CE - in the Qur’an.
Structure:
Aya (pl. ayat) – literally it means a “sign”, a “miracle”, or a “token” of God’s existence and God’s controlling power. (Cf. 12: 105, 36: 33), referring to a “verse” – is the shortest division of the Qur’an. The total number of verses is variously estimated, numbering approximately 6200.
Sura (pl. surat) – “chapter”, but literally, it means “row” or “fence” – the passage wise division, a chapter set apart from the preceding, numbering 114. (Excepting “Sura 9”, Sura al Tawba, all the other begin with, “bismi…”. The same phrase occurs within the Qur’an once in 27: 30, making the total number of “bismi…” to 114.
The naming of sura – derived from a word within the text of that chapter (example – anfaal, The Booty (8: 1), baqara, The Cow (2: 67-71);
Sometime derived from the very first verse, word or letters of a chapter (example – ta-ha, (20: 1), furqaan, The Criterion (25: 1).
We may note that the title may not exactly be related to the content, summary, or even the main thought of that chapter.
It is also possible to have a title that is not picked from any word in the text of that particular chapter. The best example is the 1st Chapter, known as fathihah, the opening.)
All chapter’s are not of equal size! Short ones are put behind, while the long ones are placed at the front, with the exception of Sura Fathihah. The longest sura is Sura Baqara (2), with 286 verses, and the shortest with 4 verses 112 or 113. To know more of the titles of each chapter refer to the Yusuf Ali’s translation that has an introduction and a commentary running through with each chapter.
Juz (pl. ajzaa), meaning “portion” – The entire Qur’an is also divided into somewhat equal 30 parts for easy recitation in the 30 nights of the month of Ramadaan.
Rhyme and Rhythm in the Qur’an: Sura One:
Bismi Allāhi Ar-Raĥmāni Ar-Raĥīmi
Al-Ĥamdu Lillāhi Rabbi Al-`Ālamīna
Ar-Raĥmāni Ar-Raĥīmi
Māliki Yawmi Ad-Dīni
'Īyāka Na`budu Wa 'Īyāka Nasta`īnu
Ahdinā Aş-Şirāţa Al-Mustaqīma
Şirāţa Al-Ladhīna 'An`amta `Alayhim
Ghayri Al-Maghđūbi `Alayhim Wa Lā Ađ-Đāllīna
Content of the Qur’an:
Qur’an contains many narratives, qasaas (12:3). One of the functions of the narratives is to illustrate and underline important aspects of the fundamental message. Three types of narratives in the Qur’an are:
a. Stories of prophets of God, their call, their message, their persecution, and so on, example, narratives about Nuh (Sura 26), Musa (Sura 28), Isa (Sura 19).
Juz (pl. ajzaa), meaning “portion” – The entire Qur’an is also divided into somewhat equal 30 parts for easy recitation in the 30 nights of the month of Ramadaan.
Rhyme and Rhythm in the Qur’an: Sura One:
Bismi Allāhi Ar-Raĥmāni Ar-Raĥīmi
Al-Ĥamdu Lillāhi Rabbi Al-`Ālamīna
Ar-Raĥmāni Ar-Raĥīmi
Māliki Yawmi Ad-Dīni
'Īyāka Na`budu Wa 'Īyāka Nasta`īnu
Ahdinā Aş-Şirāţa Al-Mustaqīma
Şirāţa Al-Ladhīna 'An`amta `Alayhim
Ghayri Al-Maghđūbi `Alayhim Wa Lā Ađ-Đāllīna
Content of the Qur’an:
Qur’an contains many narratives, qasaas (12:3). One of the functions of the narratives is to illustrate and underline important aspects of the fundamental message. Three types of narratives in the Qur’an are:
a. Stories of prophets of God, their call, their message, their persecution, and so on, example, narratives about Nuh (Sura 26), Musa (Sura 28), Isa (Sura 19).
b. About past people – about the companions of the cave – Sura 18.
c. About events that took place during the life of PR, such as the battle of Badr 3:13, battle of Uhud 3:121-128, the battle of Ahzab 33:9-27, and so on
Reading and appreciating the Qur’ān becomes easier, if you know what to look for in this sacred text of the Muslims that may look jumbled for a first-time reader not initiated the book. Fazlur Rahman in his book, titled The Major Themes of the Qur’ān (1980, Second Edition in 1994) discovers the following major themes:
Reading and appreciating the Qur’ān becomes easier, if you know what to look for in this sacred text of the Muslims that may look jumbled for a first-time reader not initiated the book. Fazlur Rahman in his book, titled The Major Themes of the Qur’ān (1980, Second Edition in 1994) discovers the following major themes:
a. God
b. Human as Individual
c. Human in Society
d. Nature
e. Prophethood and Revelation
f. Eschatology
g. Satan and Evil
h. Emergence of the Muslim Community
i. The People of the Book and Diversity of Religions
Kenneth Cragg in his Readings in the Qur’ān (1988, reprint in 1999) arranges the content of the Qur’ān under 8 headings:
b. Human as Individual
c. Human in Society
d. Nature
e. Prophethood and Revelation
f. Eschatology
g. Satan and Evil
h. Emergence of the Muslim Community
i. The People of the Book and Diversity of Religions
Kenneth Cragg in his Readings in the Qur’ān (1988, reprint in 1999) arranges the content of the Qur’ān under 8 headings:
a. God and His Praise
b. God in Creation: Man and Nature
c. Prophets and Messengers from Adam to Jesus
d. Muhammad: The Prophet-Preacher and the Meccan Years
e. Muhammad: The Prophet-Ruler and the Medinan Climax
f. Faith and Religion
g. Society and Law
h. Unfaith, Judgment, and the Last Things
Questions to Explore:
1. Critically comment on the story of Joseph found in the Qur’an. (For this you may read Sura (chapter) 12 of the Qur’an. Holy Qur’an could be read in the following website: http://www.islamicity.com/mosque/Surai.htm or from a translation available in the library.)
2. Identify five themes of the Qur’an ad discuss in detail two of them.
3. What kind of problems are you likely to encounter in reading and understanding the Qur’an. Explain your answer.
b. God in Creation: Man and Nature
c. Prophets and Messengers from Adam to Jesus
d. Muhammad: The Prophet-Preacher and the Meccan Years
e. Muhammad: The Prophet-Ruler and the Medinan Climax
f. Faith and Religion
g. Society and Law
h. Unfaith, Judgment, and the Last Things
Questions to Explore:
1. Critically comment on the story of Joseph found in the Qur’an. (For this you may read Sura (chapter) 12 of the Qur’an. Holy Qur’an could be read in the following website: http://www.islamicity.com/mosque/Surai.htm or from a translation available in the library.)
2. Identify five themes of the Qur’an ad discuss in detail two of them.
3. What kind of problems are you likely to encounter in reading and understanding the Qur’an. Explain your answer.
