HISTORY'S CURRENTS
THE QUR'AN

Moslems around the world believe the Qu'ran is the word of Allah (God) as it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by the revelations through the archangel Gabriel. It is believed that prophet received revelations from Allah for 23 years between 610 and 622 CE. At first, these revelations were preached by the prophet verbally and memorized by his followers. After the death of Muhammad in 632 CE (year 10 in the Islamic calendar), who could not write, these teachings were set down in a book called the Qur'an (Koran).

It is believed that the Qur'an was compiled under the direction of the first Caliph Abu Bakr, Mohammad's father in law and an original convert to Islam, who assumed leadership of the faith after the death of Muhammad. The teachings, often called recitations, were recorded and set down in written Arabic by scribes. The work was continued after the death of Abu Bakr in 634 CE by the Caliphs Umar Ibn Al-Khattah (634-644 CE) and Uthman Ibn Affaan (644-656 CE). The Qur'an was completed about 645 CE and set grammar and usage rules for written and spoken Arabic in the Arab world.

Unlike many parts of the Christian scriptures, the Qur'an is designed to be recited and in that recitation process is the beauty of the Qur'an in Arabic form. If Christians could imagine the beauty of the Psalms in original Hebrew, being recited on an open hillside in Judea, or the Beatitudes being recited by Christian Converts in the catacombs at Easter, this is how the Qur'an sounds in the open deserts of Arabia. Many of the earliest converts to Islam were converted when they heard the Qur'an being recited in the desert at night during evening prayers.

The Qur'an consists of 114 suras or chapters. The suras are organized in length, and are not in chronological order or in the order of their appearance in Moslem teaching. Since the Qur'an is organized in this manner, many of Muhammad's later and lengthy teachings appear first, while the earlier, shorter teachings were more poetic and designed for recitation. Muslims usually refer to the suras by an Arabic name derived in some way from the sura and not by their numbers. The, Qur'an contains a short opening and then proceeds with the longest sura.

Muhammad was influenced by Christian and Jewish teachings that he heard as a young orphan working on caravans throughout the Middle East. Christian and Jewish stories such as Adam and Eve, Job, Jonah, Abraham and Isaac, Noah, the Magnificent of Mary, and Jesus appear in the Qur'an. Jews and Christians are known as 'Peoples of the Book' due to their appearance in the Qur'an.

Since the Moslems believe that the Qur'an is the revealed word of Allah, the Qur'an may not be sold; however, the binding of the Qur'an can be sold. The cost of a Qur'an can be a small fee for a simple binding or cost a large amount for a binding of gold and jewels. Arabic is the official language of the Qur'an. Translations may appear but are not considered canonical and are not allowed in official worship.

Over the years a protocol has developed among Moslems for handling the Qur'an. The Qur'an is not to be touched or recited except in the state of ritual purity. The Qur'an is not to be left open, and no other books should be placed upon the Qur'an, which should always be higher than all other books, whether they are books of Sacred Knowledge or something else. The Qur'an is to be placed on one's lap or on something in front of the person reading it. The Qur'an in never to be placed on the floor, not even during the five daily prayers. Finally the Qur'an is not to use as pillow, or leaned upon at all, and it is not to be tossed when a person wants to hand it to another person.

Today Islam is the world's second largest religion. From Western Africa to Indonesia and the Philippines, and all over the world, dedicated Moslems have learned Arabic in order to read and recite the book they consider to be the revealed word of Allah, as given to Muhammad through the archangel Gabriel.

History's currents or current history? You decide!

Editor's note: Today most scholars and textbooks use the Qur'an spelling for the holy book of Islam. The older spelling 'Koran' is passing out of use in the English speaking world. It is interesting to note that some of the secret rituals and rights of the Ku Klux Klan were recorded in a book called the 'Kloran' developed in the early 20th Century. It seems that the Klan has never had an original thought.