whereas this Qur’an was revealed to bait Alaza, in
first heavens, in one night and then in sections or
Al-Qur’an Al-Kareem Committee
1. What is the Qur’an ?
The Qur’an is an Arabic word derived from the verb
iqra’a which literally means put letters as well as
words together or read and the Qur’an means the
words which are read very frequently and the Qur’an
used practically for the words of Allah whether the
last message that is this Qur’an or the previous
messages which revealed to previous messengers like
Jesus Moses Ibrahim (P.B.U.T)etc...However, people
commonly use the word Al-Qur’an to mean this
Qur’an. This Qur’an is therefore defined as words of
Allah which was revealed to Muhammed (PBUH),
and the recitation of which constitutes an integral part
of the daily prayers.
2. If the Qur’an was used for the message revealed
to Mohammed (PBUH) as well as the previous
messages, what characteristics would then
differentiate this Qur’an from the previous ones?
a. The fact that it is the last of the heavenly books, it
is more comprehensive than the previous Qur’ans
and includes what was revealed in them.
b. Like the previous Ones, this Qur’an was
descended in the Holy month of Rammadan. The
difference is that the previous Qur’ans were all
revealed in one night to the concerned Messengers,
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portions over a period of twenty years to our Prophet
Mohammed (P.B.U.H).
Here the Angel Jubraeel (P.B.U.H) used to come to
the Prophet in order to reveal the concerned section
of the Qur’an, at different intervals with no
regularity. That is he used to appear at night time or
during the day, while the Prophet was with his
companions or at home, during travels or in the
cities, and so on. The Angel also used to appear to the
Prophet (P.B.U.H), revealing a specific section of the
Quern which used to coincide with, or follow, a
specific incident, solving a particular dispute (with
the Jews for example), giving instructions, .. etc. So
it is apparent the high status that the Prophet
Mohammed has had and continues to have to this day
and the day of Judgment.
c. The Qur’an is preserved in the hearts of millions of
Muslims worldwide. It has a mystical power in that
people throughout their lives have read it many times
without getting fed-up with it. Also people are
constantly discovering miracles in it, thus scientists
are always conducting research on the Qur’anic
information and structure.
d. The wording and the meanings of this Qur’an are
challenging for human being as well as the Jinn
(demon).
e. The Qur’an is the best words that have ever
revealed and narrates the best stories of the
prevailing nations, It contains a large number of
matters on which the Israelites and the Christians
have differed on.
f. ALLAH (SWT) Himself promised to preserve this
Qur’an, such promise was not made for the other
holy books or to the previous prophets.
g. When you start reciting this Qur’an you should say
Aotho billahi min alshaitan al-rajeem (Seek refuge
with ALLAH from Saitan the cursed one), and if you
read certain verses you should prostrate.
h. When this Qur’an first revealed the demon were
prevented from getting the heavens news.
I. This Qur’an is revealed in Arabic language and as
such it is the only true and authenticwords of Allah. It
is challenging, both in structure and meaning.
Translations of the Qur’an cannot be considered as a
substitute to the Qur’an in its authentic Arabic
language, this is a direct result of its authenticity and
preservation. A clear example of the other holy books
that were translated and being read in different
languages; such books over the years have lost their
originality and authenticity. In effect the translations
do not carry the same holiness as the original Arabic
words. Consequently, it is not necessary to have
wadu’a before you can hold or touch the English
translation of the meaning of the Qur’an provided
that such translation has no Arabic original verses.
3. Some people say that this Qur’an is written by
Mohammed. What should be the most appropriate
answer for such claims?
The Qur’an occupies an important position among
the great religious books of the world. However it is
the most preserved one, not just in hardback copies
and audio and video tapes but also in the hearts of
millions of Muslims all over the world. It is,
therefore, natural that allegations would be that the
author of this book is Mohammed (P.B.U.H) in order
to reduce its religious status and value. Such claims
are strongly denied by every Muslim due to not just
faith, but the logical explanations against such
claims. From the scientific point of view, no person
in the sixth century AD (that is, fourteen hundred
years ago) can utter such precise scientific evidence.
