Lecture Notes Module 3 (Quran) PDF

Root le'ers of the word ‘Quran’ Most words in Arabic have three-le4er roots. The word Quran has the following two three- le4er roots. 1. "q/r/a: The meaning of this root is to read. By this meaning, the Quran means a book that is most read. 2. q/r/n: The meaning of this root is to bring...

Root le'ers of the word ‘Quran’ Most words in Arabic have three-le4er roots. The word Quran has the following two three- le4er roots. 1. "q/r/a: The meaning of this root is to read. By this meaning, the Quran means a book that is most read. 2. q/r/n: The meaning of this root is to bring together, to gather, to collect or to join. With this root, the word Quran means the book that brings people closer to Allah almighty. Arrangement of the Quran 1. The arrangement/sequence is not topical. 2. The arrangement/sequence of the Quran is not chronological (according to the sequence of revelaJon). 3. The arrangement/sequence of the Quran is based on divine guidance. It is called Tawqeefi sequence/arrangement. Allah almighty instructed the Prophet PBUH through angel Jibrail AS to arrange the Quran in this sequence. With each revelaJon, Jibrail AS would indicate the place where the new revelaJon was to be added/placed. The Prophet PBUH and Jibrail AS would recite the enJre revealed Quran in Ramazan each year to each other in this sequence. In the last year of the Prophet SAW’s life, he and Jibrail AS recited the Quran to each other twice in the Tawqeefi sequence. Muslims’ beliefs about the Quran 1. The Muslims believe that the Quran is the a4ribute of Allah. It is the uncreated speech of Allah. 2. The Quran has existed with Allah almighty since pre-existence. It was not created according to circumstances. 3. The circumstances were created according to it. 4. The Quran is a bridge between the Divine and the human. The Quran has no personhood. It cannot be worshipped. 5. It is the biggest miracle of Islam. 6. It is protected from distorJon and exJncJon by Allah almighty. 7. Its commandments are absolute. It cannot be abrogated. 8. It is for the enJre humanity Jll the Day of Judgement. Difference between Quran and Jewish and Chris@an texts 1. The Quran was not authored by human beings, the Jewish and ChrisJan books were 2. The Quran was authored by a single being while the Jewish and ChrisJan texts were authored by mulJple people 3. The Quran is preserved in its original form without any distorJon while the Jewish and ChrisJan texts are not preserved in their original form. 4. The Quran is enJrely revealed scripture while the Jewish and ChrisJan texts are not enJrely revealed 5. The Quran was revealed to one person at one point in Jme while the Jewish and ChrisJan texts were revealed to different people in different Jme periods. E@que'es of engaging with the Quran 1. The Quran must only be touched in a state of purity. Allah almighty commands Muslims not to touch the Quran in a state of impurity in Surah Waqiah (56:79). Hence, the Quran cannot be touched by a person without abluJon. 2. The Quran can be orally recited without touching it if someone is in the state of minor impurity (without abluJon). 3. The Quran cannot be touched or even recited by someone in the state of major impurity (when ghusl/shower is required) 4. It is mandatory to seek refuge from the satan (devil) before the recitaJon of the Quran. The Quran commands Muslims to seek refuge from satan before recitaJon in Surah al-Nahl (16:98) in the following words, “So, when you recite the Qur’an, seek refuge with Allah against Satan, the accursed.” (16:98) 5. The Quran must only be understood in the light of the guidance of the Prophet PBUH. 6. The Quran must be learned, recited, understood, and acted upon by all Muslims on a daily basis. Divisions of Quran The Quran is classified into five divisions. 1. Ayahs/Verses: The word ‘ayah’ literally means ‘a sign’. There are 6236 verses (excluding Bismillah) and 6348 verses (including Bismillah) in the Quran. The famous figure of 6666 is wrong. This is a later division of the Quran. It is not divinely ordained. The longest ayah/verse of the Quran is Ayatul Mudayanah/Tadaayun (2:282) while the shortest ayah is difficult to determine because of the difference in parameter for the shortest ayah. The following three ayahs can be classified as the shortest one based on different criteria: 1. The shortest ayah can be ‘Haa-Meem’ (40:1, 41:1, 42:1, 43:1, 44:1, 45:1, 46:1) which has only one word comprising only two le4ers: Haa and Meem. However, the ayah ‘Haa Meem’ is from the Huroof Muqa4aat (the disjointed le4ers in the beginning of 29 surahs of Quran), hence, its meaning is unknown. 