The Qur'an and Qur'anic Interpretation (tafsir)
It includes features such as the number of times a particular root configuration has been used in the Qur'an. In addition, if one clicks on a particular form of the root, all Qur'anic instances of it will appear in context. Up to this point, this online index is comparable to the famous al-Mu'jam al-mufahras of Fu'ad 'Abd al-Baqi. Islam is the second largest religion in the world after Christianity, with about 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide. Although its roots go back further, scholars typically date the creation of Islam to. Ramadan is a blessed month of Islam. This section has articles, dua, stories and more about Ramadan. Interest Free Mortgages. A list of companies providing interest free mortgages to the Muslim communities in UK, Canada and USA. Islamic Articles.
This web site is a brief guide to understanding Islam. It consists of three chapters. The first chapter, Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam, answers some important questions which some people ask: n Is the Quran truly the literal word of God, revealed by Him? N Is Muhammad 1 truly a prophet sent by God? N Is Islam truly a religion from God? In this chapter, six kinds of. Fiqh section to get basic Islamic knowledge Basic knowledge about Islam and daily matters of life Quran Recitations of 30+ Reciters All are downloadable for offline use Some best reciters: 1. Mishary Rashid Alafasy 2. Abdullah Basfar 4. Abdurrahmaan As-Sudais 5. Abu Bakr Ash-Shaatree 6. Ahmed ibn Ali al-Ajamy 7.
Table of Contents
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The Qur'an: Introduction, including a glossary of terms used in the Qur'anic sciences.The History of the Compilation of the Qur'an
Critique of the Prevailing View of the Qur'an's Compilation and Rebuttal
Searchable Arabic Qur'an and Tafsirs, Searchable Translations, and Indices of the Qur'an in English and Arabic
Online Recitations of the Qur'an, including the science of Qur'anic recitation (tajwid)
Free Qur'ans in Print
Tafsir, commentary on the Qur'an
Downloadable Arabic Research LibraryQur'an: Introduction
Muslims believe that the Qur'an consists of the word of God revealed inArabic by God to the Prophet Muhammad over a twenty-two year period. Hereceived the firstrevelation in the year 610 CE while engaging in a contemplative retreat inthe Caveof Hira located on the Mountain of Light(Jabal al-nur)(also known as Mt. Hira), which is in theoutskirts of Mecca.TheQur'an is distinct from hadith,which are the sayings of Muhammad. It is agreed that Muhammad clearlydistinguished between his own utterances (hadith) and God's words,the Qur'an.
Muslims and most Western scholars of Islam believe thatthe Arabic Qur'an that exists today contains substantially the same Arabic that wastransmitted by Muhammad. This often surprises scholars of the Bible, Judaism, and Christianity who in many cases assume that the Qur'an has substantially evolved over time (which is what scholars of the Bible --but not many believing Christians or Orthodox Jews-- generally agree on concerning the Bible).
In other words, while scholars of the Bible in the West have largely succeeded in convincing the community of scholars that the Bible we have today was not the very same 'Word of God' that was revealed through the prophets and which was spoken by Jesus, scholars of Islam have generally not come to similar conclusions about the Qur'an.
This is not to say that the text of the Qur'an is written just as it was written during the time of Muhammad. On the contrary, it is a historical fact, accepted by Muslims and non-Muslims alike, that the writing of the text (but not the text itself) of the Qur'an has substantially evolved. One such major evolutionary difference is that originally the text was written without diacritical points--which distinguish some letters from others-- but early in the history of the writing of Qur'an, diacritical points were added.
The upshot of this is the vast majority of Muslims rest assured that they are reading the exact words of revelation received by Muhammad (even though the manner of writing those words has indeed changed over time).
Since Muslims believe that words themselves are those revealed by God, the act of reciting or reading the Qur'an is believed to be a means of receiving blessings (baraka) from God. Hence it is not uncommon that Muslims will learn how to read Arabic and the Qur'an without understanding it. Also, even those who cannot read the Arabic letters of the Qur'an believe that they can nevertheless benefit from hearing the evocative quality and blessedness of the original Arabic.