For instance, the precise description of evolution of
the embryo inside the uterus; the description is so
accurate that it was only recently with the
development of advanced scopes and image
processings that such phenomenon was verified by
human beings. Also from the literature point of view,
the Qur’an contained a literature merit that the whole
region of the Arab peninsula with its high calibre
poets could not even produce a single chapter (surah)
of the same calibre. There are numerous other logical
explanations that would take us very long time to list,
such explanations prove that it is not just unlikely for
a human being to produce such a book but it is
impossible even with the aid of the most powerful
computers nowadays, a person would need to be a
doctor, a ,chemist, zoologist, botanist, astronomist,
poet, geneticist, mathematician, philosopher,
historian, and so on, and still can not produce a single
equivalent chapter (Surah). If you pick any book for a
particular author you see the prevailing style
throughout the book, in the Qur’an there is not just
one prevailing standard throughout.
4. The Qur’an was revealed over a period of twenty
years, could you tell us exactly how many verses
(ayats) does the Qur’an contain, also can you give
an example of the length of a typical revelation at
one time to the Prophet (P.B.U.H) for the purpose
of illustration.
There are six thousand and eighty six verses (Ayats)
grouped in one hundred and fourteen surah. The
shortest Surah is of three Ayats like surat-ul-Kauthur,
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the longest one is surat-ul - Baqarah with 286 Ayats.
An Ayat can consist of only one word like ãÏåÇãÊÇä,
it can even be only two letters like (t’h’)Øå. On the
other hand, some Ayats can be quite long like Ayat-
ul-Kursey, the longest Ayat in the Qur’an is that
which deals with loan legislations in surat-ul-Baqara
which is more than a full page.
Some of the Surats were revealed on one occasion
like Al-Ikhlas. Another example here is Surat Al-
Anaam which was revealed in one go, this Surah
consists of more than one Juzu (30 pages), it is in fact
the fifth longest Surah in the Qur’an. Sometimes part
of a verse was revealed on one occasion and the other
part would follow on another.
5. The Qur’an is the most read single book in the
world, it has been recited for the past fourteen
hundred years and the indication is that people will
continue not just to recite this book but also
memorize It for the coming years until the day of
Judgment. Could you tell us why people recite the
Qur’an and also why do they go to the extent of
even memorizing It.
The Qur’an is the last Book of ALLAH, hence the
words contained within It are those uttered by
ALLAH. By actually reciting the Qur’an, we are
indeed performing ‘Ibada’(an act of worship). With
every letter in our recitation we get a reward and
ALLAH multiplies such rewards as HE Pleases us.
Secondly, we as Muslims believe that on the day of
Judgment, those who enter Paradise will be told to
climb up the ranks in Paradise as they recite, thus the
Muslims thrive to memorise the Qur’an.
The Qur’an contains blessings and reassurance for
every situation in our lives, for example in times of
fear, difficulty, pain, anxiety, we recite this book for
tranquillity from the ALMIGHTY ALLAH. The
house in which Qur’an is read frequently can be
viewed from the heavens as a shining star.
6. People have different memorising capabilities,
what advice can you give them to help in this task.?
1. Sincerity and good intention are the most
important steps when memorising the Qur’an. At
the time, one of the companions of the
Prophet(P.B.U.P) complained about his
difficulties in memorising the Qur’an. The
prophet (P.B.U.P) said: “you have been building
up your Iman and Iman is given before the
Qur’an”. Obviously, Iman means belief in the
heart and practice according to the Islamic rules.
So that, the purification of one’s intention and
correcting one’s desire according to the Islamic
rule is obligatory. in other word sincerity is the
first and the most important rule of memorising
the Qur’an.

