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Brief Overview of the Qur'an

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

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Brief Overview of the Qur'an

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  1. Brief Overview of the Qur'an Gina Belmonte

  2. 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

  3. 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 until640s CE • Under third Caliph, Uthman ibn Arran • All other versions destroyed

  4. Content • Qur'an contains: • Moral guidelines • Laws of God • Rules of Islamic Faith • In form of: • moral directives • legal prescriptions • exhortations • admonitions • condemnations • warnings • good tidings • words of consolation

  5. Language & Genre • Written in Arabic • Any translations are considered "interpretations" • Only one genre:Prophecy • Speaker is God, through angel Gabriel

  6. 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

  7. 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, 57-66, 98, 110, [55, 76, 99?]) • Madinan Period • Relationships within Muslim Community • Relationships with Jews and Christians

  8. “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

  9. 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

  10. Summary • 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

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