Koran n : the sacred writings of Islam revealed by God to the prophet Muhammad during his life at Mecca and Medina [syn: Quran, al-Qur'an, Book]

German

Noun

1. Quran

The Qur’an ( , literally "the recitation"; also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran or Al-Qur’ān) is the central religious text of Islam. Muslims believe the Qur’an to be the book of divine guidance and direction for mankind, and consider the original Arabic text to be the final revelation of God. Islam holds that the Qur’an was revealed to Muhammad by the angel Gibraele (Gabriel) over a period of 23 years. Muslims regard the Qur’an as the culmination of a series of divine messages that started with those revealed to Adam, regarded in Islam as the first prophet, and continued with the Suhuf-i-Ibrahim (Scrolls of Abraham), the Tawrat (Torah), the Zabur (Psalms), and the Injeel (Gospel). The aforementioned books are not explicitly included in the Qur’an, but are recognized therein. The Qur’an also refers to many events from Jewish and Christian scriptures, some of which are retold in comparatively distinctive ways from the Bible and the Torah, while obliquely referring to other events described explicitly in those texts.

The Qur'an itself expresses that it is the book of guidance. Therefore it rarely offers detailed accounts of historical events; the text instead typically placing emphasis on the moral significance of an event rather than its narrative sequence. It does not describe natural facts in a scientific manner but teaches that natural and supernatural events are signs of God.

The Qur’an was written down by Muhammad's companions while he was alive, although the prime method of transmission was oral. It was compiled in the time of Abu Bakr, the first caliph, and was standardized in the time of Uthman, the third caliph. The Qur’an in its actual form is generally considered by academic scholars to record the words spoken by Muhammad because the search for variants in Western academia has not yielded any differences of great significance and that historically controversy over the content of the Qur’an has never become a main point. Therefore all Muslims, Sunni or Shia use the same Qur’an.

Etymology and meaning

The original usage of the word is in the Qur’an itself, where it occurs about 70 times assuming various meanings. It is a verbal noun () of the Arabic verb (Arabic: قرأ), meaning "he read" or "he recited", and represents the Syriac equivalent which refers to "scripture reading" or "lesson". While most Western scholars consider the word to be derived from the Syriac, the majority of Muslim authorities hold the origin of the word is qara`a itself. In any case, it had become an Arabic term by Muhammad's lifetime. In other verses it refers to "an individual passage recited [by Muhammad]". In the large majority of contexts, usually with a definite article (al-), the word is referred to as the "revelation" (wahy), that which has been "sent down" (tanzīl) at intervals. Its liturgical context is seen in a number of passages, for example: "So when al-qur`ān is recited , listen to it and keep silent". The word may also assume the meaning of a codified scripture when mentioned with other scriptures such as the Torah and Gospel.

The term also has closely related synonyms which are employed throughout the Qur’an. Each of the synonyms possess their own distinct meaning, but their use may converge with that of qur`ān in certain contexts. Such terms include ("book"); ("sign"); and ("scripture"). The latter two terms also denote units of revelation. Other related words are: , meaning "remembrance," used to refer to the Qur’an in the sense of a reminder and warning; and , meaning "wisdom," sometimes referring to the revelation or part of it.

The Qur’an has many other names. Among those found in the text itself are al-furqan ("discernment" or "criterion"), umm al-kitāb (the "mother book", or "archetypal book"), al-huda ("the guide"), dhikrallah ("the remembrance of God"), al-hikmah ("the wisdom"), and kalamallah ("the word of God"). Another term is al-kitāb ("the book"), though it is also used in the Arabic language for other scriptures, such as the Torah and the Gospels. The term mus'haf ("written work") is often used to refer to particular Qur'anic manuscripts but is also used in the Qur’an to identify earlier revealed books.

