What does the word Qur'an mean?

Answer 1

The word 'Qur'an' in Arabic literally means recitation or something that is continously recited. This name is specifically mentioned in the text of the Qur'an as a reference to itself in several places (such as in 4:82, 7:204, 9:111, 10:15, 10:37, 12:3, among others). Muslims believe that Quran was revealed by God to Prophet Mohammed (peace be on him) through arch angel Gabriel.Was the Quran revealed by God? What does the Quran claim? [This is] the revelation of the Book about which there is no doubt from the Lord of the worlds. Or do they say, "He invented it"? Rather, it is the truth from your Lord, [O Mohammed], that you may warn a people to whom no Warner has come before you [so] perhaps they will be guided. 32:2-3 What do the Disbelievers (who do not believe in the divine origin of the Quran) say? And those who disbelieve say, "This [Qur'an] is not except a falsehood he invented, and another people assisted him in it. But they have committed an injustice and a lie. And they say, "Legends of the former peoples which he has written down, and they are dictated to him morning and afternoon. Say, [O Mohammed], "It has been revealed by He who knows [every] secret within the heavens and the earth. Indeed, He is ever forgiving and Merciful." 25:4-6 Neutral approach to come to a rational conclusion: There are only two possibilities. They are: 1. The claim what the Quran makes is true 2. The claim what the disbelievers make is true To know which of the above two claims is true, we will analyze the possible sources of the Quran. Possible sources of the Quran: There are 4 possible sources. 1. Quran was written by Mohammed(peace be on him) himself 2. Mohammed(peace be on him) copied it from other sources 3. Some other human / Satan taught Mohammed (peace be on him) or a psychiatric source like Epilepsy, Visions etc caused him to recite Quran 4. Quran was revealed by God We will use the technique of "Exhausting the alternatives" to conclude on the source of the Quran. First Possible Source -- Quran was written by Mohammed (peace be on him) himself · If we analyze the background and education of Mohammed (peace be on him), he was an illiterate man who had NO formal education in any science, language, religious or secular. · Quran speaks about a variety of branches of science like: Astronomy, Embryology, Hydrology, Geology, Sociology, Psychology, Oceanography, Law etc. · Until the age of forty, there is NO historical account in his life that shows his scholarly tendencies or achievements in any of the spectrum of subjects the Quran deals with. How could such an illiterate man, suddenly, at the age of forty, bring about a book like the Quran which brought about an ideological and religious revolution that changed the face of history? · If Mohammed (peace be on him) had authored the Quran, why would he honor and mention Mary (May Allah be pleased with her), the mother of Jesus (peace be on him) and NOT mention his own family members? (NOTE: Quran does NOT have the names of any of the family members of Mohammed (peace be on him)? · If he had authored the Quran, why would he consistently deny authorship of the Quran? Not once, did he claim authorship of Quran. · If he had authored the Quran, why would he disclose verses that reprimand him? Examples - 33:37 and 80:1-3 Inference: It is ONLY rational to conclude that Mohammed (peace be on him) himself is NOT the author of the Quran. Second Possible Source -- Mohammed (peace be on him) copied it from other scriptures When the critics are asked to name the scripture or the source from which Mohammed (peace be on him) could have copied, they say: from the Old and New Testament of The Bible. Let us examine if this claim can be true. · Mohammed (peace be on him) was an illiterate and Quran testifies to this historical fact. Quran Chapter 29 Verse 48 · The Arabic version of the Bible was not present at the time of Prophet Mohammed (peace be on him). The earliest Arabic version of the Old Testament is that of R. Saadias Gaon of 900 C.E. - more than 250 years after the death of our beloved Prophet. The oldest Arabic version of the New Testament was published by Erpenius in 1616 C.E. - about a thousand years after the demise of our Prophet. · Scientifically incorrect information in the bible o Sun created after the creation of earth. Genesis 1:9-19 o Vegetation created before the Sun. Genesis 1:11-13, 14-19 o First man Adam appeared on earth approximately 5800 years ago. 1948 years between Adam and Abraham, Approximately 1800 years between Abraham and Jesus, 2000 years from Jesus till today. Genesis 5,9,11 etc. o Noah's flood = Universal and occurred in the 21st or 22nd Century B.C (Genesis 6, 7 & 8). · Quran mentions the same incidents as above without mistakes. It is illogical to assume that Mohammed (peace be on him) had borrowed the information from the Bible and corrected the mistakes before mentioning it in the Qur'an. · How could so many Jews and Christians [some of them were scholars in their religion] amongst Mohammed (peace be on him)'s contemporaries become Muslims if Mohammed (peace be on him) was copying from their scriptures? · If someone copies during an examination he will surely not write in the answer sheet that he has copied from his neighbor or Mr. XYZ. Prophet Mohammed (peace be on him) gave due respect and credit to all the previous prophets (peace be on them all). The Qur'an also mentions the various revelations like Torah, Zabur, and Injeel given by Almighty God to different prophets. Is it rational to believe that a person who copied from the previous scriptures gave due credit by mentioning them in the Quran? How do we then explain the similarities between Quran and the previous scriptures? Is it NOT because the Quran was copied from the previous scriptures (Bible)? The similarity is NOT because Quran was copied from the previous scriptures BUT rather due to the fact that the source for all the scripture is the same. For example: First commandment given by Moses -- Deuteronomy 6:4. First Commandment given by Jesus -- Mark 12:29. If we use the same logic used by the critics, we will have to conclude that Jesus copied from Moses. All the scriptures including the Quran have a common source -- God and hence the similarity. Inference: It is ONLY rational to conclude that Mohammed (peace be on him) could NOT have copied the Quran from other scriptures. Third Possible Source -- Some other human / Satan taught Mohammed (peace be on him) or a psychiatric source like Epilepsy, Visions etc A) HUMAN TEACHER / TEACHERS: 1. Who was /were the person / persons who taught Mohammed (peace be on him)? Despite abundance of historical material on the Prophet's life, why is it not possible to discover that mysterious teacher(s)? 2. Quran was NOT revealed in a day. It was revealed in stages over a period of 23 years. "And [it is] a Qur'an which We have separated [by intervals] that you might recite it to the people over a prolonged period. And We have sent it down progressively." 17:106 and "And those who disbelieve say: "Why is not the Quran revealed to him all at once?" Thus (it is sent down in parts), that We may strengthen your heart thereby. And We have revealed it to you gradually, in stages." 25:32. Is it rational to believe that someone was teaching Mohammed (peace be on him) consistently for a period of 23 years? How could he have hidden himself for a period of 23 years? 3. Quranic revelations sometimes came down in the presence of the people. Where then was the mysterious, invisible teacher? 4. What kind of a teacher would have taught Mohammed (peace be on him) a coherent and complete religion that changed the face of history? Why didn't he claim the credit for himself? Why couldn't he or they speak against the alleged student who continued learning from them for 23 years, while ignoring them and claiming some other divine source for his teachings? 5. Mohammed (peace be on him) was surrounded by his companions all the time and every minute detail of his life was recorded. In fact, no human being's life was recorded in so much detail as it was done for the life of Mohammed (peace be on him). How could Mohammed (peace be on him) make frequent secret visits to that mysterious teacher or teachers for 23 years without being caught even once? 6. How could so many Jews and Christians [some of them were scholars in their religion] amongst Mohammed (peace be on him)'s contemporaries become Muslims if Mohammed (peace be on him) was learning from their priests or rabbis? B) SATAN:1. If Satan would have taught the Qur'an, he would not have mentioned in the same Qur'an in chapter 16 verse 98 "So when you recite the Qur'an, [first] seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the expelled". Is this how you feel Satan would teach a book? Will he tell us; "Before you read my book ask God to save you from me?" 2. There are several verses in the Qur'an which will give enough evidence that Satan is not the author of the Qur'an. In chapter 7 verse 200, "And if an evil suggestion comes to you from Satan, then seek refuge in Allah. Indeed, He is Hearing and Knowing." Why would Satan tell his followers, that whenever he gives any suggestions to them, they should seek refuge in Allah? 