What words does the Koran begin with? What is the Koran

BRIEF INFORMATION ABOUT THE AUTHOR Leonid Andreevich Belyaev (born 1948), Doctor of Historical Sciences, head of the sector at the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Specialist in urban archeology, ancient Russian culture, history of architecture and construction, iconography. Has extensive

Brief information about the persons mentioned in the monograph M. A. Aldanov (1886–1957) - chemist, writer, philosopher, in exile since 1919. The author of a number of works dedicated to the work and life of L. N. Tolstoy, the most famous is the book “The Mystery of Tolstoy”, first published in Berlin

Brief information about the Bible The Bible consists of seventy-seven books - fifty books of the Old Testament and twenty-seven books of the New Testament. Despite the fact that it was written down over several millennia by dozens of holy people in different languages, it, unlike the Koran,

the last holy scripture revealed by Allah. The Koran which has reached our time through tawatur (See Khabar al-Mutawatir) in Arabic. It was transmitted by revelation to the Prophet Muhammad. The word Quran comes from the Arabic word qiraa (reading out loud, by heart). In this sense, it is also mentioned in the Quranic verses: “Do not repeat [Muhammad,] it (i.e. the Quran) to speed up [memorization, fearing the departure of Jibril], for We must collect the Quran [in your heart] and read it [through your mouth to people]. When We announce it to you [through the mouth of Jibril], then listen carefully to the reading" (75: 16-18). The Qur'an consists of 114 suras (chapters) and 6666 verses (verses). The verses revealed in Mecca are called Meccan, and those in Medina are called Medina. According to the beliefs of pious Islam, the Koran is the eternal and uncreated word of Allah. That is, the essence of the Qur'an is not created, but is an attributive quality of Allah (i.e., his word). But its records, publications, the paper on which it is written are created (mahluk). History of the Quran The following hadiths tell the history of the Quran: 1. Zeid ibn Thabit said: “During the battle of Yamama (against the apostates), Abu Bakr called me. I went to him and met Omar with him. Abu Bakr said to me: “He came to me Omar said: “The battle has become fierce, and the Kurra (experts and readers of the Koran) are participating in it. I am very afraid that such battles will take the lives of the Kurra, and the Koran may be lost with them. In this regard, I consider it necessary that you (about Abu Bakr) ordered to collect the Koran (into a single book)." I (i.e. Abu Bakr) answered him (Umar): “How can I do what the prophet did not do?” However, Omar objected: “There is great benefit in this matter.” No matter how I tried to avoid this matter, Omar continued his persistent appeals. Finally, (thanks to Omar) I realized the importance of this matter." Then Zeid continued: "Abu Bakr turned to me and said: “You are a young and intelligent man. We trust you completely. Moreover, you were the secretary of the prophet and wrote down the messages sent down ( Allah verses that you heard from the prophet). Now take up the Qur'an and collect it (into a complete list)." Then Zeid said: “By Allah! If Abu Bakr had loaded a whole mountain on me, it would have seemed to me a lighter burden than what he entrusted to me. I objected to him: “How can you do what the messenger did not do?” Allah?" However, Abu Bakr convincingly told me: "I swear by Allah! There is great benefit in this matter,” and he did not give up his persistent appeals and demands on me. Finally, Allah instilled in me the conviction of the necessity of this matter, as He had previously instilled in Abu Bakr." After this, I (Zayd) set to work and began to collect (fragments of the Qur'an) from experts of the Qur'an who knew it by heart (hafiz), as well as from existing (fragments) written on pieces of cloth, date tree leaves and on flat stones. I found the last parts of Surah at-Taubah from Khuzaima or Abu Khuzaima al-Ansari. Apart from him, I did not find these parts from anyone. (All collected ) the pages remained with Abu Bakr until his death. Then Omar took his place, and all the time until Allah took his soul, they remained with him. After him (all the collected pages) were kept by the wife of the prophet, the mother of the faithful, Hafsa bint Omar ibn Khattab" (Bukhari, Fadailul Quran 3, 4, Tafsir, Tauba 20, Ahkam 37; Tirmidhi, Tafsir, Tauba, /3102/). 2. Zuhri reported from Anas: “Hudhaifa came to Osman and said: “O emir of the faithful! Be a helper to the Ummah (Muslim community) and do not allow us, like Jews and Christians, to enter the path of (wanderings, doubts and) conflicts regarding the Book (Holy Scripture). "Othman immediately sent bint Omar ibn Khattab to Hafsa his man and instructed him to convey the following to her: “Send the scrolls (suhuf) that you keep to us. We will make copies of them and return them to you." Hafsa bint Omar ibn Khattab sent the scrolls (to Othman). And he ordered Zeid ibn Thabit, Abdullah ibn azZubair, Said ibn al-As and Abdullah ibn al-Harith ibn Hisham to make copies of them , and they did them. Uthman said to the group of Quraish: “If you have any problems regarding the verses of the Quran with Zayd ibn Thabit, then solve them based on the Quraish dialect. This is because the Koran was revealed precisely in this dialect (of the Arabic language) "And throughout the entire work, this composition acted in exactly this way. When this work was completed, Osman sent one copy of the Koran to all regions (of the caliphate). All the remaining ones ( After the work of the commission) he ordered the scrolls to be burned. Zeid said: “One verse from Surah Ahzab was missing, which I heard from the lips of the Messenger of Allah. I looked for him and finally found him with Khuzaima ibn Thabit al-Ansari. Here is this verse: “Among the believers there are people who are truthful in what they have made a covenant with Allah. “Among them are those who have already completed their limit, and those who are still waiting and have not changed any replacement” Koran (33: 23 )" (Bukhari, Fadailul Quran 2, 3, Menakib 3; Tirmidhi, Tafsir, Tauba, /3103/). 3. In one legend, Ibn Shihab said: “A dispute broke out as to how exactly the expression “On that day” should be expressed. Zayd ibn Thabit insisted that this expression should be read as (Arabic letters) “Alif, Lam, Ta, Alif, Ba, Waw, Ta marbuta,” and Ibn Zubair and Saeed ibn al-As insisted on “Alif, Lam, Ta, Alif, Ba, Vav, Ta." To find out the truth, they turned to Osman. Osman replied: "Write Alif, Lam, Ta, Alif, Ba, Vav, Ta." After all, it was revealed in the dialect of Quraish." 4. Anas said: "During the time of the prophet, the Qur'an was collected by four companions, and all of them were Ansar: Ubay ibn Ka'b, Muadh ibn Jabal, Zaid ibn Thabit and Abu Zeid." He was asked: " And who is Abu Zeid?" He replied: "This is one of my uncles." (Bukhari, Fadailul Quran 8, Menakibul Ansar 17, Muslim, Fadaillyus Sahaba 119, /2465/); Tirmidhi, Manakib, /3796/). These four Hadith tell the story of the collection of the Qur'an into a single book during the time of Abu Bakr and its reproduction during the time of Othman.In general, it is known that: 1. Allah gave prophecy to Muhammad when he was 40 years old; 2. The period of prophecy lasted until his death, in for 23 years. Of these, 13 years in Mecca and 10 years in Medina; 3. During the first 6 months, he received revelations from Allah in a state of sleep; 4. After 6 months in the month of Ramadan, the angel Jibril descended to him and brought the first revelation (wahy al-matluf) This revelation is the first five verses of Surah al-Alaq; 5. After this, the sending of revelations (wahy) stopped and resumed 3 years later. Ibn Hajar, based on one hadith, believed that Jibril still conveyed some revelations to Muhammad during those 3 years; 6. After 3 years, the angel Jibril continuously, over the next 10 years, conveyed Divine revelations to Muhammad in Mecca. The revelations he received in Mecca (before the Hijra/migration) are called Meccan, and in Medina (after the resettlement) they are called Medina. Medina also includes revelations sent down during that period and outside Medina (for example, on the road); 7. The Quran descended from Allah into the world in its entirety on the night of Qadr. And already here, Angel Jibril conveyed Him to the prophet gradually, step by step, for 20 years. This is confirmed by the verse of the Quran: “And We divided the Quran so that you could read it to people with restraint, and We sent it down by sending down” (Quran, 17: 106). The place to which the Quran descended in the world sphere is called Bayt al-Izza. Another hadith says that the angel Jibril brought parts of the Quran to the world for 20 years. Exactly as much as he had to convey revelations to the prophet throughout the year, and then gradually conveyed them to him. Therefore, it turns out that the Quran was revealed in 20 stages. However, this hadith is weak compared to the previous one. Therefore, in this matter, the only correct one is the recognition that the Koran was sent down to the world in its entirety at once, and then gradually, as necessary, was transmitted to the prophet in parts; 8. In the month of Ramadan, the angel Jibril read to the prophet all the verses of the Koran that were revealed over the past year. Then the prophet read them, and Jibril listened to him. This conclusion is made