CHAPTER ONE:

SCIENCE
OF
ISLAMIC KNOWLEDGE
 REVELATION
&
REVIEW SCRIPTURE
BEFORE
THE
QURAN

THE QUR'AN
The HADITH
Qur'an
INTRODUCTION AND
and
Revelation HADITH
QUDSI

REVELATION
AND HOW IT CAME
TO
THE PROPHET
MUHAMMAD
LEARNING OBJECTIVE:
At the end of the chapter, students should be able to
do the following:
To explain the history of Revelation &
Scripture before the Quran.

To comprehend the meaning The Qur'an,

Hadith And Hadith Qudsi

To comprehend the meaning of Revelation

And How It Came To The Prophet
Muhammad
 The Qur'an and Revelation

Revelation & Scripture before the Quran

 God's Communication with Man
There is no religious belief, however remote it may be in
time or concept from the clear teachings of Islam, which
can do without or has attempted to do without God's
communication with man.
 Man denies God
Men have often denied the communication from God or
attributed it to something other than its true source and
origin.
 Empiricism and Realism
Their general approach is to emphasize on
material evidence in the search for reality and
truth.

Islamic Studies
 The Qur'an and Revelation
Revelation & Scripture before the Quran
 Creation is Material Evidence for God
Many accept empiricism as their guiding principles and God gives
ample evidence, material evidence, capable of verification by all
empiricists, for His being and existence. The wide earth, the whole
universe of creation, are evidence, material evidence, for God.
 Man's Pride
Man, having discovered that he and his kind constitute the peak of
'creation', he thinks himself autonomous, self-dependent,
absolutely free and fully equipped to be master of the universe.
 Guidance for Man
Muslims, referring to the Holy Qur'an, also conclude
that from the beginning of his life on earth, man has
received communication from God, to guide him and
protect him from such self-perception and deceit:

Islamic Studies
 The Qur'an and Revelation
Revelation & Scripture before the Quran
 The Messengers
The guidance from God comes through the apostles or
messengers, and they bring with them the scripture from
God.
 The Names of the Prophets and their Number
The Qur'an is very clear that the number of prophets is
much larger than those Allah has mentioned, and that to
each community from among mankind God has sent His
messenger:
 The Names of the Scriptures and their Number
 The Contents of the Former Scriptures
 The Final Revelation

Islamic Studies
 The Qur'an and Revelation
THE QUR'AN, HADITH AND HADITH QUDSI
The Qur'an
I – The speech of Allah, sent down upon the last Prophet
S
L Muhammad, through the Angel Gabriel, in its precise
A meaning and precise wording, transmitted to us by
M numerous persons (tawatur), both verbally and in writing.
I – Inimitable and unique, protected by God from corruption
C
– The Arabic word 'qur'an' is derived from the root qara'a,
which has various meanings, such as to read, to recite.
– The revelation from Allah to the Prophet Muhammad is
S referred to in the Qur'an itself by the name qur'an
T
(recitation) as well as by other names, such as e.g.
U
D furqan (criterion, see Al-Qur'an 25: 1). tanzil (sent
I down, see Al-Qur'an 26: 192). dhikr (reminder, see
E Al-Qur'an 15: 9). kitab (scripture, see Al-Qur'an 21:10).
S
 The Qur'an and Revelation
THE QUR'AN, HADITH AND HADITH QUDSI
 The Hadith
I – The word hadith means news, report or narration.
S Technically, the word hadith, (pl. ahadith) means in
L particular the reports (verbal and written) about the sunna
A of the Prophet Muhammad which cover all that He did (fi'l)
M or said (qaul) or sanctioned as permissible by his silence
I when any particular action was done in his presence
C
(taqrir).There are also reports about him, i.e. about what he
was like (sifa).
– The difference between Qur'an and sunna is that the
S Hadith is the words or actions of a human being, and not
T the speech of God as the Qur'an is. Not necessarily
U reported in their precise wording, as the Qur'an is. Not
D
I
necessarily transmitted by tawatur, except in some
E instances.
S
 The Qur'an and Revelation
THE QUR'AN, HADITH AND HADITH QUDSI
 The Hadith Qudsi
– Qudsi means holy, or pure. There are some reports from the Prophet Muhammad
where he relates to the people what God has said (says) or did (does), but this
I information is not part of the Qur'an. Such a report is called hadith qudsi, e.g.:
S – While the common factor between hadith qudsi and the Qur'an is that both
L contain words from Allah which have been revealed to Muhammad, the main
A points of difference between Qur'an and hadith qudsi are as follows:
M • In the Qur'an the precise wording is from Allah, while in the hadith qudsi the wording
I is given by the Prophet Muhammad.
C • The Qur'an has been brought to Muhammad only by the Angel Gabriel, while hadith
qudsi may also have been inspired otherwise, such as e.g. in a dream.
• The Qur'an is inimitable and unique, but not so the hadith qudsi.
• The Qur'an has been transmitted by numerous persons, (tawatur) but the hadith and
hadith qudsi often only by a few or even one individual. There are hadith qudsi which
S are sahth, but also others hasan, or even da'if, while there is no doubt at all about any
T aya from the Qur'an.
U • Another point is that a hadith qudsi cannot be recited in prayer.
D
I
E
S
 REVELATION AND HOW IT CAME
TO THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD
God guides His Creation
Allah the Creator has not only brought about the
I creation, but continues to sustain and direct it, in the
S way that He has created us and all that is around us. He
L
A
has provided many forms of guidance, indeed, a system
M of guiding principles, of which the laws of 'nature' are a
I part.
C
Guidance through Revelation
Prophets receive the word of God through revelation
S and then communicate it to their fellow human beings:
T
U The Meaning of Wahy
D The word awha, from which 'wahy' (revelation) is
I
E
derived, occurs in a number of shades of meaning in the
S Qur'an, each of them indicating the main underlying
idea of inspiration directing or guiding someone.
 REVELATION AND HOW IT CAME
TO THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD
Means of Revelation
Means of revelation are: Inspiration, e.g. in a dream; Speech
I hidden away; Words (speech) sent through a special messenger
S from God.
L The Qur'an revealed to Muhammad
A
M According to Suyuti' the Qur'an descended in two stages:
I Beginning of The Revelation
C
The Pause (fatra)
The Second Revelation
S The Last Revelation
T
U
Reasons why the Qur'an was sent down in Stages
D To strengthen the heart of the Prophet by addressing him
I continuously and whenever the need for guidance arose. To
E gradually implement the laws of God. To make understanding,
S application and memorisation of the revelation easier.