An introduction to the qur'an (2000) by suhaib hasan

AN
INTRODUCTION
TO THE QUR'AN
CONTENTS
Chapter I: The Qur'an introduces itself
Chapter 2: Collection of Qur'an 5
Three ways of divine communication 5
Recollection of revelation 8
The order of surahs and verses 9
Chapter 3: Collection of the Qur'an during the caliphate of
Abu Bakr 12
Chapter 4: Collection of the Qur'an during the caliphate of
Uthman 14
Chapter 5: Some common misunderstandings 19
Chapter 6: Facts and figures about the Qur'an 21
The 99 names of Allah Almighty 23
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Author:
Edited by:
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Dr. Suhaib Hasan
Khola Hasan
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© 2000
ISBN 0952-7834
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Chapter 1
The Qur' an introduces itself
A. Qur'an literally means "a recital".
It has been preserved in a guarded tablet or a well-preserved book, as
indicated by the following two verses.
That is indeed a Qur'an most honourable
In a Book well-guarded which none shall touch but those who are
clean. (56: 77-79)
Only the purified souls (i.e. the angels) had access to it, so Shaitan could
never interfere with it. From this guarded place in the House of Glory, it
was brought down to the lowest heaven in preparation for the next stage.
The Archangel Jibra'il (Gabriel) was commissioned by Allah Almighty to
reveal it to the Prophet gradually, in accordance with the situation. Its
descent to the lowest heaven took place in Ramadan, and its revelation to
the Prophet Muhammad ( ~ ) also began in Ramadan in the Night of
Power. Allah Almighty says,
~ ",/~",,, /' "" .•.. ~/ ~-....
J..lA.l A.l:l .d·· GI~_ -~~ 'J"' ~
We have indeed revealed (this Qur'an) in the night of Power. (97: 1)
Ramadan is specifically referred to in the following verse:
) ~~
~

Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Quran as a
guide to mankind, also clear (signs) for guidance and judgment
(between right and wrong)
.i>1.}:o-
The Prophet ( 'Sf' ) received the first revelation inthe cave ofHira when
his age was forty years and seven months according to the lunar calendar,
and thirty nine years, three months and twenty six days according to the
solar calendar. It was the 17th of Ramadan, the first year of the
Prophet hood (61 OC.E.) The first five verses of Surah Al 'Alaq formed the
first revelation:
/J.. ."- • ~ /" •
4~~i)I~~~~~~~).:0~4~~ij
~ ·i::)L:.:''/''it;k ~ ~l~0j~J./((i~ t~ 0-...J ~ ~ / ~ / ~ i.Y
Read in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher who created man out ofa
leech-like clot. Read and thy-Lord is most Bountiful. He who taught
(the use of) the pen. Taught man that which he knew not.
(96: 1-5)
B. The Quran has been given a number of attributes, such as The Book
. (because it has been preserved in writing), the Reminder..h·.,
Guidance ~~, Light .....J~ and the Criterion 0~~. It is called
Reminder because it reminds man continuously of the realities that he is apt
to forget. It reminds him of his lowly origins, his Creator, his purpose in
this life and his ultimate end. It also reminds man of the rise and fall of past
nations such as 'Ad, Tha mud, the people of Nuh , Pharoah and his
courtiers. These stories arc repeated again and again, not for their
historical value, but for the moral lessons that can be derived from them.
Allah Almighty says
And we have indeed made the Quran easy to understand and
remember: then is there any that will receive admonition')
(54: 17)
It is Guidance Supreme for all areas of our life, because man yields easily to
temptation and sin, wherever or whoever he may be.
Adam (A.s.) and Hawwa (Eve) were commanded by Allah to avoid a
certain tree while they were in their first home in Paradise. But they allowed
themselves to be persuaded by Satan and tasted from the prohibited tree.
When they realized their mistake, they immediately repented. They were
then sent down to earth, but Allah promised that he would not leave man to
stumble in darkness but would send His messengers from time to time.
2

~0;.z~~~~j;'~~.ud~0~~~l~~
And if, as is sure, there comes to you Guidance from Me, whosoever
follows My guidance, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.
(2: 3)5)
Allah Almighty has blessed His creation with different kinds of guidance:
a) Guidance through instinct.
The animals, birds and insects manage to survive in this world largely
from instinct. The ants and the squirrels store up food in advance
instinctively and not because they know about the four seasons. Bees
are born with the ability to make their marvellous hives. Right from
infancy, even man does many acts taught to him only by his instinct.
b) Guidance through senses.
Most animals also depend on their senses for survival. Dogs have a
keen sense of smell and grasshoppers have a marvellous sense of
hearing. Some fish, such asthe jelly-fish, can detect an approaching
storm long before a man can. Even among human beings, there are
those with more powerful eyesight or better hearing than others. In the
pre-Islamic era, an Arab lady called Zarqa al-Yamama was famed for
her power of seeing objects which were at a great distance from her.
Once she informed her tribe about a group of trees advancing towards
theme. Everyone mocked her for imagining moving trees, but she was
proved right by a sudden attack from an enemy tribe who had been
advancing towards them camouflaged as trees.
Guidance through senses is however incomplete and can be very
wrong. Desert travellers are often deceived by the sight of water on the
sand. When they approach, it turns out to only be a mirage. Just look
at a pen inside a glass of water. It will seem crooked. But although our
eyes tell us that the pen is crooked, wechoose to ignore them and rely
on another kind of guidance, which tells us that the pen is still straight.
This guidance is that from our intellect.
c) Guidance from intellect.
It is the mind which corrects mistakes made by our senses. Man uses
this gift from Allah to differentiate between right and wrong, good and
evil, truth and falsehood. Man has made outstanding achievements in
fields such as medicine and physics by using his brain. And once his
brain fails him, he ends up either in hospital or in the graveyard.
But the intellect has its shortcomings and limitations. Wrong
decisions are easily made at critical moments. Even the wisest of sages
have been unable to provide solutions for all of mankind's problems
throughout history. In the United Kingdom, capital punishment was
abolished for being abhorrent to civilized society. The rise in the
number of vicious rapes and brutal murders over the years has left the
3

