19 The Qu’ran

Arabic

Seventh century

Compiled ca. 632-651 B.C.E. Mecca, Arabia (what is now Saudi Arabia) The Qu’ran (a.k.a. Qur’an or Koran), meaning “the recitation,” is the sacred scripture of Islam, or the word of God, and is meant to be musically read aloud. Islam, rooted in the Arabic word “salema” (meaning “peace”), means “obedience” and “submission.” Muslims believe that the Quran was revealed through the angel Gabriel to the prophet Muhammad in the seventh century. Existing only as an oral recitation during Muhammad’s time, the Quran was compiled in written form under the first several caliphs. The holy book is written in Arabic, Islam’s sacred language, and has 114 suras, or chapters. Translations of the Quran, although they are helpful for understanding the original, are not regarded as the same as the holy book in Arabic. As part of Abrahamic religions, the Quran shows connections to Jewish and Christian biblical characters and stories.

Written by Kyounghye Kwon²⁹⁹⁶²

The Qu’ran

Selections of the Qu’ran (also known as the Koran) are available at the following link: https://pressbooks.nvcc.edu/eng255/chapter/british-literature-ii-romantic-era-to-the-twentieth-century-and-beyond-2/

Read the following article on not understanding Christian allegories:

https://bookriot.com/on-not-understanding-christian-allegories-in-literature/

FURTHER READINGS:

For the full text of the Koran, see the University of Michigan’s text here: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/k/koran/browse.html