2. Correcting your pronunciation, this does
not occur except by listening to a good recitor or
learning under-supervision of a competent hafidh.
Certainly new technology is helpful such as audio
tape, video tape and CD ROM.
1. Setting a daily limit for memorising, a
number of verses for example a page or two.
2. To repeat what you have memorised
melodiously and for many times.
3. Not to move to a new portion (a new limit
of verses) of the Qur’an until you have perfected
the previous limit, that is, by frequent rehearsals
of what has been memorised.
4. When completing one Surah,, don’t move
to another till you have memorised the current one
precisely.
5. Always use the same print copy of the
Qur’an because one uses the sight in the
memorising just as using the hearing. The script,
the form of the verses and their places in the
Mushaf (hard copy of the Qur’an) leave an
imprint in the mind when they are recited and
looked at frequently. Conversely, if you change
your print copy of the Mushaf to another print
which differs in shape and the places of the verses
you will find more difficulties in memorising.
6. It is important to recite the Qur’an to
others in order to correct and test your
memorising.
7. Constantly returning to what has been
memorised is very important to maintain the
stability of the memorisation.
8. Take advantage of the golden years of
memorisation between ages of 5y and 23 years,
certainly, memorising in youth is like engraving
on stone and memorising when old is like
engraving on water, the younger you are the more
likely to memorise and the less likely to forget.
9. Understanding Qur’anic verses by reading
the “tafseer” is also helpful in memorising the
Qur’an.
10. Mastering the resembling parts of the
Qur’an by making relation between the words and
letters can be helpful in this matter.
11. Using the Qur’an in our daily speeches
makes it more easy to memorise and remember.
12. Running competitions in memorising and
recitation can be helpful in encouraging the
people to participate and the youth to memorise.
13. Reciting ten verses from surat Al-Baqura
every night can be helpful, these are first 4 verses,
Alkursi verse and two verses after it (Number
255, 256, 257) and the last 3 verses of the same
surah.
14. “dua’a”.
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7. The Muslims follow in their lives the Qur’an and
the Sunnah which has been revealed to us as
“Hadeath”. The latter is the saying and doings of
the Prophet Mohammed (P.B.U.H). However, we
hear of what is termed as “Hadith Qudsi”. Could
you tell us what is the link between such kind of
Hadeeth and the revealed Qur’an.
Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet through the
Angel Jubraeel (P.B.U.H). The Arabs were
challenged to come up with something like it, or even
a small portion of it. We read the Qur’an in special
rhythmic methods we call “Tarteel”, in our daily
prayers we recite the Qur’an in every Rukaa. Finally
the content of the Qur’an is certain and authentic,
that is we believe that every part of this book is true
and there is not one section that is more true than
another. Hadeeth or Sunnah on the other hand is a
record of what was said or done by the Prophet
(P.B.U.H). The Sunnah is the character of the
Prophet, what did he do in particular situations, how
he performed his prayers, and so on. Among the
Hadeeth, there is Hadeeth Qudsi, this is what the
Prophet reported that has been said by the
ALMIGHTY ALLAH, it is, however, not Qur’an.
Unlike the Qur’an, the Hadeeth Qudsi can have
various levels of authenticity (strong, week, or fair).
We cannot recite the Hadeeth instead of the Qur’an in
our daily prayers, nor do we recite it in rhythmic
tones.
8. Islam is the largest growing religion in the world,
a great proportion of such converts are non-Arabic
speaking. However, such people are still expected to
perform their daily Salah (prayers). Can they say
the appropriate Qur’anic verses in English or any
other languages other than Arabic while
performing their Salah.?
Most of the Muslim authorities say that Salah has to
be in the Arabic language. However, few authorities
may allow the saying in a language other than Arabic
in the case when the person is unable to learn. It is
advisable, however, that such people who are unable
to learn the Qur’an can say “thiker” instead, that is
remembrance of Allah, such as Alhamdulillah
subhanallah Allahu Akbur....
