--- title: "What Is the Qur'an? | Islam Is Mercy" description: "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." lang: en url: https://islamismercy.com/en/start/what-is-the-quran/ --- 1. [Home](https://islamismercy.com/en/) 2. [Start Here](https://islamismercy.com/en/start/) 3. What Is the Qur'an? # What Is the Qur'an? Written by **Islam Is Mercy Editorial Team**· 3 min readAwaiting scholar review ## The short answer The Qur'an is the holy book of Islam. Muslims believe it is the literal word of God, revealed in Arabic to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ through the angel Gabriel over about 23 years. It has been memorised and recited by Muslims ever since, and they believe it has been preserved without change. ## On this page 1. The word of God 2. How it was revealed 3. How it is organised 4. Preserved and memorised 5. Recited, not only read 6. Reading it for yourself Walk into almost any mosque in the world and you will hear the same Arabic words being recited — by children and grandparents, by people who speak Arabic and people who do not. That book is the [Qur’an](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/quran/), and for Muslims it is the most important text there is. ## The word of God The word *Qur’an* means “recitation” or “that which is read”. Muslims believe it is the actual speech of God, revealed word for word to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ through the angel Gabriel (*Jibril*). It is not a book that Muhammad ﷺ wrote, nor a record of his own thoughts — he was its messenger, not its author. The Qur’an describes itself as a book of guidance that leaves no room for doubt: > ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًۭى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿٢﴾ > This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah - [Qur'an, Al-Baqara 2:2](https://quran.com/2?startingVerse=2&translations=20)Saheeh International Muslims also believe that God sent earlier scriptures — including the Torah given to Moses and the Gospel given to Jesus (peace be upon them). The Qur’an is the final revelation, confirming the core message of those books. See [The Six Articles of Faith](https://islamismercy.com/en/start/six-articles-of-faith/). ## How it was revealed The revelation began in about 610 CE, when Muhammad ﷺ was around forty years old and praying alone in the cave of Hira near Mecca. The very first words he received were a command to read and recite, and a reminder that God teaches human beings what they did not know: > ٱقْرَأْ بِٱسْمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ﴿١﴾ خَلَقَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ ﴿٢﴾ ٱقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ ٱلْأَكْرَمُ ﴿٣﴾ ٱلَّذِى عَلَّمَ بِٱلْقَلَمِ ﴿٤﴾ عَلَّمَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ ﴿٥﴾ > 1Recite in the name of your Lord who created - 2Created man from a clinging substance. 3Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous - 4Who taught by the pen - 5Taught man that which he knew not. [Qur'an, Al-Alaq 96:1-5](https://quran.com/96?startingVerse=1&translations=20)Saheeh International The Qur’an was not revealed all at once. It came in parts over about 23 years, often in response to real events and questions in the lives of the Prophet ﷺ and his companions. This is one reason it speaks so directly to everyday human situations — grief, fear, family, justice, hope. ## How it is organised The Qur’an has **114 chapters**, called *surahs*, of very different lengths. The shortest has just three verses; the longest has 286. Each verse is called an *[ayah](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/ayah/)*, which also means “a sign”. To make regular reading easier, Muslims also divide it into thirty roughly equal parts. The chapters are not arranged in the order they were revealed, and the Qur’an is not a single story told from beginning to end. It moves between themes — the oneness of God, the stories of earlier prophets, the Day of Judgement, worship, family and social life, and moral guidance — often in the same chapter. Many readers find it helps to begin with a good translation alongside a short commentary. ## Preserved and memorised Muslims believe God Himself promised to protect the Qur’an: > إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا ٱلذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَٰفِظُونَ ﴿٩﴾ > Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian. [Qur'an, Al-Hijr 15:9](https://quran.com/15?startingVerse=9&translations=20)Saheeh International During the Prophet’s lifetime ﷺ, the revelation was both written down by scribes and memorised by many of his companions. Soon after his death it was gathered into a single volume, and a few years later standard copies were sent out to the main cities of the Muslim world. Since then, it has been passed on in two ways at once: in writing and from memory, from teacher to student, in an unbroken chain. Today millions of Muslims — including many children — have memorised the entire Qur’an by heart. The Qur’an itself says it was made easy to remember: > وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا ٱلْقُرْءَانَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍۢ ﴿١٧﴾ > And We have certainly made the Qur'an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember? [Qur'an, Al-Qamar 54:17](https://quran.com/54?startingVerse=17&translations=20)Saheeh International You can read more in [How Was the Qur’an Preserved?](https://islamismercy.com/en/core/quran-preserved/) ## Recited, not only read The Qur’an is meant to be heard. Muslims recite parts of it in each of their daily prayers, following careful rules of pronunciation called *tajwid*. Many people who do not understand Arabic say they are moved by the sound of it alone. Because Muslims believe the exact Arabic words are from God, a translation is seen as an explanation of the meaning, not the Qur’an itself. Translations — like the one on this website — are valuable guides, but the original Arabic is always the reference. The Prophet ﷺ honoured those who give their time to the Qur’an: > Narrated \`Uthman: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The best among you (Muslims) are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it [Sahih al-Bukhari 5027](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/66#:~:text=are%20those%20who%20learn%20the)Grade: Sahih (in Sahih al-Bukhari) ## Reading it for yourself The Qur’an invites its readers to think, reflect and ask questions. If you would like to start, many people begin with the short chapters near the end, or with the opening chapter, *Al-Fatihah*. To learn more about the man who received it, read [Who Was Prophet Muhammad ﷺ?](https://islamismercy.com/en/start/who-was-prophet-muhammad/) ![What Is the Qur'an?](https://islamismercy.com/_astro/what-is-the-quran-info.DffoB4gH_JBMRn.jpg) ## Key takeaways - Muslims believe the Qur'an is the word of God, not the words of Muhammad ﷺ. - It was revealed gradually over about 23 years, beginning around 610 CE. - It has 114 chapters (surahs) and has been memorised in full by millions of people. - Translations help, but only the Arabic text is considered the Qur'an itself. ## Share this article [WhatsApp](https://wa.me/?text=What%20Is%20the%20Qur%27an%3F%20https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fstart%2Fwhat-is-the-quran%2F)[Telegram](https://t.me/share/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fstart%2Fwhat-is-the-quran%2F&text=What%20Is%20the%20Qur%27an%3F)[X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=What%20Is%20the%20Qur%27an%3F&url=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fstart%2Fwhat-is-the-quran%2F)[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fstart%2Fwhat-is-the-quran%2F) ## Sources - [Qur'an, Al-Baqara 2:2](https://quran.com/2?startingVerse=2&translations=20) - [Qur'an, Al-Alaq 96:1-5](https://quran.com/96?startingVerse=1&translations=20) - [Qur'an, Al-Hijr 15:9](https://quran.com/15?startingVerse=9&translations=20) - [Qur'an, Al-Qamar 54:17](https://quran.com/54?startingVerse=17&translations=20) - [Sahih al-Bukhari 5027](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/66#:~:text=are%20those%20who%20learn%20the) ## Talk to a Muslim Have a question that isn't answered here? Ask a real person — no pressure, no judgement. [Ask your question](https://islamismercy.com/en/talk/) ## Keep reading [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/)[Start Here ### Who Was Prophet Muhammad ﷺ? A short introduction to the life and character of Muhammad ﷺ, the final messenger of God — from orphan in Mecca to the Prophet sent as a mercy to all people. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/start/who-was-prophet-muhammad/)[Start Here ### What Is Islam? A Simple Introduction A clear, friendly introduction to Islam — what Muslims believe about God, the prophets and the Qur'an, and how faith shapes everyday life. 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