Quran Form 4 (Good luck Amina (ᴗ ͜ʖ ᴗ)

Distinctive features of Quran

i. It seeks to guide man in all avenues of life

ii. It adopts various methods to enable man understand the truth
iii. Style is magnificent and appropriate to its divine nature
iv. Features of quran are imitable/ one cannot imitate
v. Recitation of quran raises spirit and imagination even to those not conversant to
vi. Arabic
vii. It is eloquent in its style and other features such as use of similes and parables
viii. It is divided into chapters, verses, juzuus, manzil, ruk’u
ix. Language of quran is classical/pure Arabic
x. Rewardable even with a letter recited correctly

Divisions of Quran

i. Juzuus (parts) – divided into 30 parts

ii. Chapter (surah) – 114 chapters. Longest is Baqarah and shortest is Nas
iii. Ayah (verse) – each surah contains several ayahs e.g. surah Fatiha has seven verses.
iv. Some are long verses and some are short verses. The longest is 282 in surah Baqarah.
v. Manzil (phases) – seven phases for convenience of recitation e.g. to complete quran
vi. within a week
vii. Ruk’u (paragraphs/ sections) – containing seven to 12 ayahs. E.g. surah Fatiha has 7
viii. grouped as one ruk’u
ix. Hizb (groups) - subdivisions of juzuus into 4 quarters. Each hizb is further subdivided
x. into 4 sub quarters
xi. Maqra – half of hizb and also quarter of juzuu

Makkan and Madinan Surahs

Themes of Makkan Surahs

i. Tawheed (Unity of Allah)/ Condemnation of idol worship

ii. Worship of Allah.
iii. Day of Judgment.
iv. Allah’s Mercy to humankind.
v. Man’s ingratitude to Allah.
vi. The Power of Allah.
vii. Paradise and Hell
viii. Righteous conduct/ akhlaq

Characteristics of Makkan Surahs

i. The Makkan Surahs invite the people by addressing them “o people” given that majority of
the audience had not embraced Islam.
ii. Makkan Surahs were mostly short and concise; they were easy to remember and meant to
attract the attentions of the message of Islam.
iii. Makkan surahs are centred on fundamental doctrines of Tawheed and the Day of Judgment.
iv. Allah uses harsh and strong language to convey the message of the stubborn
Quraish/Makkan Surahs are full of warnings
v. Verses of the Quran in Makkan surah are often repetitive.

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 vi. Stories or narratives of previous prophets and their communities are discussed in
vii. Makkan Surahs.
viii. Description of hell fire and severe punishments are common in Makkan surah.
ix. Muslims are often urged to be patient in the face of opposition against their faith.
x. Those who accept the call are promised great rewards by Allah.
xi. Rhyme and prose is more common in Makkan surah such technique had a lasting impact on
the target audience some of whom converted to Islam after hearing it.

Madinan Surahs

Themes of Madinan Surahs

i. They explain in details on how to conduct the acts of worship such as the Swalat, Zakat,
Saum and Hajj.
ii. They establish systematic laws governing relationships at individual, society and
international levels. For example; laws on marriage, divorce, inheritance and jihad.
iii. They give guidelines on the Hudud punishment of various crimes.
iv. They describe the hypocrites.
v. Description of battles and their conditions, how to distribute booties of war and treatment
of prisoners of war
vi. Commercial ethics e.g. acquisition of wealth

Characteristics of Madinan Surahs

i. Madinan Surahs and verses are long because they give details on the Shariah.
ii. They mention punishments for crimes under Hudud law. For example, the punishment
iii. for Zinaa is prescribed in surah al Nur i.e. flogging a hundred stripes/ They give
iv. explanations on devotional acts such as Hudud laws, ibadah
v. They address believers as ‘Ya ayuha lladhina amanoo’ (O you who believe!)
(Note: Should not say the surahs/ ayahs start with O you who believe!)
vi. Use prose style

Differences between Makkan Surahs and Madinan Surahs

i. Makkan surahs are short while Madinan surahs and verses are long.
ii. Makkan surahs mostly deal with themes such as Tawheed, condemnation of shirk and
Day of Judgement while Madinan surahs deal with legislation and social relations
such as marriage and inheritance.
iii. Makkan surahs mostly address humanity as Oh Mankind while Madinan surahs
address believers as Oh you who believe.
iv. Makkan surahs mostly use poetic and rhythmic style while Madina surahs mostly use
prose style.
v. The emphasis in Makkan surahs is building the Iman of the people while emphasis in
Madinan surahs is on implementation of faith by the believers.
vi. Believers and their qualities are mentioned in Makkan surahs while in Madinan surahs
qualities of hypocrites are discussed.