on the basis of a group of hadiths. Some of them say that the prophet read these verses to Jibril, and some of them say that Jibril read them to the prophet. And after that, the prophet read these verses to the people in the mosque, where the people, in turn, memorized them). This process was called Arza. In the last Ramadan of the prophet's life, this process was performed twice, and was called Arza al-Akhira (the last Arza). In the history of the Koran, Arza and especially Arza al-Akhira plays an exceptional role. Thanks to this, it was possible to control people trained to read the Koran, and to prevent their mistakes and forgetting. At the very end, the prophet said to Jibril: “We have been taught this,” to which Jibril replied: “What you have learned is true and complete.” Thus, the month of Ramadan is not only the month in which the Quran was revealed, but also the month during which it was tested. In other words, this month deserves to be spoken of as the month of the Koran. Ahmad ibn Hanbal in his “Musnad” cites a hadith from “Shuab al-Iman” by Bayhaqi, which says: “Tawra (Torah) was revealed on the 6th of Ramadan, Injil (Gospel) - 13 of Ramadan, Zabur (Psalter) - 18 of Ramadan , Koran-24 Ramadan". As you can see, the month of Ramadan played an exceptional role for all the Scriptures that were revealed by Allah; 9. The Prophet gave orders, the orders sent down to him were immediately written down. To do this, he had about 40 clerks and secretaries. Even at critical moments of his life, during the migration from Mecca to Medina or during military campaigns, he never forgot to take his secretary and clerk's supplies with him. Zeid ibn Thabit said that after the secretary wrote down the revelation, the prophet forced him to read the verses again. If he noticed the scribe’s mistakes, he immediately corrected them, and only after that did he allow Divine revelations to be read to the people. At the same time, the prophet was not content with this and insisted that the revelations be learned by heart by the companions. He said that knowing the verses of the Quran by heart will be rewarded by Allah. And this was an additional incentive for the people who sought to learn the verses and receive God's grace. Thus, some Muslims knew the entire Koran by heart, while others knew it in fragments. And in general, at that time it was impossible to be a Muslim and not know a significant part of the Koran. But even the writing and memorization of the Koran by the people was not enough for the prophet. He introduced the third element on the path of preserving the Divine Book - this is a control system. That is, it was systematically checked by oral pronunciation, and vice versa, oral pronunciation was checked by recording. A clear example of this was the Arza process in the month of Ramadan, which was described above. During this period, all Muslims were engaged in monitoring the correctness of the recording and oral pronunciation of the Koran. But this process was not limited to Ramadan only. The prophet had special teachers of the Koran who went to people, taught them and, at the same time, controlled the correctness of the recording and sound of Scripture; 10. Due to the fact that there was no paper at that time, the revelations received by the prophet were written down on date leaves, pieces of flat stone, and leather. These records were made as the verses of Allah were revealed. And the revelation of the verses was mixed. That is, no sooner had the verses of one sura ended than the verses of another, a third, etc. were immediately revealed. Only after the revelation of the verses did the prophet announce which surah and in what order these verses should be written. At the same time, there were revelations that should not have been included in the Koran, but were only temporary and were later canceled by Allah. Therefore, in some records of the verses of the Qur'an there was no consistency, which is inherent in modern editions of the Qur'an. In short, these records were not holistic, but fragmentary. In order to move from fragmentation to systematicity, the prophet introduced the concept of Talif al-Quran. This term appears in the hadiths of the prophet, and in Bukhari’s “Sahih” an entire section of the book is named this way. For example, there is the following hadith: “We, in the presence of the prophet, compiled (talif) the Koran from parts.” Compilation and collection of the Qur'an (talif) The word "talif" is translated to mean "composing" something. It is in this meaning that it is used for the Koran and more specifically means the sequential arrangement of ayats (verses) in suras. The ulema know and understand the talif of the times of the prophet well and call the ordering of verses in suras “tawkif”. That is, the sequence of verses in the suras of the Koran was dictated by Divine command by the angel Jibril. The ulema did not play any role in this matter. For this reason, it is forbidden to read the verses of the Quran in a sequence other than that indicated by the prophet. That is, it is forbidden (haram) to read the verses of any sura from the end to the beginning. This final ban on reading in a sequence other than that specified by the prophet was caused by the fact that some poets, writers, etc. often read various works in the order in which it was beneficial for them, and they wanted to translate this rule into the Koran. However, the order of the suras (chapters) is not “tafkif”. It is accepted by all scholars that this order exists in the Quran on the basis of ijtihad. This order was proposed by the commission for the reproduction of copies of the Koran after the death of Osman. Thus, in prayer, while studying, etc. It is allowed to read the Koran in any sequence of surahs. You can read the Qur'an from the final suras and continue to the beginning. For example, it is permissible to read Surah Kaf before Surah Hajj. Even the prophet, according to some hadiths, read Surah Nisa before Surah Al-Imran during night prayer. In the list of the Koran proposed by Ubay ibn Ka'b, these suras are arranged in exactly this way. The merits of Zeid ibn Thabit As noted above, Zeid ibn Thabit agreed to compile a single text of the Quran. Omar ibn Khattab helped him organize this important matter. Abu Bakr instructed Zeid not to rely on his memory, and stipulated that he (Zayd) must have two written certificates to prove the accuracy of each verse that he compiled into the final list (see below). Abu Bakr announced the beginning of work on the collection of the Qur'an throughout the city of Medina and demanded that citizens who had written fragments of the Qur'an bring them to the mosque and hand them over to Zeid. The fragments brought by the population were controlled by Omar, who knew exactly which of these fragments had been verified by the prophet and which had not. It is believed that many of the fragments brought were copies verified at Arza al-Akhir (see above). This alone shows how important Arza al-Akhira was for the history of Islam. Scientists call the two fragments of the Quran brought as written evidence. The two pieces of evidence are compared with the third element. The third element (or original) was the data of Zeid ibn Thabit, since he was one of the best experts on the Koran, who knew it by heart. He compared the fragments he brought with his knowledge. At the same time, there were some exceptions. The last two verses of Surah Tawba were brought in written form by one man. These verses were among the very last revealed to the prophet, so only he had them in written form. The other Companions did not have a written version of these verses, although they were known to Zayd and other Companions through oral transmission (i.e. they knew them by heart). That man had only one person's testimony, not two, as had been previously agreed upon. His witness was Khuzaima ibn Thabit. Zeid, having learned about this, said: “After all, the prophet said about Khuzayma ibn Thabit that his testimony is equal to the testimony of two men (shahadatayn)” and accepted the written fragments brought. None of the companions of the prophets (ashabs) who learned about this objected to Zeid that these verses were not from the Koran. At the same time, Zeid ibn Thabit refused to accept a fragment brought by Omar ibn Khattab himself, in which it was written about the stoning of adulterers (See Rajm). Omar could not provide not only the second written, but also oral evidence. The Prophet said about stoning: “This is a sign (verse) of Allah!” However, he said this with the meaning: “This is a sign (verse) that is contained in the books that were revealed in the early books (before the Quran).” Omar forgot about this and therefore made a mistake. According to some reports, Zeid ibn Thabit accepted verse 23 of Surah Ahzab, confirmed by one testimony. However, here too this testimony belonged to Khuzaima ibn Thabit ashShahadatayn (i.e., the person whose testimony the prophet equated with two testimonies). Upon careful examination of the above-mentioned three verses, which were accepted with the written testimony of one witness, it is not difficult to see that all of them are completely unrelated to the issues of “permissible and prohibited” (halalharam) and religious injunctions (ahkam). It should be noted that the history of the Koran is not limited to its collection by Zeid ibn Thabit into a single book. After all, many Muslims knew it by heart from beginning to end. And even more Muslims knew him partially. They