The
Qur'an is a Message from Allah to humanity. It was transmitted
to us in a chain starting from the Almighty Himself (swt)
to the angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad (saas). This
message was given to the Prophet (saas) in pieces over
a period spanning approximately 23 years (610 CE to 622
CE). The Prophet (saas) was 40 years old when the Qur'an
began to be revealed to him, and he was 63 when the revelation
was completed. The language of the original message was
Arabic, but it has been translated into many other languages.
The
Qur' an, the last revealed Word of God, is the prime source
of every Muslim's faith and practice. It deals with all
the subjects which concern us as human beings: wisdom,
doctrine, worship, and law, but its basic theme is the
relationship between Allah and His creatures. At the same
time, it provides guidelines for a just society, proper
human conduct and an equitable economic system.
The
Qur'an is one leg of two which form the basis of Islam.
The second leg is the Sunnah of the Prophet (saas). What
makes the Qur'an different from the Sunnah is primarily
its form. Unlike the Sunnah, the Qur'an is quite literally
the Word of Allah, whereas the Sunnah was inspired by
Allah but the wording and actions are the Prophet's. The
Qur'an has not been expressed using any human's words.
Its wording is letter for letter fixed by no one but Allah.
Prophet
Muhammad (saas) was the final Messenger of Allah to humanity,
and therefore the Qur'an is the last Message which Allah
has sent to us. Its predecessors such as the Torah, Psalms,
and Gospels have all been superceded. It is an obligation
- and blessing - for all who hear of the Qur'an and Islam
to investigate it and evaluate it for themselves. Allah
has guaranteed that He will protect the Qur'an from human
tampering, and today's readers can find exact copies of
it all over the world. The Qur'an of today is the same
as the Qur'an revealed to Muhammad (saas).
