What is the Qur’an?

Muslims Believe the Qur’an to Be the Divine Word of God

The Qur’an was revealed to Muhammad (pbuh) from God through the Archangel Gabriel over a period of 23 years in response to events in his life and the life of the community. It was written down while Muhammad (pbuh) was still alive.

While Muslims believe in all the prophets sent by God—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Jesus, and others—and they believe in the original Scriptures, they also believe that those scriptures did not remain in their original versions and have been corrupted over time. God gave the restored truth to Muhammad (pbuh) with the Qur’an and made the promise that his last revelation will stand the test of time and will not be corrupted until the Day of Judgment. To date, 1400 years after its revelation, the Qur’an still remains intact in its original Arabic version; not a letter or word has been added or removed. No matter what mosque you visit on earth, the Qur’an is still exactly the same.

Over 10 million Muslims have the Qur’an memorized from beginning to end, and every Muslim on earth has a part of the Qur’an memorized for recitation during prayers.


How to Approach the Qur’an for the First Time

The Qur’an is not a linear storybook narrative. Instead, it is a book of guidance that teaches humans who God is, what God expects, how to achieve inner peace (the source of all peace), how to live in this world, and what awaits in the afterlife.

The Qur’an is not easy to study for many reasons, one of which is the richness of its Arabic content. The Arabs of the 6th and 7th centuries were masters of the Arabic language. Eloquence and rhetoric were their lifeblood, and they were stunned when they heard the Qur’an. This emphasizes that “The Qur’an” is the Arabic Qur’an, and no human translation can substitute for it; no translation can truly convey a sense of its true meaning. That is why many believe the Qur’an is essentially untranslatable.

Seemi Ghazi, a University of B.C. instructor in Islamic literature and arts, recommends that first-time readers not start from the front cover but instead explore sections that are more accessible, such as Sura 1, titled “Fatiha,” Sura 12, titled “Joseph,” or by going to the end of the Qur’an for the smaller Suras.

For the best English translation possible, please refer to the translation done by Wahiduddin Khan, edited by Farida Khanam. Click here to read the entire Qur’an in PDF.

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