constantly read the Koran during prayers and other prayers (dua). The hadith of Anas mentions 6 best experts of the Koran: Ubay ibn Kaab, Muaz ibn Jabal, Zeid ibn Sabit, Abu Zeid, Abu Darda, Saad ibn Ubada. Among those from whom the Koran should have been learned, the prophet named Salim Maula Abu Huzaifa and Abdullah ibn Masud. Among the experts of the Koran (hafiz), the prophet also named the woman Umm Waraqa. However, the number of hafiz was not limited only to these people. According to Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (Fath al-Bari, 10, 425–430), among the Muhajirs, the experts of the Koran (hafiz) were Abu Bakr, Omar, Ali, Talha, Saad, Ibn Masud, Huzaifa, Salim, Abu Huraira, Abdullah ibn Sahib and others. Among women, Aisha and Umm Salama were experts in the Koran (hafiz). To this list Abu Dawood added the muhajirs Tamim ibn Aus adDari, Uqbu ibn Amir; Ansars Ubabu ibn al-Samit, Muaz Abu Khulaym, Mujammi ibn Jariya, Fudal ibn Ubayd, Maslama ibn Mahledi. As can be seen from all this, it is impossible to limit the number of people who knew the Quran and collected it into a single book only to a narrow circle of companions. There is no basis for attempts to limit the scholars of the Qur'an to the number of persons indicated in the hadith of Anas. Some limited this circle of persons to five and six people. However, as stated above, the Koran was the property of a huge number of people, and not a limited circle of people. In this regard, it is appropriate to mention that during the lifetime of the prophet, 70 Koranic experts (qurra) fell as martyrs in Bir al-Mauna. The same number of Kurra fell in the battle of Yamam. In connection with the above, it should be noted that the number of scholars of the Koran during the life of the prophet cannot be established. There is no doubt that this number amounted to many hundreds. Thus, during the collection of the Koran by Zeid ibn Thabit during the life of Abu Bakr, there were many experts on the Koran (qurra) and none of them had any complaints or comments about the work of Zeid ibn Thabit. Reproduction of copies of the Koran The Koran was collected into a single book immediately after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, under the first caliph Abu Bakr. But there was only one copy. This continued until the period of the Caliphate of Omar. During the Caliphate of Othman, some controversy arose regarding the correct reading of the Qur'an. The Quran was revealed in seven versions (harf) of reading (See Qiraa). Within these limits, the Sharia allowed the reading of the Book. However, among the masses of the people, arbitrary readings were noted in dialects of the Arabic language other than Quraish, which were spoken by Arabs from various tribes. Moreover, everyone believed that it was his dialect that supposedly most adequately reflected the meanings of the Koran. Abu Dawud in his book "Masahif" cited information that in the reading of the Koran there were serious disagreements between the teachers who taught the Koran and the students. These misunderstandings led to serious conflicts. Caliph Osman was concerned about this and repeatedly spoke on this topic in khutbahs. After some time, these disputes and misunderstandings also engulfed the Muslim army. In particular, they covered the army units that conquered Azerbaijan and Armenia. In particular, serious disagreements began between Syrian soldiers and Iraqi soldiers. Syrian soldiers read the Koran according to the qiraa (reading) of Ubayy ibn Ka'b, and Iraqi soldiers according to the qiraa of Abdullah ibn Masud. The parties considered their reading to be the only correct one and began accusing each other of falsifications. A little more, and the parties would have raised weapons against each other. In this situation, the commander of the army, Huzaifa al-Yaman, urgently arrived in Medina and, without even resting from the road, went to Caliph Osman, to whom he reported on the critical situation in the army. Huzaifa persistently asked the Caliph to save Muslims from this disaster (this was narrated in the hadith given above). Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Osman immediately convened the Council of the Prophet's Companions. It is necessary to mention one testimony from Ali ibn Abu Talib regarding this: “Always say the kindest words about Osman, and do not say anything bad about him. I swear by Allah that in matters related to the Koran, he did not do anything on his own, except without receiving the sanction of the Council, which he assembled from among us (i.e., the companions of the prophet). One day he said: “What do you think about the readings (qiraa) of the Koran? According to the information that I have, some people recognize only their qiraa as the only correct one and deny others. Are such antics not actions bordering on kufr (i.e. disbelief)?" We told him: "First of all, we would like to listen to you." He replied: "I want to give orders for the reproduction of a single and definitive copy of the Qur'an. If I do this, there will be no more strife and misunderstandings." We answered him: "You think correctly." According to Ibn Sirin, the Council convened by Caliph Osman consisted of 12 people and among them was Ubay ibn Ka'b. Having received the support of the Council , Osman gave the order to reproduce a copy of the Koran of Abu Bakr, which was in the Quraish dialect, and distribute it among the people. That is, it was the dialect in which Allah finally revealed all the verses to the Prophet Muhammad. For this, he called Zeid ibn Thabit and instructed him to head the commission for the reproduction of the Koran. According to Musab ibn Saad, “Othman ordered the selection of members of this commission. He asked: “Who has the best handwriting?” They answered him: “The secretary of the prophet was Zeid ibn Thabit.” He asked again: “And who knows the Arabic language best?” They answered him: “Said ibn al-As.” After which Osman said: “Then let Said dictate and Zeid write.” They said about Said ibn al-As that he the dialect was very reminiscent of the prophet's manner of speech. The number of commission members and their names are given differently in different chronicles. Ibn Abu Dawud reported that it included Malik ibn Abu Amir, Kathir ibn Eflakh, Ubay ibn Kaab, Anas ibn Malik, Abdullah ibn Abbas and others. Bukhari reports about Zeid ibn Sabit, Abdullah ibn Zubair, Said ibn al-As and Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Harith. This commission was headed by Zeid ibn Thabit. Caliph Osman instructed the commission as follows: “You will multiply the number of copies of the Holy Quran. If disputes arise between you and Zeid, then resolve them on the basis of the Quraish dialect only. For it was in this dialect that it was revealed." How many of the first copies of the Koran were there? Various figures are given in the chronicles about the number of the first copies of the Koran. Some give data about 4, some about 5, and some about 7 copies. From the sources giving the number 7, it is known that one of the copies remained in Medina. Others (one Book each) were sent to Mecca, Sham (Damascus), Yemen, Bahrain, Basra and Kufa. After this, Othman ordered the destruction of all remaining fragments, which remained after the work of the commission. Muaz ibn Saad recalled: “When Osman destroyed the remaining fragments, I heard the opinions of many people about this. Everyone unanimously supported and approved his actions." And Abu Kilaba recalled: "When Osman completed the destruction of the fragments, he sent a message to all Muslim provinces, which contained the following words: “I have done such a job (reproducing the Koran). After that I destroyed all the fragments remaining outside the Book. I instruct you to destroy them in your areas." The difference between the Scrolls (Suhuf) and the Scripture (Mushaf). Between the Scrolls (Suhuf) of the time of Abu Bakr and the Scripture compiled on the basis of these scrolls during the time of Othman, there is some difference.The work carried out during the time of Abu Bakr to preserve the Qur'an was carried out urgently due to the fact that many hafiz of the Qur'an were killed in wars, and there was a threat of oblivion of the Qur'an with the death of these people.The scrolls collected at that time were a collection of fragments written down during the time of the prophet and verified by him during “arza al-akhir". These fragments were widely known and knew by heart. However, they did not yet exist in a collected, unified form. It was not possible to collect them into a single book during the time of the prophet due to the fact that no one knew when the revelations of Allah would cease and in which particular surah the new revelations sent to the prophet would need to be written. Abu Bakr, on the basis of the order of the prophet, arranged the verses (verses) of the Koran in strict sequence according to suras (chapters). The scriptures proliferated during the time of Othman were intended to put an end to the strife caused by the recitation of the Qur'an in various non-Quraish dialects. This work was aimed at developing a single text of the Koran for all Muslims. As a result of this, unity was achieved on the issue that the reading should only be in the Quraish dialect. It was announced that “from now on we should have unity and the Koran should be read only in the Quraish dialect, since this is the native language of the prophet.” Besides this, the order of the sequence of suras has been achieved