3. Quran says in Chapter 2 Verse 208 and in several other places that "do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy." If it was Satan who taught Mohammed (peace be on him), why would he ask the readers not to follow him? Does it make any sense? C)Psychiatric Source: a. Epilepsy: · Critics say that due to epileptic seizure Mohammed (peace be on him) recited something and that became the Quran. What is overlooked in this argument is that during the epileptic seizure, the functioning of the brain is disturbed. As such, sensible speech is impossible and the person affected by epilepsy will ONLY mumble something which he will forget after he recovers. All available recorded history of Mohammed (peace be on him) unanimously say that he was a man with excellent physical and mental health throughout his life. · Quran was revealed in stages for a period of 23 years. This means the seizure continued for 23 years non-stop and enabled a man produce a book. Does this sound rational to believe? · How could his followers (several thousands of them) believe in him without knowing that he is an epileptic and the Quran is from his epileptic seizures? · Quran was revealed in the presence of people. Had Quran been due to epileptic seizures, people would have got to know about it. · Saying Quran came from epileptic seizure is tantamount to saying Hamlet was produced by the epileptic seizures of Shakespeare. b. Mythomania: · This is a psychological disorder in which a person tells lies and then believes in them as if it were true. · The Qur'an talks facts -- things that you can go and look and see that they are true, things you can verify. The mythomaniac cannot do this. Facts are a problem for him. Therefore psychologists treat a man suffering from mythomania by confronting him with facts. · The Qur'an approaches its readers by confronting them with facts and thus heals them of their delusions. The Qur'an poses questions: "O human being -- you say so and so, but then what about such and such? Do you say this when you know that . . .?" A mythomaniac can never do this. · Mohammed (peace be on him) was NOT only a spiritual leader BUT was also an astute and successful political leader. Had he been a mythomaniac he could have never been a successful political leader. Inference: It is ONLY rational to conclude that someone could NOT have taught the Quran to Mohammed (peace be on him) and there could NOT have been a psychiatric source for the Quran. Conclusion: Using the technique of "Exhausting the alternatives", we are left with ONLY one possible source for the Quran -- God. A neutral researcher will have no choice BUT to agree that Quran could NOT have been authored by Mohammed (peace be on him) either consciously or unconsciously. Quran's challenge to the mankind: 1. There is NOT a single scripture on the face of the earth, which gives a falsification test to disprove its authenticity. "Then do they not reflect upon the Qur'an? If it had been from [any] other than Allah, they would have found within it much contradiction." 4:82 And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our Servant [Mohammed], then produce a chapter the like thereof and call upon your witnesses other than Allah, if you should be truthful. But if you do not - and you will never be able to - then fear the Fire, whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for the disbelievers. 2:23-24 2. Unlike many scriptures, where FAITH is the only way to approach the scripture, Quran appeals to the mind and rationale of a human being. Quran is a unique scripture that encourages the reader to think and ponder over it, which is not the same case with most of the scriptures. "Then do they not reflect upon the Qur'an, or are there locks upon [their] hearts?" 47:24 "And those who, when reminded of the verses of their Lord, do not fall upon them deaf and blind." 25:73 Invitation to Mankind: "It (Quran) is not except a reminder to the worlds. For whomever amongst you wish to take a right course." 81:27-28 "O mankind, worship your Lord, who created you and those before you, that you may become righteous" 2:21 "And say, "The truth is from your Lord, so whoever wills - let him believe; and whoever wills - let him disbelieve." Indeed, We have prepared for the wrongdoers a fire whose walls will surround them. And if they call for relief, they will be relieved with water like murky oil, which scalds [their] faces. Wretched is the drink, and evil is the resting place. Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds - indeed, We will not allow to be lost the reward of any who did well in deeds." 18:29-30

Answer 2

