Al-Qurʾān " القرآن " is the last of the four Divine Scriptures that was revealed to last of the prophets Muhammad ﷺ by Allah through archangel Jibraeel (Gabriel). The language of Qur'an is Arabic and contains 114 chapters, called Sūrah " سورة " which consist of varying number of verses (آيات ʾāyāt,). These 114 chapters are divided into thirty parts called Juz'.
The Qur'an was revealed onto Prophet Muhammad ﷺ both in Makkah (Mecca) and Medinah over a period of 23 years of his prophethood. That is why the revelations during the Meccan period are called Meccan Sūrahs and those revealed in the Medinah are called Medinan Sūrahs. The Meccan Sūrahs are generally shorter for these contained general invitation to Islam and modalities. However, verses of the Medinan Sūrahs are much longer as these contain the detailed instructions and commandments encompassing all matters related to life, relations with non-Muslims and Divine Laws to administer daily lives of the Muslims, beside social and community etiquettes. Besides these also contain references and mention of previous prophets, especially Prophets Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus (may peace be upon them) beside others.
The Arabic language of Qur'an differs from the textual Arabic being the Divine language. For this reason, it is widely regarded as the finest work in Arabic literature, and has significantly influenced the Arabic language.
Since the language of Qur'an is Arabic, many reverts, those non-Muslims embracing Islam, find it difficult to grasp the real essence of this Divine Scripture as mere translation does not convey the true meaning and correlation of verses and Sūrahs with previous and following chapters/Sūrah as many subjects are interrelated, yet scattered throughout the Qur'an.
In order to assist the reverts, we have taken upon us to present the simple translation followed by detailed explanation / exegesis (called Tafsir in Arabic “التفسير “) by more than one Islamic scholar and exegetes for better simulation and understanding. Some of these scholars include:
- Abu al-Fiḍā ‘Imād Ad-Din Ismā‘īl ibn ‘Umar ibn Kathīr al-Qurashī Al-Damishqī, known as Ibn Kathīr ابن كثير, died 1373, was a highly influential Arab historian, exegete and scholar during the Mamluk era in Syria.
- Abul A'la Al-Maududi (1903-1979) an Islamic scholar, Islamist ideologue, Muslim philosopher, jurist, historian, journalist, activist and scholar active in Hyderabad Deccan and later, following partition and the annexation of Hyderabad, in Pakistan.
- Muhammad Asad, (1900-1992) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Jew and revert to Islam who worked as a journalist, traveler, writer, linguist, political theorist, diplomat. His translation of the Quran in English, "The Message of The Qur'an" is one of the most notable of his works.
- Abdullah Yusuf Ali, (1872-1953) was an Indian-British barrister and Muslim scholar who wrote a number of books about Islam including a translation of the Qur'an.
- Jāvēd Ahmed Ghāmidī is a Pakistani Muslim theologian, Quran scholar, Islamic modernist, exegete and educationist. He is also the founding President of Al-Mawrid Institute of Islamic Sciences and its sister organisation Danish Sara.
- Nouman Ali Khan is a Pakistani-American Islamic speaker and Arabic instructor who founded the Bayyinah Institute for Arabic and Qur’anic Studies after serving as an instructor of Arabic at Nassau Community College.
- And others whose mention is made separately in the References given after each exegesis.
We have also included videos of recitation of Qur'an by some of the best reciters of Qur'an and explanation of complete or part of the Sūrahs by eminent Muslim scholars.
The modus operandi of our effort is divided into five parts as under:
* General Information:
- What is Holy Qur'an - The Book of Allah
- Brief History of Compilation of Holy Qur'an
- Essence of Holy Qur'an
- Surahs of the Holy Quran Known as Al-Musabbihat "The Praisers"
- Understanding the Holy Quran: Huroof Muqatta’at - Disjoined Letters
- Who can benefit from the Guidance of al Qur'an?
- The easiest way to memorize Al Qurʾān القرآن
- Selected verses from Sūrahs of Qur'an to highlight important topics with detailed explanation
- Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject
* Lessons from selected Surahs of Quran:
Reading the Holy Quran should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Holy Qur'an from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah.
May Allah (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
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