in this Scripture. This work was not carried out by the directives of Osman, but was carried out by a commission that was appointed by common consent of the companions of the prophet. Further history of the Scrolls of Abu Bakr. After Hafsa bint Omar ibn Khattab returned the fragments of the Koran taken from her, they remained with her. Osman did not destroy them along with other fragments. Umayyad Marwan, being the ruler of Medina, asked her to bring these fragments, but Hafsa refused him. It was only after Hafsa's death that Marwan sent for the Scrolls (Suhuf) and asked them to be given to him. Abdullah ibn Omar sent them to him. Marwan destroyed this Suhuf. After this, he explained his actions in the following way: “I destroyed these fragments because in the future there may be people who want to cause confusion among Muslims and will refer to this Suhuf, presenting the matter as if it differs from the Koran of Osman.” Thus, the initiative for the collection of the Quran belongs to Omar ibn Khattab. Caliph Abu Bakr Siddiq organized work in this direction. Zeid ibn Thabit was the executor of this matter. Caliph Osman ibn Affan ordered to reproduce the Koran, clarify the correct sound of the verses and their correct arrangement. This work was also carried out by Zayd ibn Thabit and with him many other Sahabah (companions). (Canan I. Kutubi Sitte muhtasari. C. 4. Ankara, 1995, pp. 477–493). Introduction of special signs into the Koran for vocalization of the text Muslims continued to copy suras from the Koran of Osman, preserving his method of writing until the present day. They only added periods and vowels, and also improved the writing. This was done in order to facilitate the reading of the Koran in the true form in which it was heard from the Prophet of Allah and in which we hear it from the reciters of the Koran now and which corresponds to the Koran of Osman. After all, the Koran, written down during the time of Caliph Osman, was devoid of periods and vowels. When Islam began to be accepted not only by the Arabs, and there was a danger of corruption of the Koran, the ruler of Iraq, Ziyad, asked Abul Aswad al-Duali (d. 681), one of the greatest and most skillful reciters, to put symbols in the text for people to make their reading correct. He put the endings of words in the Koran, depicting “fatha” as a dot above the letter, “kasra” as a dot on it, “damma” as a dot on the side, and made two dots with the “tanvina” sign. The method of voicing Abul Aswad spread and people used it. However, this method did not take into account all the features of the language, and therefore sometimes distortions in the vocalization or pronunciation of words arose in reading. To correct this, Nasr ibn Asim suggested placing another dot above or below dotted letters [Abul Abbas's dot indicated consonance and was placed in ink different from that with which the text was written. As for the Nasr dots, which distinguished the letters, they were made with the same ink with which the text was written.] Later, another reader of the Koran, al-Khalil ibn Ahmad, vowed all the letters of the words in the Koran, changing the previous type of vowels introduced by Abul Aswad. He made the “fathi” sign with an oblique “alif” above the letter (meaning the vowel sound “a” and soft “a”), “kasry” - “ya” below it (meaning the vowel sound “i” and soft “i”), “ damma” – “vav” above it (meaning the vowel sound “u”) and also introduced the signs “madda” (repeating consonants) and “tashdida”. After Khalil, the vocalization of the Koran took its current form. Then the experts of the Qur'an began to mark pauses and beginnings in the reading of the Qur'an and to study the theory of language, which would clarify the understanding of the Qur'an, improve its reading, and make it possible to comprehend the reasons for the inimitability of the Qur'an. Then the art of reciting the Qur'an was developed in order to express longitudes, mergings and melodiousness. In the reading of the Koran, the view of it that came from the Messenger of Allah was conveyed. When printing houses appeared that printed the Koran, it became available to every Muslim to purchase a copy of it. (“Muslim education”. M., 1993, pp. 178–179). Contents of the Qur'an The Qur'an was revealed over a period of 23 years in Mecca and Medina. The Meccan period lasted about thirteen years. At that time, Islam was not a state religion and therefore in the Meccan suras more attention is paid to the doctrines of prophecy, eschatology, spirituality, as well as ethical issues. The most important postulate and leitmotif of the entire content of the Koran is the doctrine of monotheism (tawhid), which originates from the first man Adam. The doctrine of monotheism rejects the existence of other gods besides the true Creator of all existing existence and prescribes the obligation to serve only Him. As for the second (Medina) period of the revelation of the Qur'anic revelations, they give greater importance to social, economic issues, problems of war and peace, law, family relationships, etc. This is explained by the fact that Islam in Medina became the state religion. That is, the verses of the Koran were revealed taking into account the real situation in which Muhammad and the first Muslims found themselves. Moreover, Divine commands in a number of cases were sent down gradually, from easier forms to more complex ones. For example, initially Muslims prayed twice a day, and then the commandment came to pray five times a day. In accordance with real circumstances, Allah could send down one revelation, which was temporary, and then cancel it and replace it with a new one (See Naskh and Mansukh). All this was necessary for a better perception of religion by Muslims. The revelation of the Quran gradually, piecemeal, also contributed to its better acceptance by the people: “The infidels ask: “Why was the Quran not revealed to him at one time?” We did so and [commanded you] to read the Qur'an in parts in order to strengthen your heart [in faith]" (25: 32). This made it easier to study and practically apply in everyday life. In its content and style, the Koran has no analogues in the world: “Or the polytheists will claim: “Muhammad invented the Koran.” You answer: “Compose at least one sura similar to the Koran, and call [for help] whomever you can besides Allah, if you really [think so]” (10: 38). This Book was revealed not only for the Arabs, but for all mankind: “We sent you [Muhammad, a messenger] only as a mercy to the inhabitants of the worlds” (21: 107). At the same time, the Koran itself does not contain anything fundamentally new, previously unknown. This book tells about such ancient prophets as Adam, Lut, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa, etc., gives information about various events from their lives. At the same time, the Koran also talks about events that should happen in the future, as for example in the verse: “The Byzantines were defeated within the closest [their enemy] borders. But after defeat they [themselves] will gain the upper hand in a few years. Allah commands everyone before [the victory of some] and after [the future victory of others]. And on that day the believers will rejoice thanks to the help of Allah. He gives help to whom He wishes. He is great and merciful" (Quran 30: 2-5). This verse was revealed after the Shah of Iran, Khosrow II of the Sassanid dynasty, captured the eastern provinces of the Byzantine Empire in 614 during the Byzantine-Persian War (602–628). And indeed, a few years later, at the end of the 20s of the 7th century after the birth of the prophet Jesus, Emperor Heraclius, launching a counter-offensive against the Persians, managed to inflict a series of defeats on them and return the lost provinces to his control. The Koran also talks about the problems of the origin and essence of being, various forms of life, cosmology and cosmogony: - Allah is the one who created the heavens and the earth and what is between them in six days, then sat on the throne. There is no patron or intercessor for you besides Him. Will you really not come to your senses? He spreads His command from heaven to earth, and then [the command again] ascends to Him during the day, which by your count lasts a thousand years (32:4-5). “Do the infidels really not know that the heavens and the earth were one and that We separated them and created all living things from water? Will they really [even after this] not believe? (21:30). - Oh people! If you doubt the resurrection [at the Last Judgment, remember] that We created you from dust, then from a drop of semen, then from a clot of blood, then from a piece of flesh, whether visible in appearance or not yet manifested, [and all this we speak] to you for clarification. We place in our wombs what we desire before the appointed time. Then We bring you out [from the womb] as babies, then We [raise you] until you reach adulthood; but some of you will be laid to rest [at an early age], while others will reach such an advanced age that they will forget everything they knew. You see the earth dry. But as soon as We send down water to it, it swells, spreads out and gives birth to all kinds of beautiful plants (22:5). The Koran also contains Divine commands regarding service (See Ibada), various social transactions (See Muamala) and punishments for offenses (See Uquba). Thus, the Koran contains general principles for all aspects of individual and social existence. About various options for reading the Koran (See Qiraa).

