THE QURAN

The Quran is a religious book used by Muslims all over the world as a book of guidance. Most of the world religions have their specific books which they use for reference. Do you know any religious books used by members other faiths? Can you mention any of them? Just as every religion has its own religious book, Muslims have the Quran as their main source of reference and they have a duty to learn, understand and constantly refer to it. As a Muslim, have you read the Quran? Muslims believe that the Holy Quran is the last book to be revealed by Allah. It is because of its important position in the Islamic faith that throughout our course we shall be using the Quran as our immediate source of reference. 
Can you remember the meaning of the word Quran from your Islamic Religious Education in Primary school?
This word comes from an Arabic root qara'a which means "to read or to recite.” Quran in Arabic therefore literally means recitation or something that is continuously recited. It is equivalent in meaning      to      qira'ah,      as      both      come      from      the       same       verb       ‘qara'a.’  This name is specifically mentioned in the text of the Quran as a reference to itself in several places. From the verses you have read, you will learn that the Quran has been referred as a book of guidance, a book full of wisdom and a Glorious. Read the following verses:
In Islam the word Quran is defined as the divine speech of Allah Subhanahu Wa Taala (S.W.T), sent down upon the last Prophet Muhammad Peace be Upon Him (P.B.U.H), through the Angel Jibril Aleihi Swalatu wa Salaam(A.S) to human kind. Since its revelation the Quran has remained the  same without being distorted.

Do you know that the Quran is referred to with other different names? Mention some of these names. For the names you have mentioned, it can be seen that some of the names of the Quran have been referred to in the Quran itself while others are derived from the functions of the Quran. Among these names are:

• Furqaan (criterion) “Blessed is He Who sent down the Criterion to His servant, that it may be an admonition to all creatures.” [Q: 25: 1]
• Nadhir (warner) “Verily this Quran Doth guide to that which is most right (or stable), and giveth the Glad tidings to the believers who work deeds of righteousness, that they have a magnificent reward.”[Q: 17:9]
• Rahma (mercy) “A guide and a Mercy to the doers of good”[Q: 31:3]
• Tanzil (revelation) “Verily this is a Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds.”[Q: 26: 192]
• Dhikr (reminder) “We have without doubt, send down the message; And We will assuredly guard it (from corruption)[Q: 15: 9]
• Kitab (The book) “We have revealed for you (O men) a Book in which is a message for you: will you not then understand.”[Q : 21:10]
• Hudan (Guidance) “We gave Moses the book, and made it a Guide to the children of Israel, ​ (commanding): “Take not other than Me as disposer of (your) affair.”[Q:17: 2:5]

All these names reflect one of the various aspects of the revealed words of Allah. Other names include Nur (Light), Majid (Glorious), and Mubarak (Blessed) Bashir (Announcer), among others. Can you mention the other names of the Holy Quran that have not been listed above?
Ulumul Quran
The term Ulum means ‘a science.’It Refers to the detailed scientific study of a subject. If you look at the various subjects you are offered in Form one, you will notice that each of them has a different approach of studying it.These approaches are what we refer to as Ulum (the Science).The Quran, being a wide subject area of study also has its unique features that must be studied in a particular way. Therefore, Ulumul Quran is a scientific study that includes a variety of fields related to Al – Quran such as it’s:

• Revelation.
• Collection and compilation.
• Order and arrangement of suras.
• Translation of the Quran (tafsir).
• Reasons for the translation of the suras ( Asbaabu Nnuzul)
• Characteristics of language
• Style of writing and theme
• Recitation (Tajweed) among other

We are going to look at one of the above areas in our next discussion.

• In life everything has a reason and a purpose for its being, just as we have a purpose for coming to school. Why do you think the Quran was revealed to humankind? Revelation of the Quran came at a time when there was ignorance and the socity was full of social vices, a period referred to as Jahiliya. Someof the reasons for revelation of the Quran are as follows:
• The earlier scriptures were tampered and interfered with by man thus losing their authenticity. Hence the revelation of the Quran was to correct the wrong message.
• The Quran was given to Prophet Muhammad, the seal of the prophet with a universal  message unlike the other books which were sent to particular generations at specific time.  For example The Torah (Taurat) was sent to the Children of Israel through Prophet Musa (A.S) while Zabur was sent to the followers of Prophet Daud.

Read the following two verses from the Holy Quran:

