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The Holy Quran The Sunnah and The Sources of Islamic Law
The Holy Quran The Sunnah and The Sources of Islamic Law
First Reference:
History of the Holy Qur'an
In this Book, the Holy Prophet's life, the history of the Arabs and the events which
occurred during the period of the revelation of the Quran have not been mingled
with the Divine Verses, as is the case with the Bible. The Quran is the pure word
of Allah. Not a single word has been deleted from its text. The Book has been
handed down to our age in its complete and original form since the time of
Prophet Muhammad.
From the time the Book began to be revealed, the Holy Prophet had dictated its
text to the scribes. Whenever some Divine Message was revealed, the Holy
Prophet would call a scribe and dictate its words to him. The written text was then
read out to the Holy Prophet, who, having satisfied himself that the scribe has
committed no error of recording, would put the manuscript in safe custody.
The Holy Prophet used to instruct the scribe about the sequence in which a
revealed message was to be placed in a particular Surah (chapter). In this
manner, the Holy Prophet continued to arrange the text of the Quran in
systematic order till the end of the chain of revelations. Again, it was ordained
from the beginning of Islam that a recitation of the Holy Quran must be an integral
part of worship. Hence the illustrious Companions would commit the Divine
verses to memory as soon as they were revealed. Many of them learned the
whole text and a far larger number had memorized different portions of it.
Method of preservations of The Holy Qur'an during The Holy Prophet's time
Besides, those of the Companions (Peace be upon them) who were literate used
to keep a written record of several portions of the Holy Qur'an. In this manner, the
text of the Holy Qur'an had been preserved in four different ways during the
lifetime of the Holy Prophet (PBUH):
a) The Holy Prophet (PBUH) had the whole text of the Divine Messages from the
beginning to the end committed to writing by the scribes of revelations.
b) Many of the Companions learned the whole text of the Qur'an, every syllable
of it, by heart.
the Qur'an was revealed is a living language in our own time. It is still current as
the mother tongue of about a hundred million people from Iraq to Morocco. In the
non-Arab world too, hundreds of thousands of people study and teach this
language.
The grammar of the Arabic language, its lexicon, its phonetic system and its
phraseology, have remained intact for fourteen hundred years.
A modern Arabic-speaking person can comprehend the Holy Qur'an with as
much proficiency as did the Arabs of fourteen centuries ago. This, then, is an
important attribute of Muhammad (PBUH), which is shared by no other Prophet
or Leader of Religion. The Book which God revealed to Him for the guidance of
mankind is today's in its original language without the slightest alteration in its
vocabulary.
** (This is taken from a speech, Message of Prophet's (saw) Seerah", given by
Syed Abul 'Aala Muadoodi.)
Second Reference
The Quran is the backbone of Islam. This Sacred Book of Allah elucidates
Islamic call, state, society and the civilization of the Muslim world. It is the last
Divine revelation, which was sent down to Prophet Muhammad, the last and final
of all Prophets, may Allah exalt their mention. His task was to convey the
message of worshipping the One God, Allah, without ascribing any partners to
Him. The Noble Quran, which is the source of guidance and mercy to mankind, is
divided into one hundred and fourteen (114) Surahs (chapters) of varying
lengths. Ninety-three chapters were revealed in Makkah, while the remaining
twenty-one were revealed in Madeenah.
The first revelation that the Prophet received was Soorat Al-'Alaq, which was in
Makkah where Soorat An-Najm was to later become the first to be recited openly
to the people. In Madeenah, Soorat Al-Mutaffifeen was the first one revealed after
the Hijrah (migration). The Prophet had to flee to Madeenah to save his own life
and the lives of his followers, upon the command of Allah.
The last verse sent down to the Prophet from Allah, which means: This day I
have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have
approved for you Islam as religion... [Quran: 5:3]
Some chapters in the Quran focus on the call to Islam as guidance for humanity.
They focus upon monotheism and the fight against polytheism and idolatry. Thus,
stress is laid on all that is related to faith. In other chapters, attention is given to
legislation, acts of worship, relationships among people and the laws that
regulate matters within the Muslim community, government, and family.
A number of chapters inform about Resurrection, the Hereafter and the unseen;
others relate the stories of various prophets and their calls to their people to
return to Allah. We see how the previous nations were severely punished when
they disobeyed Allah and denied the messages of previous prophets, may Allah
exalt their mention.
In addition, several chapters focus on the story of creation and the development
of human life. In fact, Makkan revelations made the Muslims' faith in Allah firmly
established. On the other hand, Madeenan revelations were meant to translate
the faith into action and give details of the Divine Law.
