“We have, without doubt, sent down the message; And We will assuredly guard it (from corruption) (15:9)


Meaning if the word Quran




Root Words of the Qur’an

The word Qur’an can be derived from four root words, each with their own individual meanings. The first root word is “qara’a” whose literal meaning is to collect or to compile.


The second root word is “qira’athun” meaning to read or recite.


The third root word is “qar’ana” meaning a union or conjunction. the Holy Qur’an was given its own special name because letters are joined to make words, words are joined to make ayahs, ayahs are joined to make surahs and surahs are joined to make the Qur’an.


The fourth and final root word of the word Qur’an is “qira’in” which is the plural of “qarina” which meaning evidence


The beginning of revelation

The very first revelation of the Holy Qur’an took place on the 15th night of Ramadhan in the year 610 AD. At this time the Holy Prophet (saw) had reached the age of 40. For many years it had become his practice to visit a small cave in mount Hira, situated around 3 miles from the city of Makkah. The Holy Prophet (saw) would retreat to this cave in solitude and meditate there for many days. He would take supplies of food and water and engage in long prayers. As the years progressed these periods of solitude became more pronounced extending his stay from days into weeks. During the month of Ramadhan Holy Prophet (saw) would keep fasts and spend the entire month in this spiritual state of solitude.

It was during one of these periods, in the year A.D 610 that the first revelation of the Qur’an began.

“Read, in the name of your Lord who created. It is He who created man from clots of blood. Read! Your Lord is the most bounteous, Who has taught the use of the pen. He has taught man what he did not know”. (Al-Alaq, 96:5 )

This is the first verse of the Holy Quran.


According to its own testification the Holy Qur’an was revealed in the month of Ramadhan on the night of power. “Ramadhan is the (month) in which we sent down the Qur’an,..”(Al Baqara 2:185)

“We have indeed revealed this (message)in the night of Power” (Al-Qadr 97:1).


Manner and Forms of Revelation

The Holy Qur’an was revealed to the Holy Prophet (saw) in a variety of different ways.

1. Revelation Through an Angel in his True Form:

Angel Gibraeel also came to the Holy Prophet (saw) in his actual angelic form. Hadrat Abdullah ibn Masood (r.a) narrates that Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: “When I saw Angel Gibraeel he had 600 wings”[18].

2. Revelation Directly from God:

God has directly communicated with some of His Prophets as with Prophet Musa (a.s) on Mount Toor. The Holy Prophet (saw) spoke directly with Allah (swt) during his ascent into the heavens, the Miraj. There, Allah (swt) gave divine revelation to his Holy Prophet (saw) concerning the obligatory prayers.


3. Revelation revealed directly into the heart :

The Holy Prophet (saw) also used to receive revelation directly into the heart. Imaam Hakim narrates that the Holy Prophet (saw) stated: “Angel Gibraeel conveyed a message into my heart. That no man can die until his ‘rizk’ or resources have been completed. So Man should fear God and try all means to achieve his resources. If there is a delay in receiving your due then do not go astray to achieve it for whatever you will receive will be through Allah and what he has already ordained”.

3. Revelation disclosed upon the sound of a bell:

Another method of revelation was at the sound of a bell. The Holy Prophet (saw) would hear the ringing of a bell or a musical sweet sound, which would be immediately followed by divine revelation. According to Hadrat Ayesha (r.a) once the divine revelation began, Angel Gibraeel (a.s) would come at various times with different ayahs of the Qur’an. According to her, the Holy Prophet (saw) himself stated that: “Sometimes wahi comes to me after a bell rings and that is a heavy time for me”. (Bukhari)


4. Revelation Brought by an Angel in the Form of a Man:

One of the most common ways of receiving revelation was through Angel Gibraeel (as). The Holy Qur’an states:

Say: Whoever is an enemy to Gibraeel – for he brings down the (revelation)to thy heart by Allah’s will, a confirmation of what went before , and guidance and glad tidings for those who believe, - Whoever is an enemy to Allah and His angels and apostles, to Gibraeel and Michale, - Lo! Allah is an enemy to those who reject faith”( Al-Bakarah: 2:97-98)



5. In the form of dreams:

Prophet Muhammad (saw) would sometimes receive divine revelations of the Holy Qur’an in the form of dreams. Ayesha (ra) narrates that the beginning of Wahi began in the form of true dreams. Whenever the Holy Prophet (saw) would see a dream its true meaning and significance it would become clear by the morning (Bukhari).


Revelation in Stages

The Qur’an was not revealed in one instance but through a piecemeal process with small numbers of ayahs revealed at any one time over the period of 23 years.