The word 'Qur'an' in Arabic literally means recitation or something that is continously recited. This name is specifically mentioned in the text of the Qur'an as a reference to itself in several places (such as in 4:82, 7:204, 9:111, 10:15, 10:37, 12:3, among others). Muslims believe that Quran was revealed by God to Prophet Mohammed (peace be on him) through arch angel Gabriel.Was the Quran revealed by God? What does the Quran claim? [This is] the revelation of the Book about which there is no doubt from the Lord of the worlds. Or do they say, "He invented it"? Rather, it is the truth from your Lord, [O Mohammed], that you may warn a people to whom no Warner has come before you [so] perhaps they will be guided. 32:2-3 What do the Disbelievers (who do not believe in the divine origin of the Quran) say? And those who disbelieve say, "This [Qur'an] is not except a falsehood he invented, and another people assisted him in it. But they have committed an injustice and a lie. And they say, "Legends of the former peoples which he has written down, and they are dictated to him morning and afternoon. Say, [O Mohammed], "It has been revealed by He who knows [every] secret within the heavens and the earth. Indeed, He is ever forgiving and Merciful." 25:4-6 Neutral approach to come to a rational conclusion: There are only two possibilities. They are: 1. The claim what the Quran makes is true 2. The claim what the disbelievers make is true To know which of the above two claims is true, we will analyze the possible sources of the Quran. Possible sources of the Quran: There are 4 possible sources. 1. Quran was written by Mohammed(peace be on him) himself 2. Mohammed(peace be on him) copied it from other sources 3. Some other human / Satan taught Mohammed (peace be on him) or a psychiatric source like Epilepsy, Visions etc caused him to recite Quran 4. Quran was revealed by God We will use the technique of "Exhausting the alternatives" to conclude on the source of the Quran. First Possible Source -- Quran was written by Mohammed (peace be on him) himself · If we analyze the background and education of Mohammed (peace be on him), he was an illiterate man who had NO formal education in any science, language, religious or secular. · Quran speaks about a variety of branches of science like: Astronomy, Embryology, Hydrology, Geology, Sociology, Psychology, Oceanography, Law etc. · Until the age of forty, there is NO historical account in his life that shows his scholarly tendencies or achievements in any of the spectrum of subjects the Quran deals with. How could such an illiterate man, suddenly, at the age of forty, bring about a book like the Quran which brought about an ideological and religious revolution that changed the face of history? · If Mohammed (peace be on him) had authored the Quran, why would he honor and mention Mary (May Allah be pleased with her), the mother of Jesus (peace be on him) and NOT mention his own family members? (NOTE: Quran does NOT have the names of any of the family members of Mohammed (peace be on him)? · If he had authored the Quran, why would he consistently deny authorship of the Quran? Not once, did he claim authorship of Quran. · If he had authored the Quran, why would he disclose verses that reprimand him? Examples - 33:37 and 80:1-3 Inference: It is ONLY rational to conclude that Mohammed (peace be on him) himself is NOT the author of the Quran. Second Possible Source -- Mohammed (peace be on him) copied it from other scriptures When the critics are asked to name the scripture or the source from which Mohammed (peace be on him) could have copied, they say: from the Old and New Testament of the Bible. Let us examine if this claim can be true. · Mohammed (peace be on him) was an illiterate and Quran testifies to this historical fact. Quran Chapter 29 Verse 48 · The Arabic version of the Bible was not present at the time of Prophet Mohammed (peace be on him). The earliest Arabic version of the Old Testament is that of R. Saadias Gaon of 900 C.E. - more than 250 years after the death of our beloved Prophet. The oldest Arabic version of the New Testament was published by Erpenius in 1616 C.E. - about a thousand years after the demise of our Prophet. · Scientifically incorrect information in the bible o Sun created after the creation of earth. Genesis 1:9-19 o Vegetation created before the Sun. Genesis 1:11-13, 14-19 o First man Adam appeared on earth approximately 5800 years ago. 1948 years between Adam and Abraham, Approximately 1800 years between Abraham and Jesus, 2000 years from Jesus till today. Genesis 5,9,11 etc. o Noah's flood = Universal and occurred in the 21st or 22nd Century B.C (Genesis 6, 7 & 8). · Quran mentions the same incidents as above without mistakes. It is illogical to assume that Mohammed (peace be on him) had borrowed the information from the Bible and corrected the mistakes before mentioning it in the Qur'an. · How could so