lords of Westminster clamouring for the restoration of the death
penalty. However, other law-makers remain unconvinced by their
arguments, and so the final word has yet to be said on the subject.
The only sensible alternative to these legal wranglings is to turn to a
higher and more knowledgeable authority. And this is the authority of
Allah. He has saved us from confusion and the task of making difficult
and serious decisions by sending His own guidance.
No man-made law can compete with the divine guidance that was
sent down at intervals and was finalized in the form of the Qur'an. This
guidance gives answers when the intellect is bewildered. It illuminates
the world with light when man is in the darkness of disbelief and
hypocrisy.
The Qur 'an portrays the life of a disbeliever in the following words:
~S:S~~~:?~~Jt($ _
,-:.-;:).• " ..>.:r/"'-:~/ :" ~(: t().). " •.--~" ~
~"~fJ""'~,) •. (s>-"'l-'u" ~~....;, •.....i .... ."...-'
~ /'" .'#J. ").-;'#,,,)./ /" ..••, -::"'-;'.J--- ",-;,1",,,//
vyqlc::~~lJJ~~~~JO~A.U-4--'-'
). ). ).~. ;'
•• )..> .-- ." •• )}- ./ J. ,/ ./~.. .--. ~ ~I i~ . ~.. I ~~ , ~ 12- •
~ry,~~~r:y ~. <r . __t7' ~l.:;:::: ~ /"/;'
-- .~(..";f.>/ .....J"':,.....': .• "'-::·-:~~:;r:(-"i').). ,"":. ~.
JJo.k::..>r.,>-1 .)1. ~u ~ '-, 6- '--'~ "-~
..~ ~~~ '....T. .,-
~ Jj~jG~j:~:&~J~~;~~~ --
But the Unbelievers, - their deeds are like a mirage in sandy deserts,
which the man parched with thirst mistakes for water; until when he
comes up to it he finds it to be nothing. But he finds Allah with him,
and Allah will pay him his account and Allah is swift in taking account:
Or (the Unbelievers' state) is like the depth of darkness in a vast deep
ocean, overwhelmed with billow topped by billow, topped by (dark)
clouds: depths of darkness, one above another, if a man stretches out
his hand, he can hardly see it. And to whom Allah gives not light, he
has no light. (24: 39-40)
The actions of the disbelievers are fruitless and have no reality, like the
mirage. They live in pitch darkness and will never be able to come out of it
until Allah Almighty shows them the light of the Quran.
The Qur'an is a criterion for judging between truth and falsehood. For
example, the first major battle that was fought by the believers and non-
believers was at the wells of Badr. The Qur'an comments on the battle and
declares the day this battle was fought as Yaum ul Furqan: a criterion
between falsehood and truth.
4

Chapter 2
Collection of the Qur' an
The Qur'an was collected in three stages: during the Prophet's life, during
the Caliphate of Syyedina Abu Bakr and the Caliphate of Uthman. We
shall now study each stage in detail.
First, let us see how Allah Almighty spoke to His messengers.
Three Ways of divine communication:
Allah Almighty communicated with His exalted Messengers in three ways,
as described in the following verse of Surah Ash-Shura:
S~r:.J
/" ,/ /. ;'" /"
."",,~,-,~r/· ",t:::1~~'i ~~t~J..J . .,-~~--'~..J _:J.. ,- _0 ~
.. ~" '/ ~,.~ . ~
$~~I;:;Z{1.~t::.,4j~L'- »>: '1"'/- / 1...5':" ~ - /,-•.• 0~ ~~..." ;,..; .
It is not fitting for a man that Allah should speak to him except by
revelation or from behind a veil or by the sending of a Messenger to
reveal, with Allah's permission, what Allah wills: for He is Most
High, Most Wise.
(43: 51)
These three ways of divine communication with man are as follows:
A. Wahi ( cfJ )- this is a swift but secret inspiration, a few examples of
which are below.
i) Through instinct. Allah Almighty has revealed to the bee the knowledge
to build hives in trees and even on mountains:
~j~~~&-i1)
~/ .". ~/.r "" /' ~ ~/ -v.>» /'''',. ~....-;
~L>~ ~ ~--'~~Jl:i~~4~<s~~
And thy Lord revealed to the bee: Make hives in the mountains and in
the trees and in (men's) habitations.
(16: 68)
ii) Suggestions to the mind.
Allah inspired the Mother of Mus a (Moses) to throw her son into the river.
She was convinced that somehow her child would be safe.
5

So we sent this inspiration to the mother of Moses: suckle thy child,
but when thou hast fears about him, cast him into the river, but fear
not nor grieve: for We shall restore him to thee and We shall make
him one of Our messengers. (28: 7)
ui ) The Prophet Zakariyyah was given the good news of a son in his old age.
He was then commanded by Allah not to speak for three days, so when he
appeared before his people, he had to communicate with them without
usmg his tongue. He somehow conveyed to them the message of Allah that
they were to occupy themselves with the glorification of Allah every
morning and evening .
./ //;' .,,,,
L~JjC~
Cl(..:~~;~~Jr-?~2'i;~~W~
So Zakariya came out to his people from his chamber: He told them
by signs to celebrate Allah's praises in the morning and in the
evening. (19:11)
iv) Allah's revelation to the angels:
During the battle of Badr , Allah revealed to the angels:
to(~Ji;'~;~J~J~~~~;~l
When thy Lord revealed to the angels: Iam with you, so make firm
those who believe. (8: 12)
(v ) The category of Wahi also Includes inspirations from Satan to his
followers. who are from among the Jinn and mankind.
~~~jl';~ ~:!l?";~;~'i~./ - - /' /' ~ -/ -
c..... .J. .,/"",
~-'~J~
6

Likewise did we make for every Messenger an enemy. Satans among
men and Jinns inspiring each other with flowery discourses by way of
deception.
(6: 112)
(vi) Allah Almighty sometimes revealed His teachings to His Prophets
without using the medium of the Archangel Jibra'il. The Prophet
Muhammad ~ received such forms ofWahi on many occasions. In his
case, this Wahi is commonly known as "Hadith " - the Sayings of the
Prophet.
According to one Hadith, there is a type ofWahi which even the ordinary
person can receive. This is a good dream, which is equal to about one 46th
part of a Wahi. Such dreams give a glimpse of the future using symbolic
terms. A person who has knowledge about dreams can interpret it correctly
to reveal what it actually means. As a prelude to the revelation of the
Qur 'an, the Prophet began to have true dreams six months before he
received the first revelation. All these dreams came completely true.
B. Divine communication Jrom behind a veil
A vivid example of this kind of communication can be seen in the story of
the Prophet Musa (A.S.). Allah Almighty spoke to him on Mount Sinai
from beyond a veil of light.
.....•.. ..•... ~/
- ;:" ~ / /'-,-,,,,,1/'0-
~~.:~~ ~y~ •..u-,
And to Moses, Allah spoke direct. (4: 164)
The Prophet had a similar experience during his night of ascension to the
heavens. Allah Almighty spoke to him directly, commanding him to
establish prayer fifty times a day. As is well known, this number was
gradually reduced to five. The final verses of Surah al Baqara were also
revealed on this occasion.
C. Divine communication through the agency oj Jibra'il ..
~The entire Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ~ through
the medium of Jibra'il in a period of time that lasted twenty three years.
Only on two occasions did the Prophet actually see the archangel in all his
majesty, with his six hundred wings. This was once outside Makkah, and
the second occasion was during the night of ascension. Surah An-Najrn
describes this second appearance:
~~)H~~J~4)li-;~ )1l~0t
¢j:ZC;$J~i~i~~~O~;':H~j~;
~5~'1~"j~~~~V ~ ...-J. U
7

It is no less than inspiration sent down to him. One mighty in power
taught him.
He is endued with wisdom for he appeared (in stately form) while
he was in the highest part of the horizen. Then he approached and
came closer and was at a distance of but two bow-length or (even)
nearer. (53: 4-9)
The angel also appeared to the Prophet in human form, and on some
occasions he was invisible to everyone except to the Prophet.
Some of Jibra'il's conversations with the Messenger of Allah are
preserved in Hadith. One of the most well-known of these is the one in
which the angel asked the Prophet the meanings of the words Iman, Islam
and Ihsan in order to teach the companions sitting nearby.
Allah Almighty revealed the entire Qur'an, from its beginning to its end,
to the Prophet $ through the medium of Jibra'il.
~. c-:- __~J ,. -::~ ~ ?' »> h// ,-;;
~~~)J~3~j~03~!:!~YJJ~J~~
Verily this is the word ofa most honourable Messenger, endued with
power, with rank before The Lord of the Throne.
(81: 19-20)
Recollection of Revelation
Having discussed the various forms of divine communication, we can now
return to the topic of the collection of the Qur'an.
When the angel Jibrail used to recite the verses of the Qur'an, the
Prophet would repeat the revelation word by word, as if to absorb it
completely into his heart. He was seriously concerned about missing even a
letter of the revelation, and so Allah Almighty consoled him in the
following words:
.••••••• >//~/ ,,}-',.//b::......... //,./ <r.> ,/). /"
~JAj';;-, }~.: 0~~ z~~dW'1?.!J~)I
,. --
Move not thy tongue concerning the (Qur 'an) to make haste
therewith. It is for us to collect it and to promulgate it.
(75: 16-17)
Allah thus promised that the Prophet would not lose a single word of the
Qur'an and that it will forever remain in safe repository.
The Prophet preserved the revelations both in writing and in memory.
He employed the services of many scribes, who may have numbered up to
forty. Imam Bukhari records that the following seven scribes were the most
prominent: Abdullah b. Mas'ud, Salim b. Ma'qal, Zaid b. Thabit, Ubayy b.
Ka'b, Mu'ad b. Jabal, Abu al Darda, and Qais b. al Sakan.
8

