In Syraic (= Christian Aramaic) qeryaanaa: scriptural reading. Occurs 66 times in the Qur'an. See also ARABIC, WORD OF GOD.
According to Dr. Sobhy as-Salih, this word is not Arabic but Aramaic. He said:
"Allah chose to His revelation new names different from those used by
the Arabs, in general and in detail."
(Sobhy as-Salih, Mabahith fi 'Ulum al-Qur'an, Dar al-'Ilm
lel-Malayeen, Beirut, 1983, p. 17)
He also said, "When the Arabs before Islam used the word
(qara') it meant 'to be pregnant or to have a child'.
But the word qara' as 'to recite' is of an Aramaic
origin." (ibid, p. 19).
[Aside: If the latter is
true, then those Muslims who try to show that Muhmmad was illiterate
will find this funny. Of course, when Gabriel told him to "be
pregnant or have a child," it must be he cannot, a perfectly logical
and correct answer!]
Further reference for this etymological derivation (in German):
Christoph Luxenberg, Die syro-aramäische Lesart des Koran:
ein Beitrag zur Entschlüsselung der Koransprache, Berlin 2000
(ISBN 3-86093-274-8). Luxenberg gives the complete etymology
of qur'aan from qeryaanaa in detailed steps.
The Qur'an is also called al-Furqan.
According to Dr. Sobhy
as-Salih, this word is also not Arabic but Aramaic (ibid, p. 20). The
Qur'an was also called Mushaf meaning "sheets or leaves".
According to Dr. Salih, "when the Qur'an was collected and written on
paper they wanted to give it A NAME. The word, Sifr, was suggested
by some. It was rejected on the grounds that this is what the Jews call
their books. Some suggested the word Mushaf because this is what the
Ethiopian [Christians] call their holy books." (ibid, p. 78)
It seems strange that for all the titles of the Qur'an, none of them
were actually Arabic, especially when the Qur'an says that Allah sent
it down in Arabic
(Yusuf 12:2;
ar-Ra`d 13:37; an-Nahl 16:103; ash-Shu`ara' 26:195; az-Zumar 39:28;
Ha Mim Sajdah 41:3; ash-Shura 42:7; az-Zukhruf 43:3; al-Ahqaf 46:12).
The Qur'an was not written down in full, but revealed piecemeal over the period of 22 years.
Recommendation:
A Topical Study of the Qur'an
Some surahs have alternative names. They are given in a new line [and in brackets].
However, the list of alternative names is not complete yet.
A detailed discussion on the chronology of the suras (or parts of suras) is found in
The Historical Development of the Qur'an
by Rev. Canon Sell, which also gives
a table with three proposed chronologies.
Notes:
The Qur'an issued a challenge to unbelievers to produce a sura
like it
(bani Isra'il 17:88).
The implication is that if others cannot produce a sura like it,
then the Qur'an is true.
However, this challenge of the Qur'an to anyone to produce a verse like
it is in strange land.
Muslims have often said that it refers to the eloquence
and beauty of the verses. Unfortunately, however, there is no
objective criteria by which one can judge this. Interestingly
enough, no Muslim has ever put up an objective criteria by which
to judge such a contest. Secondly, there is no concensus as to
who will be the judge of such a contest. In other words, there
are no rules and no judge. At the same time, there are others
who have pointed out grammatical errors in the Qur'an. Some
Muslims responded that the Qur'an is the final arbitar of correct
Arabic, and if the grammar books do not conform to the Qur'an,
then the grammer books have to be changed. But clearly, that
is not acceptable, for the Qur'an was supposedly revealed in
the midst of a people who were masters of eloquence and poetry,
and the challenge was issued to them. (Do we not remember that
Muhammad originally thought that he was becoming one of the
poets after the first revelation (see
Muhammad))?
see here
for more details.
three other codices were in existence before the official Uthmanic
codex compiled by Zaid ibn Thabit, the more famous ones being
Ubayy b. Ka'ab,
Abdullah ibn Mas'ud
and Abu Musa. Some allege even more. These codices had some
significant variants with the Uthmanic codex.