Allah will forever preserve the Quran against all attempts to destroy or corrupt it.
Being guarded by Allah, it will always remain pure.
Upon the command of the Prophet his Companions would write down what was
revealed of the Noble Quran. They used, for this purpose, palm branches
stripped of leaves, parchments, shoulder bones, stone tablets, etc. About forty
people were involved in this task. Among them was Zayd Ibn Thaabit who
showed his work to the Prophet. Thus, the Quran was correctly arranged during
the Prophets life, but it was not yet compiled into one book. In the meantime,
most of the Prophets Companions memorized the Quran.
When Abu Bakr became Caliph after the Prophet died, a large number of the
Companions were killed during the War of Apostasy. 'Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab went
to the Caliph and discussed the idea of compiling the Quran into one volume. He
was disturbed, as most of those who memorized it had died. Then, Abu Bakr
called for Zayd and commissioned him to collect the Quran into one book, which
became known as the 'Mus-haf.'
After Zayd accomplished this great task and organized the Quran into one book,
he submitted the precious collection to Abu Bakr who kept it in his possession
until the end of his life. During the caliphate of 'Umar it was kept with his daughter
Hafsah who was also a wife of the Prophet.
During the Caliphate of Uthmaan, Islam reached many countries, and readers
began to recite the Quran in different ways (dialects). 'Uthmaan then had various
copies made and sent them out to the different Muslim lands, lest these dialects
would cause alterations to the Quran, and kept the original copy with Hafsah.
Thus, the Quran remained preserved and the Caliph was very much pleased with
his achievement.
Today, every copy of the Quran conforms to the standard copy of Uthmaan. In
fact, Muslims over the ages excelled in producing the best manuscripts of the
Noble Quran in the most wonderful handwriting.
Third Reference
THE HOLY QURAN:
Islam appeared in the form of a book: the Quran. Muslims, consider the Quran
(sometimes spelled "Koran") to be the Word of God as transmitted by the Angel
Gabriel, in the Arabic language, through the Prophet Muhammad. The Muslim
view, moreover, is that the Quran supersedes earlier revelations; it is regarded as
their summation and completion. It is the final revelation, as Muhammad is
regarded as the final prophet - 'the Seal of the Prophets."
In a very real sense the Quran is the mentor of millions of Muslims, Arab and
non-Arab alike; it shapes their everyday life, anchors them to a unique system of
law, and inspires them by its guiding principles. Written in noble language, this
Holy Text has done more than move multitudes to tears and ecstasy; it has also,
for almost fourteen hundred years, illuminated the lives of Muslims with its
eloquent message of uncompromising monotheism, human dignity, righteous
living, individual responsibility, and social justice.
For countless millions, consequently, it has been the single most important force
in guiding their religious, social, and cultural lives. Indeed, the Quran is the
cornerstone on which the edifice of Islamic civilization has been built.
The text of the Quran was delivered orally by the Prophet Muhammad to his
followers as it was revealed to him. The first verses were revealed to him in or
about 610, and the last revelation dates from the last year of his life, 632. His
followers at first committed the Quran to memory and then, as instructed by him,
to writing. Although the entire contents of the Quran, the placement of its verses,
and the arrangement of its chapters date back to the Prophet, as long as he lived
The Surahs themselves are of varying length, ranging from the longest, Surah 2,
with 282 verses, to the shortest, Surahs 103, 108, and 110, each of which has
only three. With some exceptions the Surahs are arranged in the Quran in
descending order of length, with the longest at the beginning and the shortest at
the end. The major exception to this arrangement is the opening surah, "alFatihah," which contains seven verses and which serves as an introduction to the
entire revelation:
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds;
The Merciful, the Compassionate;
Master of the Day of Judgment;
Thee only do we worship, and Thee alone we ask for help.
Guide us in the straight path,
The path of those whom Thou hast favored; not the path of those who earn Thine
anger nor of those who go astray.
Non-Muslims are often struck by the range of styles found in the Quran.
Passages of impassioned beauty are no less common than vigorous narratives.
The sublime "Verse of the Throne" is perhaps one of the most famous: God There is no god but He,
The Living. The Everlasting;
Slumber seizes Him not, neither sleep;
To Him belongs all that is
In the heavens and the earth;
Who is there that can intercede with Him
Save by His leave?
He knows what lies before them
And what is after them,
Nor do they encompass anything of His knowledge
Except such as He wills;
His Throne extends over the heavens and earth;
The preserving of them wearies Him not;
He is the Most High, the All-Glorious.
