3.2.4 - The Qur’an

Nature And Authority

For Muslims, the Qur'an is the central revealed scripture of Islam. The Arabic word is connected with recitation, so the Qur'an is not only a book to be read silently. It is a text to be recited, heard, memorised, interpreted and lived by. Muslims usually understand it as kalam Allah, the speech or word of Allah (God), revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through Jibril (Gabriel).

The Qur'an's authority is normally higher than every other Islamic source. Hadith reports, legal reasoning, scholarly consensus and local custom may be important, but they are not supposed to overrule the Qur'an. This is why AQA treats the Qur'an first in the Islam sources-of-authority section.

Muslim beliefs about the Qur'an's nature include several connected claims. It is usually described as final and complete revelation, because Muhammad is understood as the final prophet. It is also understood as confirming earlier revelations while correcting or completing them. Qur'an 10:37 is often used to express the idea that the Qur'an confirms what came before and comes from the Lord of all worlds.

AQA's scheme of work also flags the classical debate about the Qur'an as created or uncreated. In many Sunni theological traditions, the Qur'an is uncreated because God's speech is an eternal divine attribute. In Mu'tazilite and some non-Ash'ari discussions, the Qur'an is described as created, because the recited and written expression occurs in time and because only Allah should be eternal. This is not a simple split between "believing" and "not believing" in the Qur'an. Both positions can be attempts to protect divine authority and tawhid, the oneness of Allah.

Revelation And Compilation

Muslim belief about revelation begins with the Prophet Muhammad receiving the Qur'an through Jibril. The first revelation is traditionally linked with Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Power, and the process continued over about twenty-three years. AQA warns that students should not only retell the event. The stronger explanation is that revelation makes the Qur'an a continuing divine address: Muslims hear, recite and obey words believed to come from Allah.

The Qur'an was first received in an oral culture. Muhammad recited the revelations to his followers. Some memorised them, and some acted as scribes, writing passages on available materials. This oral and written transmission matters because Muslim confidence in the Qur'an's preservation is not based only on one later book-copy. It is also based on memorisation, recitation, community transmission and the belief that Allah protects the revelation. Qur'an 15:9 is often cited for the belief that Allah revealed and preserves the "Reminder".

Traditional Sunni accounts usually describe two major stages after Muhammad's death. First, under Abu Bakr, material was gathered after concern that some reciters had died. Second, under Uthman, an authorised text was standardised and distributed, helping to protect unity in recitation across the expanding Muslim community. This Uthmanic codex is central to many Muslim accounts of preservation.

Shi'a perspectives should be handled carefully. Some Shi'a traditions attribute a compilation of the Qur'an to Ali, the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law. This may be understood as an early arrangement or a copy with interpretive material, not necessarily as a rival Qur'an. Mainstream Sunni and Twelver Shi'a Muslims today use the same Arabic Qur'anic text, although they may differ over the authority of later interpreters, Imams and hadith collections.

There have also been early Muslim debates about completeness, variant readings, and reports such as the "verse of stoning". An A-level answer does not need to turn this lesson into manuscript history. It should know the evaluative point: the Qur'an's authority is strengthened for Muslims by beliefs about divine preservation and communal transmission, but it can be questioned by those who emphasise human processes of collection, standardisation and interpretation.

Arabic Text And Recitation

AQA specifically requires the importance of the Arabic text. Qur'an 12:2 describes the Qur'an as sent down in Arabic so that people may understand. For many Muslims, Arabic is not just the original language of a message that can be replaced without loss. The Arabic wording is part of the revelation's sacred form.

This explains why salah, the daily ritual prayer, uses Arabic Qur'anic recitation. Even Muslims whose first language is not Arabic normally recite parts of the Qur'an in Arabic during prayer. The opening surah, al-Fatihah, has a special role in worship. During Ramadan, extended recitation in tarawih prayers may allow worshippers to hear the whole Qur'an across the month.

The Arabic text also affects everyday treatment of the Qur'an. Many Muslims handle a mushaf with ritual cleanliness, keep it in a respectful place, avoid placing it on the floor, and listen attentively when it is recited. Qur'anic calligraphy appears in homes, mosques and Islamic art because writing the revealed words can itself express reverence. Some Muslims use Qur'anic verses for blessing, healing or protection; other Muslims criticise uses that seem to treat the text mechanically rather than as guidance from Allah. The shared principle is that the Qur'an is not ordinary writing.

The Qur'an also has a recitational history. Qira'at are authorised modes of recitation. Two well-known transmissions are Hafs and Warsh. These should not be described casually as "different Qur'ans". Traditional Muslim scholarship normally treats them as permitted readings within the revealed recitational tradition, with differences that often concern pronunciation, vowels or forms and may sometimes add interpretive nuance. AQA's point is that recitation helps preserve the Qur'an and shapes its authority as a heard text.

Translation And Interpretation

The AQA wording says translation as interpretation. This is a crucial phrase. A translation does not simply move identical meaning from Arabic into English, Urdu, Turkish, Persian or any other language. It chooses words, grammar and emphasis. It may clarify one possible meaning while hiding another.

This is why many Muslims call English versions "translations of the meanings of the Qur'an" rather than the Qur'an itself. The translation can be valuable for understanding and teaching, especially for non-Arabic speakers, but it does not replace the Arabic text used in worship. Translation widens access, but it also increases the need for trustworthy interpretation.