إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ

‘Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur’an and indeed, We will be its guardian.’
-Quran ‘Al-Hijir’ Verse 9

The scripture is Islam is called the ‘Quran.’ The word Quran means both ‘reading’ and ‘recitation.’ Muslims believe that the Quran is a recitation of an eternal scripture, written in heaven and revealed, chapter by chapter, to the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). The title of the scripture also relates to the first Surah (chapter), which is ‘Recite in the name of thy Lord who created…’

It can be argued that no scripture in the history of the world has been so influential to its people. Surely no scripture has been read as much or committed to memory as often. Although Jewish and Christian people revere their scripture, human, though inspired, authorship is acknowledged. Such is not the case with the Quran. The Quran is the direct word of God. It is eternal, absolute, and irrevocable. The Quran is believed to be God’s last word to humanity. Islam respects the Jewish and Christian scriptures, but the Quran is understood as God’s final message.

The Quran was revealed to Muhammad verbally, as he committed it to memory. Ever since it has remained unaltered and unchanged. The Quran of today is the exact same Quran at the time of the Prophet Muhammad. This is the miracle of the Quran itself, as God promised that it would be protected from corruption.

Recitation of the Quran is an important ritual and the source of God’s blessing because it produces his divine speech. Customarily, the first thing a Muslim infants hear when they are born is verses from the Quran. These verses are often gently chanted in their ears. Beautiful calligraphy verse from the Quran adorns the walls of the homes of Muslims. And its verses are often the last thing Muslims hear before death.

Among Muslims, it is considered a supreme act of piety and devotion to commit the entire Quran to memory. Those who achieve this extraordinary feat are given the honorary title of ‘Hafiz.’

The Quran is considered the exact words of God. The revelations that make up the Quran are organized into 114 chapters called ‘Surahs.’ The Surahs contain about 6,000 verses, called ‘Ayats.’ There is no topical or chronological order to the Quran. They are arranged based on the length of the Surah in descending order. The longest Surah contains 287 Ayats, and the shortest only contains 3.

Clicking on the Quran button below will take you to an online Quran hosted on quran.com