9. During the years of the new message, the
Prophet (P.B.U.H) spent the first period in Mekkah
and the rest in Meddinah. There were a certain
number of Surahs described as Makki, others were
called Meddani. What is the distinction if any
between these two types of Surahs?
Simply, what ever was revealed before the Prophet’s
migration from Mekkah was called Makki, the rest
were all called Meddani with reference to the city of
Maddinah. However the style of the Makki Surah had
coincided with the onset of the new religion, thus it
contained mainly aspects of faith building for the
new Muslims which included Tawheed or Oneness
and unity of ALLAH, affirming the new Message,
and affirming the aspects of the Resurrection and the
Day of Judgment. Also in them one can see the
general guidelines of legislative concepts and moral
excellence. The Maddeni, on the other hand,
concentrated mainly on further and detailed
elaboration of the legislative matters, it gave a clear
guideline to aspects of faith like fasting, paying of
Zakat, forbidding intoxicants, prescribing Jihad, ..
etc. These Surahs also concentrated on exposing of
the hypocritical behavior as well as challenging the
people of the Book on aspects of faith when they
were invited to embrace Islam.
10. Learning the Qur’an is part of the Islamic faith,
at what stage in our lives ought we to start learning
this book of ALLAH.
One must take advantage of the early years or more
appropriately the golden years in one’s life to harness
the strong capability of the brain in memorising.
These years are between the age of 5 up to 23. Imam
Al-Seeuty had reported in Al-Jame’a Al-
SageerÇáÌÇãÚ ÇáÕÛíÑ that the Prophet (P.B.U.H)
had said: (Memorising in youth is like engraving on
stone whereas memorising when old is like engraving
on water). Therefore, the younger you are the easier
it is to memorise and less likely to forget, and the
older you are the more difficult it would be to
memorise and more likely to forget. However, this
does not mean that if you pass the age of 23 years
you should give up, this is absolutely not the case. A
large number of new converts embrace Islam well
above this age, they start not just memorising but
even learning to read and write a new language. At
this relatively late stage in their lives, they develop an
excellent command of this new language and also
memorise a great deal of the Qur’an. One must also
remember that most of the Sahaba embraced Islam in
time later years of their lives, still they managed to
memorise if not all of the Qur’an but certainly a large
proportion of it. A good example here is the Sahabi
Salman Al-Farisi who at an age older than that of the
Prophet (P.B.U.H) himself embraced Islam.
11. You stated that it is crucial that we teach the
Qur’an to our children, what advice can you give
parents and even the educational establishments
with this aspect.
Praise be to ALLAH, there are a large number of
mosques and Qur’anic schools available in Glasgow
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and other major cities. These are doing a great job in
teaching the Qur’an and as a result young children
are memorising great portions if not all of the
Qur’an. It is crucial that a child is enrolled in such a
place for this purpose. However, some parents say
that they would rather teach their children at home,
unfortunately this does not always work due to other
commitments on the part of the parents and also to
discipline as far as the children are concerned.
Having said that, parents must take an active role in
their children’s Qur’anic education, this can be
achieved by constantly praising the children on their
excellent achievements, and also in taking a positive
and active role in it. Always ask them to recite what
they have learnt, reward them and encourage them
constantly, a child’s proudest moment is the moment
when his or her parents are praising them for their
good achievements. It is also helpful to have audio
tapes playing Qur’anic tapes in the background when
your children are at home, especially the parts that
they have already memorised, this will engrave it
more in their memory. Additionally children like to
compete, so encourage your children to compete in
their Qur’anic knowledge and memorisation, in the
past two years there were two such competitions held
on a large scale in the Central Mosque in Glasgow.
