The Qur'an is the holy book of Islam: the final revealed word of Allah, given to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as a guidance and mercy for all people.
The word of Allah
Muslims believe the Qur'an is the actual speech of Allah, not the words of any human being. It was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, who could neither read nor write, over about 23 years. This is one reason Muslims see it as a miracle.
Brought by the angel Jibrīl
The revelation came through the angel Jibrīl (Gabriel), peace be upon him. The very first words revealed were
"Read! In the name of your Lord who created." (96:1)The Qur'an is the last of the holy books, coming after the Tawrāt (Torah) given to Mūsā (as), the Zabūr (Psalms) given to Dāwūd (as) and the Injīl (Gospel) given to ʿĪsā (as).
In the Arabic language
The Qur'an was revealed in clear Arabic. Muslims all around the world recite it in Arabic, which keeps its words exactly as they were sent. Translations help us understand the meaning, but the true Qur'an is the Arabic text itself.
How it is arranged
- It is made up of 114 sūrahs (chapters), some long and some short.
- Each sūrah is made of āyahs (verses), which means "signs".
- The longest sūrah is al-Baqarah; the shortest is al-Kawthar.
- All sūrahs except one begin with Bismillāhir-Raḥmānir-Raḥīm — "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful".
The Qur'an describes itself as guidance:
"This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah." (2:2)It was sent for every person, in every place and time, until the Last Day.