Qur'an

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The Qur'an (Arabic: القرآن) is the central holy book of Islam. The Qur'an is considered by Muslims to be "The Word of Allah (God)". This book is believed to have been revealed to the prophet Muhammad. Some Muslims call it the Final Testament.

For Muslims, the Qur'an is Allah's last revelation, the last in a chain of many revelations such as the Tawrat (Torah), the Zabur (Psalms), the Injeel (Gospel), the Scrolls of Abraham, and the Scrolls of Moses. It has been written and read only in Arabic for more than 1,400 years. But, because many Muslims around the world do not understand Arabic, the meaning of the Qur'an is also given in other languages, so that readers can understand better what the Arabic words in the Qur'an mean. These books are like dictionaries to the Qur'an - they are not read as part of the religion of Islam, to replace the Arabic Qur'an. Muslims believe that these translations are not the true Qur'an; only the Arabic copy is the true Qur'an.^[1]

For most self-identified Muslims, the Qur'an is used with the hadith to interpret Sharia law (Islamic holy law). It is by far the most important and authoritative document, however, and supersedes hadiths and all earlier revelations, such as the Torah and the Bible. Saudi Arabia holds that the Qur'an is the country's constitution, although it is supplemented by more recent documents in modern Arabic.

For Shi'a Muslims, the Qur'an is used together with interpretations by special imams, especially such being a descendant from Muhammad's family, the Ahl al-Bayt. Others use the Islamic methodology of tafsir al-Qur'an bi-l-Kitab (Arabic: تفسير القرآن بالكتاب), which refers to interpreting the Qur'an with/through the Bible.^[2] This approach adopts canonical Arabic versions of the Bible, including the Tawrat and the Injil, both to illuminate and to add exegetical depth to the reading of the Qur'an. Notable Muslim mufassirun (commentators) of the Bible and Qur'an who weaved biblical texts together with Qur'anic ones include Abu al-Hakam Abd al-Salam bin al-Isbili of Al-Andalus and Ibrahim bin Umar bin Hasan al-Biqa'i.^[2]

1. ↑ Qur'an, retrieved on 8 January 2009
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} McCoy, R. Michael (2021-09-08). Interpreting the Qurʾān with the Bible (Tafsīr al-Qurʾān bi-l-Kitāb). Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-46682-1.