The Holy Quran In English Languange published by The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Holy Quran literally meaning "the recitation"; also romanized Qur'an or Koran is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims believe to be a revelation from Allah SWT (God) It is widely regarded as the finest work in classical Arabic literature. The Quran is divided into chapters (surah in Arabic), which are then divided into verses (ayah).
Muslims believe that the Quran was verbally revealed by God to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel (Jibril), gradually over a period of approximately 23 years, beginning on 22 December 609 CE, when Prophet Muhammad SAW was 40, and concluding in 632, the year of his death. Muslims regard the Quran as the most important miracle of Prophet Muhammad SAW, a proof of his prophethood, and the culmination of a series of divine messages that started with the messages revealed to Prophet Adam (Pbuh) and ended with Prophet Muhammad SAW. The word "Quran" occurs some 70 times in the text of the Quran, although different names and words are also said to be references to the Quran.
According to the traditional narrative, several companions of Prophet Muhammad SAW served as scribes and were responsible for writing down the revelations. Shortly after Prophet Muhammad SAW passed away, the Quran was compiled by his companions who wrote down and memorized parts of it. These codices had differences that motivated the Caliph Uthman to establish a standard version now known as Uthman's codex, which is generally considered the archetype of the Quran known today. There are, however, variant readings, with mostly minor differences in meaning.
The Quran assumes familiarity with major narratives recounted in the Biblical scriptures. It summarizes some, dwells at length on others and, in some cases, presents alternative accounts and interpretations of events. The Quran describes itself as a book of guidance for mankind 2:185. It sometimes offers detailed accounts of specific historical events, and it often emphasizes the moral significance of an event over its narrative sequence. The Holy Quran is used along with authentic and reliable hadith to interpret sharia law. During prayers, the Quran is recited only in Arabic.
Someone who has memorized the entire Quran is called a hafiz. Quranic verse (ayah) is sometimes recited with a special kind of elocution reserved for this purpose, called tajwid. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims typically complete the recitation of the whole Quran during tarawih prayers. In order to extrapolate the meaning of a particular Quranic verse, most Muslims rely on exegesis, or tafsir.
