Qur'an year of writing. History of the Koran. How is the Quran different from other holy books. This book is the Quran

Russia is a multinational state. This causes a large number of religions that are officially registered on the territory of the Russian Federation. Due to ignorance of elementary things about other religions and scriptures, it is often possible to resolve such a situation. In particular, you should read the answer to the question: "Quran - what is it?"

What is the essence of the Quran?

The word "Quran" is of Arabic origin. Translated into Russian, it means "recitative", "reading aloud". The Koran is the main book of Muslims, which, according to legend, is a copy of the Holy Scripture - the first book that is stored in heaven.

Before answering the question of what the Koran is, a few words should be said about the origin of Scripture. The text of the main book of Muslims was sent to Muhammad through an intermediary - Jabrail - by Allah himself. During the secular period, Muhammad recorded only individual notes. After his death, the question of the creation of the Holy Scriptures arose.

The followers of Muhammad reproduced sermons by heart, which were later formed into a single book - the Quran. What is the Quran? Primarily an official document of Muslims written in Arabic. It is believed that the Koran is an uncreated book that will exist forever, like Allah.

Who wrote down the Quran?

According to historical data, Muhammad could not read and write. That is why he memorized the Revelations received from Allah, after which he recited them aloud to his followers. They, in turn, learned the messages by heart. For a more accurate transmission of the Holy Texts, the followers used improvised means for fixing revelations: some resorted to parchment, someone to wooden planks or pieces of leather.

However, the most proven way to preserve the meaning of Scripture was to retell it to specially trained readers who could memorize long sunnahs - verses. The Hafiz later unmistakably conveyed the Revelations narrated to them, despite the stylistic complexity of the fragments of the Koran.

The sources recorded about 40 people who were engaged in writing Revelations. However, during the life of Muhammad, the suras were little known and practically not in demand. This is due to the fact that there was no need for a single Holy Scripture. The first copy of the Quran created was then kept by his wife and daughter.

Structure of the Quran

The holy book of Muslims consists of 114 chapters, fragments, which are called "sura". Al-fatiha - the first sura - opens the Koran. It is a prayer of 7 verses, which is read by all believers. The content of the prayer is a summary of the essence of the Qur'an. That is why believers say it every time, making five prayers daily.

The remaining 113 chapters of the Quran are arranged in Scripture in descending order, from largest to smallest. At first, the suras are large, they are real treatises. At the end of the book, the fragments consist of several verses-verses.

Thus, we can answer the question: Qur'an - what is it? This is a clearly structured religious book that has two periods: Meccan and Medina, each of which symbolizes a certain stage in the life of Muhammad.

What language is the Muslim Holy Book written in?

As noted above, the recognized language of the Qur'an is Arabic. However, to understand the essence of Scripture, the book can be translated into other languages. But in this case, we should talk about the subjective transfer of the meaning of the Holy Scripture by the translator, who was able to convey his own interpretation to the readers. In other words, the Koran in Russian is just a kind of Holy Scripture. The only true option is considered to be only the Koran, written in Arabic, which appeared on earth by the will of Allah.

The Koran in Russian takes place, however, any righteous believer must come to read the scripture in the source language.

The style in which the Quran is written

It is believed that the style in which the Qur'an is presented is unique, unlike either the Old, or the Reading of the Qur'an reveals sharp transitions from the narration in the first person to the third and vice versa. In addition, in the suras, believers can find various rhythmic patterns, which complicates the study of the message, but gives it originality, leads to a change in topic, and also gives a small hint of the discovery of secrets in the future.

Fragments of suras that have a complete thought are mostly rhymed, but do not represent poetry. It is impossible to refer fragments of the Koran to prose. While reading the Holy Scriptures in Arabic or Russian, a large number of images and situations arise, which are reflected with the help of intonation and the meaning of phrases.

The Quran is not just a book. This is the Holy Scripture for all Muslims living on Earth, which has absorbed the basic rules for the life of righteous believers.