2. The shortest ayah can also be ‘al-Rahman’ (55:1) which has one word and seven le4ers. However, it is not a complete sentence syntax-wise. 3. The shortest ayah can also be ‘Summa Nazara’ (74: 21) which has only two words and six le4ers and is also a complete sentence syntax-wise. 2. Rukus/Topical divisions: There are 558 rukus/topical divisions in the Quran. The famous figure of 540 is wrong. The ruku’s are marked with the Arabic le4er ‘ayn. The word ruku refers to the bending posture in prayer. This is a later division. This division is not divinely ordained. This is the only topical division of the Quran. The longest ruku in terms of number of ayahs in it is Surah Abasa (80) which has 42 ayahs. The shortest ruku in terms of length is Suratul Kawsar (108) while the shortest ruku in terms of number of ayah/verses is the last ruku of Suratul Muzzamil (73) with only one ayah.  3. Surah/Chapters: The word ‘surah’ literally means ‘a fence’. There are 114 surahs/chapters of varying length in the Quran. This is the original division of the Quran. It is divinely ordained (according to the command of Allah). The longest surah in the Quran is surah al-Baqarah (second surah) with 287 ayahs and 40 ruku’s while the shortest surah is suratul Kawsar (108th surah) with 3 ayahs and 1 ruku’. The surah are arranged in roughly descending order of length with the excepJon of the first surah (al-FaJhah) which only has 7 ayahs. All surahs except one (al-Tawbah) start with BasmAllah. 29 surah start with Huruf Muqa4a’at (the disjointed le4ers). The surahs can be divided into two categories: the Makki surahs and the Madani surahs. a. 86 Makki surahs were revealed before migraJon to Madinah b. 28 Madani Surahs were revealed aier migraJon to Madinah i. The Makki surahs are shorter in length while Madani surahs are longer in length ii. The verses of Makki surahs are shorter in length while the verses of Madani surahs are longer Makki surahs appear towards the end of the Quran while Madani surahs appear in the beginning of the Quran iii. Makki surahs are poeJc in style with rhyming endings while Madani surahs are prosaic iv. Makki surahs address the non-believers of Makkah while Madani surahs address the hypocrites and Jews of Madinah v. Makki surahs mostly discuss the beliefs and stories of past naJons while Madani surahs discuss rulings 4. Paras/juz/parts: The Quran is also divided into 30 equal parts for compleJng the recitaJon of the Quran in a month. This is a later division. It is not divinely ordained. a. Each juz is further divided into four hizbs (quarters). These are marked in the Quran as rubu’ (one fourth), nisf (half), sulus (three fourths), and juz (complete part). 5. Manzils: The Quran is also divided into 7 Manzils for compleJng the recitaJon of the Quran in a week. This is a later division. It is not divinely ordained. Ways of Revela@on of Quran 1. Experiences of Prophet PBUH when he received revela@ons i. The revelaJon of verses was always a very hard experience for the Prophet PBUH. He would hear sounds of ringing bells before the revelaJons. This was the most difficult form of revelaJon. ii. He would also hear sounds of animals before the revelaJon. iii. His weight would increase. The animal he rode would sit down. The companions around him would feel his weight increase and their legs would feel like crushing if he was near them. Zayd b. Sabit has narrated that once the Prophet PBUH was lying with his head on his thigh when a revelaJon came. Zayd narrates that he felt the pressure of it and thought as if his leg would crush with the weight. iv. He would sweat in winters and shiver in summers when he would receive a revelaJon. v. The revelaJons were not in his control. RevelaJons came with the will of Allah almighty. He did not know when and where a revelaJon might come. vi. The revelaJons were protected by Allah almighty. He could not err in conveying the revelaJons nor could he forget them. 2. Ways in which the Prophet PBUH received revela@ons i. Direct revelaJon: At the Jme of ascension/Mairaj where he talked to Allah almighty directly ii. When Jibrail came in his actual form. At the Jme of first revelaJon outside the cave of Hira iii. When Jibrail would come in human form like the hadith of Umar RA when Jibrail taught the fundamentals of Islam. Jibrail would look like Dihyah al-Kalbi RA when he came in human form. iv. When he would hear the voice of Jibrail. This was very frequent. v. When revelaJon would descend upon his heart without any voice. This was the most frequent mode of revelaJon. vi. When he would receive revelaJon in dreams. The dreams of prophets are always true. Why was the Quran revealed to someone who could not read and write? i. The Quran was revealed upon the Prophet PBUH who was unle4ered. He had not acquired formal educaJon and could not read or write. The Quran was revealed to the Prophet PBUH to demonstrate