The Quran is the holy book which Muslims read, recite and turn to for guidance in all aspects of our life. It is a book revealed in Arabic and its true essence and message is only preserved in that one language, written right to left. While non Arabic speakers benefit from its translations and use these in prayers and praise, we must always remember that the true message is secured in the one original language.

The Quran is the last testament in a series of divine revelations from God. It comprises the unaltered and direct words of God, revealed through the Angel Gibrael, to the final Prophet, Muhammad (pbuh)1 some 1400 years ago. Islam is a continuation of the teachings of previous Prophets, such as Noah, Abraham, David, Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them all), some of whom were also given divine books. Muslims believe that the key message brought by all Prophets was the same; to believe in One God and not to associate partners with Him, to stay away from sins and to lead a life devoted to earning Gods pleasure. All Prophets taught about life after death and gave glad tidings of paradise for those who obey God, but warned of punishment in hell for those who choose to disobey Him.

The Quran is unique because it is the only revealed book that exists today in the precise form and content in which it was originally revealed. Furthermore, it was actively recorded during the time the religion was being established. The distinctive approach of the Quran is that its spiritual message includes practical injunctions aimed at the general welfare of human beings, society and the environment in which we live. The Qurans message is eternal and universal, transcending our differences in race, color, ethnicity and nationality. It provides guidance on every aspect of human life, from economics and the ethics of trade to marriage, divorce, gender issues, inheritance and parenting. It neither condemns nor tortures the flesh nor does it neglect the soul. It does not humanize God, nor does it deify man. The Quran describes signs of Gods existence in the universe and how everything is carefully placed in the total scheme of creation.

“Everything made so much sense.This is the beauty of the Quran; it asks you to reflect and reason….When I read the Quran further, it talked about prayer, kindness and charity. I was not a Muslim yet, but I felt the only answer for me was the Qur’an and God had sent it to me.”

Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam), former British pop star.

This brochure examines two common questions asked by those seeking to understand the origin and authorship of the Quran. 1) What evidence supports the Qurans claim of authenticity ,i.e., that it has not been interfered with? 2) Even if the Quran has been preserved, what evidence supports that it is the Word of God and not simply Muhammads (pbuh)own writings?

Preservation of the Quran

The Quran has been preserved for over 1400 years through parallel memorization and writings.

“We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly Guard it (from corruption).” [Quran 15:9]

The Quran is the only book that has been memorized in its entirety by millions. The process of memorization began during the Prophets (pbuh) life and continues to be emphasized by Muslims, even to this day.The use of memorization in oral transmission through the generations had mitigated somewhat from the beginning the worst perils of relying solely on written records, related John Burton. [John Burton, An Introduction to the Hadith, Edinburgh University Press; 1994, p27].

Muhammad (pbuh) was very vigilant in preserving the entire Quran in written form as well. The Prophet (pbuh) could not read or write, so as soon as a portion of the Quran was revealed, he called upon his scribes to record the revealed text.The Prophet (pbuh) specified the part of the Quran the revelation belonged to and had the companions read back what was written to ensure that it corresponded exactly with what was revealed.Thus, the complete Quran was not only memorized by the Prophet (pbuh) and many of his companions, but also existed in written form during his lifetime.Within a year after the Prophets (pbuh) death, a manuscript of the entire Quran was assembled by a committee led by the chief scribe of the Prophet (pbuh), who followed stringent criteria to safeguard against any errors. The manuscript was unanimously approved by the companions of the Prophet (pbuh), including the hundreds that had memorized the entire Quran. Several replicates of the manuscript were prepared under the leadership of the third caliph and were distributed to the main Muslim centers. One such copy is currently at the museum in Tashkent in erstwhile (Soviet Union) and a facsimile of it, produced in 1905, is available in the Columbia University Library (USA).

Read more: https://www.whyislam.org/quran/originofquran/

Read Quran

The holy Quran has 114 chapters or surahs and 6,236 excluding Bismillah and 6348 including Bismillah.

You can get free copies here: http://www.freekoran.com/ and here: https://www.islamicity.org/free-quran/

And read online: https://quran.com/