Every young competitor received a prize and all the
competitors received a certificate to commemorate
the occasion. This is a golden opportunity for parents
to actively participate in such occasions by making it
a special day for the whole family. Make sure you
praise your children on their accomplishments, by
hanging their certificates in a well viewed place in
your house and inform your visitors in the presence
of your child about their achievement and how proud
you are of them. Finally, if you live in an area where
it is not possible to enroll your child in the mosque
due to various difficulties, then you must teach your
children at home, (it is important to make regular
times of it) preferably daily, say one hour each day,
start with the small surahs of the last Juzu (30th part
in Qur’an) and progress onward to the bigger ones,
INSHA’ALLAH it will be made easy for you.
12. It is a common misconception that Islam as a
religion is associated only with the Arabs or the
Arabic speaking nations. However we know, for
example, that the largest Muslim countries in the
world are in fact non Arabic speaking nations.
Therefore such people rely on translations and
explanation of the Qur’an. What are the rules and
regulations that must be followed in delivering such
translations.
Translating any document can be achieved in one of
three ways.
First is the Literal Translation, this means word for most recommanded, and among the relatively recent
word, sentence for sentence and phrase for phrase. ones is Tafheem Al-Quraan and also In the Shade of
This type of translation cannot be achieved if one the Qur’an.
wants to maintain the originality of the document and
keeping the meaning intact. As a result this type of
translation is not allowed as far as the Qur’an is 14. We have established that the Qur’an is, in fact,
concerned. the words of ALLAH, therefore, the status that such
Second is the Meaning Translation, the Qur’an’s a book has, is well above any other book. Reading
language is very eloquent, it has essential meanings the Qur’an is most definitely done in such a way
as well as secondary ones. What is meant by essential that distinguishes it from other books, we call such
meanings, are those that can be literally transferred or method of reading “Reciting”. Could you tell us
translated to any other language. However, this type about this?
of Qur’anic information may consist of more than
one meaning, thus the literal translation may not be The way we read the Qur’an is certainly different
accurate of the meaning itself. The secondary from the way we read any other book. What
meanings, on the other hand, is the type of words distinguishes the Qur’an from other books is that
structure that gave the Qur’an it’s challenging every word in it had been descended from the
characteristics to all creatures. Thus the deduction ALMIGHTY ALLAH. Thus reading the Qur’an is
here is that the secondary translation is not just done in an eloquent way to reflect its excellence. This
disallowed but in fact impossible, consequently this is called “Tarteel” or “Tajweed” which means the art
makes the Meaning Translation not practical. of reciting in accordance with the established rules of
Third is the Explanatory Translation (translation of pronunciation and intonation. Therefore it is advisable
the Tafseer): in this translation, the translator or the that every Muslim should learn these rules.
Mufasir translates what he understands from the
explanation (tafseer) of the Qur’an to the other
languages. This stresses the point that the translation
is based on the understanding of the particular
authority be it Islamic Institutes or certain Alim or
Ulama. This is why we see a different number of
Tafseers with slightly different opinions based on the
particular authority which reflects the ability of
understanding of those in charge. Obviously, the
translation of the Qur’an is not the Qur’an, and with
translation the challenging character of wording
structure of the Qur’an will be lost . Therefore one
can see the importance in learning the language of
the Qur’an, that is the Arabic language.

13. The Qur’an, as the words of ALLAH, contains

as well the legislation of the Muslims, their ways of
life and their conduct. It has been revealed in the
richest textual format and in occasions that vary
from one to another. The Muslims rely on the
Tafseer of this book to understand the concepts
contained within. Can you elaborate on this and
how many different tafseers are available and also
how do they rank to each other.

As far as the number of Tafseers available, there are

certainly many. Some of the Tafseers concentrate on
the Scientific phenomenon, other would concentrate
on the linguistic features, ... etc. Some of the Tafseers
are very large and contained in a number of volumes
(up to 30), other four or six volumes, some Tafseers
are contained in only one volume. The Tafseer of Ibn
Abbas (kinned as the interpreter of the Qur’an) is one
of the most famous, others like Ibn Katheer is the
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