The Language of Quran: Easier than English

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Traditionally great emphasis was put on children memorizing the 6,200+ verses of the Quran, those succeeding being honored with the title Hafiz. "Millions and millions" of Muslims "refer to the Koran daily to explain their actions and to justify their aspirations," [xiii] and in recent years many consider it the source of scientific knowledge. [81] [82] Nasser categorizes variant readings into various subtypes, including internal vowels, long vowels, gemination ( shaddah), assimilation and alternation. [163] The Quran is divided into 114 chapters of different topics and lengths, known as surah. Each surah is made up of verses, known as ayat (or ayah). The shortest surah is Al-Kawthar, made up of only three verses; the longest is Al-Baqara, with 286 verses. The chapters are classified as Meccan or Medinan, based on whether they were written before Muhammad's pilgrimage to Mecca (Medinan), or afterward (Meccan). The 28 Medinan chapters are mainly concerned with the social life and growth of the Muslim community; the 86 Meccan deal with faith and the afterlife. Kalam Allah (Divine Speech): this means that these words are a direct communication from the Creator and Master of every living being. It occupies the highest level of authority for its believers, and it is clarified and supported by the teachings of the Prophet ﷺ. While the language of this particular revelation was Arabic, we also have many translations into different languages which help us to understand its meanings.

xxvii] Al-Tirmidhī, Taḥṣīl Naẓā’ir al-Qur’ān, pp. 19-24. This was apparently a response to Muqātil b. Sulaymān (d. 150/767), al-Wujūh wa-l-Naẓā’ir. The reductionist approach of Jabal, following Ibn Fāris (d. 395/1004) and others, was mentioned above. iii] Al-Durr al-Manthūr was based on al-Suyūṭī’s earlier work Turjumān al-Qur’ān after removing the isnāds. It is available in a 17-volume edition by Markaz Hajr, among others, and its material has been subsumed in the recent Mawsu‘at al-Tafsīr al-Ma’thūr (24 vols. Dār Ibn Ḥazm, 2017). Muslims believe that the present wording of the Quran corresponds to that revealed to Muhammad, and according to their interpretation of Quran 15:9, it is protected from corruption ("Indeed, it is We who sent down the Quran and indeed, We will be its guardian."). [87] Muslims consider the Quran to be a guide, a sign of the prophethood of Muhammad and the truth of the religion.

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Even though the Holy Quran is found in the Arabic language, it remains the only book in the world that’s been memorized completely by millions of people – both by Arabs and non-Arabs alike. The astrophysicist Nidhal Guessoum, while being highly critical of pseudo-scientific claims made about the Quran, has highlighted the encouragement for sciences that the Quran provides by developing "the concept of knowledge". He writes: [115] :174 Islamic tradition also holds that translations were made for Emperor Negus of Abyssinia and Byzantine Emperor Heraclius, as both received letters by Muhammad containing verses from the Quran. [143] In early centuries, the permissibility of translations was not an issue, but whether one could use translations in prayer. [ citation needed] The word qur'ān appears about 70 times in the Quran itself, assuming various meanings. It is a verbal noun ( maṣdar) of the Arabic verb qara'a ( قرأ) meaning 'he read' or 'he recited'. The Syriac equivalent is qeryānā ( ܩܪܝܢܐ), which refers to 'scripture reading' or 'lesson'. [32] While some Western scholars consider the word to be derived from the Syriac, the majority of Muslim authorities hold the origin of the word is qara'a itself. [11] Regardless, it had become an Arabic term by Muhammad's lifetime. [11] An important meaning of the word is the 'act of reciting', as reflected in an early Quranic passage: "It is for Us to collect it and to recite it ( qur'ānahu)." [33] The Quran is believed by Muslims to be not simply divinely inspired, but the literal words of God, and provides a complete code of conduct that offers guidance in every walk of their life. [22] In Muslim theology, the Quran is considered to be either " created" or "uncreated". [23] According to tradition, several of Muhammad's companions served as scribes, recording the revelations. [24] Shortly after the prophet's death, the Quran was compiled by the companions, who had written down or memorized parts of it. [25] Caliph Uthman established a standard version, now known as the Uthmanic codex, which is generally considered the archetype of the Quran known today. There are, however, variant readings, with mostly minor differences in meaning. [24]

According to Shia beliefs, those who are firmly rooted in knowledge like Muhammad and the imams know the secrets of the Quran. According to Tabatabaei, the statement "none knows its interpretation except God" remains valid, without any opposing or qualifying clause. [136] Therefore, so far as this verse is concerned, the knowledge of the Quran's interpretation is reserved for God. But Tabatabaei uses other verses and concludes that those who are purified by God know the interpretation of the Quran to a certain extent. [135] How can the Qur’an guide me and how can I ponder over it and implement the Guidance of the Qur’an in my daily life if I do not understand the Language of the Qur’an!

Chapter 36 also throws up the problem of synonymy. While it is a point of debate, there is a common view that there are no true synonyms in the Arabic language, particularly in the vocabulary of the Qur’an. [xxi] This is the basis for one of the sections in Chapter 42 in this volume. In contrast, Ibn ‘Abbās is seen here to explain one word through another, as though they are equivalent. These could be understood simply as approximations to the meanings, which in turn implies that other explanatory glosses could be as good, or better. [xxii] We should also compare the contents of this chapter to alternative explanations for the same words and verses, in other chapters. Is hayta/ hi’tu lak (12:23) to be understood as an Arabic root as we would understand in Chapter 36, or as a loanword as claimed in Chapter 38? Consolidation and further research are required. The Quran frequently asserts in its text that it is divinely ordained. Some verses in the Quran seem to imply that even those who do not speak Arabic would understand the Quran if it were recited to them. [84] The Quran refers to a written pre-text, "the preserved tablet", that records God's speech even before it was sent down. [85] [86] Muslims believe that the Quran was orally revealed by God to the final prophet, Muhammad, through the archangel Gabriel [15] [16] incrementally over a period of some 23 years, beginning on Laylat Al Qadr, [17] when Muhammad was 40, and concluding in 632, the year of his death at age 61–62. [11] [18] [19] Muslims regard the Quran as Muhammad's most important miracle, a proof of his prophethood; [20] and as the culmination of a series of divine messages starting with those revealed to Adam, including the Tawrat, the Zabur ( Psalms) and the Injil (Gospel). The word Quran occurs some 70 times in the text itself, and other names and words are also said to refer to the Quran. [21]