see The Collection of the Qur'an
- from the Hadiths
for more details from the hadiths.
see "Material for the history of
the text of the Qur'an: the old codices: the Kitab al-masahif of Ibn
Abu Dawud together with a collection of the variant readings of the
codices of Ibn Ma'sud, Ubai, 'Ali, Ibn 'Abbas, Anas, Abu Musa and
other Qur'anic authorities which present a type of text anterior to
that of the canonical text of 'Uthman," by Arthur Jeffery, Leiden:
E.J. Brill, 1937.
al-Ghazali,
the famous theologian who successfully put Sufiism with the realms of Muslim
orthodoxy,
said that the number of clear verses is 500, a mere 8% of the Qur'an!
There are many obscure passages in the Qur'an, that this verse cannot be referring to the whole
Qur'an. This verse actually say that the Jews and Christians know that it is revealed in truth!
This is an argument of the "Qur'an-only" party. They argue based on
al-A`raf 7:185; Yunus 10:36; Luqman 31:6; az-Zumar 39:23,29; al-Jathiyah 45:6; at-Tur 52:34; al-Qalam 68:44; al-Mursalat 77:50.
Muslim in the seventh part of his Sahih (commentary of An-Nawawi)
in the book of Al-Zakat about the virtue of being satisfied with
whatever God gives and about urging people to have that virtue,
pages 139-40, reported that Abu Al-Aswad reported that his father
said: Abu Musa Al-Ashari invited the Qur'an readers of Basra. Three
hundred readers responded to his invitation. He told them: You are
the readers and the choice of the people of Basra. Recite the Qur'an
and do not neglect it. Otherwise, a long time may elapse and your
hearts will be hardened as the heartsw of those who came before you
were hardened.
We used to read a chapter from the Qu'ran similar to Bara'ah
in length (about 130 verses) and seriousness, but I forgot it. I can
remember from that chapter only the following words:
"Should a son of Adam own two valleys full of wealth, he would
seek a third valley, and nothing would fill Ibn Adam's abdomen but
the soil."
We used to read a chapter similar to the Musabihat and I forgot
it. I only remember the following:
"Oh you who believe, why do you say what you do not do? Thus, a
testimony will be written on your necks and you will be questioned
about it on the day of judgement."
Muslim also reported in the book Al-Ridhaa (book of nursing),
part 10, page 29, that Ayeshah [reportedly] said the following:
There was in what was revealed in the Qur'an that ten times of
nursing known with certainty makes the nursing woman a mother of
a nursed child. This number of nursings would make the woman "haram"
(forbidden) to the child.
Muhammad died while these words were recorded and read in the
Qur'an.
Umar reportedly said that Chap 33 is incomplete
Al-Muttaqi Ali Ibn Husam Ad-Deen, in his book "Mukhtasar Kanz
al-Ummal," (printed on the margin of Imam Ahmad's Musnad, part two,
page two), in his hadith about chapter 33, said that Ibn Murdawayh
reported that Huthaifah said: Umar said to me "How many verses are
contained in the chapter of Al-Ahzab?" I said, "72 or 73 verses."
He said it was almost as long as the chapter of the Cow, which
contains 287 verses, and in it was the verse of stoning.
Al-Hakim An-Nisaboori in his book "Al-Mustadrak" in the book of
commentary on the Qur'an, part two, page 224, reported that Ubayy
Ibn Kaab (whom the Prophet called the leader of Al-ansar), said
that the Messenger of God said to him: Certainly the Almighty
commanded me to read the Qur'an in front of you, and he read "The
unbelievers from the people of the Book and the pagans will not
change their way until they see the evidence. Those who disbelieve
among the people of the scripture and the idolators could not change
until the clear proof came unto them. A Messenger from Allah,
reading purified pages..." And of the very excellent part of it
"Should Ibn Adam ask for a valley full of wealth and I grant it to
him, he would ask for another valley. And if I grant him that, he
would ask for a third valley. Nothing would fill the abdomen of Ibn
Adam except the soil. God accepts the repentance of anyone who repents.