The tradition of Islam says that the holy book of Muslims, the Koran, was written in the seventh century, and the teachings contained in it were spread by the prophet Muhammad. However, many researchers believe that many parts of the Koran appeared much later, not earlier than the middle of the 8th century. As an argument, scientists resorted to a proven method - carbon dating.

History of the Quran

In Arabic, the name is written as Al-Kuran, which means "reading aloud", "edification". According to Islamic beliefs, the Quran is a set of revelations set forth on behalf of Allah by the prophet Muhammad (Mohammed) and written down from the words of Muhammad by his companions. According to Muslim sources, the content of the Koran was transmitted to the prophet through the angel Jabrail (Gabriel) from 610 to 632.

The Qur'an consists of 114 chapters - suras of various size and content. In turn, the suras consist of separate verses - verses. There are 6236 of them in the holy book.

Soon after the compilation of the Koran, disagreements arose among the followers of Islam. This led to the emergence of different directions and sects - Sunnis, Kharijites and Shiites. Nevertheless, representatives of all Islamic branches were forced to use the canonical version.

Since there were many obscure places and contradictions in the Koran (this was discovered back in the time of Muhammad), there was a need to interpret the scripture - "tafsir".

Over time, the Institute naskha(this word means "cancellation"). If two places of the Koran contradicted each other, the interpreters established which text should be considered true and which should be considered obsolete (this was explained by the fact that the will of Allah in the process of transmission to Muhammad sometimes changed).

The "correct" text was called "nasikh", the wrong one - "mansukh". It is believed that there are 225 such contradictions in the Qur'an, and in more than 40 suras there are verses that have been canceled ...

Reading Rules

There are special rules for reading the Qur'an established by Sharia. So, it should be read aloud, recitative and in a singsong voice. In addition, every Muslim had to memorize a significant part of the text. And in our days there are people who know by heart the entire text of the Koran. Such a person bears the title of hafiz and is revered.

The Qur'an should be taken into hands only after ablution. It can only be read in clean places. Keep the Qur'an in high places, you can not put it on the floor.

When reading the Qur'an, Muslims should meditate on its meaning: this is the purpose of reading: "Are they not meditating on the Qur'an? Or are there locks on their hearts?" (Quran, 47:24).

Also, Muslims must strictly follow all the instructions of the Koran and build a life in accordance with the moral principles indicated there.

Main Book of Muslims

It was the Koran that for many centuries was the main, and sometimes the only teaching aid: it was used to study language, laws and philosophy. There are many references to the Quran in Islamic literature. Moreover, it is the style of the Qur'an that is the standard for evaluating other Arabic literary sources.

Islamic theologians are convinced that many scientific theories and discoveries are predicted in the Quran, such as plate tectonics or the speed of light. Although a number of researchers believe that many of the scientific facts mentioned in the book were already known at the time of its writing and compilation (say, Galen's theory).

age mysteries

Recently, a radiocarbon analysis of the earliest manuscript fragments of the Koran was carried out, in particular, those found in 1972 in Sana'a, the capital of the state of Yemen. It turned out that certain parts of the text were written only a few years after 650 AD, when the canonical version of the scripture was approved by Caliph Usman.

Meanwhile, in the collection of manuscripts of the University of Birmingham since 1936, there are two fragments of the Koran, written, according to the dating of specialists from Oxford University, during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad or a little later - in 568-645 AD. This is quite close to the generally accepted dates in Islam.

These facts may indicate that different parts of the Qur'an were written at different times and eras. Although there are many controversial points. The fact is that radiocarbon analysis is able to accurately determine the age of the material on which the text is written - for example, animal skins or papyrus, but not the date of application of the text itself.

So, the French researcher Francois Desroches in 2014 stated that, according to such dating, it turns out that the Koran appeared in 661-750 years of our era, in the era of the Umayyads, and this is too early a period - probably this is the age of the material, and not the records themselves . However, no matter how old this holy book is, we cannot deny that the Qur'an is one of the greatest literary and spiritual sources left by mankind.

