<\/p>\n
By Aisha Stacey<\/a><\/p>\n Muslims believe the Quran to be God\u2019s final revelation.\u00a0 They believe it is the literal word of God, revealed over many years, to His final prophet, Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him.\u00a0 The Quran is full of wisdom. \u00a0It is full of the wonder and glory of God, and a testament to His mercy and justice.\u00a0 It is not a history book, a storybook, or a scientific textbook, although it contains all of those genres. \u00a0The Quran is God’s greatest gift to humanity \u2013 it is a book like no other.\u00a0 In the second verse of the second chapter of the Quran, God describes the Quran by calling it a book whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are pious, righteous, and fear God.\u00a0 (Quran 2:2)<\/strong><\/p>\n The Quran is core to Islam.\u00a0 Believing in it is a requirement.\u00a0 One who does not believe in the Quran, in its entirety, cannot claim to be a Muslim.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The Messenger (Muhammad) believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers.\u00a0 Each one believes in God, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers.\u00a0 (They say,)\u00a0 \u2018We make no distinction between one another of His Messengers\u2019 \u2014 and they say, \u2018We hear, and we obey.\u00a0 (We seek)\u00a0 Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of all)\u2019.” (Quran 2:285)<\/p>\n Islam has two primary sources, the Quran, and the authentic Traditions of Prophet Muhammad, that explain and sometimes expand on that of the Quran.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd We have not sent down the Book (the Quran) to you (O Muhammad, except that you may explain clearly unto them those things in which they differ, and (as) a guidance and a mercy for a folk who believe.\u201d (Quran 16:64)<\/p>\n The Quran was delivered to Prophet Muhammad by the Angel Gabriel and revealed in stages over a period of 23 years.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd (it is) a Quran which We have divided into parts, in order that you might recite it to men at intervals.\u00a0 And We have revealed it by stages.\u201d (Quran 17:106)<\/p>\n Prophet Muhammad was commanded by God to convey the Quran to all of humankind and the responsibility weighed heavily upon him.\u00a0 Even in his farewell address he called on the people present to bear witness that he had delivered the message.<\/p>\n The Quran explains the concept of God, it explains in detail what is permissible and what is forbidden, it explains the basics of good manners and morals, and gives rulings about worship.\u00a0 It tells stories about the Prophets and our righteous predecessors, and describes Paradise and Hell.\u00a0 The Quran was revealed for all of humankind.<\/p>\n The book in which the Quran (the words of God) are contained in is called a mushaf .<\/em>\u00a0 The Quran is considered so unique in content and style that it cannot be translated; therefore, any translation is considered an interpretation of the meanings of the Quran.<\/p>\n When God sent Prophets to the various nations He often allowed them to perform miracles that were relevant to their particular time and place.\u00a0 In the time of Moses magic and sorcery were prevalent therefore Moses\u2019 miracles appealed to the people he was sent to guide.\u00a0 In the time of Muhammad, the Arabs, although predominantly illiterate, were masters of the spoken word.\u00a0 Their poetry and prose were considered outstanding and a model of literary excellence.<\/p>\n When Prophet Muhammad recited the Quran \u2013 the words of God \u2013 the Arabs were moved tremendously by its sublime tone and extraordinary beauty.\u00a0 The Quran was Prophet Muhammad\u2019s miracle from God.\u00a0 Muhammad was unable to read or write therefore the Arabs knew that he was unlikely to have produced such eloquent words, but even so some refused to believe that the Quran was the word of God.\u00a0 God therefore challenged them, in the Quran, to produce a rival text.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd if you (Arab pagans, Jews, and Christians) are in doubt concerning that which We have sent down (i.e. the Quran) to Our slave (Muhammad), then produce a chapter of the like thereof and call your witnesses (supporters and helpers) besides God, if you are truthful.\u201d (Quran 2:23)<\/p>\n Of course they were unable to do so.\u00a0 In contrast to those who questioned the origin of the Quran, many Arabs converted to Islam after hearing the recitation.\u00a0 They knew immediately that such sublime beauty could originate only from God.\u00a0 Even today it is possible to see Muslims moved to tears while listening to or reciting the Quran.\u00a0 In fact some people, unable to understand even one word of the Arabic language are moved by the intrinsic beauty of the Quran.<\/p>\n After establishing that Quran is the word of God and that it is a recitation, it is also important to understand that Quran has remained unchanged for more than 1400 years.\u00a0 Today when a Muslim in Egypt holds his mushaf<\/em> in his hands and begins to recite you can be sure that in far away Fiji another Muslim is looking at and reciting the exact same words.\u00a0 There are no differences.\u00a0 The child in France holding his first mushaf<\/em> is tentatively reciting the same words that flowed from the lips of Prophet Muhammad.<\/p>\n God assures us in Quran that He will surely protect His words.\u00a0 He says, \u201cVerily, it is We Who have sent down the Quran and surely, We will guard it (from corruption).\u201d (Quran 15:9) <\/strong>This means that God will guard against anything false being added or any part of it being taken away.[1]<\/a> \u00a0It is protected from tampering and if anyone attempts to distort the meanings of Quran, God will guide someone to expose the deception.[2]<\/a> \u00a0Muslims believe that the previous revelations from God, including the Torah and the Gospels of Jesus were either lost in antiquity, or changed and distorted, so it is a source of comfort to them knowing that God\u2019s words \u2013 the Quran \u2013 are now well guarded.<\/p>\n God sent down the Quran, from\u00a0 above the heavens, to the Angel Gabriel in the glorious month of Ramadan.\u00a0 The story of how this recitation was revealed and how Quran came to be available worldwide, with an interpretation of the meanings translated into over 100 languages[3]<\/a> \u00a0will be covered in part 2.<\/p>\n