An ancient hand scripted Quran

The Koran is the holy book of Muslims, a collection of revelations sent by Allah to Muhammad from above, the basis of Muslim doctrine. Based on the basic provisions of the Koran, social, economic, political, legal and family relations are built in Islam. The Quran was revealed in Arabic. The Qur'an is a book containing more than 500 pages of text and 114 chapters (surahs). Significant portions of the text of the Quran are rhymed prose.

According to the doctrine of Islam, the Koran is an uncreated book, existing forever, like Allah himself, it is his word. Judging by the data of the Muslim tradition, the revelations of Allah were transmitted to the Prophet Muhammad around the years 610-632, and their recording, collection and compilation of the book lasted for many years. And for almost 14 centuries this book has lived and retained its significance not only as a religious, but also as a historical and literary monument. In countries where Islam is the state religion, many legal acts are based on the Koran; people take oaths and oaths on the Koran. The study of the Koran and its interpretations (tafsir) is one of the main subjects of religious educational institutions in a number of countries.

What does the word “Koran” mean?

The title of the Muslim holy book is usually translated as "reading". But this does not mean reading in the literal sense of the word. After all, Muhammad read his sermons not from a written text, but from memory. In addition, Muhammad delivered his sermons rhythmically, as if reciting them. The word “Quran” is often used with the article “al” - “Al-Quran”, which means a holy book, which, like the Bible, the Torah, is intended to be read aloud, by heart. According to Muslim tradition, the Koran cannot be translated into other languages. Muslims whose native language is not Arabic memorize the most important parts of the Qur'an. Reading or listening to the Koran in Arabic means for a Muslim to listen to the speech of God himself.

The famous scientist, orientalist, translator of the Koran into Russian I. Yu. Krachkovsky writes that the Koran is very difficult to understand, many manifestations of the spiritual world of the people of that era turned out to be forever lost to our time. Since translating and printing the Koran into other languages ​​was forbidden, therefore for a very long time the Koran was only copied.

Being illiterate, Muhammad did not write down his sermons, but many of his followers memorized them because they were similar to poetry. Those who knew the entire Koran by heart were called hafiz. However, some passages of the Koran were written down by literate Arabs on palm leaves, parchment, flat bones, and clay tablets. Part of the holy book was written down by Muhammad's personal scribe, Zayd ibn Thabit.

After the death of the prophet, the first caliph, friend and relative Abu Bakr, decided to collect all the texts and compile a collection of Muhammad's sermons. The first version of the Koran (Suhuf) appeared, but the final book of the prophet, prepared under Caliph Uthman, was called “Mushaf” and was canonized. This book was large in size and written on parchment. Several copies were made of the Mushaf, one of which is kept in the Kaaba next to the “black stone”. Another copy of the Koran is kept in Medina, in the courtyard of the Prophet's Mosque. It is believed that two more original copies of the Koran have survived: one is in Cairo, in the Egyptian National Library, the other in Tashkent.