many Jews and Christians [some of them were scholars in their religion] amongst Mohammed (peace be on him)'s contemporaries become Muslims if Mohammed (peace be on him) was copying from their scriptures? · If someone copies during an examination he will surely not write in the answer sheet that he has copied from his neighbor or Mr. XYZ. Prophet Mohammed (peace be on him) gave due respect and credit to all the previous prophets (peace be on them all). The Qur'an also mentions the various revelations like Torah, Zabur, and Injeel given by Almighty God to different prophets. Is it rational to believe that a person who copied from the previous scriptures gave due credit by mentioning them in the Quran? How do we then explain the similarities between Quran and the previous scriptures? Is it NOT because the Quran was copied from the previous scriptures (Bible)? The similarity is NOT because Quran was copied from the previous scriptures BUT rather due to the fact that the source for all the scripture is the same. For example: First commandment given by Moses -- Deuteronomy 6:4. First Commandment given by Jesus -- Mark 12:29. If we use the same logic used by the critics, we will have to conclude that Jesus copied from Moses. All the scriptures including the Quran have a common source -- God and hence the similarity. Inference: It is ONLY rational to conclude that Mohammed (peace be on him) could NOT have copied the Quran from other scriptures. Third Possible Source -- Some other human / Satan taught Mohammed (peace be on him) or a psychiatric source like Epilepsy, Visions etc A) HUMAN TEACHER / TEACHERS: 1. Who was /were the person / persons who taught Mohammed (peace be on him)? Despite abundance of historical material on the Prophet's life, why is it not possible to discover that mysterious teacher(s)? 2. Quran was NOT revealed in a day. It was revealed in stages over a period of 23 years. "And [it is] a Qur'an which We have separated [by intervals] that you might recite it to the people over a prolonged period. And We have sent it down progressively." 17:106 and "And those who disbelieve say: "Why is not the Quran revealed to him all at once?" Thus (it is sent down in parts), that We may strengthen your heart thereby. And We have revealed it to you gradually, in stages." 25:32. Is it rational to believe that someone was teaching Mohammed (peace be on him) consistently for a period of 23 years? How could he have hidden himself for a period of 23 years? 3. Quranic revelations sometimes came down in the presence of the people. Where then was the mysterious, invisible teacher? 4. What kind of a teacher would have taught Mohammed (peace be on him) a coherent and complete religion that changed the face of history? Why didn't he claim the credit for himself? Why couldn't he or they speak against the alleged student who continued learning from them for 23 years, while ignoring them and claiming some other divine source for his teachings? 5. Mohammed (peace be on him) was surrounded by his companions all the time and every minute detail of his life was recorded. In fact, no human being's life was recorded in so much detail as it was done for the life of Mohammed (peace be on him). How could Mohammed (peace be on him) make frequent secret visits to that mysterious teacher or teachers for 23 years without being caught even once? 6. How could so many Jews and Christians [some of them were scholars in their religion] amongst Mohammed (peace be on him)'s contemporaries become Muslims if Mohammed (peace be on him) was learning from their priests or rabbis? B) SATAN:1. If Satan would have taught the Qur'an, he would not have mentioned in the same Qur'an in chapter 16 verse 98 "So when you recite the Qur'an, [first] seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the expelled". Is this how you feel Satan would teach a book? Will he tell us; "Before you read my book ask God to save you from me?" 2. There are several verses in the Qur'an which will give enough evidence that Satan is not the author of the Qur'an. In chapter 7 verse 200, "And if an evil suggestion comes to you from Satan, then seek refuge in Allah. Indeed, He is Hearing and Knowing." Why would Satan tell his followers, that whenever he gives any suggestions to them, they should seek refuge in Allah? 