An excellent introduction to the Qur'an is the article titled The Koran, (link fixed 26 February 2006) byProfessors Sachiko Murata and William C. Chittick of State University ofNew York, Stonybrook. This is an excerptfromtheir book Vision of Islam (Amazon.com) which is largely based on the Qur'an itself. This article will help readers to understand and getbeyond certain problems inherent in any translation of the Qur'an.
Glossaryof the Terms Used in the Qur'anic Sciences in both Arabic and English. This is anexcellent teaching tool for students.
The History of the Compilation of the Qur'an
Three hadith in the Sahih(certified collection) of Bukhari that address the issue of the compilation of the Qur'an are listed on the page titled Bukhari on the Collection of the Qur'an The traditional Muslim understanding of the history of the Qur'an isfound in the following article, excerpted from a speech by the 20th century Muslim revivalist, Syed Abul 'Aala Maudoodi, History of Qur'an Site (link fixed 26 February 2006) and ThePreservation and Transmission of Qur'an (link fixed 22 December 2005). The major events intraditional accounts of the process that lead up to the production of theQur'an as we know it are noted at the site Abrief History of the Compilation of the Qur'an.For a detailed recounting of the traditional Muslim view of the earlytransmission of the Qur'an see Transmission of the Qur'anicRevelation, which is chapter two in Ahmad von Denffer's book 'Ulumal-Qur'an. See also chapter three in the same work, The Qur'an in Manuscript andPrint, for a discussion of early Qur'an manuscripts.A recent online article that discusses early Qur'an manuscripts andincludes numerous images of these is titled The Qur'anManuscripts and was compiled by the Muslim scholars of Islamic-Awareness.Org, whichis a website designed to educate Muslims about the issues often raised byChristian missionaries.Critique of the Prevailing View of the Compilation of the Qur'an and the Rebuttal
A minority of Western scholars (often called orientalists) assert thatMuslim accounts ofthe compilation of the Qur'an are pious fictions and that the Qur'ansubstantially evolved after the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632 CE.This viewpoint is presented in a recentarticle (on-line and in print) written for a popular audience inAtlantic Monthly,What is theKoran? (Link fixed January 14, 2008) Nevertheless, concerning thecompleteness of the Qur'an andthe final arrangement of the surahs (chapters), it must be stressed--as Professor A. Jones of Oxford asserts-- that'the varying views of orientalists [on the the completeness and orderof the Qur'an] are a mixture of prejudice and speculation' andconsequently have not been generally accepted as being true (CambridgeHistory of Arabic Literature: Arabic Literature to the End of the UmayyadPeriod p. 240). For a rebuttal of the AtlanticMonthlyarticle's maincontentions see a A Response tothe article 'What is the Koran?' written by a Jeffrey Lang, a Muslimprofessor of Mathematics at the University of Kansas. (Fixed 8 January, 2005) In addition, seethe critique writtenby Azizah al-Hibri, professor of Law at the University of Richmond.(Link fixed 22 December 2005.) And note as well, the comments on theAtlanticMonthly article derived from a statement by Professor SeyyedHossein Nasr, (link fixed 24 November 2001) a highly esteemed scholar of Islam andreligion ingeneral.
A wide variety of criticisms of Muslim beliefs in theQur'anare explained and refuted in a generally scholarly manner at the manypages of the siteIssuesConcerning the Qur'an. See especially the subpages TextualIntegrity of the Qur'an and The Sourcesof the Qur'an.
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Forgotten Witness: Evidence For The Early Codification Of The Qur'an by the scholar Estelle Whelan in the highly regarded Journal of the American Oriental Society, 1998, Volume 118, pp. 1-14. In this article, evidence is highlighted that refutes some of John Wansbrough's assertions that the Qur'an was codified centuries after the lifetime of the Prophet MuhammadWhat follows are three critical scholarly reviews of a recent attempt by Christoph Luxenberg (pseudonym) to argue that at the basis of the Qur'an is a Christian Syriac text. Subsequently I have added a link to the book itself and a variety of other reviews:
Qur'an: Searchable Arabic Qur'an and Tafsirs, Searchable Translations, and Indices in English and Arabic
Translations--however inspired they may be--are onlyshadows of the original. They should always be read with ahealthy dose of skepticism concerning the degree to which they reflect the original. The gulf between the original and thetranslation is an important reason why Muslims must recitethe Qur'an only in Arabic for the required daily prayers. Atranslation of the Qur'an is not the Qur'an; it is simply oneperson's interpretation of the Qur'an. To a limited extent, however,translations can shed light on the meaning of the Qur'an.