The Koran for Muslims is a guide to action and life. It is addressed to Muslims and gives them advice on how to live, work, and relate to people. The Koran is a guide in which a Muslim finds answers to many questions that interest him. Being predominantly a religious-philosophical work and a legislative book. The Koran is a unique historical and literary work, by reading which we learn about the geographical features of the Arabian Peninsula, about the life and way of life, the activities of the Arabs, and the historical events of that era. In the Koran you can read about the moral culture of Muslims, their behavior, and relationships. Dwelling on the contents of the Koran, we note that Muhammad’s sermons present various subjects - traditions, myths, legends of Arab tribes. The fight against polytheism, the affirmation of monotheism, that is, the unity of God, is the main idea of ​​the Koran. The Koran presents some religious information about the immortality of the soul, about heaven and hell, about the end of the world, about the Day of Judgment, about the creation of the world and man, about the fall of the first people - Adam and Eve, about the global flood and others.

A distinctive feature of the Koran is that Allah speaks in it in the first person - this is the first and most significant difference between the Koran and the Torah and the Gospel. Most of the Koran is a dialogue between Allah and people, but always through Muhammad, through his lips. Since the Koran is a difficult work to understand, there are different interpretations of it. The most authoritative scholars were and still are allowed to interpret the Koran; it is unacceptable to distort the meaning of a single verse of the Koran. Unfortunately, these days we see how various terrorist organizations and sects, interpreting and distorting the meaning of the Koran in their own way, call illiterate people to war and to commit all sorts of crimes against humanity.

Also amazing and attractive in the Koran is the imagery of presentation, emotionality, and richness of poetic techniques and vocabulary. The verses of the Koran worried many famous scientists and poets. The great Russian poet A. S. Pushkin wrote about the role of the Koran:

The list is given from the heavenly book

You, prophet, are not for the obstinate:

Calmly proclaim the Quran,

Without forcing the wicked!

And the great Tatar poet G. Tukay noted: “The Koran is a true stronghold.” Let us remember the words of B. Pasternak regarding the Bible, but they are surprisingly applicable to the Koran: “... this is not so much a book with hard text as a notebook for humanity.” The texts of the Koran are ancient, but ageless, accepted by past generations and awaiting acceptance by future generations, feeding followers of Islam, scientists, and poets with living thought...

This is interesting:

English Islamic scholar William Watt writes: “When Arab studies, Arab thought, Arab writings are presented in full, it becomes clear that without the Arabs, European science and philosophy could not have developed at such a pace. The Arabs were not just transmitters, but also genuine carriers of Greek thought. The Europeans had to learn everything they could from the Arabs before they could move forward." (L. I. Klimovich “Book about the Koran, its origin and mythology.” - M., 1986)

Etymology

There are several opinions about the origin of the name. According to the generally accepted version, it is derived from the verbal verb qaraʾa(قرأ), “kara’a” (“read, reading”). It is also possible that it comes from “kerian” (“reading the sacred text”, “edification”)

The Qur'an itself uses various names for the final revelation, of which the most common are:

• Furqan (discrimination between good and evil, truth and falsehood, permitted and forbidden) (Quran, 25:1)
• Kitab (Book) (Quran, 18:1)
• Dhikr (Reminder) (Quran, 15:1)
• Tanzil (Revelation) (Quran, 26:192)

The word “mushaf” refers to individual copies of the Koran.

Meaning in Islam

In Islam, the Holy Quran is the constitution that Allah sent down to His Messenger so that every person could establish a relationship with the Lord, with himself and the society in which he lives, and fulfill his life mission as the Lord of the worlds wished (Koran , 2:185). It is an eternal miracle that will not lose any of its importance and relevance until the Day of Resurrection.

He who believes in him gets rid of slavery to creation and begins a new life, since his soul seems to be born again so that he can serve the Almighty and earn His mercy.

Muslims accept this grace, adhere to the divine guidance, follow its injunctions, obey its commands, avoid its prohibitions and do not transgress its restrictions. Following the Quranic path is the key to happiness and prosperity, while moving away from it is the cause of unhappiness (Quran, 6:155).

The Quran educates Muslims in the spirit of righteousness, fear of God and good behavior

The Prophet Muhammad explained that the best of people is the one who studies the Quran and teaches other people this knowledge.

The Koran contains the basic principles and ideas of Muhammad's creed, according to Muslim tradition, which were transmitted to him by Allah himself, through the angel Gabriel. This book contains many intersections with Judaism and Christianity. Islamic theologians explain this by saying that Allah had previously conveyed his covenants to Musa and Isa, but over time these covenants began to become outdated or distorted, and only Muhammad conveyed the true faith to believers.

Researchers divide the suras into two groups - Meccan and Medina. The first group dates back to the period when Muhammad was just beginning his journey as a prophet. The second group dates back to the time when the prophet received widespread recognition and veneration. The later Medinan surahs place less emphasis on vague speculations about the Last Judgment and the like and concentrate more on formulating rules of conduct, assessing historical events and the like.

The text of the Qur'an is fragmentary, but not contradictory. In his book, the Almighty invites unbelievers to find contradictions in their Scripture if they are so sure of Its imperfection and untruth. Later, in addition to the Koran, oral traditions, hadiths appeared, telling about the life of the prophet. Soon after the death of Muhammad, hadith began to be collected by his followers and in the ninth century six collections were compiled, making up the so-called Sunnah.

The Koran was revealed not only to the Arabs, but also to all humanity: “We sent you only as a mercy to the inhabitants of all the worlds” (Koran, 21:107) [ affiliated source?] .

Characters of the Quran

About a quarter of the text of the Koran describes the lives of various prophets, most of whose descriptions coincide with the biblical ones. The prophets included the Old Testament patriarchs Adam, Noah, kings David and Solomon and others. The Koran also mentions kings and righteous men whose names were not mentioned in the Bible (Luqman, Dhul-Qarnayn, etc.). The last in the list of prophets is the prophet Muhammad himself and it is stated that after him there will be no other prophets. At the same time, the Koran is more consistent in its description of Jesus - he is neither God nor the son of God. Thus, the idea of ​​monotheism is preserved to a much greater extent than in Christianity. The theological and philosophical part is also rich in borrowings from the Bible. However, all this did not harm the authority of the Koran. On the contrary, thanks to such similarities between the holy books, it was easier for the Christians conquered by the Muslims to accept the new faith.

Structure of the Quran

Surahs, with a few exceptions, are arranged in the Qur'an according to their size rather than chronologically. First there are long suras, then suras with a gradually decreasing number of verses.

The most important suras and verses of the Koran

History of the Quran

Manuscript of the Koran 7th century.

According to Islamic tradition, it is believed that the Koran came down to the world from Allah in its entirety on the night of Qadr, but the angel Gabriel transmitted it to the prophet in parts for 23 years (Koran, 17:106).