The religion in the eyes of God is the Hanafiyah (Islam) rather than
Yahudiyya (Judaism) or Nasraniya (Christianity). Whoever does good,
his goodness will not be denied.
Book of Jubilee 3:10 states that the law of purification of
woman after childbirth are written in the tablets in heaven.
Jubilee 12:8 regard "Feast of Booths"
(
Leviticus 23:40-43).
Jubilee 5:13 states that the divine judgement on all that exists on
earth is written on tablets in heaven.
Book of Enoch prophesied future from contents of this tablet.
(XCII:2, LXXXI, CIII:2, CVI:19, Also
Encyclopaedia of Islam, p.288 quoted by Abdul-Haqq)
The tablets -- these are the ten commandments;
the Law,
that which is read; and the Commandments; this is the
Mishnah, which I have written, these are the Prophets and
the Hagiographa: that thou mayest teach them, this denotes
the Gamara. This teaches that all of them were given to Moses
from Sinai.
(Tract Berakhoth quoted in vol 5. Col. 1)
Caliph
Alwalid ibn Yazid, who ruled the Muslims in the year 743
A.D. said:
Etymology of the word "Qur'an"
The Message of the Qur'an
Summary of Qur'an details
s/no
name
English Names
#verses
place
chronological order
1
Al-Fatihah
The Opening
7
Mecca
5
2
Al-Baqarah
The Cow
286
Madina
87
3
Âl 'Imran
The Family of 'Imran
200
Madina
89
4
An-Nisa'
Women
176
Madina
92
5
Al-Ma'idah
The Table
120
Madina
112
6
Al-An`am
The Cattle
165
Mecca
55
7
Al-A`raf
The Elevated Places
206
Mecca
39
8
Al-Anfal
The Spoils of War
75
Madina
88
9
At-Taubah
Repentance
129
Madina
113
[Bara'ah]
[Immunity / Disavowal]
10
Yunus
Jonah
109
Mecca
51
11
Hud
Hud
123
Mecca
52
12
Yusuf
Joseph
111
Mecca
53
13
Al-Ra`d
The Thunder
43
Madina
96
14
Ibrahim
Abraham
52
Mecca
72
15
Al-Hijr
The Rock
99
Mecca
54
16
An-Nahl
The Bee
128
Mecca
70
17
Bani Isra'il
The Israelites
111
Mecca
50
18
Al-Kahf
The Cave
110
Mecca
69
19
Maryam
Mary
98
Mecca
44
20
Ta Ha
Ta Ha
135
Mecca
45
21
Al-Anbiya'
The Prophets
112
Mecca
73
22
Al-Hajj
The Pilgrimage
78
Madina
103
23
Al-Mu'minun
The Believers
118
Mecca
74
24
An-Nur
The Light
64
Madina
102
25
Al-Furqan
The Criterion
77
Mecca
42
26
Ash-Shu`ara'
The Poets
227
Mecca
47
27
An-Naml
The Ant
93
Mecca
48
28
Al-Qasas
The Narrative
88
Mecca
49
29
Al-`Ankabut
The Spider
69
Mecca
85
30
Ar-Rum
The Romans
60
Mecca
84
31
Luqman
Lukman
34
Mecca
57
32
As-Sajdah
The Adoration
30
Mecca
75
33
Al-Ahzab
The Allies
73
Madina
90
34
Saba'
Sheba
54
Mecca
58
35
Fatir
The Creator
45
Mecca
43
36
Ya Sin
Ya Sin
83
Mecca
41
37
As-Saffat
The Rangers
182
Mecca
56
38
Sad
Sad
88
Mecca
38
39
Az-Zumar
The Companies
75
Mecca
59
40
Al-Mu'min
The Forgiving One
85
Mecca
60
41
Ha Mim Sajdah
Revelations Well Expounded
54
Mecca
61
42
Ash-Shura
The Counsel
53
Mecca
62
43
Az-Zukhruf
The Embellishment
89
Mecca
63
44
Ad-Dukhan
The Evident Smoke
59
Mecca
64
45
Al-Jathiyah
The Kneeling
37