Each sura is formed from several ayat (verses), which originally means a sign or portent sent by God. The number of ayat differ from sura to sura. An individual ayah may be just a few letters or several lines. The ayat are unlike the highly refined poetry of the pre-Islamic Arabs in their content and distinctive rhymes and rhythms, being more akin to the prophetic utterances marked by inspired discontinuities found in the sacred scriptures of Judaism and Christianity. The actual number of ayat has been a controversial issue among Muslim scholars since Islam's inception, some recognizing 6,000, some 6,204, some 6,219, and some 6,236, although the words in all cases are the same. The most popular edition of the Qur’an, which is based on the tradition of the school of Kufa, contains 6,236 ayat.

Literary structure

The Qur’an's message is conveyed through the use of various literary structures and devices. In the original Arabic, the chapters and verses employ phonetic and thematic structures that assist the audience's efforts to recall the message of the text. There is consensus among Arab scholars to use the Qur’an as a standard by which other Arabic literature should be measured. Muslims assert (in accordance with the Qur’an itself) that the Qur’anic content and style is inimitable.

Richard Gottheil and Siegmund Fränkel in the Jewish Encyclopedia write that the oldest portions of the Qur’an reflect significant excitement in their language, through short and abrupt sentences and sudden transitions. The Qur’an nonetheless carefully maintains the rhymed form, like the oracles. Some later portions also preserve this form but also in a style where the movement is calm and the style expository.

• Tafsir al-Mizan
• The Qur’an in Islam: Its Impact and Influence on the Life of Muslims
• The Quʼran as Text

Further reading

• Online Quran Project (OQP) - quranic project launched in late 2007, aimed to provide an online, multilingual searchable Qur’an text with worldwide translations (50+ translation in over 20 languages). The Online Quran Project is the first website to offer a Qur’an text with full diacritics (tawjeed) rules online.
• Al-Quran English Translation - 3 translations & commentary of Surah with recitation
• Quran Explorer Interactive authenticated Qur'an translations & recitations in English, Urdu, Indonesian, Malay, Turkish, French and Dutch.
• Mystic Letters - Specialized site for easy reading of Qur'an online with English & Arabic views, page themes, and ability to customize font styling.
• Guided Ways Qur'an in English, Urdu, French, Spanish and German. English versions include translations by Dr. M. Mohsin Khan, Yusuf Ali and Pickthal.
• Quran - The Knazul Iman - English Version translated from the Original by Imam Ahmed Raza Khan, a Sunni Islamic Scholar.
• English Translation and Explanation of Quran, Maariful Quran by Mufti Taqi Usmani, Prof. Shamim (Tafsir by Mufti Maulana Muhammad Shafi Usmani RA)
• Global Quran over 30 different languages of translation and search in all of them at once, also be able add Qur'an on your site/blog.
• The Qur’an at USC-MSA - three translations (Yusuf Ali, Shakir, and Pickthal). Also, Abul Ala Maududi's chapter introductions to the Qur’an.
• The Qur’an at the Internet Sacred Text Archive
• Islam Awakened - ayat-by-ayat transliteration and parallel translations from eleven prominent translators.
• The True Call - A Paradigm Shift Translations in English, French, German, Japanese, Russian and Portuguese with English and Phonetic Search
• IslamiCity Qur’an search
• Koran Search or browse the English Shakir translation
• Qur'an Verses in Chronological Order
• Text In Motion, concordance searchable by root or by grammatical form.
• al-Tabari, Muhammad ibn Jarir -- Jami' al-bayān `an ta'wil al-Qur'ān, Cairo 1955-69, transl. J. Cooper (ed.), The Commentary on the Qur’an, Oxford University Press, 1987. ISBN 0-19-920142-0
• Tafsir Ibn-Kathir, Hafiz Imad al-din Abu al-Fida Ismail ibn Kathir al-Damishqi al-Shafi'i - (died 774 Hijrah (Islamic Calendar))
• Tafsir Al-Qurtubi (Al-Jami'li-Ahkam), Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ahmad Abi Bakr ibn Farah al-Qurtubi - (died 671 Hijrah (Islamic Calendar))
• Nöldeke, Theodor -- Geschichte des Qorâns, Göttingen, 1860.
• Al-Azami, M. M. -- The History of the Qur’anic Text from Revelation to Compilation, UK Islamic Academy: Leicester 2003.
• Gunter Luling A challenge to Islam for reformation: the rediscovery and reliable reconstruction of a comprehensive pre-Islamic Christian hymnal hidden in the Koran under earliest Islamic reinterpretations. New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers 2003. (580 Seiten, lieferbar per Seepost). ISBN 81-2081952-7
• Luxenberg, Christoph (2004) -- The Syro-Aramaic Reading Of The Koran: a contribution to the decoding of the language of the Qur’an, Berlin, Verlag Hans Schiler, 1 May 2007 ISBN 3-89930-088-2
• McAuliffe, Jane Dammen -- Quranic Christians : An Analysis of Classical and Modern Exegesis, Cambridge University Press, 1991. ISBN 0-521-36470-1
• McAuliffe, Jane Damen (ed.) -- Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an, Brill, 2002-2004.
• Puin, Gerd R. -- "Observations on Early Qur’an Manuscripts in Sana'a," in The Qur’an as Text, ed. Stefan Wild, , E.J. Brill 1996, pp. 107-111 (as reprinted in What the Koran Really Says, ed. Ibn Warraq, Prometheus Books, 2002)
• Rahman, Fazlur -- Major Themes in the Qur’an, Bibliotheca Islamica, 1989. ISBN 0-88297-046-1
• Louay M. Safi -- Quranic Themes
• Robinson, Neal, Discovering the Qur’an, Georgetown University Press, 2002. ISBN 1-58901-024-8
• Sells, Michael, -- Approaching the Qur’an: The Early Revelations, White Cloud Press, Book & CD edition (November 15, 1999). ISBN 1-883991-26-9
• Stowasser, Barbara Freyer -- Women in the Qur’an, Traditions, and Interpretation, Oxford University Press; Reprint edition (June 1, 1996), ISBN 0-19-511148-6
• Wansbrough, John -- Quranic Studies, Oxford University Press, 1977
• Watt, W. M., and R. Bell, Introduction to the Qur’an, Edinburgh University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-7486-0597-5