By comparing a few Qur'an translations verse by verse, one can often geta fuller sense of the Arabic original. The following Translationsof the Qur'an site uses side by side translations of Pickthall, YusufAli, and Shakir. You can search these Qur'an translations as well.
Qur'anTranslation Search Engine (No longer online.) Developed by Richard Goerwitz, then at BrownUniversity, this search engine searched the Pickthall, Yusufali, Shakir, and Sher Alitranslations of the Qur'an. This engine is more powerful than the previousengines, but in order to see all of the translations side by side, firstsearch for a word, phrase, or particular verse in one of the translations(eg. Pickthall, which is the default). Then click on one of results in the'passage list' and beneath the full passage, among the various optionsclick on 'all.' -->
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The M. H. Shakirtranslation can be searched by thispowerful search engine at the University of Michigan. It can perform threetypes of searches: a simple search for a word or phrase throughout theQur'an; a search for two or three words or phrases in close proximity toone another; a Boolean search for the occurence of two or threewords in any verse. One of the virtues of this engine is that the resultsare displayed in the context of the aya (s) in which the word orwords are found.
The Message of the Qur'an by Muhammad Asad is an excellent translation and commentary on the Qur'an. His commentary is drawn largely from traditional and 19th century commentaries. (Updated January 7, 2012. Allow a few seconds for it to load. Originally it was located on the web at www.geocities.com/masad02/ .) Another archived copy in one large html text file is at The Message of the Qur'an. See also a searchable pdf of The Message of the Qur'an.
SubjectIndex of the Qur'an (fixed 22 December 2005) This subject index is hyperlinked with the Qur'an, sothat after choosing a particular subject, the reader can simply click onthe various Qur'anic verse (ayah)numbers, which will then lead tothe text of that verse in which the chosen subject is found.
Introductions to Each Qur'anic Sura, by Mawdudi
Online Qur'anic Recitations
The Qur'an: Arabictext and recitation (Link fixed 22 December 2005) The recitation is by Shaykh Khalil al-Husari (one of the finest Qur'an reciters) andis considered to be ideal for learning the proper pronunciation of theQur'an. Real Audio is needed in order to hear this. If you do not have it, you can download it for free by clicking on this Real Audio link. (Changed to free audio links Sept. 24, 2003.)
The Qur'an: Arabicrecitation by Shaykh al-Minshawi (one of the finest Qur'an reciters). (Changed to free audio link, Sept. 24, 2003.)
Surat al-Fatiha, theopening surah of the Qur'an,is recited here by Shaykh Khalil al-Husari. (Real Audio)
Rules for Reciting the Arabic Text of the Qur'an Qur'anic recitation (tajwid) is regarded as one the Qur'anic sciences. Some of these rules are indicated in the Arabic text of the Qur'an by means of Arabic abbreviations. The article here discusses such abbreviations as well as the other rules, providing clear examples to illustrate the rules.
Free Qur'ans
A Free Qur'an can be obtainedfrom the Islamic Affairs Division of the Saudi Arabian embassy. In the box that saysselect the requested items, click on and hold down the arrowhead on the right and choose Qur'an -- With English translation: Yousef Ali.Free Qur'an either send Free Qur'an.org youraddress byemail or simply call toll free 1-800-747-8726 (1-800-74QURAN).
A Free Qur'an isofferedas a service at this website.
Obtain A Free Qu'ran (link fixed 17 August 2005)The Online Islamic Bookstore offers free Qur'ans to any interestednon-Muslim who is willing to pay the $3.00 shipping cost. (No longer offered, Oct.26, 2002.)
Tafsir
Muslims regard the most reliable Qur'anic commentary as being contained in the Qur'anitself. In other words, the ways in which certain ayat clarify other ayat areregarded as being the mostsignificant form of commentary. A second form of Qur'anic commentary is how the Prophetinterpreted theQur'an. And his comments on the Qur'an (as well as everything he ever said or did) arerecorded in the hadith collections. After these two forms of commentary, knowledgeablecompanions and later generations of pious and learned Muslims expressed their view of themeaning ofvarious ayat. It was on this foundation that the science of Qur'anic commentary wasbuilt.