Abu 'Ubaid (d. 224H) records at least twenty three names as recitors of
the Qur 'an, including the four Caliphs. The material on which the Qur 'an
was written down included camel skins, shoulder blades of animals, slabs
of stone, bark of the palm tree and papyri.
All the companions of the Prophet tried to commit the Qur'an to
memory, wholly or partly. Such people were known as Hafiz (preserver of
the Qur 'an). Ten thousand companions of the Prophet are recorded as
having memorized the entire Qur 'an, including some women.
The order of the Surahs and verses
The Prophet received the first revelation in the cave of Hira. After a lapse of
six months (or, as in some narrations, two and a half years), he received the
second revelation. In this he was commanded to convey the message of
Allah to other people:
O~;~jOllJti~
o thou 'ipped up (in a mantle)!
Arise and '. -liver thy warning.
(74: 1-2)
The revelations then continued for the rest of the Prophet's life, ending only
nine days before his death. This final revelation was on the 3rd of Rabiul
Awwal I IA.H. According to many authentic Hadith, the Prophet used to
read the Qur'an (as much as had been revealed so far) with Jibra'il every
year during Ramadan. During the last Ramadan before his death, he read it
twice with the angel. It is logical to suppose that there must have been a
certain order in which he read all the verses. The Prophet also used to direct
scribes as to the positioning of verses and Surahs in the Quran. The
following Hadith suggest clearly that there was a known order of the verses
contained in the Qur'an.
i. According to al-Kirrnani, the last verse to be revealed to the Prophet was:
,. /'" -' / .J ,. ~/. ) :: e.: ~
J~~~~-'I~~~G~
~/F~.J /~-'/ <>>»: -: :-:'~J-- -::/!.-;;{.bt; ...
~0~"i~JC.~ ·~L;~if~Yr-'jJ)
And fear the day when ye shall be brought back to Allah. Then shall
every soul be paid what it earned, and nine shall be dealt with
unjustly. (2: 28 I)
Jibra'il asked him to place this verse in Surah al Baqara between the verses
on Riba (usury) and the one related to debt. (Al-l t qan - 2: 64)
ii. The Prophet said: The one who reads the final two verses of Surah al
Baqara, they will be sufficient for him.
9

iii. The Prophet said: Whoever reads the first ten verses of Surah al Kahaf,
he will be saved from Dajjal. (Muslim).
iv. Uthman b. Abil 'As said: I was sitting with the Prophet when he
suddenly riveted his gaze, looking straight ahead. He then said: Jibra'il
came to me and asked me to place this verse (verse 19 of Surah an Nahl) at
this place in the Surah. (Ahmad)
The following Hadith show that there was a clear order for the Surahs of
the Qur'an as well.
i. The Prophet used to say to Uthman: place this Surah at such and such a
place (Abu Da'ud)
ii. Narrated' Abdullah bin Mas'ud: Surat Bani-Israel, AI-Kahf(The Cave),
Maryarn, Taha, Al-Anbiya' (The prophets) are amongst my first earnings
and myoid property, and (in fact) they are myoid property. (Bukhari)
iii. Hudhaifa al Thaqafi, a member of the deputation from Thaqif,
embraced Islam in Madinah and asked the companions about how they
finished the Qur'an every seven days. They replied that they read the
Qur 'an according to the following division: 3 Surahs, then 5, then 7, 9, II,
13, and then the remainder of the Qur 'an from Surah Qaf". (Ahmad, Abu
Da'ud)
In other words, they read the first three Surahs of the Qur'an in the first
day, the next five Surahs in the second day, seven in the third, and so on.
The division given in this Hadith covers all the Surahs of the Qur 'an except
Surah al Fatiha. It shows that the Companions must have known the order
of the Surahs in order to follow such a system. The reciters of the Qur'a n
later devised the following formula in order to remember the beginning of
each day's portion. It consists of seven letters, which were grouped together
for convenience in the two words ,:,~ ~
Each letter stands for the first letter of a Surah, which is the first Surah of
its group.
~ stands for Surah AI Fatiha.
~ stands for AI Ma'ida.
IS stands for Yunus
~ stands for Bani Israil,
v-- stands for Al Shu'ara.
~ stands for Was Saffat.
o stands for Qaf.
IV. The Qur 'an itself gives evidence on this issue. In Surah al Baqara,
which is the second Surah of the Qur'an, the following challenge is
made:
10