It was necessary to repeat, "read" aloud. There are other names for the Qur'an: al-Zikr (Reminder of what was sent down before), al-Kitab (Book), Tanzil (Sending down), al-Mushaf (Scroll), furqan.
The name "Quran" (Qur'an) is derived from the root qr', translated from Arabic as "proclamation", "recitation", "reading".

History of the Quran

According to Muslim tradition, Gabriel dictated the text of the Koran to Muhammad, who accepted it and passed it on to his followers without any changes. Shortly before his death, the Prophet, with the help of Jibril, double checked the truth and accuracy of the entire text of the Qur'an.

Quran manuscript, 7th century

The revelation was given to Muhammad in the cave of Hira, not far from Mecca. Allah did not address his chosen one directly, but through the mediation of Gabriel. The Revelation received by Muhammad (Muhammad himself was illiterate) was written in the Arabic dialect of Hijaz on the materials available in this region: camel blades, clay shards, palm leaves.
There is a version that when a companion and secretary of Muhammad Zeyd ibn Sabit, who knew by heart, compiled the first complete text of the Koran and handed it over to Hafsa, the wife of the Prophet and daughter of Caliph Umar I. This text did not contain any changes, additions, or comments. Twenty years after the death of the Prophet, Caliph Uthman appointed a commission headed by Zayd ibn Thabit to compile the official written text of the Qur'an. This Quran was based on the text compiled by Zeid ibn Thabit under Umar I. As the spelling, text structure and rules for reading and interpreting words were streamlined, seven variants of reading the Quran were identified, which became canonical.

Quran, 9th century

During the life of the Prophet Muhammad, the text of the Koran was transmitted mainly orally, from memory. And only later, in 652, on the orders of Caliph Osman, a special board prepared the text of the Holy Quran, which was written in six copies, three of which have survived to this day. At the end of the 9th century, diacritical marks were introduced into the text of the Koran, which was caused by the need for its unambiguous understanding. Spelling, text structure and reading rules were finally canonized by the official editions of the Qur'an in Cairo (1919, 1923, 1928).

Structure

The Qur'an consists of 6226 verses written in rhymed prose called , which translates as "sign". In the accepted in the VII century. Under Caliph Osman, the official version of the Koran was combined into 114 suras. In accordance with Muslim tradition, the Qur'anic suras are divided into Meccan (610-622, 90 suras) and Medina (622-632, 24 suras). The Medina ones are for the most part larger than the Meccan ones. European scientists have proposed a number of more detailed chronologies, which continue to be conditional.
Surahs are arranged in descending order of their length (except the very first, al-Fatiha, Opening) and all (except the ninth) contain a preamble called basmala - according to the first words of the formula Bismi Llahi r-rahmani r-rahim (In the Name of Allah the Merciful, the Merciful). Each sura has a name associated with some outstanding event, which is stated in it, or with a word that defines the main theme. Muslims know the suras by name, Western scholars are guided by the numbering of chapters. Surahs of the Qur'an are not in chronological order. According to scholars, :1-5 is the first Revelation, and the last.
The suras of the early period are short invocations full of poetic beauty and power. Later exhortations and instructive parables, as a rule, are calm and dry, there is a coherence, an argument. This is due to the need to regulate the life of the Muslim community. Most of the surahs are composed of passages from various revelations, often unrelated thematically and delivered at different times. Most of the Quran is a polemic in the form of a dialogue between Allah, speaking either in the first or in the third person, or through intermediaries (“spirit”, Jabrail), but always through the mouth of Muhammad, and the opponents of the prophet, or Allah’s appeal with exhortations and instructions to supporters of the prophet.
Despite the fact that the Qur'an is presented as a single text, experts make a distinction between suras belonging to two different periods in the life of the Prophet - Meccan and Medina. It is precisely this circumstance that some Islamic scholars explain, for example, the evolution of the image of Abraham in various Qur'anic verses that mention him: in the suras of the Medinan period, Abraham appears as both a father, and not as the founder and first Muslim, as happens in the suras of the Medinan origin.
According to the accepted hypothesis, the language of the Qur'an is the Meccan version of the poetic koine (language of intertribal or interdialect communication) of the Arabians. The originality of the language of the Qur'an, the heterogeneity of its form and style are due to the diversity of content. Much of the text of the Quran is rhymed prose. The worldview reflected in the Koran is a new stage in the development of public consciousness, and not a spontaneous speech act of the prophet. The Qur'an reflected Muhammad's struggle with paganism and pagans, his polemics with Judaism and Christianity, as well as the struggle with other representatives of pre-Islamic monotheistic movements.

