---
title: "Qur'an — Meaning and Use | Islam Is Mercy"
description: "The Qur'an is the holy book of Islam, which Muslims believe is the word of God revealed to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Its name means the recitation."
lang: en
url: https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/quran/
---

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# Qur'an — Meaning and Use

Written by **Islam Is Mercy Editorial Team**· 1 min readAwaiting scholar review

## The short answer

The Qur'an is the holy book of Islam. Muslims believe it is the word of God, revealed in Arabic to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ through the angel Gabriel over about twenty-three years. Its name means "the recitation".

## On this page

1.  Meaning
2.  How Muslims use it
3.  Example

**Qur’an** (Arabic: القرآن) is pronounced *qur-AAN*. The apostrophe marks a tiny break in the voice between “r” and “a”, and the “q” is made deep in the throat. You may also see the spelling “Koran”.

## Meaning

The word means “the recitation” or “that which is read”. Muslims believe the Qur’an is the exact word of God, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ through the angel Gabriel, piece by piece, over about twenty-three years. It has 114 chapters, called *surahs*, made up of verses called *ayahs* (“signs”). The Qur’an describes its own purpose:

> إِنَّ هَٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانَ يَهْدِى لِلَّتِى هِىَ أَقْوَمُ وَيُبَشِّرُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ أَجْرًۭا كَبِيرًۭا ﴿٩﴾

> Indeed, this Qur'an guides to that which is most suitable and gives good tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a great reward.

[Qur'an, Al-Israa 17:9](https://quran.com/17?startingVerse=9&translations=20)Saheeh International

## How Muslims use it

The Qur’an is recited in every prayer, memorised by millions of people of all ages, and read for guidance and comfort. Muslims treat a printed copy with great respect. Because the original Arabic is considered the revelation itself, versions in other languages are usually called “translations of the meaning” of the Qur’an.

## Example

*“He reads a page of the Qur’an every morning before work.”*

To learn more, read [What Is the Qur’an?](https://islamismercy.com/en/start/what-is-the-quran/) and [How Was the Qur’an Preserved?](https://islamismercy.com/en/core/quran-preserved/)

## Key takeaways

-   Qur'an means "the recitation" — it is meant to be read aloud.
-   Muslims believe it is the word of God, revealed to Muhammad ﷺ.
-   It has 114 chapters (surahs) and is recited in every prayer.

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## Sources

-   [Qur'an, Al-Israa 17:9](https://quran.com/17?startingVerse=9&translations=20)

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## Keep reading

[Start Here

### What Is the Qur'an?

The Qur'an is the holy book of Islam — God's words revealed to Muhammad ﷺ. Learn how it was revealed, preserved, organised and recited.

Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/start/what-is-the-quran/)[What Muslims Agree On

### The Qur'an Is God's Word, Preserved Unchanged

Muslims believe the Qur'an is the word of God, preserved without change. Here is how it was memorised, written down and compiled, told carefully.

Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/core/quran-preserved/)[Glossary

### Sunnah — Meaning and Use

The Sunnah is the way of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ — his words, actions and example — and the second source of guidance in Islam.

Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/sunnah/)