Language of Quran

i. The language of the Quran is clear and makes clear the laws and reports which it
contains/ It has clear verses (bayinaat) which are clear and obvious signs indicating
Allah’s unique unity, the perfection of His attributes, and the goodness of His laws.

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 ii. The language of the Quran is rhythmic and harmonious e.g. Surah Nas, Lahab, Ikhlas.
iii. The language of the Quran combines both poetic and prose from e.g. Surah Nas,
Lahab, Baqarah.
iv. The verses of the Quran are in classical Arabic and in the dialect of the Quraish of
Makkah.
v. The language is precise and to the point, does not contain extra words that do not add
value.
vi. The verses that express the fear of Allah are fiery and those that express the mercy of
Allah are in soft language.
vii. The Quran contains vocabularies that are difficult to understand and interprete
which Allah uses as a challenge to Muslims e.g. Huruful munqatiat (abbreviated
letters) Alif- Iam-mim.
viii. The language of the Quran is easy to comprehend.
ix. There is repetition of words and sentences in various surahs for affirmation e.g.
Rahman, Mursalat.
x. Some words are borrowed from other languages e.g. sijjil (Persian), Qistaas (Greek)

Reasons why Quran was revealed in Arabic

i. Prophet was an Arab

ii. The first audience were Arabs
iii. Arabic is a rich language with rich vocabulary
iv. To challenge the eloquent Arabs among the Quraish
v. We attain wisdom
vi. To avoid complains and excuses from the Arabs could it have been revealed in another
language.

Style of Quran

i. Each surah has a title. The title is related to the surah.

ii. All Surahs begin with Bismillah (Bismilahi Rahman Raheem) except surah At-
Tawba.
iii. A surah may have several themes. For example surah An-Nisai talks about Unity of
Mankind, marriage and women’s rights, kindness, charity, taqwa, justice to
women and orphans property, unlawful earnings among other themes.
iv. There are multi-thematic verses. A verse may carry several themes
v. Surahs are not necessarily arranged to follow the actual order of revelation. For
example the first surah to be revealed was Alaq (its first 5 verses) yet Suratul-
Fatiha is the opening chapter of the Qur’an.
vi. Surahs are varied in length. The longest surah is Al-Baqarah with 286 verses
while the shortest surah is Al-Kauthar with only 3 verses.
vii. The Qur’an uses all the tenses i.e. present, past and future. Allah addresses
humankind using all the different tenses. The knowledge about the hereafter, past
generations and the present correlated to pass its theme.
viii. There are more than 200 passages in the Holy Qur’an which begin with the word
“Qul”
ix. It uses both plural and singular forms. Allah uses the plural form ‘we’ to reveal
His Might to humankind.
x. The language of the Qur’an uses similes (amthal) and metaphors to bring greater

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 clarity and insight when explaining things to mankind.
xi. The Qur’an is not poetry but uses a particular style with combined rhythm and
prose.
xii. It contains verses that are entirely clear and plain and requires no explanation
(Muhkamaat) while others are not entirely clear or having more than one meaning
or not completely agreed upon, but open to two or more interpretations(mutashabihaat).
xiii. Some verses of the Qur’an contain general message for the entire humankind,
while others give specific and restricted guidance either to the Prophet, a give group of
people.
There are some narratives (Qasas) e.g. stories of the Prophets of Allah (SWT),
xiv. past people and events.
xv. Other surahs begin with alphabets, whose meaning is only known to Allah
(SWT). Examples of such surahs are Surah Al Baqarah, Surah Al Yasin, and Surah Al Nun
among others.
xvi. Several rhetoric questions are posed for the purpose of persuading, yet no
replies are expected from the questions. For example, Allah says, “Is there any
xvii. Reward for Good other than Good?”
xviii. There are some Arabic words which were borrowed from other languages e.g.
Qistas (Greek)