And if you arc in doubt as to what We have revealed from time to time
to our servant, then produce a Sura like thereunto; and call your
witnesses (or helpers if there arc any) besides Allah if your (doubts)
are true. (2: 23)
Those who reject the Qur 'a n are challenged to produce even a single Surah
comparable to the Quran. We can note that there is only one Surah before
AI Baqara , and this verse asks the disbelievers to produce one surah
comparable to it. Surah Hud is the eleventh Surah of the Qur 'an, and It
contains a similar challenge in which the disbelievers are asked to produce
ten comparable Surahs: ~
0~~~/~~ ;:;~~~~]j0);';~
tZJ ~?~~~~~U~~~~~~t
Or they may say, "He forged it" say, "Bring ye then ten Suras forged,
like unto it, and call (to your aid) whomsoever ye can, other than
Allah, ifye speak the truth." (II: 1:1)
It is thus undeniable that the Quran was arranged in order as it was
revealed, and this order was preserved both in writing and in memory. The
written material was however scattered as it was kept by a number of
companions. A variation in the reading of the Quran had been permitted
in this stage, and a more lengthy discussion of this follows under the title
"Collection in the time of Uthrnari."
*
11

Chapter 3
Collection of the Qur'an during the Caliphate of Abu Bakr
The reason behind the collection of the Qur'an by Abu Bakr has been
explained by Zaid b. Tabit, an Ansari ofMadinah who was a famous scribe
of the Prophet
narrated: Zaid bin Thabit
Abu Bakr As-Siddiq sent for me when the people of Yamama had been
killed (i.e. a number of the Prophet's Companions who fought against
Musailama). (I went to him) and found 'Umar bin Al-Khattab sitting with
him. Abu Bakr then said (to me). "Urnar has come to me and said:
"Casualties were heavy among the Qurra' " of the Qur 'an (i.e. those who
knew the Qur'an by heart) on the day of the Battle of Yamama, and I am
afraid that more heavy casualties may take place among the Qurra' on
other battlefields, whereby a large part of the Qur'an may be lost.
Therefore I suggest, you (Abu Bakr) order that the Qur 'an be collected." I
said to 'Urnar. "How can you do something which Allah's Apostle, did
not do" 'Urnar said, "By Allah, that is a good project." "Urnar kept on
urging me to accept his proposal till Allah opened my chest for it and I
began to realise the good in the idea which 'Umar had realised." Then Abu
Bakr said (to me). 'You are a wise young man and we do not have any
suspicion about you, and you used to write the Divine Inspiration for
Allah's Apostle . So you should search for (the fragmentary scripts of)
the Qur'an and collect it (in one book)." By Allah! if they had ordered me
to shift one of the mountains, it would not have been heavier for me than
this ordering me to collect the Qur'an. Then I said to Abu Bakr. "How will
you do something which Allah's Apostle did not do "Abu Bakr replied.
"By Allah, it is a good project." Abu Bakr kept on urging me to accept his
idea until Allah opened my chest for what He had opened the chests of Abu
Bakr and 'Umar. So I started looking for the Quran and collecting it from
(what was written on) palm-leafstalks, thin white stones and also from the
men who knew it by heart, till I found the last Verse of Surat At-Tauba
(Repentance) with Abu Khuzaima Al-Ansari, and I did not find it with
anybody other than him. The Verse is:
12

~ ./ :~.~'/i ~" -')01)0 / .:)o~.:/ ~~ ~
J!.r/'r-- -:;- ~~.Y" J (~ ~~ -LA.) ~
----- j:")o"~)o // !f. /,.~ /1/ //
/" . '" U? .•• l.A~
~;. ~ ~-?"~ / ~
~r1;1~$..:.~~l;1;0~~ ~-3--,-:~/ ;... ~
~~ :.."~i~//)o/~~S/)o~
~ / _/ Lt~ . '-.)~3 'Y /" - ~ !;.
Verily there has come unto you an Apostle (Muhammad) from
amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury
or difficulty ... (till the end of Surat-Bara'a)
(At-Tauba) (9: 128-129)
Then the complete manuscripts (copy) of the Quran remained with Abu
Bakr till he died, then with 'Umar till the end of his life, and then with
Hafsa, the daughter of 'Urnar '. (Bukhari)
Abu Bakr was convinced by Urnar's argument, so he asked both Umar and
Zaid to sit at the entrance to the Mosque and record anything that a man
knew from the Book of Allah provided that he could produce two
witnesses.
(Abu Da'ud)
Ibn Hajar is of the opinion that these two witnesses mean that one person
should have the verses preserved in memory and the second person should
have them preserved in writing. Zaid b. Thabit was himself a Hafiz but he
checked every single verse and Surah of the Quran against two witnesses.
Laith b. Sa'd said: "The first person to collect the entire Qur 'a n was Abu
Bakr. Zaid put it in writing. The people used to come to him with whatever
they had of the Qur'an. But he would not write any verse except if there
were two witnesses for it. The end ofSurah AI Bara'a (or AI Tauba) could
only be found with Abu Khuzaima al Ansari. Zaid said: Write it down
because the Messenger of Allah declared his testimony to be equal to that of
two men. So it was recorded." (AI Itqan I: 60)
The Mushaf(text) thus prepared at the order of Abu Bakr was known as
AI-Umm (the mother) and it had the following characteristics:
i) The entire text was reported by a very large number of Companions. A
narration which has such a high degree of authenticity is known as
Mutawatir.
ii) It did not consist of any verses of which the recitation had later been
abrogated.
iii) All the verses and Surahs were in the order given by the Prophet
iv) Seven variant letters are found in this text. (An explanation of this can
be found in the next chapter.)
The original Mushafwas kept by Hafsa, the wife of the Prophet, after the
death of Abu Bakr in 12AH.
13