Quran, 12th century

The Qur'an encourages believers to do the right thing and makes it clear that with the coming of the Day of Judgment, good deeds will be rewarded and bad deeds will be punished. The texts of the Koran became the basis of Islamic law -. For Muslims, the Quran is the main source of doctrine, showing the right path. It contains instructions, prohibitions, instructions, commands, prescriptions, rules, warnings that determine the way of life and behavior of believers. This code is given in the form of parables and instructive stories.
The language of the Qur'an is rich in epithets, comparisons, lively emotional coloring. It contains many stories about biblical prophets, many predictions full of poetry. It cannot be said that the entire text of the Quran is understandable. There are pages that are easy to read, the text of which and its interpretation are not in doubt. These pages are called muhkamat (obvious). Doubtful and strange passages were called mutashabihat (obscure).

The Qur'an as the speech of Allah

According to Muslim tradition, the Quran, unlike the Torah or the Gospels, comes directly from a divine source and therefore does not have any kind of error. Because of this, in the Muslim world there has never existed his historical or textual criticism in the modern sense of the term. The text itself cannot be questioned, for it comes directly from God. He is "sent down," that is, given in Revelation.
The Qur'an was called upon to "fasten" (confirm) the Revelation distorted by Jews and Christians. At the same time, the Koran takes into account the Jewish and Christian heritage. The Koran mentions Adam, Eve, Cain, Satan, as well as some biblical prophets, and the brightest of them is the example of the sage Solomon.
The prototype of all the Scriptures, every word of God, can be found in heaven in the "preserved tablet", Umm al-kitab, which is the direct utterance of God Himself. It is comparable to the concept of “logos” in Christianity, but Muslims believe that everything characteristic of Christianity and Judaism was perceived only by the senses and had meaning only for its time, while the Koran is the main, eternal, enduring miracle perceived by the mind. The Old and New Testaments do not have this quality. Neither Christianity nor Judaism has the concept of uncreated, inimitable Scriptures.

Significance in Islam

According to Muslim tradition, the Qur'an is a copy of the heavenly book of Revelation, eternally residing in heaven and written on protected tablets (85:22).
The Qur'an, together with and ("tradition"), is the most important guide to which a Muslim resorts throughout his life. The Qur'an has a higher value than the words of the Prophet, who acted as a passive instrument of Revelation, while the Qur'an is the Word of God himself. The Koran is the main source of religious law (Sharia), which regulates all aspects of human life and society. The main thing in the Qur'an is the idea of the unity of God, obedience (islam) to his will and the prophetic mission of Muhammad, who appears in the form of a messenger (rasul) of Allah. Muslims believe that the Quran is an exact embodiment of the Word of Allah, which distinguishes it from the rest of the Holy Scriptures. There is not a single word of the Prophet in the Quran. He was only an intermediary.
The Qur'an is the apotheosis of Divine Revelations, which began with the prophet Adam. This is a Revelation to both people, and who are also considered created, having a soul and worthy of salvation or condemnation. The Qur'an is regarded as the completion of all previous Scriptures, where all the errors that have crept into the surviving versions of the former Scriptures are corrected. For Muslims, ancient scriptures are only meaningful if they are consistent with the Qur'an.
Muslims are said to live under the rule of the Qur'an. This means that the Koran is their protection in all areas of daily activities, the basis of their life, ethics, politics and morality. Each of the prescribed five begins with the reading of the first sura, al-Fatih. The Quran is read during fasting. Muslims are encouraged to read the entire Qur'an in time. Chapters from the Quran must be read during major events and in connection with important moments in the life cycle. Each believer starts reading the Qur'an in a state. The narrators of the Qur'an, hafiz, occupy a special position in Islamic countries. Calligraphic inscriptions quoting the Qur'an serve as the main motif in Islamic fine arts, decorating architectural structures throughout the Islamic world. And at present, the Koran continues to play an important role in the life of Muslim countries. It is studied in educational institutions, its images are reflected in fiction, it is widely quoted by the media.

