Qurʾān

The Qurʾān is the sacred scripture of Islam and the principal source of Islamic belief, law, ethics, and spirituality. Muslims regard it as the literal word of God (Allah) revealed in Arabic to the Prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel over approximately twenty-three years (610–632 CE). In sīrah literature, the revelation of the Qurʾān constitutes the central event of the Prophet’s mission, shaping the religious, moral, political, and social development of the early Muslim community.

The term Qurʾān derives from the Arabic root q-r-ʾ, meaning “to recite” or “to proclaim.” The scripture describes itself by several names, including al-Qurʾān (“the Recitation”), al-Kitāb (“the Book”), al-Furqān (“the Criterion”), al-Dhikr (“the Reminder”), and al-Tanzīl (“the Revelation”). Muslims believe the Qurʾān to be the final divine revelation confirming and superseding earlier scriptures revealed to prophets such as Moses, David, and Jesus.