• Almighty Allah (S.W.T) Says:“To the Thamud people (We sent) Salih, one of their own brethren: He said: ‘O my people! Worship Allah; ye have no other god but Him.Now has come unto you a clear sign from your Lord! This she camel of Allah is a sign unto you...” [Q: 7:73]
• Almighty Allah (S.W.T) Says:“To the Ad people, (We send) Hud, one of their own brethren: He said: ‘O my people! Worship Allah! You have No other god but Him. Will you not fear (Allah)?”[Q: 7:65]
• To fulfill Allah’s promise as well as prophesies of the other earlier revealed scriptures on the coming of the Quran and that of prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H).
• Almighty Allah (S.W.T)Says:“And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said: ‘O children of Israel! I am the messenger of Allah (sent) to you confirming the law (which came) before me and giving Glad Tidings of a messenger to come after me whose name shall be Ahmad.But when he came to them with clear signs, they said, ‘This is evident sorcery.”
  [Q: 61:6]
• To narrate and summarizestories and events of the earlier generation in order to offer teachings, lessons, warnings and guidance to shape community.
• Almighty Allah (S.W.T)Says:“There is in, their stories,instructions for men endued with ​understanding.It is not a tale invented,but a confirmation of what went before it-A detailed exposition of all things,and a guide and a mercy to any such as believe.” [Q: 12: 111]
• Believe in One True God: The most important topic mentioned throughout the Quran is the belief in the One, True God. God informs us that He has no partner, no son, no equal, and that none has the right to be worshipped except Him alone. Nothing is comparable to God and none of His creation resembles Him. The Qur’an also rejects the notion of attributing human qualities and limitations to Allah (SWT).
• Almighty Allah (S.W.T) says, “And your god is One God. There is no god but He, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.” [Q 2:163]
• Rejection All False Gods: Since Allah alone is the only One worthy of worship, false gods must be rejected. The Quranalso rejects the notion of attributing divine qualities to anyone or anything other than Allah.
• Almighty Allah (S.W.T) Says: “And worship Allah and associate none with Him…” [Q:4:36]
• To remind us of the Day of Judgment:This Holy Quranreminds us that everyone will taste death and will be held accountable for all their actions and sayings: 
  Almighty Allah (S.W.T) says: “We shall set up scales of justice for the Day of Judgment, so that not a soul will be dealt with unjustly in the least…”[Q: 21:47]
• Fulfilling the Intended Way of Life: The purpose of life is to worship Allah alone, and live one’s life according to the way of life prescribed by Allah. In Islam, worship is a comprehensive term that includes all actions and sayings (whether private or public) that Allah loves and is pleased with. Therefore, by doing what Allah commands, a Muslim is worshipping God and fulfilling his purpose in life.
  Amighty Allah (S.W.T) says, “I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me.”[Q: 51:56]

​Revelation is the divine communication of Allah (S.W.T) to his creatures. In this communication, Allah (S.W.T) either uses the Arch Angel Jibril or any by other methods which shall be studies in Form Two. An example of this communication is when Allah (S.W.T) revealed to the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) the first five verses of Sura al-Alaqa through Angel Jibril. Refer to [Q: 96:1-5]
The above paragraph shows us thatthe Almighty Allah (S.W.T) communicates to his Prophets in the form of revelations. Allah (S.W.T) says in the Holy Quran that;
“It is not fitting for a man that Allah should speak to him except by inspiration, or from behind a veil, or by sending of a messenger to reveal, with Allah’s permission, what Allah will; for He is most High, Most Wise.”[Q: 42:51]
From the verse we have read, we see the Arch Angel Jibril acting as an intermediary between Allah (S.W.T) and the prophets as the bearer of the revelation.Angel Jibril undertook the following duties in the revelation of the Qur’an:
The role of Angel Jibril

1. He lowered the Quran from Lauhil Mahfudh (well preserved tablet), the seventh heaven to Baitul– Izza; the lowest heaven.
2. He lowered the Quran from Baitul-Izza to earthand revealedit in portions to the prophet throughout his 23 years of prophet hood.
3. He taught the prophet how to recite the Holy Quran correctly. He would
4. He assisted the prophet in the order and arrangement of the Quran. He used to appear before the prophet at the beginning of every month of Ramadhan and the prophet used to recite all the chapters while Jibril would guide him on the order and arrangement.
5. He played an intermediary role between the Almighty Allah to the prophet (P.B.U.H).
6. He assisted the prophet in memorizing the Quran during revelation; he would only leave after the prophet had grasped the verses.
7. Assisted the prophet in interpreting and understanding the QuranHe was the comforter of the prophet because revelation was a difficult experience.Aisha (R.A.) reported thatAl - Harith bin Hisham asked Allah Apostle (P.B.U.H) how the divine inspiration was revealed to Him. Allah’s Apostle replied; “sometimes it is revealed like the ringing of a bell, this form of inspiration (wahyi) is the hardest of all and then this state passes off after I have grasped what is inspired. Sometimes the Angel comes in the form of a man and talks to me and I  grasp whatever he says.”
   What are the other duties that Angel Jibril played in the life of the prophet apart from revealing the Qur’an?
8. REASON WHY THE QURAN WAS REVEALED IN PORTIONS. We have just learnt that Arch Angel Jibril lowered the Quran from Baitul-Izza and revealed it in portions.

What do you think are the reasons why the Quran was revealed in portions? Let us consider the following points:

1. To address the prophet continuously in order to strengthen his heart. Almighty Allah (S.W.T) says:
   “You and those who disbelieve say “why is the Quran not revealed to him all at once?” but it is like that in order that we may steady your heart with it, and I have arranged its component parts in an orderly, consistent manner.”[Q: 25:3]
   (It is) a Quran which we have divided (into parts from time to time) in order that you might recite it to men at intervals: We have revealed it by stages.” [Q: 17:106]
2. The process of revelation was a very difficult experience considering human ability and limitations; therefore it was revealed in portions to ease the task.
3. To provide room for spiritual growth and development for the prophet and his companions.
4. To progressively implement the sharia of Allah(S.W.T) that is providing continuous guidance.
5. To make it easy for the believers to understand and apply the rules of the Quran.
6. To make it memorization easier because the Arabs chiefly relied on memory to preserve information.
   Allah says (S.W.T) “(These are) the ones who wait and watch about you, if you do gain a victory from Allah, they say: were we not with you? But if the unbelievers gain an advantage over you, and did we not guard you from the believers?” [Q: 4:141]
7. Dealing with problems as they arise whenever a new happening emerges the Quran was there
   to provide the necessary solutions and answer. Example of this is when the Almighty Allah says(S.W.T): “And they ask you about Dhul Qarnayn tell them I will read to you a report.”[Q: 18:83]
8. An indication of the true source of the Quran as it was revealed in a period of 23 years without any contradictions.
   The Almighty Allah says (S.W.T):“Won’t they contemplate the Quran if it had come from other than Allah; they would have found in it many contradictions?” [Q: 4:82]