Interpretation

Modern trends in the interpretation of the Koran are represented mainly by two rival factions: fundamentalists and reformers. Fundamentalists call for a return to the basics, guided by Scripture in everything - both in politics and in social life, drawing inspiration and cornerstone principles from the Koran. Reformers, referring to the same source, dispute the interpretations of the fundamentalists, accusing them of conservatism and blind adherence to authority. Polar views on the interpretation of the Qur'an are seen throughout, but the Qur'an has always remained a reliable anchor and guiding star for every Muslim and for everything.

Quran translations

First translation of the Qur'an into French, 1647

The Qur'an was given on , which gave rise to the concept of the untranslatability of the Qur'an. All translations of the Quran are considered commentaries ().

Russia is a multinational state. This causes a large number of religions that are officially registered on the territory of the Russian Federation. Due to ignorance of elementary things about other religions and the Holy Scriptures, conflict situations often arise. It is possible to resolve such a situation. In particular, you should familiarize yourself with the answer to the question: “The Koran - what is it?”

Before answering the question of what the Qur'an is, a few words should be said about the origin of Scripture. The text of the main book of Muslims was sent to Muhammad through an intermediary - Jabrail - by Allah himself. During the secular period, Muhammad recorded only individual notes. After his death, the question of the creation of the Holy Scriptures arose.

The followers of Muhammad reproduced sermons by heart, which were later formed into a single book - the Koran. What is the Quran? Primarily an official document of Muslims written in Arabic. It is believed that the Koran is an uncreated book that will exist forever, like Allah.

Who wrote down the Quran?

Structure of the Quran

The holy book of Muslims consists of 114 chapters, fragments, which are called "sura". Al-Fatiha - the first sura - opens the Koran. It is a prayer of 7 verses, which is read by all believers. The content of the prayer is a summary of the essence of the Qur'an. That is why believers say it every time, making five prayers daily.

What language is the Muslim Holy Book written in?

As noted above, the recognized language of the Quran is Arabic. However, to understand the essence of Scripture, the book can be translated into other languages. But in this case, we should talk about the subjective transmission of the meaning of the Holy Scripture by the translator, who was able to convey his own interpretation to the readers. In other words, the Koran in Russian is just a kind of Holy Scripture. The only true option is considered to be only the Koran, written in Arabic, which appeared on earth by the will of Allah.

The Koran in Russian takes place, however, any righteous believer must come to read the scripture in the source language.

The style in which the Quran is written

It is believed that the style in which the Qur'an is written is unique, unlike either the Old or the New Testaments. Reading the Qur'an reveals abrupt transitions from first-person to third-person narrative and vice versa. In addition, in the suras, believers can find various rhythmic patterns, which complicates the study of the message, but gives it originality, leads to a change in topic, and also gives a small hint of the discovery of secrets in the future.

The Quran is not just a book. This is the Holy Scripture for all Muslims living on Earth, which has absorbed the basic rules for the life of righteous believers.

Every seventh inhabitant of the planet professes Islam. Unlike Christians, whose holy book is the Bible, Muslims have the Koran. In terms of plot and structure, these two wise ancient books are similar to each other, but the Quran has its own unique features.

What is the Quran

Before you figure out how many suras in the Quran and how many verses, you should learn more about this wise ancient book. The Koran is It was written in the 7th century by the prophet Muhammad (Mohammed).

According to the admirers of Islam, the Creator of the Universe sent the archangel Gabriel (Jabrail) to convey through Muhammad his message for all mankind. According to the Koran, Mohammed is far from the first prophet of the Almighty, but the last one whom Allah ordered to convey his word to people.

The writing of the Koran lasted for 23 years, until the death of Muhammad. It is noteworthy that the prophet himself did not put together all the texts of the message - this was done after the death of Mohammed by his secretary Zeid ibn Thabit. Prior to this, followers memorized all the texts of the Koran and wrote them down on everything that came to hand.

