Basics of Religious Education — Page 35
B ASICS OF R ELIGIOUS E DUCATION - F IFTH E DITION 35 35 35 35 35 T T T T The Hol he Hol he Hol he Hol he Holy Qur'an and y Qur'an and y Qur'an and y Qur'an and y Qur'an and its Etiquette its Etiquette its Etiquette its Etiquette its Etiquette The word Qur’an means that which is often read or recited. The Qur'an is the record of the verbal revelations in Arabic from God Almighty to the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa , over a period of about 22 years and 5 months (610-632 A. D. ). These revelations first started in the month of Ramadan (Al-Qur’an 2:186). All revelations upto-date were rehearsed to the Holy Prophet every year in Ramadan by the Arch-Angel, Gabriel. In the last Ramadan of the Holy Prophet’s life, the whole of the Qur’an was rehearsed to him twice by the Arch-angel, Gabriel. The divine revelations were committed to memory and also written down by scribes appointed by the Holy Prophet sa. He himself indicated the ar- rangement of verses and chapters in the Qur'an as we find it today. How- ever, the compilation of the whole Qur'an in one volume was undertaken after his death. The Qur'an is divided into one hundred and fourteen Surahs or chapters. This division is based upon their subject matter and has the authority of the Holy Prophet sa. Each Surah has a name given to it, and is further divided into Aayaat or verses. However, the division of the Qur'an into thirty Siparahs or parts is arbitrary. A reference to a particular verse of the Qur'an is generally represented by two numbers separated by a colon ":". For ex- ample, the reference (29:49) means the 49th verse of the 29th chapter. A very distinctive feature of the Holy Qur'an is that it contains a divine guarantee for its perpetual preservation. "We sent down this book and verily We shall safeguard it. " (15:10) As a result of this guarantee, the text of the Holy Qur'an has remained unchanged over the past fourteen hundred years. What is the Qur'an Compilation of the Holy Qur'an Chapters and Verses of the Holy Qur'an Safeguarding of the Holy Qur'an 2. 2 2. 2 2. 2 2. 2 2. 2 A A A A A LLAH LLAH LLAH LLAH LLAH AND AND AND AND AND THE THE THE THE THE H H H H H OL OL OL OL OLY Y Y Y Y Q Q Q Q Q UR UR UR UR UR ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ AN AN AN AN AN — T — T — T — T — T HE HE HE HE HE H H H H H OL OL OL OL OLY Y Y Y Y Q Q Q Q Q UR UR UR UR UR ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ AN AN AN AN AN & & & & & ITS ITS ITS ITS ITS E E E E E TIQUETTE TIQUETTE TIQUETTE TIQUETTE TIQUETTE