Chapter 4
Collection during the Caliphate of Uthman
Syyedina Uthman b. Affan, the third Caliph, decided to instigate another
collection of the Qur'an because of the variation in its reading, which could
cause conflict am.ong the Muslims.
The Prophet ~ had allowed the Companions to read the Qur'an with
some phonetic variations, as understood from the following reports:
i) Narrated 'Abdullah bin' Abbas : Allah's Apostle said, "Gabriel
recited the Qur 'an to me in one way. Then I requested him (to read it in
another way), and continued asking him to recite it in other ways, and he
recited it in several ways till he ultimately recited it in seven different ways.
(Bukhari)
ii) Ibn Abbas reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as
saying: Gabriel taught me to recite in one style. I replied to him and kept
asking him to give more (stvlcs), till he reached seven modes (of recitation).
Ibn Shahab said: It has reached me that these seven styles are essentially
one not differing about what is permitted and what is forbidden. (Muslim)
~
The meaning of the seven letters ~~ ~
A number of interpretations are given for the 'seven letters' mentioned by
the Prophet ~ in the above Hadith.
The following interpretation is that given by the renowned scholar Mr.
Abdul Hamid Siddiqi. He gives evidence to show that "there is no
difference of words and commands and prohibitions in the Qur'an. It is
only a difference of the modes of recitation, born out of the differences in
the dialects. The view held by the majority seems to be lucid and correct.
Every language has so many local dialects, so is the case with Arabic. Had
Allah made the recitation of the Qur 'an obligatory in one single dialect, it
would have been an unbearable burden for them for the differences in the
dialects are due to the natural causes beyond the control of a common man.
The Merciful Allah does not put His men to such hardships. He had,
therefore, permitted His men to recite the Qur 'an in one of the different
dialects, which they found easy to recite. This permission is perfectly in
accordance with the universal position of the Qur 'an which is a Book of
Guidance, not only for the Quraish but for all peoples of the world, and
thus it is to be recited by all of them. It should be remembered that some of
the Orientalists have, on the basis of (seven words) tried to doubt the purity
of the text of the Qur 'an , but it is a gross ignorance. The "word" here
denotes dialect as Lane makes it clear: "This word means a dialect, an
idiom or a mode of expression, peculiar to certain of the Arabs." So in the
saying of Muhammad (may peace be upon him) the Qur'an has been
14

revealed according to seven dialects of Arabic: or this means, according to
seven modes or manners of reading: Whence (yousay) such a one reads in
the manner of Ibn Mas'ud. (Sahih Muslim 2:J90)
Such variations of dialect-arc a common occurrence in every language.
For example, the Urdu word Qalam is pronounced Kalam in the Punjab,
and Khalam in the dialects of Hyderabad. Below we list only some of the
variations of dialect found among the tribes of Arabia in the time of the
Prophet
Banu Quda'a pronounce 'Ashi ~ as 'Ashij ~~
w
.,
Hudhail pronounce Hatta ~ as 'Atta ~
Banu Tarnrnirn pronounceAslam ~i as 'Aslam
~
c;;.Il .....• ~
Ba nu Asad pronounce A'rna as Anma ~
1..>"8
;'
Yemen pronounce An Nas as An Nat ...;...;U
Himyar pronounce AI J as Am '/1
The original Arabic words arc those of the dialect of Quraish, the tribe to
which the Prophet belonged.
A less weighty opinion is that the seven letters refer to the various
synonyms which can be found for one word among the various Arabian
tribes. For example, the following words are used to ask someone "to
come"among the different tribes .
...- j)....-
Halurnrna ~
Ta'ala 'J(,.j
;'
Aqbil ~t...-
Idh-hab
> ••••• -,
~.),Jo
. /
/ ~
Asri ' t~1
'Ajjil ~
/
I'/'-,..P/;>J-, ~"_..J/:'/.
"Arias used to read ~'":"'~ instead of ~.flY In verse 6 of Surah AI
Muzzammil. Someone drew his attention to' this, saying: 0 Abu Harnza '
The actual word ~~ ./91. He replied: All these words ,Jodt (;Pt(~~
mean the same. (AI Taban) ,- -•.• ,_,.... '...J /'~ ...•••
lbn Mas 'ud used to read ~) instead of ~ in verses 29 and 5
of Surah Yasin.
The Prophet allowed the Muslims to read some Qur 'a nic expre IOns In
15

the dialect of their tribes, but this was not an obligatory command. These
variations however, became problemetic for the large numbers of non-
Arabs that later entered the fold of Islam during the conquest of the Roman
and Persian empires.
Hudhaifa b. AI-Yaman describes his meeting with Uthman in this
con nection.
(Narrated Anas bin Malik : Hudhaifa bin AI- Yaman came to Uthman
at the time when the people of Sham and the people of Iraq were waging
war to conquer Arminya and Adharbijan. Hudhaifa was afraid of their (the
people of Sha'rn and 'Iraq) differences in the recitation of the Qur'an. So he
said to Uthman, "0 chief of the Believers! Save this nation before they
differ about the Book (Qur'an) as Jews and the Christians did before." So
'Uthman sent a message to Hafsa saying, "Send us the manuscripts of the
Qur 'an so that we may compile the Qur'anic materials in perfect copies and
return the manuscripts to you." Hafsa sent it to Uthman. Uthman then
ordered Zaid bin Thabit, 'Abdullah bin Az-Zubair, Sa'id bin AI'As and
'Abdur-Rahman bin Harith bin Hisham to re-write the manuscripts in
perfect copies. Uthman said to the three Qur'aishi men, "In case you
disagree with Zaid bin Thabit on any point in the Qur'an, then write it in
the dialect of Quraish as the Qur'an was revealed in their tongue." They did
so, and when they had written many copies, Uthman returned the originai
manuscripts to Hafsa. Uthman sent to every Muslim province one copy of
what they had copied, and ordered that all the other Qur'anic materials,
whether written in fragmentary manuscripts or whole copies, be burnt.
Zaid bin Thabit added, "A Verse from Surat Ahzab was missed by me
when we copied the Qur'an and I used to hear Allah's Apostle reciting it. So
we searched for it and found it with Khuzaima bin Thabit AI-Ansari. (That
Verse was): ~ /"'/.;" • .J.// ",.~//,.>/ '" .,.."/~
~dj}l.J~~~~J~~~jJ~
'Among the Believers are men who have been true in their covenant
with Allah.'
(33: 23)
(Bukhari)
The work done during this time was thus confined to compiling one major
text of the Quran according to the dialect of the Qur 'aish. As already
explained, one opinion about the seven letters is that it refers to different
pronunciations of some letters. As far as the written text is concerned, this
would not mean any changes. But according to the second opinion quoted
earlier, the variation referred to synonyms, and that some words of the
Qur'an were substituted for others. Zaid b. Thabit was directed by Uthman
to retain the word which was Mutawatir whenever variations arose. For
example, in the example oflbn Mas'ud quoted earlier, Uthman retained the
word ~ instead of ~~ . Zaid was also advised to write the text
in the way of the Quraish whenever a variation was found. Forexample, an
argument arose about whether the word Tabut was spelt ~y..:. or
16