There is a legend that in his youth the prophet Mohammed was interested in Christianity and was even going to be baptized himself. However, faced with the negative attitude of some priests towards him, he abandoned this idea, although the very ideas of Christianity were close to him. Perhaps there is a grain of truth in this, since some of the storylines of the Bible and the Koran are intertwined. This suggests that the prophet was clearly well acquainted with the holy book of the Christians.

Like the Bible, the Quran is both a philosophical book, a collection of laws, and a chronicle of the Arabs.

Most of the book is written in the form of a dispute between Allah, the opponents of Islam and those who have not yet decided whether to believe or not.

Thematically, the Quran can be divided into 4 blocks.

Basic principles of Islam.
The laws, traditions and rituals of Muslims, on the basis of which the moral and legal code of the Arabs was subsequently created.
Historical and folklore data of the pre-Islamic era.
Legends about the deeds of Muslim, Jewish and Christian prophets. In particular, in the Koran there are such heroes of the Bible as Abraham, Moses, David, Noah, Solomon and even Jesus Christ.

Structure of the Quran

In terms of structure, the Qur'an is similar to the Bible. However, unlike it, its author is one person, so the Qur'an is not divided into books according to the names of the authors. At the same time, the holy book of Islam is divided into two parts, according to the place of writing.

The chapters of the Koran written by Mohammed before 622, when the prophet, fleeing the opponents of Islam, moved to the city of Medina, are called Meccan. And all the others that Muhammad wrote in his new place of residence are called Medina.

How many suras are in the Quran and what is it

Like the Bible, the Koran consists of chapters, which the Arabs call suras.

In total, this sacred book consists of 114 chapters. They are not arranged according to the order they were written by the prophet, but according to their meaning. For example, the very first written chapter is considered to be Al-Alaq, which tells that Allah is the Creator of everything visible and invisible, as well as the ability of a person to sin. However, in the holy book, it is recorded as the 96th, and the first in a row is Surah Fatiha.

The chapters of the Qur'an are not uniform in length: the longest is 6100 words (Al-Baqarah), while the shortest is only 10 (Al-Kawthar). Starting from the second chapter (Bakara sura), their length becomes shorter.

After the death of Mohammed, the entire Quran was evenly divided into 30 juz. This is done so that during the sacred reading of one juz per night, a faithful Muslim could read the Koran in full.

Of the 114 chapters of the Qur'an, 87 (86) are suras written in Mecca. The remaining 27 (28) are Medina chapters written by Mohammed in the last years of his life. Each sura from the Qur'an has its own title, which reveals a brief meaning of the entire chapter.

113 of the 114 chapters of the Qur'an begin with the words "In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful!" Only the ninth sura, At-Tauba (from Arabic means "repentance"), begins with a story about how the Almighty deals with those who worship several gods.

What are ayat

Having learned how many suras are in the Quran, it is worth paying attention to another structural unit of the holy book - an ayat (an analogue of a biblical verse). Translated from Arabic, "ayat" means "signs."

These verses vary in length. Sometimes there are verses longer than the shortest chapters (10-25 words).

Due to problems with the division of suras into verses, Muslims have a different number of them - from 6204 to 6600.

The smallest number of verses in one chapter is 3, and the largest is 40.

Why the Quran should be read in Arabic

Muslims believe that only words from the Koran in Arabic, in which the sacred text was dictated by the archangel Mohammed, have miraculous power. That is why any, even the most accurate translation of the holy book, loses its divinity. Therefore, it is necessary to read prayers from the Koran in the original language - Arabic.

For those who do not have the opportunity to read the original Quran, in order to better understand the meaning of the holy book, it is worth reading tafsirs (interpretations and explanations of holy texts by the companions of Muhammad and famous scholars of later periods).

Russian translations of the Quran

Currently, there is a wide variety of translations of the Koran into Russian. However, all of them have their shortcomings, so they can only serve as an initial introduction to this great book.