During his public activities, Muhammad made many sayings and delivered many sermons. Moreover, when he spoke on behalf of Allah, he used rhymed prose, which in ancient times was the traditional form of speech for oracles. These sayings, in which the prophet spoke on behalf of Allah, became the Koran. The rest of the sayings became part of legends. Since Muhammad himself could neither read nor write, he ordered his secretary to write down sayings on pieces of paper and bones. However, some of his sayings were preserved not thanks to the notes, but thanks to the memory of pious people. As a result, the revelations formed 114 suras or 30 pericopes. Due to the arbitrary order of the revelations, it is difficult for critics to determine their chronological order. However, there are several ways to sort them by time. For example, one reliable legend divides the suras into Meccan and Medina. However, this method does not always work, since some of the suras are composed of revelations from different periods.

During the life of the prophet, there was no need for the Koran - any unclear questions could be explained by Muhammad himself. However, after his death, the rapidly spreading Islam required a clearly formulated written law, supported by the name of the prophet. In this regard, Abu Bekr and Umar commissioned the prophet's former secretary, Zaid ibn Thabit, to compile an initial summary of the existing records of the prophet's words. Quite quickly, Zeid completed his work and presented the initial version of the Koran. In parallel with him, other people were busy with the same work. Thanks to this, four more collections of Allah’s commandments appeared. Zeid was tasked with bringing all five revisions together and upon completion of this work, the original drafts were destroyed. The result of Zeid's work was recognized as the canonical version of the Koran. Legend has it that Caliph Osman himself loved to read this version, and it was this version that he was reading at the moment when he was killed by the crowd. There are even ancient manuscripts of the Koran that are said to be stained with the blood of the caliph.

Already in the first decades after the death of Muhammad, differences emerged between the followers of Islam. These followers began to be divided into the first directions and sects - Sunnis, Kharijites and Shiites. Among them, the attitude towards the canonical Koran was different. Sunnis accepted Zeid's text unconditionally. The Kharijites, who had puritanical views, began to object to the 12th sura, which tells about Joseph being sold by his brothers into slavery in Egypt. From the point of view of the Kharijites, the sura too loosely described the attempts of the wife of an Egyptian nobleman to seduce Joseph. The Shiites believed that, on the orders of Osman, all passages telling about Ali and the prophet’s attitude towards him were removed from the Koran. However, all those who were dissatisfied were forced to use Zeid’s version.

As its name suggests, the Qur'an was meant to be read aloud. Over time, it turned into a whole art - the Koran had to be read like the Torah in the synagogue, recitative and chanting. Also, everyone had to remember a significant part of the text by heart. Both in the past and now there are people who remember the entire Quran by heart. Due to this, the Koran plays an important role in public education, in some places being the only educational material. Since language teaching is based on it, the Arabic language is spreading along with Islam. And all literature related to Islam, regardless of its language, is full of references to the Koran.

Quran and science

Koran, 9th century

Muslim theologians claim that the Qur'an is certainly not a scientific work, but the facts mentioned in it, related to various fields of knowledge, indicate that the scientific potential of the Qur'an was many times greater than the level of knowledge that humanity had achieved at the time of the appearance of the Qur'an. This question has been and remains the object of research by scientists.

This concordism strives to harmonize the Koranic tale of peacemaking with the data of modern science. Through some, often poetic and vague, verses, proponents of this concept “predict” plate tectonics, the speed of light, etc. However, it should be emphasized that most of these verses can also describe observable facts known already at the time of the creation of the Quran or widespread theories ( for example, Galen's theory).

The most popular proponent of Qur'anic concordism is the Turkish publicist Adnan Oktar, better known by his pen name Harun Yahya. In his books, he clearly rejects the theory of evolution, thereby remaining in the position of creationism.

It is widely believed in the modern Islamic world that the Qur'an predicted many scientific theories and discoveries. Muslim preacher Idris Galyautdin in one of his books listed the names of modern scientists who converted to Islam after making another discovery and saw that it was reflected in the Koran 14 centuries ago. One of them was academician Maurice Bucaille, a member of the French Academy of Medicine. However, such lists can be viewed with caution: contrary to what is often stated, M. Bucaille apparently was not a member of the French Academy of Medicine. Other lists also include Jacques-Yves Cousteau, although a denial of his conversion was published by his foundation back in 1991.

Studying the Quran

Sources of Qur'anic stories

The source of the stories of the Koran, according to Islam, is only the Almighty. This is indicated by many suras of the holy book: “We sent down the Koran on the night of Power” (Koran, 97:1), “If people and jinn had gathered to make something like this Koran, they would not have created something like this, even if some of them were other helpers" (Quran, 17:90).

Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad was given the Koran by the Almighty to correct the distortions that people had made in the early divine scriptures - the Torah and the Gospel. There is a final version of the Divine Law in the Qur'an (Qur'an, 2:135).

First and last chapters of the Qur'an together

Literary structure

There is a consensus among Arab scholars in using the Qur'an as the standard by which other Arabic literature is judged. Muslims claim that the Koran has no analogues in content and style.

Qur'anic Sciences

Interpretation

Both the contradictions in the text of the Koran and the increased demands of the gigantic caliphate gave rise to an urgent need for constant commentary on the contents of the Koran. This process is called “tafsir” - “interpretation”, “exegesis”. This process was started by Muhammad himself, who justified contradictions in his sermons by referring to the changed will of Allah. This subsequently grew into the institution of naskh. Naskh (abrogation) was used when it was known for sure that two passages of the Koran contradict each other. In order to avoid ambiguity in the reading of the text, within the framework of naskh it was established which text should be considered true and which should be considered outdated. The first was called “nasikh”, the second was called “mansukh”. According to some sources, the Koran includes 225 such contradictions, and more than 40 sutras contain canceled verses.

In addition to the institution of naskh, tafsir also includes commenting on texts. First of all, such comments are necessary for those places that are too vague or, like the 12th sutra about Joseph, too frivolous. Interpretations of such places were given depending on the circumstances. As is often the case with ancient religious texts, references to allegories played a significant role in such interpretations. It was stated that such a text should not be interpreted literally and was only intended to demonstrate one idea or another. Also, when interpreting the Koran, materials from the hadiths of the Sunnah were often used.

The doctrine of the interpretation of the Koran began to emerge as an independent field of science in the 10th century, when, through the efforts of the famous theologian Muhammad al-Tabari and commentators of his generation, such as Ibn Abu Hatim, the early period of interpretation of the Koran was summed up.

Following them, fundamental works in this area were compiled by Ibn Abu Hatim, Ibn Majah, al-Hakim and other commentators.

The Science of Pronunciation of the Qur'an

The Arabic word "qiraat" means "readings of the Qur'an." The most famous are the 10 ways to read the Quran. Ten qurra, imams of the qiraat:

1. Nafi" al-Madani (died 169 AH)
2. Abdullah b. Kathir al-Makki (died 125 AH). But do not confuse him with Mufassir Ismail b. Kathir who died in 774 AH.
3. Abu Amr b. Alya al-Basri (died 154 AH)
4. Abdullah b. Amr al-Shami (died 118 AH)
5. Asim b. Abi al-Najud al-Kufi (died 127 AH)
6. Hamza b. Khubayb al-Kufi (died 156 AH)
7. Ali b. Hamza al-Kisa'i al-Kufi (died 187 AH)
8. Abu Ja'far Yazid b. Al-Qa'qa" al-Madani (died 130 AH)
9. Yakub b. Ishaq al-Hadrami al-Basri (died 205 AH)
10. Khalaf b. Hisham al-Basri (died 229 AH)

The book “Manarul Huda” says: “The truth is that when people from different tribes came to Muhammad, he explained the Koran in their dialect, that is, he pulled it out in one, two or three alifs, pronounced it firmly or softly.” The seven qiraats are the seven types of Arabic dialect (Lughat).

