The Quran is the most sacred scripture of Islam. It is referred to as Quran Sharif or Quran Majid, meaning Quran the great. It is a fairly brief text, divided into 114 Surahs, which are like chapters of variable lengths. The Surahs are further subdivided into ayats or verses, which number more than 6,200. A person who has memorised the entire Quran is called a ‘Hafiz.’ Quran means one that can be recited. It is supposed to be recited by all Muslims.
The Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad over 23 years by Allah—some portions by hearing a divine voice, some communicated by angel Gabriel, and some as visions. It was not written down by Muhammad because he did not know how to write. He revealed it to his companions and followers, who learnt it by heart. Many of them were killed in a battle after Muhammad’s death. To preserve the Quran, the first khalifa, Abu Bakr, ordered it to be written down.
The third khalifa, Uthman, examined the ayats collected by people in different places which Muhammad used to visit. He ruled that they were inauthentic and ordered them to be destroyed. Only the verses told to Muhammad’s companion Abu-Bakr or wife Khadija were considered authentic. So, there has been no interpolation in Quran. It acquired its present form by 650 CE.
The first and most famous verse of the Quran is ‘La ilaha illallahu muhammadur rasulullah’. This is called Kalma. It means—‘There is no god but god. Muhammad is the messenger of god.’ An honest recitation of the Kalma is all that is required for a person to become a Muslim.
The Quran can be divided into three parts—the first one consists of prayers to god and describes the method of praying called namaz. It also gives the various names of god. One month of ‘Ramzan Mubarak’ has been designated to thank the god for everything. In this month, Muslims observe a fast called roza. Whatever has been given by god must be shared with others. This is called zakat—charity. Every Muslim is expected to visit the Kaaba in Mecca at least once in their lifetime. This is called ‘Haj’.
The second part of the Quran has old stories taken mostly from the Old Testament like the story of Ibrahim whose faith was tested by god. There are stories about all the prophets that appeared before Muhammad. In the third part, there are descriptions of heaven and hell. It also details which acts will lead you to heaven and which to hell and what will you experience there. The Quran is the highest authority in Islam and the guiding star for Muslims all over the world.