~y.L:... . Zaid chose the first option as it was the spelling of the Qur 'aish.
The Mushaj thus prepared at the instructions of Uthman was called
AI-Imam. Six copies (eight according to another opinion) were made and
sent to the major provinces of the Islamic empire, such as Makkah, Kufa,
Basra, Syria, Bahrain and Yemen. The original text was retained in
Madinah. Uthman kept one copy for his personal use. Each of the copies
was taken by a renowned Qari who was commissioned to teach the people
from it. Two of these original copies can still be found today. One is in the
archives ofTashkand (Soviet Union) and the other is preserved in Istanbul.
The main features of the Mushaf prepared by Uthman were the
following:
i. It was very similar to the Mushaf prepared by Abu Bakr. Where
variations arose, the style of the Qur 'aish was adopted.
ii. When differences of dialect were found, the original expression as used
by the Prophet ~ was retained.
All the copies of the Qur 'an found today are identical to the text prepared
by the Caliph Uthman.
iii. As far as the script ( ~ ) of the Arabic is concerned, the scribes of
various times introduced much adornment. During the time of the
Prophet, a style of writing called Qiramoze had been used in Makkah. In
Madina, a style called Hiri was used. In 42H during the Caliphate of
Mu'awiya, Abul Aswad al-Du'ali was the first grammarian to use dots
( ~~ ) on the letters. Until then, no dots had been used to
differentiate similar letters, such as t- from Cor ~. In 73H, Yahya b.
Ya'mur, a student of Abul Aswad, was ordered by the Caliph Hajjaj to use
dots in order to differentiate the letters. In 160H, Khalil introduced the
script now known as Kufi. Ibn Muqlah (338H) later introduced the Naskh
style, which has been the most popular script sinee then. Adornment of the
script does in no way interfere with the actual words. For example. each of
the following three words is recorded in two different forms, but modern
Arabic calligraphy prefers to use the first form only.
~~
~-~
Similarly, the following compound words an be written as one word or as
two. For aesthetic reasons. writers prefer to write them as one word.
:?~ ~~
17

In a few places, the Uthmani text has preserved some silent vowels because
they were included in the time of the Prophet.
Such is the authenticity of the present Qur'anic text that it led William
Muir, an outspoken critic of Islam to say:
"Except the Qur'an, there is no other book under the sun which for
the last twelve centuries has remained with so pure a text. (W. Muir;
Life of Mohammad, London 1858).
18

Chapter 5
Some common misunderstandings
1. It is reported that Abdullah b. Mas'ud did not include Surah Ai-Fatiha
and the Mu'awwadhatain (final two Surahs of the Qur'an) in his personal
copy.
Answer
Ibn Hazam said: "This is a totally false allegation attrrbuted to lbn
Mas'ud". Like all other Companions, he used to recite them as part of the
Qur 'an. The famous Qari, 'Asirn reported on the authority of his sheikh,
Zirr that Ibn Mas'ud's copy did include Surah Al-Fatiha and the final two
Surahs of the Qur'an.
Even if we do accept that Ibn Mas'ud did not include these three Surahs
in his copy of the Qur'an, this is not to say that he denied that they were part
of the Qur'an. He may have felt that the three Surahs were so well known
and so often recited that they could not be forgotten, so he did not write
them down in his own copy.
2. The personal copy of Ali contains an order of Surahs different to that
accepted by Abu Bakr and Uthman.
Answer
Ali had his own personal copy of the Qur 'an in which he recorded Surahs in
their chronological order. This was only one individual copy, and the
accepted text of the Qur'an was that prepared by the first two Caliphs.
3. The copies prepared by Ibn Mas'ud and Ubayy b. Ka'b differ slightly in
the order of their Surahs. For example, they placed Surah An-Nisa before
Al-Irnran.
Answer
The only variation found in the Mushaf of Ubayy and Ibn Mas'ud is that
they placed Surah Au-Nisa before Al-Irnran. The reason seems to be that
they heard the Prophet on some occasion reading An-Nisa before Al-Irnran
in his prayer. It is well known that the Prophet acted at times against his
normal practice in order to show that the contrary practice was valid.
However, the arrangement ofSurahs in the Qur 'an are based upori his clear
instructions, as mentioned earlier, and not in accordance with his recital in
prayer.
4. The Qur'an says:
,,-,. .,}/J -:» ./ " C) /'/'// /"",>/
a.U~l:..l.-:n i '~)j...!b ..;.:.....
,!;. I",..) •••••
19

By degrees shall we teach you to declare (The Message), so thou shall
not forget except as Allah wills."
(87: 6-7)
This implies that the Prophet may have forgotten some parts of the
Qur 'an.
Answer
The Qur 'anic phrase "except that which Allah wills" is the key as
it shows that He is All-Powerful and that nothing is beyond His capability.
Just as He is able to preserve the Qur'an in the memory of the Prophet, so
He is able to make him forget it. This is similar to the Almighty's saying
about the people of paradise.
~ /1/1"0' /. ,,-::i/i'l .:I' ). ). / ·~~I~/i/;At.L,...<.4.).4 (j~'.' H ~~J..lJ ..41- ¥,., ..;' -//..; ~ -/ -/
~ j.",/,-'''' l~~}/--//~ ,."-;.J/.J. //J
~ jJ~ft.~~4.J~l.~ "'jtJ'':'~Jw:P
And those who are blessed shall be in the garden: They will dwell
therein for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure, except
as thy Lord wills; a blessing never to be terminated. (11: 108)
The verse talks about "a blessing never to be terminated", but includes the
exemption "except that which your Lord wills". This shows that eternal life
in paradise is a gift from the grace of Allah because if He wishes to end it,
He can do so easily.
The verse under discussion thus shows that Allah Almighty has the
power to make the Prophet forget, although He did not use it.
S. Some Shi'a scholars, such as Al Tabrasi, believe that the present Qur'an
does not include a number of verses which spoke favourably of the
Prophet's family. He says that a complete Surah called Surah Al-Wilaya
was later omitted.
Answer
Even prominent Shi'a scholars have vehemently denied this claim by Al
Tabrasi. They themselves quote Ali, who accepted the Qur'an as collected
by Abu Bakr and Uthman.
It is reported that Ali said "The person who will be most rewarded
because ofMushafis Abu Bakr. May Allah have mercy upon Abu Bakr. He
was the first one to collect the Book of Allah." Concerning Uthman's
collection, he said, "0 people! Have fear of Allah. Do not exceed your
limits by saying that he burned the copies of the Qur'an. By Allah, he did
not burn copies except with the agreement of us, the Companions of the
Messenger of Allah "
Ali also said, "If! had been the ruler in the time ofUthman, I would have
done exactly as he did."
20