In the book “An-neshr” 1/46, Imam Ibn al-Jazari cited from Imam Abul Abbas Ahmad b. Al-Mahdani says: “Basically, residents of large cities read according to the imams: Nafi,” Ibni Kathir, Abu Amr, Asim, Ibni Amir, Hamza and Kisai. Subsequently, people began to be content with one qiraat, it even came to the point that those who read other qiraats were considered guilty, and sometimes they made takfir (accused of unbelief). But Ibni Mujahid adhered to the opinion of seven qurra and managed to convey to others the validity of the remaining qiraats. We do not know of any work where at least one qiraat was mentioned besides the seven known to us, and That’s why we say seven qiraats.”

Each of the ten qurras, regarding their type of recitation, has reliable evidence that their qiraat reaches the Messenger of Allah himself. Here are all seven authentic (sahih) qiraats:

In culture

Page from the Koran

Translations

Quran with Persian translation

Theologians believe that the translation of the meanings of the Koran should be based on reliable hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad, comply with the principles of the Arabic language and the generally accepted provisions of the Muslim Sharia. Some believed that when publishing a translation it is obligatory to indicate that it is a simple explanation of the meanings of the Koran. The translation cannot serve as a substitute for the Koran during prayers.

Experts divide translations of the Koran into two large groups: literal and semantic. Due to the complexity of translation from Arabic into other languages ​​(in particular, into Russian) and the ambiguity of interpretation of many words and phrases, semantic translations are considered the most preferable. However, you need to understand that the interpreter can make mistakes, just like the author of the translation.

Koran in Russia

Main article: Koran in Russia

The first translation of the Koran was published by order of Peter I in 1716. This translation has long been attributed to P. V. Postnikov, but recent archival research has shown that the translation actually made by Postnikov remains in two manuscripts, one of which is marked with his name, and the translation printed in 1716 has nothing in common with that belonging to Postnikov and much worse in quality, it has to be considered anonymous. In modern Russia, the most popular translations of four authors are the translations of I. Yu. Krachkovsky, V. M. Porokhova, M.-N. O. Osmanov and E. R. Kuliev. Over the last three centuries, more than a dozen translations of the Koran and tafsirs have been written in Russia.

Overall evaluation of translations

It is worth noting that when translating or conveying meanings into Russian, as is the case with any attempt to translate the Holy Scriptures, it was not possible to avoid inaccuracies and errors, including gross ones, since much depends on the taste and ideological views of the translator, his upbringing, cultural environment, as well as from insufficient familiarity with the multitude of surviving sources and approaches of various scientific and theological schools. In addition, there is a different attitude of the Muslim community towards the possibility of translating the Qur'an from a sharply negative one, caused both by fears of misunderstanding by the translator of the text due to insufficient educational level, and by an emphasis on the exceptional truth of the Arabic original, to generally benevolent, understanding the linguistic differences of the peoples of the world and a desire to emphasize that Islam is not exclusively an ethnic religion of Arabs. That is why there is still not a single translation that would be unambiguously defined as exemplary and classic. Although some Muslim theologians even draw up memos that explain all the requirements that a translator and interpreter must meet. And a number of authors devoted their works to the presentation and understanding of errors in translations of the Koran into Russian. For example, Elmir Kuliev devoted one of the chapters of his book “On the Way to the Koran” to a serious analysis of errors and inaccuracies in translations, from distortions of the meaning of individual concepts to ideological issues when transmitting the text by one translator or another.

see also

Notes

1. Rezvan E.A. Mirror of the Koran // “Star” 2008, No. 11
2. Olga Bibikova Quran // Encyclopedia Around the World (P.1, P.2, P.3, P.4, P.5, P.6)
3. Chapter 58 Koran, tradition and fiction // Illustrated history of religions in 2 vols. / Ed. Prof. D. L. Chantepie de la Saussey. Ed. 2nd. M.: ed. Department of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam Monastery, 1992. Vol. 1 ISBN 5-7302-0783-2
4. Ignatenko A. A. About Islam and the normative deficiency of the Koran // Otechestvennye zapiski, 2008. - No. 4 (43). - pp. 218-236
5. Rezvan E. A. al-KUR'AN // Islam: An Encyclopedic Dictionary. - M.: The science, 1991 . - P.141.
6. Abd ar-Rahman al-Saadi. Taysir al-Karim al-Rahman. P. 708
7. Ali-zade A.A. Koran // Islamic encyclopedic dictionary. - M.: Ansar, 2007. - P.377 - 392(copy of the book)
8. Ibn Hajar. Fath al-Bari. T.9, P.93.
9. Chapter 9 Islam: theory and practice] (Koran, Contents of the Koran, Interpretation of the Koran (Tafsir))//L. S. Vasiliev. History of the Religions of the East. - M.: Book house "University", 2000 ISBN 5-8013-0103-8
10. Aya. Religion: Encyclopedia / comp. and general ed. A.A. Gritsanov, G.V. Blue. - Minsk: Book House, 2007. - 960 pp. - (World of Encyclopedias).. Archived
11. What does "Manzil" mean?
12. P. A. Gryaznevich Koran. Great Soviet Encyclopedia: In 30 volumes - M.: "Soviet Encyclopedia", 1969-1978.. Archived from the original on May 30, 2012.
13. Kitab as-sunan Abu Dawud, volume 1. p. 383
14. M. Yakubovich."The Qur'an and modern science".
15. Harun Yahya"The Collapse of the Theory of Evolution".
16. Ahmad Dallal"Encyclopedia of the Qur'an", "The Qur'an and Science".
17. Idris Galyautdin."Famous people who converted to Islam." - Kazan, 2006.
18. An official letter from the Cousteau Foundation states: “We absolutely state that Commander Cousteau did not become a Mohammedan and the rumors circulating have no basis.”- Témoignage: La “conversion” du commandant Cousteau à l’Islam
19. Science "qiraat"
20. Muhsin S. Mahdi, Fazlur Rahman, Annemarie Schimmel Islam.// Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008.
21. An international competition for reading the Koran has begun in Kuwait //AhlylBaytNewsAgency, 04/14/2011
22. The XI international competition of Koran reciters will be held in Moscow // ANSAR Information and Analytical Channel, 10/22/2010.
23. Ukrainian hafiz will represent the country at several international competitions in reading the Koran // Information and analytical project “Islam in Ukraine”, 08.26.2009
24. Koran recitation competition in the Islamic Republic of Iran // Information and educational portal MuslimEdu.ru., October 12, 2010.