that it was from Allah as the Prophet could not have wri4en it himself as he was unle4ered. ii. It was also important to show that the Prophet PBUH had not copied it from some other source as he could not read. iii. In order to be literate, one has to study from a teacher who is superior in knowledge to him. Had the Prophet PBUH been literate, then his teacher would have been superior to him. Allah almighty did not want him to be the student of other human beings. iv. Prophethood is a special favour of Allah. Allah almighty grants it to those with the best moral character. It is not necessary for it to be given to people who can read and write. Circumstances of Revela@on (Asbaabun Nuzool) Many revelaJons of the Quran pertain to special circumstances in which they were revealed. Hence, it is perJnent to be aware of the circumstances of revelaJon of certain secJons of the Quran in order to fully comprehend the meaning of those secJons of the Quran. Some example of the circumstances of revelaJon are the following; i. Surah al-Zuhaa was revealed aier a gap of a few months to console the Prophet PBUH because the Quraysh mocked him saying that his Lord had forsaken him. ii. Surah al-Kawsar was revealed to console the Prophet PBUH aier the Quraysh started mocking him aier the demise of his second son. iii. Surah al-Ikhlaas was revealed when the Quraysh asked the Prophet PBUH to describe his Lord to them. Some scholars wrote special books on the circumstances of revelaJons. The most prominent among such books is the book of Jalaaluddin al-SuyuJ which is named “Lubaabun Nuqool Fi Asbaabin Nuzool”. First and Last Revela@ons i. The first revelaJon of the Quran included the first five verses of Surah al-Alaq (96:1- 5). The second revelaJon included Surah al-Mudassir (Surah 74). Surah Muddassir is also the first complete surah to be revealed. Surah al-Alaq was completed later. ii. The last revelaJon of the Quran was the following verse of surah al-Baqarah, “Be fearful of the day when you shall be returned to Allah, then every person shall be paid, in full, what he has earned, and they shall not be wronged.” (2:281). The Prophet PBUH lived for only nine days aier the last revelaJon. The last complete surah to be revealed was Surah al-Nasr (110). Some people believe that the verse 3 of Surah al-Maaidah (5) which declared the perfecJon of religion was revealed aier the last sermon of the Prophet PBUH during his last hajj was the last revelaJon. This is not accurate. That verse of Surah al-Maaidah (5:3) was the last verse of the commandment/legal rulings of Islam. Other porJons of the Quran were revealed aier this verse but these porJons did not include any new legal rulings. Hence, that ayah announced the perfecJon of religion in terms of Islamic laws. Two Revela@ons of Quran The Quran was revealed in two stages. i. In the first stage, the enJre Quran was revealed at once from the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawhul Mahfooz) in the highest heaven to Baytul Izzah in the lowest heaven on the Night of Power (Laylatul Qadr) in the month of Ramazaan. ii. In the second stage, the Quran was revealed from the lowest heaven to the Prophet PBUH in a gradual manner over a period of 23 years. Why was the en@re Quran not revealed at once? Quran was revealed gradually because of the following reasons. i. The Quran could have been difficult to learn and memorise for the Muslims if it had been revealed at one Jme. ii. It was easier to understand the Quran because it was revealed gradually. iii. The gradual revelaJon of the Quran made it easier to act upon the Quranic injuncJon. Some injuncJons of theQuran could not be acted upon in Makki life such as zakah and jihad because Muslims were poor and weak. iv. Some secJons of Quran were revealed according to circumstances such as Surah al- Kawthar, al-Lahb, etc. which could not have been comprehended had the Quran been revealed at one Jme. v. The revelaJon of the Quran was a source of constant contact and support for the Prophet PBUH. Had it been revealed at one Jme, the Prophet PBUH and Muslims would have been deprived of constant support and reassurance from almighty Allah. vi. The revelaJon of the Quran was a hard experience for the Prophet PBUH. Had the Quran been revealed at one Jme, he might not have borne its weight. vii. The gradual revelaJon also helped the Prophet PBUH in answering the quesJons asked by Quraysh, Jews, and ChrisJans. Compila@on of Quran Reasons for the compila@on of Quran/benefits of wri'en tradi@on 1. The companions who had memorised the Quran were geong martyred. So there was a fear that the Quran may become exJnct. 2. There was a danger of the Quran geong distorted and fabricated. 