Professor Ignatius Krachkovsky translated the Koran into Russian in 1963, however, he did not use comments on the holy book of Muslim scholars (tafsirs), so his translation is beautiful, but in many ways far from the original.

Valeria Porokhova translated the sacred book in verse. The suras in Russian in her translation rhyme, and when reading the sacred book it sounds very melodious, somewhat reminiscent of the original. However, she translated from Yusuf Ali's English interpretation of the Qur'an and not from Arabic.

Pretty good, although containing inaccuracies, are the popular translations of the Koran into Russian today by Elmir Kuliev and Magomed-Nuri Osmanov.

Surah Al-Fatiha

Having figured out how many suras are in the Quran, we can consider a few of the most famous of them. The head of Al-Fatih is called by Muslims the "mother of Scripture", as she opens the Koran. Sura Fatiha is sometimes also called Alham. It is believed that it was written by Mohammed was the fifth, but the scholars and companions of the prophet made it the first in the book. This chapter consists of 7 verses (29 words).

This surah begins in Arabic with the traditional phrase for 113 chapters - "Bismillahi Rahmani Rahim" ("In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful!"). Further in this chapter, Allah is praised, and also asks for His mercy and help on the path of life.

Surah Al-Baqarah

The longest surah from the Qur'an Al-Baqarah is 286 verses. Its name means "cow" in translation. The name of this sura is associated with the story of Moses (Musa), the plot of which is also in the 19th chapter of the biblical book of Numbers. In addition to the parable of Moses, this chapter also tells about the progenitor of all Jews - Abraham (Ibrahim).

Also, Surah Al-Baqara contains information about the basic tenets of Islam: about the unity of Allah, about a pious life, about the upcoming Day of God's judgment (Qiyamat). In addition, this chapter contains instructions on the conduct of trade, pilgrimage, gambling, the age for marriage and various nuances regarding divorce.

Bakara sura contains information that all people are divided into 3 categories: believers in Allah, rejecting the Almighty and His teachings and hypocrites.

The "heart" of Al-Baqarah, and indeed of the entire Koran, is the 255th verse, called "Al-Kursi". It tells about the greatness and power of Allah, His power over time and the universe.

Sura An-Nas

The Qur'an ends with Surah Al-Nas (An-Nas). It consists of only 6 verses (20 words). The title of this chapter is translated as "people". This sura tells about the fight against tempters, regardless of whether they are people, jinn (evil spirits) or Shaitan. The main effective remedy against them is the utterance of the Name of the Most High - in this way they will be put to flight.

It is generally accepted that the two final chapters of the Qur'an (Al-Falak and An-Nas) have protective power. So, according to Mohammed's contemporaries, he advised reading them every night before going to bed, so that the Almighty would protect them from the machinations of dark forces. The beloved wife and faithful companion of the prophet said that during his illness, Muhammad asked her to read aloud the two final suras, hoping for their healing power.

How to read the holy book of Muslims

Having learned how many surahs are in the Koran, what are the names of the most famous of them, it is worth familiarizing yourself with how Muslims usually treat the holy book. Muslims treat the text of the Koran as a shrine. So, for example, from a board on which the words from this book are written with chalk, you cannot erase them with saliva, you need to use only clean water.

In Islam, there is a separate set of rules on how to properly behave when reading suras. Before you start reading, you need to take a small bath, brush your teeth and dress in festive clothes. All this is due to the fact that reading the Qur'an is a meeting with Allah, for which you need to prepare with reverence.

While reading, it is better to be alone so that strangers do not distract from trying to comprehend the wisdom of the sacred book.

As for the rules for handling the book itself, it must not be placed on the floor or left open. In addition, the Quran must always be placed on top of the other books in the stack. Pages from the Koran cannot be used as wrappers for other books.

The Quran is not only the holy book of Muslims, but also a monument of ancient literature. Every person, even those who are very far from Islam, after reading the Koran, will find in it a lot of interesting and instructive things. In addition, today it is very easy to do this: you just need to download the appropriate application from the Internet to your phone - and the ancient wise book will always be at hand.