Altafsir.com is the most comprehensiveQur'anic resource on the web. A project of the Aal al-Bayt Foundation forIslamic Thought, Altafsir.com has put online the Qur'an inArabic recited by six of the most highly regarded Qur'anic reciters, numerous Qur'aniccommentaries in Arabic, as well as translations of the Qur'an into 16 languages andmany important texts in Arabic of the traditional Qur'anic sciences ('ulum). In theworks aretranslations into English of some of the commentaries along with a new translation ofthe Qur'an. Comprehensive Downloadable Arabic Library for Research in Primary Islamic Sources
This invaluable free service includes all the major hadith texts(andmany of the minor ones) as well as works of hadith criticism, some important tafsirAll Islamic Content In One Place Download Section 8
s, dictionaries,and worksof fiqh. These can be downloaded --not read online-- from the Al-Muhaddith Islamic Library and SearchProgram (link fixed 22 December 2005). They are essential for university libraries as well as for scholars who wish to pursue original research in Islamic primary sources.In addition to the hadith collections, one canalso download various Arabic tafsirs such as TafsirJalalayn,Suyuti's al-Durr al-manthur (which uses hadith to clarify and expand on the meaningof the Qur'an), and an abridged version of the Tafsiral-Qurtubi.
The library includes as well a number of importantgeneral dictionaries such as Ibn Manzur's Lisanal-'Arab and Fayruzabadi's al-Qamus al-muhit; Ibn al-Athir's dictionary ofrare words used in hadith, al-Nihayah fi gharibal-hadith; Asfahani's dictionary of the Qur'an, Mufradat alfazal-Qur'an; and even an Arabic-English and English-Arabic dictionary.
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A PC running Arabic Windows95 is necessary in order to read the texts,although Arabic Windows98 is recommended.
Return to Islamic Studies
Islam and Muslims:
The Arabic word 'Islam' means peace, submission and obedience. The religion of Islam is the complete acceptance of the teachings and guidance of God as revealed to His Prophet Muhammad (may Allah exalt his mention).
A Muslim is one who believes in God and strives for the complete reorganization of his life according to ) God’s revealed guidance and the sayings of His Prophet . He also works towards building human society on the same basis. 'Muhammadanism' is a misnomer for Islam and offends its very spirit.
The word 'Allah' is the proper name of God in Arabic. It is a unique term because it has no plural form or feminine gender.
Continuity of Message:
Islam is not a new religion. It is, in essence, the same message and guidance which Allah revealed to all Prophets, may Allah exalt their mention. The Quran says (what means): 'Say: we believe in Allah, and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael; Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and in (the Books) given to Moses, Jesus, and the Prophets, from their Lord. We make no distinction between one and another among them, and to Allah do we bow our will (in Islam)' [Quran 3:84].
The message, which was revealed to Prophet Muhammad is Islam in its comprehensive, complete and final form.
The Five Pillars of Islam
There are five pillars of Islam:
1. The declaration of faith: To bear witness that: “There is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His Messenger ” to all human beings till the Day of Judgment. The Prophethood of Muhammad obliges the Muslims to follow his exemplary life as a model.
2. Prayers: Daily prayers are offered five times a day as a duty towards Allah. They strengthen and enliven the belief in Allah and inspire man to a higher morality. They purify the heart and prevent temptation towards wrong doings and evils.
3. Fasting the month of Ramadan: The Muslims during the month of Ramadan not only abstain from food, drink and sexual intercourse from dawn to sunset, but also from evil intentions and desires. It teaches love, sincerity, devotion and develops a sound social conscience, patience, unselfishness and willpower.
4. Zakah: To pay annually 2.5 percent of one's net saving on which a year has passed, as a religious duty and purifying sum, to be spent on poorer sections of the community.
5. Pilgrimage to Makkah: It is to be performed once in a lifetime, if one can afford it financially and physically.
Besides these pillars, every action, which is done with the awareness that it fulfills the Will of Allah, is also considered an act of worship.