Recording of Revelation

Memorization

The first method of recording the verses of the holy Qur’an was through memorization. Upon receipt of wahi the Holy Prophet (saw) would immediately commit all passages revealed to him to his memory, which is known as hifz: “…an apostle from God, rehearsing scriptures, kept pure and holy…(98:2) Thereafter he would recite the same to his Companions. Hadrat ibn Mas’ud was the first to recite the Qur’an publicly in Makkah. The Arabs of this time were generally an illiterate nation but were great fans of poetry and tales. Being a predominantly oral culture the Arabs would memorize poems and tales in order to communicate it to others. They had a heightened sense of memory in comparison to other nations. Therefore once the Muslims were taught a passage of the Qur’an they immediately confined it to memory quite easily and this practice was encouraged by the Prophet (saw).

Scribes

During the lifetime of the Holy Prophet (saw) scribes also carefully wrote the passages of the Qur’an on a variety of different writing materials. These varied from pieces of parchment to leather[26] and leaves. However once any passage was recorded the Holy Prophet (saw) would personally check the written records and insure that all the words were correct and in the correct order.

Hadrat ibn Abbas[27] reports that Hadrat Othman bin Affan stated that when the Holy Prophet (saw) received revelation he would call a companion to write it down and then tell them where to place the ayah in the Qur’anic order.


Revelation Period and Division of Qur’anic Surahs


As stated earlier the first revelation of the Holy Qur’an took place on the 16th Ramadhan, A.D 610. The period of revelation spanned 22 years, 2 months and 22 days. There is a traditional division of the surahs between those that were revealed in the city of Makkah, (Makki surahs) and those that were revealed in the city of Madinah (Madani surahs).


Compilation of Divine Revelation

The compilation of the Holy Qur’an took place in three stages:

During the lifetime of the Holy Prophet (saw)
During the caliphate of Sayyidina Abu Bakr (rad)
During the caliphate of Sayyidina Othman bin Affan

In the Lifetime of the Holy Prophet (saw)
There is ample evidence showing that the entire Qur’an was written down in the Prophets (saw) lifetime. As stated earlier when he (saw) received revelation he would instruct scribes to record the revelation on parchments of paper or pieces of leather. He would also indicate in which Surah each ayah was to be placed[39]. The Companions never interfered in the arrangement of the ayahs and Surahs which are the same in copies of Qur’ans available today. Hadrat Zaid bin Thabbit was one of the most prominent of the scribes and has reported that he, along with other companions would compile the Qur’an in the presence of the Holy Prophet (saw). During this time the names of the Surahs were also known. Angle Gibraeel (a.s) would also come to the Holy Prophet (saw) every Ramadan to listen to him reciting the Qur’an, and listened to him twice in the year of his demise.

In the time of Sayyidina Abu Bakr (rad)


After the demise of the Holy Prophet (saw) A harsh battle took place in 632 A.D (11 A.H) at the place of Yamamah during which hundreds of hafiz were martyred. Sayyidina Umar bin Kattab (rad) became concerned at the heavy loss of casualties, fearing that a large part of the Qur’an could be lost if the rate of martyrdom increased. He expressed these fears to the Caliph Sayyidina Abu Bakr (rad) and asked him to compile the Qurán into a permanent book form. Sayyidina Abu Bakr (rad) was at first shocked at the request and said he could not do something that the Holy Prophet (saw) had never done in his own lifetime. However Sayyidina Umar (rad) continued to persuade him until Sayyidina Abu Bakr (rad) said his heart was opened by Allah (swt) and he agreed to the suggestion.

Sayyidina Abu Bakr (rad) called upon Zaid bin Thabbit (rad) to collect and compile the Qur’an into one volume.

Zaid bin Thabbit (rad) set about completing the task. He collected all the written parts of the Qur’an from date leaves, parchment and pieces of leather and also listened to many of the hafiz who recited verses from their memories. After having carefully compared and cross checked each ayah, he compiled the written Qur’an into one single volume. Sayyidina Abu Bakr became its official custodian, passing on to Sayyidina Umar bin Kattab (rad) during his caliphate. After his demise the Qur’anic volume was passed into the custody of his daughter Hadrat Hafsah (rad).

In the time of Sayyidina Uthman bin Affan (rad)
As the Islamic empire increased it incorporated many different nations and tribes who did not speak and understand Arabic. As a result difference in reciting the Qur’an and pronunciation began to occur. It is reported by Anas bin Malik that Hudaifah bin Yaman (rad) had been involved in the victories of the Muslim in Sham, now modern day Syria, and Iraq over Armenia and Azerbaijan. He heard the differences in the recitation of the Qur’an by the inhabitants there. Upon his return he related these concerns to Sayyidina Uthman (rad) who expressed a deep apprehension at this new development. They both feared conflicts could arise, replicating the problems that had occurred in the authenticity of the Bible and Toroth. Sayyidina Uthman took action and asked Hadrat Hafsah (rad) for the original volume of the Qur’an promising to return it to her once copies were made. She sent it immediately to him. Zaid bin Thabbit, having been responsible for the first compilation (rad) was appointed as the head of a committee to make exact and perfect copies of the original. The other committee members consisted of Abdullah bin Zubair, Sa’id bin Al A’as and Abdur Rahman bin Harith (rad). Uthman gave them instructions that if any of the three disagreed upon any point with Hadrat Zaid (rad) then the relevant ayah should be written in the language of the Quraish as that was the tongue in which the Qur’an was revealed.