Chapter 6
Facts and figures about the Qur' an
The facts contained in this chapter are based on Al Itqan by As Sayuti and
Fawa'id Quraniyya by Ahmad Khairi.
1. The total number of Surahs in the Qur'an is 114.
2. The total number of verses in the Qur'an is 6236.
3. The first five verses revealed to the Prophet were those ofSurah Al 'Alaq
(Surah 96)
4. The last verse to be revealed was probably verse 281 ofSurah Al Baqara.
5. The Surahs of the Qur'a n are classified into two categories: Makkan and
Madinian.
Makkan Surahs were those revealed to the Prophet before he migrated to
Madina. The total number of their verses is 4468.
Madinian Surahs were revealed after the migration to Madina. Their
verses total 1768.
Some of the Surahs contain verses which were revealed in another town,
but this does not change the classification.
6. There are fifteen places in the Qur'an where the reader or the listener is
required to prostrate immediately.
7. The Prophet grouped the Surahs under the titles of Tiwal ( Ji~ ).
Mi'in ~,Mathani 3~ and Mufassal ~. He said, as
reported by Wathila b. Al Asqa, "My Lord granted me with seven Tiwal to
replace Taurat (Torah), Mathani instead of Injil (Bible), Mi'in instead of
Zabur (Psalms). And He excelled me by giving me Mufassal. (Ahmad)
Excluding Surah AI-Fatiha, which can be treated like a preface to the
Qur'an, these groups are as follows:
AI Tiwal (The long) - Seven Surahs, from AI-Baqara to AI-Tauba.
Al-Mi'in (The Hundreds) - Eleven Surahs, each containing more than a
hundred verses, from Yunus to Al Saffat.
AI Mathani - Twenty nine surahs, given this title because they are just
shorter than the Mi'in.
Al-Mufassal= The remaining Surahs are grouped under this title because
they contain many Fawasil (separations). These Surahs are short, so the
reader has to stop frequently because a Surah has ended. This group is
sub-divided further.
Tiwal AI-Mufassal (The Long among the Mufassal). This group contains
twenty nine Surahs, from Al-Hujurat to Wal Mursalat.
Awsat Al-Mufassal (Medium among the Mufassal). Fifteen Surahs from
An-Naba to Wal Lail.
Qisar Al-Mufassal (Short among the Mufassal). Twenty two Surahs, from
Wad Duha to Wan Nas.
21

8. The longest verse in the Quran isthe verse of debt, which IS verse 280 of
Surah Al-Baqara.
9. The shortest verse is verse 64 ofSurah Al-Rahrnan, when Allah Almighty
describes the gardens of paradise as ..:.)CoO ~~ (Dark-green in
colour). (55: 64) .-
10. The longest Surah ofthe Quran isSurah Al-Baqar a, which contains n6
verses.
II. The shortest Suruh is Surah Al-Kauthar, which has 3 verses.
12. The "Basmallah " ( "Praise Be to Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most
Merciful".') occurs before each Surah except Surah At-Tauba. It also
occurs within the text ofSurah An-Namal (verse 30), making a total of 114
occurrences.
IJ. The proper names that are mentioned in the Qur 'an are listed below.
The Prophets and Messengers of AI/a/I.
Twenty six names are mentioned: Adam, ldr is , Nuh , Hud, Salih , Ibrahim,
Lu t , lsma'il, lshaq, Ya'qub, Yusuf, Shuaib, Ayyub, Musa , Harun,
Da wud , Sulaiman, llyas, Alyasa ', Dhu'Ik ifl, Yunus, Zak ariyya, Yahya,
Uzair , 'Isa, Muhammad (Peace be upon all of them).
The angels. Five angels arc mentioned by name: Jibra'il, Mikail ,Malik the
guardian of Hell, Harut , Mar u t .
The revealed Books Taurat , Zabur, l njil , Qur 'an.
Pious people. The family of lmran (the father of Mar yam), Dhul-Qarna in,
Zaid (b. Haritha), Talut, Luqrnan, Mar yarn.
People notorious for their evil deeds. Iblis (or Shaitan), Abu Lahab, Azar
(father of Ibrahim), Tubba ', Thamud, Jalut, Samiri, Saba, Fir 'aun, Qarun,
Madyan, Haman (Pharoahs minister), Yajuj and Majuj (Gog and Magog).
The idols mentioned in the Quran. Ba 'l , Jibt , Tagut, Lat , Uzza, Ma nat ,
Wadd, Suwa', Yaghuth, Ya'uq, Nasr.
The tribes and Nations. Muhajir, Ansar, Romans, Al-Asbat (descendants of
Yaqub).
Quraish, Ad, Thamud.
Places. Al-Ahqaf, Iram (place named after Ad Ir a m ), A'raf', Babul, Badr,
Bakkah (Makkah), Al-Jannah, Jahannarn, Judi, Hijr , Hunain, Al-Rass,
Raqim , Safa, Marwah, Mount Tur, Sinai, Ar afat , Kauthar, A'ikah,
Madinah, A!-Mash'ar Al Hararn, Misr, Yathrib, Al-Ka'ba.
Religious Croups: Jews, Christians, Magians, Sabi'un, Polytheists.
Days. months, planets. Jurn'a, Al Khunnas (the Stars that appear and
disappear, such as Mercury, Mars and Venus), Shi'ra (a star), Sun, Moon,
Ramadan, Sabat (Sabbath).
14. The animals, plants, minerals and precious stones mentioned in the
Qur'an.
Animals. Camel, Cow, Goat, She-camel, Dog, Birds of prey, Horse, Mule,
Donkey, Hunting beasts (like the lion), Fly, Calf, Snake, Locust, Fish, Pig,
Mosquito, Wolf, Quail, Sheep, Frog, Spider, Crow, Moth, Elephant,
Monkey, Lice, Bee, Ant, Hoopoe.
22

Plants and Fruits: Grain, Crops, Trees, Hay, Onion, Vegetables, Fig, Olive,
Apricot, Mustard seeds, Acacia tree, Sweet Basil, lentils, Grapes. Garlic.
Banana, A bitter and pungent tree (Zaqqurn), Ginger, Cucumber.
Camphor, Palm tree, Pumpkin, Tamarisk, Lore tree, Sweet-smelling plants
(Raihan), clover.
Metals: Gold, Silver, Iron, Brass.
Precious Stones: Pearls, Corals, Sapphires.
15. The Names of Allah Almighty: These names occur in the Qur 'an and are
listed by Imam Tirmidhi in his collection of Hadith.
~)o -:; //_/ --;',,>/,1/,).
(He is Allah besides whom there is no God) ~:1 ~.,J~'1...s;J.0J~
(Glory be to him)
WJ I. Ar-Rahrnan the Merciful One
W1 2. Ar-Rahirn the Compassionate.
~MW 3. AI-Malik the King
V~J 4. Al-Quddus The Holy One
~/ . 5. As-Salam the Peace~)lSi~
~w: 6. Al-Mu'rnin the Faithful." '" /
;~l 7. Al-Muha imin the Overseer
~%a) 8. Al-Aziz the Mighty
"~~ 9. Al-Jabbar the Almightycr -..
~l 10. Al-Muta kabbir the justly Proud-
&W II. Al-Khaliq the Creator
~J 12. AI-Bari the Maker..
j~.' ,) )
13. Al-Musawwir the Fashioner. , ,
',;@( 14. Al-Ghaffar the Pardoner0;:; .
~i) I~.Al-Qahhur the Overcomer
4L;JJ 16. -:- Vahhab the Bestower

