Koran

Koran, sacred scripture of the religion of Islam and the supreme authority of the Islamic tradition. To Muslims the book is not only divinely inspired but enshrines the actual words of God, as made known by the angel Gabriel to Muhammad in the 7th century A.D. After his death in 632 these sayings were collected in the Koran, and a standard text was formulated about 652. Basically the Koran is a collection of laws, moral teachings, and stories written in highly charged, poetic Arabic, much of it rhymed. About 80,000 words long, it is made up of 114 suras, or chapters, arranged according to length from the longest to the shortest—except for the first, “The Opening,” which is a brief prayer, the equivalent of the Lord's Prayer in Christianity. Just as the word Islam means “surrender” to the will of God, so the Koran passionately demands this same spiritual surrender. The Koran, it teaches, is the revelation of God, known in Arabic as Allah, who is compassionate and merciful. It was given to Muhammad, last and greatest of the prophets, but Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus are also counted among the prophets. However, the requirement in the Koran that the faithful should make at least one pilgrimage to Mecca probably reflects earlier Arab religions, and the complete subordination of women in the Koran is also in the Arabic tradition.

The Koran sets forth many rules governing moral behavior and social life. Alcoholic drinks and gambling are forbidden. The Koran is far more than a religious scripture. Because, as the first book written in Arabic, it formed a point of unity for all Arabs and for the diverse peoples they conquered, it is in a sense the foundation of Islamic civilization, as well as the molder and preserver of the Arabic language. As it is forbidden to recite the Koran in any language other than Arabic, the language was perpetuated in its purest form, with no corruption from the languages of the many peoples who were converted to Islam. The Koran today is the inspiration and guide for millions of Muslims.

See also: Islam.