Brief Overview
of the Qur'an
Gina Belmonte
The Qur'an: Revealed

Only “Holy Book” or
“Scriptures” of Islam
– Qur'an= “recitation”

Muslims believe it to be
revelations of Allah/God
– through angel Gabriel
– to prophet Muhammad

First revelation during
Ramadan 610 CE
– Surah 96: Lailat al-Qadr
“night of power”

Revelations continued 23 years
– Until Muhammad's death, 632 CE
The Qur'an: Written

Muhammad memorized
individual revelations
– He "recited" them to his
followers.
– They wrote them down,
during his lifetime

Qur'an not compiled
until 640s CE
– Under third Caliph,
Uthman ibn Arran
– All other versions
destroyed
Content
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Qur'an contains:
– Moral guidelines
– Laws of God
– Rules of Islamic Faith

In form of:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
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moral directives
legal prescriptions
exhortations
admonitions
condemnations
warnings
good tidings
words of consolation
Language & Genre

Written in Arabic
– Any translations
are considered
"interpretations"

Only one genre:
Prophecy
– Speaker is God,
through angel
Gabriel
Contents & Arrangement

114 Surahs
– With 3-285 Ayas each

Arranged by length
– Decreasing length
– Except Intro Surah 1

Same heading:
– "In the name of Allah,
the most Gracious,
the most Merciful"
– All except Surah 9

Divided into 30 Juz (blocks)
– Muslims read whole Qur'an during Ramadan
Themes in the Qur'an

Earlier Surahs
(1, 6-7, 10-21, 23, 25-32, 34-46,
50-56, 67-114)
– Makkan period
• Social justice, conversion,
final judgment, monotheism

Later Surahs
(2-5, 8-9, 22, 24, 33, 47-49, 5766, 98, 110, [55, 76, 99?])
– Madinan Period
• Relationships within Muslim
Community
• Relationships with Jews and
Christians
“People of the Book”

Ref. to members of
monotheistic faiths:
– Jew & Christians
Qur'an mentions many
HB characters
 Inter-faith marriage:

– Marrying Jews or Xns
allowed for Muslim men
only, not women

Muslims respect these
faiths, but Qur'an is
thought most accurate
Other Foundational Literature

Hadiths
– Sayings & actions of
Muhammad
– Sunna ("custom")
become guidelines for
Muslim life after death
of Muhammad
– Compiled 9th cent. CE

Biographies of
Muhammad
– Various editions
Summary
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Islamic Scripture: Qur'an
Believed to be revelations of God,
through Gabriel, to Muhammad
Respect for other monotheistic faiths,
but Qur'an is most accurate revelation
114 Surahs, longer to shorter (except 1)
Divided into Ayahs
Originally in Arabic; Prophetic Genre
Makkah Surahs: establish Islam
Madinah Surahs: build community
Other core writings: Hadiths, Sira