Once copies were made the original was returned to Hadrat Hafsah (rad). The new copies were then distributed to every Muslim province with the orders that all other copies of the Qur’an, be they full or partial copies, were to be destroyed and replaced by this original one. Since that day the Holy Qurán has remained in its original pristine form and will remain as such in the future by the Grace and Blessings of Allah Almighty.

“Say. If the whole of mankind and Jinns were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur’an, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other with help and support.” (17:88)

Fourteen hundred centuries have passed and no change or alteration has taken place in the Holy Qur’an. The text that is present today is exactly the same text that was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (saw). This is so despite hundreds of attempts by non-Muslims to try and insert alterations and changes into the Qur’an. That is why Allah (swt) himself gives it divine protection:

Biodun556:


“Say. If the whole of mankind and Jinns were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur’an, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other with help and support.” (17:88)

Fourteen hundred centuries have passed and no change or alteration has taken place in the Holy Qur’an. The text that is present today is exactly the same text that was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (saw). This is so despite hundreds of attempts by non-Muslims to try and insert alterations and changes into the Qur’an. That is why Allah (swt) himself gives it divine protection:

Says who?

The first edition was revised joor

Hope the Shari’a law here won’t charge me for blasphemy

Biodun556:
“We have, without doubt, sent down the message; And We will assuredly guard it (from corruption)
.......

However once any passage was recorded the Holy Prophet (saw) would personally check the written records and insure that all the words were correct and in the correct order.
...
In the Lifetime of the Holy Prophet (saw)
There is ample evidence showing that the entire Qur’an was written down in the Prophets (saw) lifetime.
...
After the demise of the Holy Prophet (saw) A harsh battle took place in 632 A.D (11 A.H) at the place of Yamamah during which hundreds of hafiz were martyred. Sayyidina Umar bin Kattab (rad) became concerned at the heavy loss of casualties, fearing that a large part of the Qur’an could be lost if the rate of martyrdom increased. He expressed these fears to the Caliph Sayyidina Abu Bakr (rad) and asked him to compile the Qurán into a permanent book form. Sayyidina Abu Bakr (rad) was at first shocked at the request and said he could not do something that the Holy Prophet (saw) had never done in his own lifetime. However Sayyidina Umar (rad) continued to persuade him until Sayyidina Abu Bakr (rad) said his heart was opened by Allah (swt) and he agreed to the suggestion.
...
Sayyidina Abu Bakr (rad) called upon Zaid bin Thabbit (rad) to collect and compile the Qur’an into one volume.
...
He heard the differences in the recitation of the Qur’an by the inhabitants there. Upon his return he related these concerns to Sayyidina Uthman (rad) who expressed a deep apprehension at this new development.

Why would there be the need for "fearing that a large part of the Qur’an could be lost if the rate of martyrdom increased" IF like you wrote, "There is ample evidence showing that the entire Qur’an was written down in the Prophets (saw) lifetime"?

That does not seem to make sense.

If the ENTIRE Koran was already written down then it was already written down.

Even when wars are fought, UNLESS it is that what is written down is destroyed they should remain written down. Don't you see?

If the entire Koran was already written down why was Abu Bakar "shocked at the request and said he could not do something that the Holy Prophet (saw) had never done in his own lifetime"

So, you should immediately see that there are "HOLES" in the narrative. Things don't add up.

It couldn't have been written down and there will be the fear that the deaths of some people will affect it or make it lost.

It couldn't have been written down and Abu Bakar will express shock at doing something that Mohamed himself never did.

If Mohamed "personally check the written records and insure that all the words were correct and in the correct order" why was this not just simply picked and duplicated for wider use?

What was Ibn Thabit doing COLLECTING and COMPILLING the Koran into one volume if, according to you, Mohamed ensured that everything was in order?

Uthman's intervention also raises a lot of questions. But it gives insight into the fact that each leader in Islam interfered with the course of evolution of the Koran.

There is no evidence that Uthman's intervention was to resolve "difference in reciting the Qur’an and pronunciation". If that is what he did, how did he do it? Markings that aid pronunciations never came up until several decades down the line in Islam well after Uthman.

You must agree that things just don't line up.  with the narrative. The truth is that the Koran actually EVOLVED over time. All Islam attempts to do is try to piece together how it's major book came about. Unfortunately putting the pieces together has not resulted in a coherent whole.

The Quran was changed from time to time. Uthman changed the Quran as well as other caliphs after him. Las Las, Quran is not anything near the Book of God Almighty. It's a mere book containing the philosophies of Allah, who is one little creature of God Almighty, same as Jehovah.