3. Quran says in Chapter 2 Verse 208 and in several other places that "do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy." If it was Satan who taught Mohammed (peace be on him), why would he ask the readers not to follow him? Does it make any sense? C)Psychiatric Source: a. Epilepsy: · Critics say that due to epileptic seizure Mohammed (peace be on him) recited something and that became the Quran. What is overlooked in this argument is that during the epileptic seizure, the functioning of the brain is disturbed. As such, sensible speech is impossible and the person affected by epilepsy will ONLY mumble something which he will forget after he recovers. All available recorded history of Mohammed (peace be on him) unanimously say that he was a man with excellent physical and mental health throughout his life. · Quran was revealed in stages for a period of 23 years. This means the seizure continued for 23 years non-stop and enabled a man produce a book. Does this sound rational to believe? · How could his followers (several thousands of them) believe in him without knowing that he is an epileptic and the Quran is from his epileptic seizures? · Quran was revealed in the presence of people. Had Quran been due to epileptic seizures, people would have got to know about it. · Saying Quran came from epileptic seizure is tantamount to saying Hamlet was produced by the epileptic seizures of Shakespeare. b. Mythomania: · This is a psychological disorder in which a person tells lies and then believes in them as if it were true. · The Qur'an talks facts -- things that you can go and look and see that they are true, things you can verify. The mythomaniac cannot do this. Facts are a problem for him. Therefore psychologists treat a man suffering from mythomania by confronting him with facts. · The Qur'an approaches its readers by confronting them with facts and thus heals them of their delusions. The Qur'an poses questions: "O human being -- you say so and so, but then what about such and such? Do you say this when you know that . . .?" A mythomaniac can never do this. · Mohammed (peace be on him) was NOT only a spiritual leader BUT was also an astute and successful political leader. Had he been a mythomaniac he could have never been a successful political leader. Inference: It is ONLY rational to conclude that someone could NOT have taught the Quran to Mohammed (peace be on him) and there could NOT have been a psychiatric source for the Quran. Conclusion: Using the technique of "Exhausting the alternatives", we are left with ONLY one possible source for the Quran -- God. A neutral researcher will have no choice BUT to agree that Quran could NOT have been authored by Mohammed (peace be on him) either consciously or unconsciously. Quran's challenge to the mankind: 1. There is NOT a single scripture on the face of the earth, which gives a falsification test to disprove its authenticity. "Then do they not reflect upon the Qur'an? If it had been from [any] other than Allah, they would have found within it much contradiction." 4:82 And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our Servant [Mohammed], then produce a chapter the like thereof and call upon your witnesses other than Allah, if you should be truthful. But if you do not - and you will never be able to - then fear the Fire, whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for the disbelievers. 2:23-24 2. Unlike many scriptures, where FAITH is the only way to approach the scripture, Quran appeals to the mind and rationale of a human being. Quran is a unique scripture that encourages the reader to think and ponder over it, which is not the same case with most of the scriptures. "Then do they not reflect upon the Qur'an, or are there locks upon [their] hearts?" 47:24 "And those who, when reminded of the verses of their Lord, do not fall upon them deaf and blind." 25:73 Invitation to Mankind: "It (Quran) is not except a reminder to the worlds. For whomever amongst you wish to take a right course." 81:27-28 "O mankind, worship your Lord, who created you and those before you, that you may become righteous" 2:21 "And say, "The truth is from your Lord, so whoever wills - let him believe; and whoever wills - let him disbelieve." Indeed, We have prepared for the wrongdoers a fire whose walls will surround them. And if they call for relief, they will be relieved with water like murky oil, which scalds [their] faces. Wretched is the drink, and evil is the resting place. Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds - indeed, We will not allow to be lost the reward of any who did well in deeds." 18:29-30

Answer 3

quran is are holy book that tells about Muslims and the rules of Islam

Quran

1876, variant spelling of Koran (q.v.), from Arabic qur'an, lit. "book, reading, recitation," from qara'a "to read."

Answer 4

It is Arabic word that means ' a book excessively recited/read'. It is the last heavenly book that testifies all the previous heavenly books revealed to Hazrat Abraham (AS), Hazrat David AS), Hazrat Moses (AS) and Hazrat Jesus Christ (AS) and many other Prophets of Almighty Allah.