Reasons why Quran uses narratives/ stories

i. To act as proof that the Quran is the word of Allah and the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W) is the
last prophet because the prophet was unlettered
ii. Make Muslims draw lessons from various events.
iii. To console and strengthen all of the believers and the prophet
iv. To explain general principles of the message of Islam such as Tawheed
v. They show continuity of the message which was revealed to Prophet Mohammad
vi. To show universality of the Prophet-hood of Muhammad that he was sent for all
vii. humankind whereas the earlier Prophets were each sent to specific people.
viii. To remind about earlier prophets and struggles and how they were successful
ix. To serve as warning to those who are intoxicated with power or go against the commands of
Allah
x. To provide arguments against the opponents of Islam/ reveal true information that was
distorted in previous books

Miraculous Nature of Quran

Why the Quran is considered a miracle by Muslims.

i. Allah promises to protect it from any interpolation and human interferences.

ii. It was delivered to an unlettered prophet but it proved to be a challenge to the most learned
and the scholars of all ages.
iii. It gives scientific details discovered by the enquiries and research made by man in later
centuries.
iv. It gives an in depth analysis of the future and the hereafter something which is not found in
any other book.
v. It has no shortcomings in substance or content thus does not contradict itself though
revealed in a period of 23 years.

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 vi. No one can produce anything like it even one chapter, despite the presence of renowned
poets in Arabia.
vii. The Quran contains vocabularies that are difficult to understand and interpret which Allah
uses as a challenge to Muslims e.g. Alif- Iam-mim/ some verses cannot be explained easily
viii. It soothes the mind, acts as a mental therapy and Shifaa (cure)
ix. Contains enriching content and subject matter that satisfies the challenges of contemporary
times/ It is valid for all time and place.
x. Gives detailed stories of previous prophet and their respective nations.
xi. One does not get tired of reading it.
xii. It has a unique style, neither poem nor prose.
xiii. When one hears Quran it is as if it addresses him directly or feels like he hears it for the first
time.
xiv. Legal injunction in the Quran cannot be suppressed.
xv. Easy to memorize

TRANSLATION OF QURAN

Conditions

i. Should have a good mastery of both Arabic language and the language he/she is translating
into.
ii. Must have a mastery of the science of the Quran (Ulumul Quran) including legal verses
iii. Should have a deep understanding of Islamic religion including such branches as hadith and
fiqh.
iv. one should refrain from extensive use of his/her personal opinion
v. The translator must be a mature Muslim.
vi. The translator must be just of high integrity and piety/ sincere in translation work with the
sole aim of earning the pleasure of Allah and not for material gains or to discredit Islam
vii. Have mastery of history of the prophet (seerah) which will guide him to know the
circumstances behind revelation of quran
viii. Be well versed in Ulumul Hadith (science of hadith) such grading of hadith into sahih, hasan
and dhaif

Benefits/ importance/ significance/ advantages of translation

i. Non-Arab speakers can understand it/ people can understand it in their own languages
ii. People can read/ study it and write commentary on it.
iii. For easy comparison with other religions/ people of other religions can take interest in
studying it
iv. Act as a source of reference/ it expands knowledge/ Researchers can access it and support
their work be referring to it.
v. Assist the work of teaching to those who cannot read Arabic.
vi. Propagation of Islam
vii. One earns rewards for translating the Quran.
viii. Creates employment to translators, publishers and printers.

