Qur'ān
/qʊrˈɑːn/
noun
Origin
Arabic
q-r-'- — to read, recite
Overview
Meaning Now
- The central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God (Allah).
- The recitation or reading of this sacred text.
Literal older meaning
recitation
Language path
Arabic
Earliest form
القرآن
Earliest period
7th century
Journey
The Qur'an is traditionally held by Muslims to be the verbatim word of God as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through the archangel Gabriel. It is composed of 114 surahs (chapters) and is linguistically distinct as the foundational text of Classical Arabic literature.
Evolution
- Pre-Islamic
qara'a
“to read aloud, recite”
Root verb from which the noun is derived.
- 7th century
al-Qur'ān
“the recitation”
Used as the proper name for the revealed message.
Connections
Word parts
Qur'ān
root
the act of reciting
Related across languages
Syriac
qeryānā
scripture reading, lectionary
Related words
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Related to Qur'ān
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.