3. The Quran could not be compiled in the life of the Prophet PBUH because the Quran was being revealed. Once the revelaJon of the Quran was complete, it could be compiled aier the life of Prophet PBUH. 4. Allah almighty or the Prophet PBUH had not prohibited the compilaJon of the Quran. Hence, it could be compiled. 5. The compiled wri4en Quran is more accessible. Not everyone can memorise the Quran. So, those who want to read the Quran from a wri4en copy can do so conveniently. 6. The compiled wri4en copies are easy to read and refer to. It is difficult to find memorisers of the Quran everywhere. 7. The wri4en Quran can be accessed online too. It is also more convenient to search certain themes in an electronic wri4en copy of the Quran. 8. The wri4en Quran can also be helpful in translaJng the Quran into other languages. The translaJons along with the actual Arabic text of the Quran can only be possible with the wri4en copies of the Quran. 9. The wri4en copy also enables Muslims to have a uniform text of the Quran which the non-Arabic speakers can also recite. 10. The compilaJon of the Quran was necessarily a good cause as it was carried out with the ijma’/consensus of the companions. Anything done with consensus will always be right as the Prophet PBUH said, “my ummah will never agree upon error”. 11. The compilaJon of the Quran saved the ummah from divisions. Had it not been compiled, the next generaJons might have disputed over its dialects, authenJcity, and contents. 12. The compilaJon of the Quran was not needed in the life of the Prophet PBUH as Muslims could consult the Prophet PBUH for correcJons in their recitaJon of the Quran. Aier the demise of the Prophet PBUH, a wri4en copy was needed to consult in case of confusions about the contents of the Quran. 13. It was necessary to preserve the Quran in wri4en form for the next generaJons of Muslims and new converts to Islam. Benefits of oral tradi@on i. Oral tradiJon is more resistant against exJncJon as the people cannot be killed at once while the wri4en copies can be destroyed by burning, floods, etc. ii. Oral tradiJon is less prone to distorJon as the wri4en copies can be distorted by changes in the words or meanings of the Quran in new manuscripts. While the memorizers can easily find out such mistakes. iii. Orally memorising the Quran helps in recitaJon of the Quran in regular prayers and in tarawih prayers. iv. The oral memorisaJon is also the sunnah of the Prophet PBUH as he could not read or write so he used to memorise the revelaJons and teach his companions orally. Why is it important to recite/memorise the Quran in Arabic without understanding it? i. There is a reward for reciJng each word and le4er of the Quran. This reward is specific to the Arabic text only. ii. There is a reward for listening to the Quran. The Quran instructs Muslims to listen a4enJvely when the Quran is recited. The Quran here refers to its Arabic text only. iii. The Prophet PBUH is reported to have said that the Quran will intercede on behalf of those who read it frequently and diligently. iv. The memorisaJon of the Quran is also a way of preserving the Arabic text of the Quran. v. The memorisaJon of the Arabic text of the Quran is also a sunnah of the Prophet PBUH, his companions, and the pious predecessors of the ummah. Hence, the Muslims become part of that blessed tradiJon by memorising the Arabic text of the Quran. Three stages of the compilation of Quran 1 During the life of the Prophet PBUH The Quran was not compiled in the life of the Prophet PBUH because its revelaJon was not complete. The Quran was preserved orally by the companions as they memorised the porJons of the Quran. At that Jme, the oral tradiJon was prevalent in Arabia. Some companions also wrote the revelaJons of the Quran. They were known as scribes of revelaJon. Some of them had their own wri4en copies of parts of the Quran. However, no one had the enJre Quran wri4en in one place. The scribes wrote the Quran on pieces of cloth, stone tablets, wooden tablets, animal skin, and parched leaves. In order to ensure the correct preservaJon of the Quran, the Prophet PBUH used to recite the enJre Quran in Ramazan each year with Jibrail AS. 2 During the caliphate of Abu Bakr RA There were many ba4les in the caliphate of Abu Bakr RA against Romans, Persians, apostates, non-payers of zakah, and false prophets. The companions who had memorised the Quran were geong martyred in large numbers. In the Ba4le of Yamamah against the false prophet Musaylimah, more than 70 companions who had memorised the Quran were martyred. The Muslims feared that all the memorizers of the Quran may get martyred and the Quran may be forgo4en. This cauJoned Umar RA who advised Abu Bakr RA to compile the Quran in book form. Hazrat Abu Bakr hesitated iniJally because he did not want to do something