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The Qur’an is the sacred text of Islam revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. The Qur’an, which, according to Muslim belief, is known as the “timeless word of God”, was first revealed on Kadir night of the month of Ramadan. Thus Ramadan was accepted as a holy month and later accepted as a fasting period.
The Qur’an is made up of 114 chapters, called suras, and each chapter is divided into 6666 verses called ayats. The revelation of the Qur’an continued for 23 years until the death of the Prophet Muhammad. When Muhammad died, the preservation of the scripture was also a conscious concern among his companions and successors. Within two decades after his death, various copies of parts of the Qur’an were collected by a committee of close companions of Muhammad who were known for their knowledge of the Qur’an. The entire script of the Qur’an was put into writing during the caliphate of Abu Bakr who led the Muslim Society after the death of the Prophet Muhammad. The next Caliph, Uthman formed a committee of experts and edited the Qur’an as a book, and distributed copies to all Muslim cities. This is the version in circulation today.
The Qur’an is the primary source of authority, law, theology, and identity in Islam. The principles of Islam are based on the Qur’an and Hadiths. Hadiths describe the words and deeds of the Prophet. The basic principle of Islam is the existence of Allah (God.) According to Islam, Allah is the only God, he is everywhere, he is the creator of the universe, and he is the only divine power judging and protecting humans. Islam recognizes the divine origins of the earlier Hebrew and Christian Scriptures and represents itself as both a restoration and continuation of their traditions.
A Muslim is obliged to believe in Allah, angels, the holy books, the prophets, the world beyond, and fate. Apart from those beliefs, in Islam there are five preconditions that every Muslim must follow. These are known as the Five Pillars of Islam.
In Islamic law, if no relevant rule is found in the Qur’an for the solution of conflicts, then Hadiths, being complementary to the Islamic law and as the secondary source to that law, are to be taken into account. Hadiths are the body of sayings and practices attributed to the Prophet Muhammad.
Muslim scholars agree that although the present form of the Qur’an genuinely reflects the message that Muhammad preached, many words in it can be interpreted in different ways
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Qur’an (The Koran) |
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q Qur’an: (The Koran) |
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The Five Pillars of Islam.
1 Shahada (the profession of faith) “There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet”
2 Salat (prayer) praying five times a day and attendance at the Friday prayer
3 Zakat (almsgiving) giving help to the poor
4 Sawm (fasting) fasting from dawn to dusk during the month of Ramadan
5 Hajj (pilgrimage) pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in one’s lifetime |