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Challenges facing translation of Quran

i. It is difficult to get people who are conversant with both languages

ii. The translated copy cannot be used in prayers
iii. It creates laziness in the reading of Quran in Arabic/ discourages people from learning
the original text
iv. Some Arabic words and expressions cannot get their equivalent in other languages
v. The authenticity of the message of quran will be interfered with/ translation will never
express the true meaning of the quran/ distortion/ forgery/ interpolation/ watering
down/ Some translators of quran may have vested interests and they may translate
Quran with the motive of misleading Muslims
vi. The uniqueness of the Quran will be lost in the translation
vii. Since Quran was revealed in Arabic, the translation would not be the actual word of Allah
viii. Methods used in translating quran may vary from one scholar to another which will cause
divergent opinions about the translation of a particular text

QURAN AS THE FINAL AND PERFECT REVELATION

Reasons why Quran is the last and final word of Allah/ perfect revelation

i. It was revealed to the last of all prophets i.e. prophet Muhammad/ revealed to the last
Ummah
ii. Its message is meant for the whole mankind in contrast to other revelations that were
community specific/ universal
iii. Its teachings are applicable at all times and situations hence no necessity for new revelation.
iv. Allah has promised to protect it until the Day of Judgment.
v. The Quran contains teachings of the other earlier books.
vi. The Prophet proclaimed that the message of the Quran is final/ There has been no other
revelation after that of the Quran for over fifteen centuries since the demise of the Prophet
vii. It is Comprehensive in nature touching all aspects of human life
viii. There are no contradictions

Surah Hujurat

Background

i. The word Hujurat means the inner apartment which is mentioned in the fourth verse of this
surah, it is used here to refer to the one-roomed house of the Prophet’s wives.
ii. It is the 49 th chapter of the Quran; it consists of 18 verses.
iii. The surah is 106 th in order of revelation
iv. The title is derived from verse 4 which mentions the inner chamber of prophet’s wives
v. It was revealed after the conquest of Makkah in the 8th year after Hijra/ It is Madinan
vi. It was revealed when the desert tribes began sending emissaries to make oaths of allegiance
to the Prophet and accept Islam on behalf of their tribes (The year of deputations).
vii. The Arabs spoke loudly in a manner which was disrespectful to the prophet hence
displeasing Allah.
viii. Allah revealed the surah to reprimand and lay down general code of behaviour and a set of
moral ideals for Muslims and all people.

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Circumstances that led to the revelation of Surah Hujurat

i. After the conquest of Makkah, many Arabs sent emissaries to the prophet to make
ii. oath of allegiance
iii. The desert tribes appeared disrespectful in their manner when addressing the prophet
iv. They spoke loudly in a manner that disrespected the prophet
v. The way they approached the prophet displeased Allah
vi. The surah was revealed to reprimand them and lay down general code of behaviour
for all Muslims and all people.

Teachings of the Surah

i. Teaches one to have discipline and order, while in the presence of Allah and His Messenger.
ii. They should be humble and show respect to their leaders
iii. We should verify information first when we get
iv. It is incumbent upon every Muslim that he strives for peace/ fight for the rights of the
oppressed
v. All Muslims are brothers of and equal to one another
vi. A Muslim does not have the right to make fun/ ridicule/ belittle/ nickname/ fault or
use biting words against another Muslim.
vii. It is forbidden to think bad thoughts about a believer/ suspect a believer
viii. It is expressly forbidden to spy on or pry into the secrets and private life and affairs of other
people.
ix. It is a major sin to backbite and speaking ill about others.
x. The only criteria for judging who is better (than another person) is one’s merit, piety and
abstinence from those things which Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has forbidden and by
keeping away from all sins.

Social vices discussed in Surah Hujurat

i. Disrespect to leaders
ii. Quarrels and fights
iii. Spying other Muslims
iv. Disrespecting other people’s honour
v. Ridicule/ fault/ making fun/ use of biting words against each other
vi. Suspicion about other people’s affairs
vii. Racism/ tribalism
viii. Backbiting others

Teachings on Muslim brotherhood as derived from Surah Hujurat

i. Muslims should verify rumours brought to them by evil-minded people

ii. Muslims should avoid suspicion this would make Muslims live with good faith
iii. Muslims should be humble and courteous when asking for something
iv. Muslims should consider one another as brothers Muslims should not ridicule/ mock others
by calling them with nicknames
v. Backbiting and speaking ill of others are prohibited
vi. Muslims we should strive to bring peace such as reconciliation between warring parties
vii. Muslims should consider merit and fear of Allah as basis for good relations

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viii. Muslims should respect leaders and their leadership