Islam enjoins faith in the Oneness and Sovereignty of Allah, which makes man aware of the purpose of the Universe and of his place in it. This belief frees him from all fears and superstitions, by making him conscious of the presence of Almighty Allah and of his obligation towards Him. Faith alone is not enough. It must be expressed and tested in action, i.e., the 'five pillars of Islam', which are the manifestations of faith. Belief in one God requires that we look upon all humanity as one family under the universal Omnipotence of God, the Creator and Nourisher of all. Islam rejects the idea of a chosen people, making faith in God and good actions as the only way to Heaven. Thus, a direct relationship is established with God, without any intercessor.
Man: The Free Agent:
Man is the highest creation of God. He is equipped with the highest of potentialities. He is left relatively free in his will, action and choice. God has shown him the right path, and the life of Prophet Muhammad provides a perfect example. Man's success and salvation lies in following both. Islam teaches the sanctity of the human personality and confers equal rights upon all without any distinction of race, gender or color.
The law of God, enunciated in the Quran and exemplified in the life of the Prophet, is supreme in all cases. It applies equally to the highest and the lowest, the prince and the peasant, the ruler and the ruled.
Quran and Hadeeth:
The Quran is the last revealed word of God and the basic source of Islamic teachings and law. The Quran deals with the bases of creeds, morality, history of humanity, worship, knowledge, wisdom, the relationship between God and man, and human relationships in all aspects. The Holy Quran contains comprehensive teachings, which can be built into sound systems of social justice, economics, politics, legislation, jurisprudence, law and international relations.
Muhammad himself was unlettered, he could not read or write. Yet, the Holy Quran was committed to memory and writing by his followers under his supervision during his lifetime. The original and complete text of the Quran is available to everybody in Arabic, the language in which it was revealed. Translations of the meaning into many languages are widely used. The teachings, sayings and actions of Prophet Muhammad (Ahadeeth) were meticulously reported and collected by his devoted companions, they explain and elaborate the Quranic verses.
Concept of Worship:
Islam does not teach or accept mere ritualism. It emphasizes intention and action. To worship God is to know Him and love Him, to act upon His law in every aspect of life, to enjoin goodness and forbid wrongdoing and oppression, to practice charity and justice and to serve Him by serving mankind.
The Quran presents this concept in the following sublime manner (which means): 'It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards East or West, but it is righteousness to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; and to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and give Zakah, to fulfill the contracts which you have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all period of panic. Such are the people of truth, the God-fearing.' [Quran 2:177]
Islamic Way of Life:
Islam provides definite guidelines for all peoples to follow in all walks of life. The guidance it gives is comprehensive and includes the social, economic, political, moral and spiritual aspects of life. The Quran reminds man of the purpose of his life on earth, of his duties and obligations towards himself, his kith and kin, his community, his fellow human beings and his Creator. Man is given fundamental guidelines about a purposeful life and then he is left with the challenge of human existence before him, so that he might put these high ideals into practice. In Islam, human life is a wholesome integrated unit and not a collection of fragmented competitive parts. The sacred and secular are not separate parts of man: they are united in the nature of being human.
Historical Perspective:
Prophet Muhammad was born in the year 570 CE in the city of
Islam's Rational Appeal:
Islam in its clear and direct way of expressing truth has a tremendous amount of appeal for any seeker of knowledge. It is a solution for all the problems of life. It is a guide towards a better and complete life, glorifying in all its phases, God, the Almighty Creator and the Merciful Nourisher.
Islam - The Solution of Modern Problems:
The Brotherhood of Man: It is really a major irony that advanced nations can send men to the moon, but cannot stop them from hating and fighting their fellow man. Over the last 1400 years, Islam has shown in practice how racism can be ended. Every year, during Hajj, the Islamic miracle of real brotherhood of all races and nations can be seen in action.
The Family: The family, which is the basic unit of civilization, is disintegrating in all Western countries. Islam's family system brings into a fine equilibrium the rights of man, wife, children and relatives. Islam nourishes human unselfishness, generosity and love in a well-organized family system.
Unfragmented View of Life:
Human beings live according to their view of life. The tragedy of secular societies is that they fail to connect the different aspects of life. The secular and religious, the scientific and the spiritual seem to be in conflict. Islam puts an end to this conflict and brings harmony to man's vision of life.