that the Prophet PBUH had not done. However, on persistent persuasion of Umar RA, he was convinced. He ordered Zayd b. Sabit al-Khazraji to compile the Quran. Zayd was a very good reciter (qaari) of the Quran and had been one of the primary scribes of the Quran in the life of the Prophet PBUH. He was also relaJvely young and did not have other responsibiliJes in the government or military. Therefore, he was the most suitable choice for this task. Zayd also hesitated iniJally because he thought that shouldering  such an immense responsibility may not be possible for him. He is reported to have said that liiing a mountain would have been easier for him than collecJng and compiling the Quran. However, upon the insistence of Abu Bakr RA and Umar RA, Zayd agreed to compile the Quran. He collected all the manuscripts of the Quran from companions and started compiling the Quran. Zayd compiled the Quran by verifying each verse of the Quran and making two witnesses for each verse. Zayd compiled the Quran in the sequence dictated by the Prophet PBUH. Prominent companions such as Umar RA and Ubayy b. Kaab RA assisted Zayd RA in collecJng the manuscripts of the Quran and verifying them. The compiled copy of the Quran was recited in the gathering of prominent companions who approved its authenJcity unanimously. This copy of the Quran remained in the custody of Abu Bakr RA. Aier his death, it was passed to Umar RA. Aier Umar RA’s death, it was passed to Hafsa RA. Therefore, it is called Mushaful Hafsa or the codex/copy of Hafsa. 3 During the caliphate of Usmaan RA The Muslim empire had expanded greatly in the caliphates of Umar and Usmaan RA. People of different languages and accents had converted to Islam. These people recited the Quran in their own accents. Once, a companion, Huzayfah b. al-Yaman, observed some people in Armenia, Central Asia, fighJng over the accent of the Quran. Huzayfa reported this incident to Usmaan RA and urged him to take quick acJon to prevent the Ummah from disunity. Usmaan RA feared that differences on the dialects of the Quraan may lead to divisions in the Muslim ummah like the divisions of Jews and ChrisJans. Therefore, he consulted a large group of companions on this issue. The companions advised him to compile a standardised version of the Quraan in the Qurayshi dialect and dispatch it to all parts of the Muslim empire. They also advised him to ban and burn all other versions of the Quraan based on other dialects. Usmaan RA asked Zayd b. Sabit, Abdullah b. al-Zubayr, Saeed b. al-Aas, and Abdur Rahman b. al- Haris b. Hisham to write the Quran in the Qurayshi dialect. Zayd b. Sabit and others compiled the Quran in the Qurayshi dialect. Usmaan RA sent this version of the Quran to all provincial governors and asked them to make more copies from it. Usmaan RA asked the governors to burn the other copies of the Quran so that the Muslims do not recite the Quran incorrectly. Some mischief-mongers accused Usmaan RA for desecraJng the Quran. Thus, Usmaan RA saved the ummah from spliong into facJons. Therefore, Usmaan RA is called the Jami-ul-Ummah, the unifier of Ummah or Jami-ul-Quran, the one who standardised the Quran. This standardised copy of the Quran is recited today all over the world. This copy is known as Mushaf-e-Usmaani or the Usmaanic codex/copy. Commentary/Interpreta@on/Exegesis of Quran (Tafseer and Taaweel) The Quran can be interpreted in the following ways. i. The Quran can be interpreted with the help of other similar Quranic verses and themes. ii. The Quran can also be interpreted with the sayings and acJons of the Prophet PBUH.  iii. The Quran can also be interpreted with the sayings of the companions. iv. The Quran can also be interpreted with the sayings of the followers of the companions of the Prophet PBUH. v. The Quran can also be interpreted with the help of Arabic language. vi. The Quran can also be interpreted with the help of raJonal opinion if it does not contradict the first five sources. The Inimitability of Quran The Quran cannot be imitated because of its uniqueness in its disJncJve linguisJc style, its authoritaJve and unapologeJc tone, the exquisite hidden numbering pa4erns, and the accurate knowledge of past and future events in it. Allah almighty has challenged non- believers to imitate the Quran and guaranteed that they will fail in imitaJng the Quran. Allah has challenged the humans in three stages in the Quran. i. In the first phase, Allah almighty challenges human beings to make only TEN surahs of the Quran if they can. ii. In the second phase, Allah almighty lowers the bar and challenges human beings to make only ONE surah of the Quran if they can. iii. In the third phase, Allah challenges the human beings to make only ONE ayah (verse) of the Quran if they can.