Mecca
65
46
Al-Ahgaf
The Sandhills
35
Mecca
66
47
Muhammad
Muhammad
38
Madina
95
[Al-Qital]
[War / Fighting]
48
Al-Fath
The Victory
29
Madina
111
49
Al-Hujurat
The Chambers
18
Madina
106
50
Qaf
Qaf
45
Mecca
34
51
Adh-Dhariyat
The Scatterers
60
Mecca
67
52
At-Tur
The Mountain
49
Mecca
76
53
An-Najm
The Star
62
Mecca
23
54
Al-Qamr
The Moon
55
Mecca
37
55
Ar-Rahman
The Merciful
78
Madina
97
56
Al-Waqi`ah
That Which is Coming
96
Mecca
46
57
Al-Hadid
The Iron
29
Madina
94
58
Al-Mujadilah
She Who Pleaded
22
Madina
105
59
Al-Hashr
The Exile
24
Madina
101
60
Al-Mumtahanah
She Who is Tested
13
Madina
91
61
As-Saff
The Ranks
14
Madina
109
62
Al-Jum`ah
The Day of Congregation
11
Madina
110
63
Al-Munafiqun
The Hypocrites
11
Madina
104
64
At-Taghabun
The Cheating
18
Madina
108
65
At-Talaq
The Divorce
12
Madina
99
66
At-Tahrim
The Prohibition
12
Madina
107
67
Al-Mulk
The Kingdom
30
Mecca
77
68
Al-Qalam
The Pen
52
Mecca
2
69
Al-Haqqah
The Inevitable
52
Mecca
78
70
Al-Ma`arij
The Ladders
44
Mecca
79
71
Nuh
Noah
28
Mecca
71
72
Al-Jinn
The Jinn
28
Mecca
40
73
Al-Muzammil
The Mantled One
20
Mecca
3
74
Al-Mudathir
The Clothed One
56
Mecca
4
75
Al-Qiyamah
The Resurrection
40
Mecca
31
76
Ad-Dahr
The Man
31
Madina
98
77
Al-Mursalat
The Emissaries
50
Mecca
33
78
An-Naba'
The Tidings
40
Mecca
80
79
An-Naziat
Those Who Pulled Out
46
Mecca
81
80
`Abasa
He Frowned
42
Mecca
24
81
At-Takwir
The Cessation
29
Mecca
7
82
Al-Infitar
The Cleaving Asunder
19
Mecca
82
83
At-Tatfif
The Defrauders
36
Mecca
86
84
Al-Inshiqaq
The Rending
25
Mecca
83
85
Al-Buruj
The Constellations
22
Mecca
27
86
At-Tariq
The Night-Comer
17
Mecca
36
87
Al-A`la
The Most High
19
Mecca
8
88
Al-Ghashiyah
The Overwhelming Calamity
26
Mecca
68
89
Al-Fajr
The Dawn
30
Mecca
10
90
Al-Balad
The City
20
Mecca
35
91
Ash-Shams
The Sun
15
Mecca
26
92
Al-Layl
The Night
21
Mecca
9
93
Ad-Duha
The Early Hours
11
Mecca
11
94
Al-Inshirah
The Expansion
8
Mecca
12
95
At-Tin
The Fig
8
Mecca
28
96
Al-`Alaq
The Clot
19
Mecca
1
97
Al-Qadr
The Majesty
5
Mecca
25
98
Al-Bayyinah
The Proof
8
Madina
100
99
Al-Zilzal
The Shaking
8
Madina
93
100
Al-`Adiyat
The Assaulters
11
Mecca
14
101
Al-Qari`ah
The Terrible Calamity
11
Mecca
30
102
At-Takathur
Worldly Gain
8
Mecca
16
103
Al-`Asr
Time
3
Mecca
13
104
Al-Humazah
The Slanderer
9
Mecca
32
105
Al-Fil
The Elephant
5
Mecca
19
106
Al-Quraysh
The Quraish
4
Mecca
29
107
Al-Ma'un
The Daily Necessaries
7
Mecca
17
108
Al-Kauthar
Abundance
3
Mecca
15
109
Al-Kafirun
The Unbelievers
6
Mecca
18
110
An-Nasr
The Help
3
Madina
114
111
Al-Lahab
The Fame
5
Mecca
6
112
Al-Ikhlas
Purity (of Faith)
4
Mecca
22
[At-Tauhid]
[Unity]
113
Al-Falaq
The Daybreak
5
Mecca
20
114
An-Nas
The Men
6
Mecca
21
Challenge from the Qur'an
Codices of the Qur'an
Collection of the Qur'an
see The Collection of the Qur'an
- from the Hadiths
and Uthman.