External links

• Accurate Quran Text, 30+ Translations and 10+ Audio
• Online Quran Project (OQP) - An online, multilingual searchable Qur’an text with worldwide translations (50+ translation in over 20 languages)
• Three translations of the Quran from the University of Southern California
• Translation of the Meanings of The Noble Quran in 10 languages
• Quran Explorer, Interactive Audio Translations
• Kur'an audio (recordings of many Qur'an recitals - online easy stream)
• Listen Live to Quran
• Quran Search
• searchquran.org - very quick Qur'an search engine with over 10 translations.
• An online Qur’an browser
• Quran Arabic & English - translation of the Quran to English side by side to the Arabic source.
• Free Koran Request Form - ordering free Qur'an.
• Online Arabic-English Qur'an Searchable by Triliteral Root*Islamic Awareness, The Qur’anic Manuscripts
• Quran Manuscripts
• Calligraphy Islamic

• Videos on different topics from Quran,science of Qiraat, Makharij: points of articulations and tajweed explained in English and French
• Video's on different topics from Quran
• Listen to Quran
• Quran Academy Audio/Video commentary/translation of the Qur'an
• Several Quran Tafseers in English and Arabic
• Videos of recitation, commentary, or prayer
• English Reading
• Reciter.org
• Video's Quran
• QuranChannel.com - A Collection of Qur'an playlists and radio channels
• [http://quran.tanyt.info?lang=en English Quran], French, karaoke audio mode for Arabic.
• Quran Online - listen to Qur'an online or download in mp3 format.
• Qur'an an article by Seyyed Hossein Nasr on Encyclopedia Britannica Online