Muslims believe that scriptures were sent to messengers throughout time. The books we know about are:
Scrolls revealed to Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) pbuh
Zabur (Psalms) revealed to Prophet Dawud (David) pbuh
Torah revealed to Prophet Musa (Moses) pbuh
Injeel (Gospels) revealed to Prophet Isa (Jesus) pbuh
Qur’an revealed to Prophet Muhammad pbuh
Muslims believe that each revelation was sent to confirm the message sent before and that the Qur’an, the final revelation, is the final, complete and unchangeable word of Allah. The Qur’an names the previous books and confirms that in their original forms they were the word of Allah, but have been destroyed or changed and added to over time. Previous texts were intended for a particular group of people or nation at a specific time. The Qur’an is for all people to the end of time.
The Qur’an
The Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in stages over 23 years.
The first words to be revealed were:
Read! In the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created. Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood. Read! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful. He Who taught (the use of) the Pen. Taught man that which he knew not..
(Surah Al Alaq, Chapter 96 Verses 1-5)
The Qur’an exists exactly as it was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). It has not been changed.
It was revealed in Arabic
The oldest existing copy of the full text is from the ninth century.
The Qur’an was compiled shortly after the death of the Prophet by the Caliph Uthman, in order to preserve its contents.
There are 114 chapters in the Qur’an.
All the chapters except one begin with the sentence Bismillahir rahmanir raheem, ‘In the name of Allah the most Beneficent, the Most Merciful’.
Translations of the Qur’an exist in over 40 languages but Muslims are still taught to learn and recite it in Arabic.
Committing the Qur’an to memory is considered a great accomplishment and any person who is able to do this is known as a hafiz.
The Qur’an is treated with immense respect by Muslims because it is the sacred word of God.