"Of all the divine books the Koran is
the only one of which the text, words and phrases have been
communicated to the prophet by an audible voice."
(Ibn Khalkan, as quoted in Encyclopaedia of
Religion and Ethics, Vol 7, p.335, quoted by
Abdul-Haqq p.58)
It seems that ibn Khalkan ignored that God spoke to Moses directly.
This distinction from previous revelations, however, make it difficult
for the Muslim to push that it is the same as previous revelations.
Narrated Ibn Abbas:
Interestingly, this hadith tells us that it was not Gabriel (hence
Allah) who initiated the reading in seven different ways, but was
on Muhammad's initiative.
Allah's Apostle said, "Gabriel read the Qur'an to me in one way
(i.e. dialect) and I continued asking him to read it in different
ways till he read it in seven different ways."
(Sahih Bukhari 4.442,
also
Sahih Bukhari 6.513)
Narrated 'Umar bin Al-Khattab:
Once a Jew said to me, "O the chief of believers! There is a
verse in your Holy Book Which is read by all of you (Muslims),
and had it been revealed to us, we would have taken that day
(on which it was revealed as a day of celebration." 'Umar bin
Al-Khattab asked, "Which is that verse?" The Jew replied, "This
day I have perfected your religion For you, completed My favor
upon you, And have chosen for you Islam as your religion." (al-Ma'idah 5:3)
'Umar replied, "No doubt, we know when and where this verse was
revealed to the Prophet. It was Friday and the Prophet was
standing at 'Arafat (i.e. the Day of Hajj)"
(Sahih Bukhari 1.43)
Narrated Ash-Sha'bi:
see The Collection of the Qur'an
- from the Hadiths for more details.
Abu Juhaifa said, "I asked Ali, 'Have you got any book (which has
been revealed to the Prophet apart from the Qur'an)?' 'Ali replied,
'No, except Allah's Book or the power of understanding which has
been bestowed (by Allah) upon a Muslim or what is (written) in this
sheet of paper (with me).' Abu Juhaifa said, "I asked, 'What is
(written) in this sheet of paper?' Ali replied, it deals with The
Diyya (compensation (blood money) paid by the killer to the
relatives of the victim), the ransom for the releasing of the
captives from the hands of the enemies, and the law that no Muslim
should be killed in Qisas (equality in punishment) for the killing
of (a disbeliever).
(Sahih Bukhari 1.111)
"Rabbi Simeon ben Laqish saith, "What is it that which is
written, 'And I shall give thee tablets of stone, and the Law,
and the commandment which I have written, that thou mayest teach
them' (Ex XXIV:12)?"
"Talaaba be-inoboati Hashimeon bela wahion attaho wala kitabo w"
(The Islamic Caliphate, p. 59)
which means
Muhammad the Hashemite manipulated people by his claim that he was
a prophet, without true inspiration or an inspired book.
Caliph Abd Al-Malik ibn Marwan, who was a Muslim leader and
scholar of the Qur'an, after becoming the Caliph, folded the
Qur'an and said, "this is the last time I will ever use you."
(The Islamic Caliphate, p. 173)