Muslims regard the Quran as untranslatable; the language in which it was
revealed - Arabic - is inseparable from its message and Muslims everywhere, no
matter what their native tongue, must learn Arabic to read the Sacred Book and
to perform their worship. The Quran of course is available in many languages, but
these versions are regarded as interpretations rather than translations - partly
because the Arabic language, extraordinarily concise and allusive, is impossible
to translate in a mechanical, word-for-word way. The inimitability of the Quran has
crystallized in the Muslim view of i'jaz or "impossibility," which holds that the style
of the Quran, being divine, cannot be imitated: any attempt to do so is doomed to
failure.
It must also be remembered that the Quran was originally transmitted orally to the
faithful and that the Holy Text is not meant to be read only in silence. From the
earliest days it has always been recited aloud or, more accurately, chanted. As a
result, several traditional means of chanting, or intoning, the Quran were found
side by side. These methods carefully preserved the elaborate science of reciting
the Quran - with all its intonations and its cadence and punctuation. As the exact
pronunciation was important - and learning it took years - special schools were
founded to be sure that no error would creep in as the traditional chanting
methods were handed down. It is largely owing to the existence of these
traditional methods of recitation that the text of the Quran was preserved without
error. As the script in which the Quran was first written down indicated only the
consonantal skeleton of the words, oral recitation was an essential element in the
transmission of the text.
Because the circumstances of each revelation were thought necessary to correct
interpretation, the community, early in the history of Islam, concluded that it was
imperative to gather as many traditions as possible about the life and actions of
the Prophet so that the Quran might be more fully understood.
These traditions not only provided the historical context for many of the Surahs thus contributing to their more exact explication - but also contained a wide
variety of subsidiary information on the practice, life, and legal rulings of the
Prophet and his companions.
This material became the basis for what is called the Sunnah, or "Practice" of the
Prophet - the deeds, utterances, and Taqrir (unspoken approval) of Muhammad.
Together with the Quran, the Sunnah, as embodied in the canonical collections of
traditions, the Hadith, became the basis for the shari'ah, the sacred law of Islam.
14. Who was the first person to memorize the verses, so that coming
generations have him as an example?
Answer: Prophet Muhammad PBUH.
15. Who found the need to collect the Verses of the Holy Quran and make it one
copy?
Answer: Prophet Muhammads companions.
16. Who suggested the idea for the compilation of the Holy Quran?
Answer: Hazrat Umar
17. What was the battle called in which the people who memorized the Quran
were martyred?
Answer:This was known as the battle of Yamamah.
18. Hazrat Umar suggested to whom that the Quran should be compiled?
Answer: Hazrat Abu Bakr.
19. Who was given the job to compile the verses of the Holy Quran?
Answer: Zaid bin Sabit was given the job to do this.
20. How did Zaid Bin Sabit confirm that if the verses were authentic?
Answer: He asked the people if they had heard it from the Prophet Muhammad
himself.
21. Who was the second Khalifa?
Answer: Hazrat Umar.
22. What was the copy of Quran called at that time?
Answer: Mashaf al-Hafsa
23. Why was the Quran called Mashaf al-Hafsa?
Answer: All the script was given to prophet Muhammads wife, Hazrat Hafsa,
thats how it changed its name.
41. What is done if no verdict is found in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the
Prophet?
Answer: The scholars of Islam then look at the issue, research and
study it and come up with a suitable verdict.
42. What is the only way to attain overall success in this world and in the
Hereafter?
Answer: To follow completely and sincerely the guidance the Quran has
provided.
43. True or False : The Quran does not lay down rules and regulations relating to
social life.
What was the age of ignorance?
The age of ignorance was a time when people were blind to the moral code of the
Quran and would commit towards bad and evil means.
What are the requirements to be an interpreter of the Quran?
You must be Hafeez and a clear speaker of Arabic to a great extent.
What are the two most important types of kinds of Verses found in the Qur''an?
Muhakamaat and Muthashabihaath
Name the Prophet whose name is mentioned and discussed most in the Qur'an?
Moosa (Alaihis-Salaam)
What is the shortest surah in the quran?
Surah Kausar
Who confined the recitation of the Qur'an on the style of the Quraysh tribe?
Hazrat Usman (Radhiallahu Anhu).
How many Makki surahs are there in the Quran? 85
How many Madni surahs are there in the Quran? 29
On whose order was the Qur'an compiled completely in written form?
Hazrat Abu Bakr (Radhiallahu Anhu)
12) Where was the Quran revealed? Cave Hira
13) How many years did it take to fully reveal the Quran? 23 years
14) Who was the first human? Adam (Alaihis-Salaam)
15) What was Hawwa made from? Adams left rib
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