STRAND 1

THE QURAN
Read [Q: 36:2]; [Q: 85:21];[Q: 17:9]
Meaning of the Quran
The Quran is a religious book used by Muslims all over the world as a book of guidance. Most of the
world religions have their specific books which they use for reference.

Do you know any religious books used by members other faiths?

Can you mention any of them?

Just as every religion has its own religious book, Muslims have the Quran as their main source of
reference and they have a duty to learn, understand and constantly refer to it. As a Muslim, have you
read the Quran? Muslims believe that the Holy Quran is the last book to be revealed by Allah. It is
because of its important position in the Islamic faith that throughout our course we shall be using the
Quran as our immediate source of reference.

Can you remember the meaning of the word Quran from your Islamic Religious Education in
Primary school?
This word comes from an Arabic root qara'a which means "to read or to recite.‖ Quran in Arabic
therefore literally means recitation or something that is continuously recited. It is equivalent in
meaning to qira'ah, as both come from the same verb ‗qara'a.‟
This name is specifically mentioned in the text of the Quran as a reference to itself in several places.
From the verses you have read, you will learn that the Quran has been referred as a book of
guidance, a book full of wisdom and a Glorious. Read the following verses:
In Islam the word Quran is defined as the divine speech of Allah Subhanahu Wa Taala (S.W.T), sent
down upon the last Prophet Muhammad Peace be Upon Him (P.B.U.H), through the Angel Jibril
Aleihi Swalatu wa Salaam(A.S) to human kind. Since its revelation the Quran has remained the
same without being distorted.
 Other Names of the Quran
Do you know that the Quran is referred to with other different names? Mention some of these
names. For the names you have mentioned, it can be seen that some of the names of the Quran have
been referred to in the Quran itself while others are derived from the functions of the Quran. Among
these names are:

 Furqaan (criterion) “Blessed is He Who sent down the Criterion to His servant, that it
may be an admonition to all creatures.” [Q: 25: 1]
 Nadhir (warner) “Verily this Quran Doth guide to that which is most right (or stable), and
giveth the Glad tidings to the believers who work deeds of righteousness, that they have a
magnificent reward.”[Q: 17:9]
 Rahma (mercy) “A guide and a Mercy to the doers of good”[Q: 31:3]
 Tanzil (revelation) “Verily this is a Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds.”[Q: 26: 192]
 Dhikr (reminder) “We have without doubt, send down the message; And We will assuredly
guard it (from corruption)[Q: 15: 9]
 Kitab (The book) “We have revealed for you (O men) a Book in which is a message for
you: will you not then understand.”[Q : 21:10]
 Hudan (Guidance) “We gave Moses the book, and made it a Guide to the children of Israel,
(commanding): “Take not other than Me as disposer of (your) affair.”[Q:17: 2:5]
All these names reflect one of the various aspects of the revealed words of Allah. Other
names include Nur (Light), Majid (Glorious), and Mubarak (Blessed) Bashir (Announcer),
among others. Can you mention the other names of the Holy Quran that have not been listed
above?

a) Ulumul Quran
The term Ulum means „a science.‟Itrefers to the detailed scientific study of a subject. If you look at
the various subjects you are offered in Form one, you will notice that each of them has a different
approach of studying it.These approaches are what we refer to as Ulum (theScience).The Quran,
being a wide subject area of study also has its unique features that must be studied in a particular
way. Therefore, Ulumul Quran is a scientific study that includes a variety of fields related to Al –
Quran such as it‘s:

 Revelation.
 Collection and compilation.
 Order and arrangement of suras.
  Translation of the Quran (tafsir).
 Reasons for the translation of the suras ( Asbaabu Nnuzul)
 Characteristics of language
 Style of writing and theme
 Recitation (Tajweed) among other
We are going to look at one of the above areas in our next discussion.

Need for the revelation of the Quran.

In life everything has a reason and a purpose for its being, just as we have a purpose for coming to
school. Why do you think the Quran was revealed to humankind? Revelation of the Quran came at a
time when there was ignorance and the socity was full of social vices, a period referred to as
Jahiliya. Someof the reasons for revelation of the Quran are as follows:

• The earlier scriptures were tampered and interfered with by man thus losing their
authenticity. Hence the revelation of the Quran was to correct the wrong message.
• The Quran was given to Prophet Muhammad, the seal of the prophet with a universal
message unlike the other books which were sent to particular generations at specific time.
For example The Torah (Taurat) was sent to the Children of Israel through Prophet Musa
(A.S) while Zabur was sent to the followers of Prophet Daud.
Read the following two verses from the Holy Quran:

Almighty Allah (S.W.T) Says:“To the Thamud people (We sent) Salih, one of their own
brethren: He said: „O my people! Worship Allah; ye have no other god but Him.Now has
come unto you a clear signfrom your Lord! This she camel of Allah is a sign unto you...”
[Q: 7:73]

Almighty Allah (S.W.T) Says:“To the Ad people, (We send) Hud, one of their own
brethren: He said: „O my people! Worship Allah! You have No other god but Him. Will
you not fear (Allah)?”[Q: 7:65]

• To fulfill Allah‘s promise as well as prophesies of the other earlier revealed scriptures on the
coming of the Quran and that of prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H).
Almighty Allah (S.W.T)Says:“And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said: „O children of
Israel! I am the messenger of Allah (sent) to you confirming the law (which came) before
 me and giving Glad Tidings of a messenger to come after mewhose name shall be
Ahmad.But when he came to them with clear signs, they said, „This is evident sorcery.”[Q:
61:6]

• To narrate and summarizestories and events of the earlier generation in order to offer
teachings, lessons, warnings and guidance to shape community.
Almighty Allah (S.W.T)Says:“There is in, their stories,instructions for men endued with
understanding.It is not a tale invented,but a confirmation of what went before it-A detailed
exposition of all things,and a guide and a mercy to any such as believe.” [Q: 12: 111]

• Believe in One True God: The most important topic mentioned throughout the Quran is the
belief in the One, True God. God informs us that He has no partner, no son, no equal, and
that none has the right to be worshipped except Him alone. Nothing is comparable to God
and none of His creation resembles Him. The Qur‘an also rejects the notion of attributing
human qualities and limitations to Allah (SWT).

Almighty Allah (S.W.T) says, “And your god is One God. There is no god but He, the Most
Gracious, the Most Merciful.‖ [Q 2:163]

• Rejection All False Gods: Since Allah alone is the only One worthy of worship, false gods
must be rejected. The Quranalso rejects the notion of attributing divine qualities to anyone or
anything other than Allah.
Almighty Allah (S.W.T) Says: “And worship Allah and associate none with Him…” [Q:
4:36]

• To remind us of the Day of Judgment:This Holy Quranreminds us that everyone will taste
death and will be held accountable for all their actions and sayings:

Almighty Allah (S.W.T) says: “We shall set up scales of justice for the Day of Judgment, so
that not a soul will be dealt with unjustly in the least…”[Q: 21:47]

• Fulfilling the Intended Way of Life: The purpose of life is to worship Allah alone, and live
one‘s life according to the way of life prescribed by Allah. In Islam, worship is a
comprehensive term that includes all actions and sayings (whether private or public) that
Allah loves and is pleased with. Therefore, by doing what Allah commands, a Muslim is
worshipping God and fulfilling his purpose in life.
Almighty Allah (S.W.T) says, “I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve
Me.”[Q: 51:56]

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