~D.llifJ
t~n
~;I~fJ
~
.~%?; ".
, • I
~
1~l;l}
~J
@MJ
,t:~);:.r}
00'"
~j"~l
~
~)
~}
&J;nJ
17. Al-Razzaq
18. AI-Fattah
19. Al-Alim
20. AI-Qabid
21. AI-Basit
22. AI-Khafid
23. Ar-Rafi
24. Al-Mu'izz
25. AI-Mudhill
26. As-Sami
27. AI-Basir
28. Al-Hakarn
29. AI-Adl
30. AI-Latif
31. AI-Khabir
32. Al-Azirn
J3. AI-Halim
34. Al-Ghafur
35. Ash-Shakur
36. AI-Ali
37. Al-Kabir
38. AI-Hafiz
39. AI-Muqit
24
the Provider
the Opener
He Who knows
the Restrainer
the Extender
the Humbler
the Exalter
the Empowerer
the Abaser
the Hearer
He Who sees
the Judge
the Just
the Kindly One
the Well-informed
the Great One
the Forbearing
the Forgiving
the Grateful
the High One
He Who is great
the Guardian
the Nourisher

M
~I
wJ
~:'i).,...
,,(:1-.: I
~- ..
~J
~J
~)
~)
~J
~'
V:'d
~
~P.)
1i~,).)
~
~)
~l
~
40. AI-Hasib
41. AI-J alii
42. Al-Karirn
43. Ar-Raqib
44. Al-Mujib
45. AI-Wasi
46. Al-Hakirn
47. AI-Wadud
48. AI-Majid
49. Al-Ba'ith
50. Ash-Shaheed
51. AI-Haqq
52. AI-Wakil
53. Al-Qawi
54. Al-Matin
55. AI-Wali
56. AI-Hamid
57. AI-Muhsi
58. AI-Mubdi
59. AI-Muid
60. Al-Muhyi
61. Al-Murnit
62. Al-Hayy
25
the Reckoner
the Majestic
the Generous
the Watcher
He Who answers
the Comprehensive
the Wise
the Loving One
the Glorious
the Raiser (of the dead)
the Witness
The Truth
The Trustee
The Most Strong
The Firm One
The Protecting Friend
The Praiseworthy
The Reckoner
The Originator
The Restorer
The Giver of Life
The Creator of Death
The Alive

~l 63. Al-Qayyum The Self Subsisting
.
~JJ. 64. AI-Wajid The Finder
~0J 65. AI-Majid The Noble
~)~i 66. AI- Wahid The Unique. ,.:,.1
~~) 67. AI-A had The One
~]..-
68. As-Sarnad The Eternal,-
~'~-'ltlJ..r~-::
69. AI-Qadir The Ablev.:/..
~
t --;"'..
70. Al-Muqtadir The Powerful, . ,
~J 7l. Al-Muqaddirn The Expediter
}l.J~J
~ 72. AI-Mu'akhkhir The Delayer
%~~J; -. ~
73. AI-Awwal The First
~tk~ 74. AI-Akhir The Last
~1 75. Az-Zahir The Manifest)
~lti.ll 76. AI-Batin The Hidden
~}jlJ 77. AI-Wali The Governor
Wlill' 78. AI-Muta'ali The Most Exalted- ,---I. I
~J 79. Al-Barr The Source of All Goodness
~J 80. At-Tawwab The Acceptor of Repentance
~l 81. Al-Muntaqirn The Avenger.
~
82. Al-Afuw The Pardoner.,)
~01 83. Ar-Rauf The Compassionate~.
~ 84. Malik-ul-Mulk The Eternal Owner of
Sovereignty
26

~-»~ 85. Dhul-lalal The Lord of Majesty and
Wal-Ikrarn Bounty
t8l:r. '!) 86. AI-Muqsit The Equitable
J;;~l
87. AI-Jami The Gatherer7. l.. ~
2#PJ 88. AI-Ghani The Self-Sufficient
~.~J~, 89. AI-Mughni The Enricher
-;}88J 90. AI-Mani The Preventer
Vtbll 91. Ad-Darr The Distresser~ -I!
}t&GI 92. An-Nafi The Propitious
~J 93. An-Nur The Light
~'ll 94. AI-Hadi The Guide
~~l 95. AI-Badi The Incomparable
~,L;lJ 96. AI-Baqi The Everlasting
~~l 97. AI-Warith The Supreme Inheritor
~J 98. Ar-Rashid The Guide to the Right Path
~l 99. As-Sabur The Patient
,'.
27

e study of AI-Quran Corre -v.: , <IJ.'
Lesson 11
The Children of Israel in Sinai.
Hadith: The Funeral reglulaticms.
(Sallah al-Janam).
Belief In the Last Day.
Lesson 12
Dawud andSulaiman.
Hadith: Funeral regulations..
Belief in the Nature of Good and E
Lesson 13
Ilyas, ai-Vasa' & Dhu'l-kif1; Yun
Zakariyya & Yahya.
Hadith: Zakat.
Belief in d~stiny (Qadawa Qad
Lesson 14
Isa Ibn Maryam.
Hseith: Zakat.
Belief in Life after Death.
Lesson 15
The two sons Of Adam; the peo
the Sabbath: Harut & Marut; U
Haeith; Zak.at.
Lesson 16
The people of the calle;
Dhu'I-Qu rn ai n.
Haeith: Fasting.
Lesson 117
Luqman; The people of the
Trenches; The p,eople o,f the
Elephant
Lesson 118
The Life of the Prophet (1).
Ha.u, 'Umrah & visiting the
Prophets Mosque.
The Manner of Creation.
LeSSDn 119
The Life of the Prop,het (2).
How did th e Prop,het pe rform H -
The Hadith Df Jabir.
Lessf)n 20
The Life of the Prop,hat (3).
Hadith: Isra' & Mi'raj~
Mankind: by Creation or Evolutio~

An introduction to the qur'an (2000) by suhaib hasan

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An introduction to the qur'an (2000) by suhaib hasan