Kutub

what are 5 revelead books/kutubs/kutubullah:

-Tawrat

-Sahifa

-Zabur

-Injil

-Qur’an

the Qur’an is the most important of these

What is the qur’an

• The word Qur’an means recitation

• The Qur’an is the most important holy book for Muslims

• It contains the messages recited to the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) by Allah. These were in spoken word, as Muhammad (pbuh) was illiterate

• Muslims believe that Allah revealed the Qur’an to Muhammad (pbuh) over a period of 23 years

• The Qur’an is written in Arabic

  • It is divided into 114 surahs (chapters) and each chapter is made up of ayats (verses)

• The Qur’an confirms the revealed books that had come before it: the Tawrat, the Sahifah, the Zabur and the Injil

  • However, all of these previous texts had become unreliable and therefore God’s truth in the Qur’an takes priority over all of these

Why is the qur’an significant to Muslims

• Because the Qur’an was revealed directly by Allah to Muhammad (pbuh), it is the most important of the holy books for Muslims

• It is believed to be a complete and accurate record of Allah’s exact words to Muhammad (pbuh), as the Qur’an describes: 

‘he revealed to His servant what he revealed. The heart did not lie [about] what it saw’  (Qur’an Surah 10:37)

• The Qur’an is the final revelation of God and is meant for all times, all people and all places

  • This is because Muhammad (pbuh) was a universal messenger who was sent by Allah at a time when he decided the world was ready to receive his message

• Muslims believe that the Qur’an contains information that could only have come from Allah

‘Nor could this Qur’an have been devised by anyone other than God. It is a confirmation of what was revealed before it and an explanation of the Scripture. Let there be no doubt about it, it is from the Lord of the Worlds.’ (Qur’an Surah 10:37)

reasons Qur’an different from any other books for muslims

while the other holy books do contain revelations from allah they have been changed over time through editing, translation and even loss of some scriptures

in contrast, muslims believe that the entire text of Qur’an has remained unchanged since its original revelation over 14 centuries ago. Therefore, it is free from problems posed by other revealed books. Muslims believe the Quran to be the complete, final and unchanged revelation from allah to Muhammad

how do muslims dhow the significance of the Qur’an in the way they treat it

• many muslims study the Qur’an and learn it by heart

• they learn arabic to be able to read and understand the original language of the revealed words

• -they keep the Qur’an wrapped up to keep it clean

• -they do wudhu before touching it

• -keep it higher shelf than other books

• -place it on a special stand to read from it

outline 3 reasons why Quran important in islam

-final revelation of allah to Muhammad

-contains important teachings of allah

-muslims look to it for guidance in their lives

the nature and significant of taw rat

• The Tawrat is the holy book revealed by Allah to Musa

• The Tawrat are known as the ‘scriptures of Musa’

• These are also known as the Torah by Jews

• Tawrat means ‘instruction’ and the book is full of instructions including the Ten Commandments

• Muslims recognise that the Tawrat contains many valuable teachings and laws

• They believe it was meant for Jewish people and that its teachings were valid for a limited time

We revealed the Tawrat [Torah] with guidance and light, and the prophets, who had submitted to God, judged according to it for the Jews (Qur’an Surah 5:44)

• Muslims also believe that the Tawrat contains a prophecy about Muhammad (pbuh) appearing in the future

the nature and significance of Zabur

• The Zabur is the Psalms

• Psalms are songs of praise and prayer

• There are around 150 Psalms in total

• Muslims believe the Zabur was revealed to the prophet Dawud (David)by Allah

‘and to David we gave the book [of Psalms]’ (Qur’an Surah 4:163)

• The Psalms are also holy texts for both Jews and Christians, and many Muslims also believe that the Zabur is still relevant today

the nature and significance of injil

• The Injil (Gospel) is the original gospel taught by Isa (Jesus)

• It is not the same as the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the Christian New Testament, although those books do contain parts of the Injil

• The Injil is the revealed truths that Allah gave to Isa

  • The four gospels were written by Isa’s followers to record his life and teaching

• The original revelation has become altered and parts have been lost

• What has been preserved contains many valuable teachings about how to live, for example, teachings about forgiveness and love

‘We sent Jesus, the Son of Mary: We gave him the Gospel and put compassion and mercy into the hearts of his followers’ (Qur’an Surah 57:27)

• Muslims do not believe that Isa (Jesus) was the son of God as Christians do

• Instead, they believe that the Injil reveals the coming of the prophet Muhammad

the nature and significance of sahifah

• Sahifah means scrolls

• The Sahifah are the scrolls of Ibrahim (Abraham) and Musa (Moses)

• These are some of the earliest texts

• The scrolls have been lost over time and little is known about them

• Some parts have been preserved by being quoted in the Qur’an

• These verses show Muslims some of Ibrahim and Musa’s teachings in the Sahifah:

‘Has he not been told what was written in the Scriptures of Moses [Musa] and of Abraham [Ibrahim]… that no soul shall bear the burden of another’ (Qur’an Surah 53:36)