Scripture and tradition Islam

Overview
- Like Judaism and Christianity, Islam is founded on scripture and tradition.
- The scripture is the Qur'an, containing the revelations of Allah through Muhammad, God's prophet.
- The tradition consists of Hadith, which includes stories and sayings of Muhammad, expounding on various issues not addressed in the Qur'an.

Transmission
- Originally transmitted orally by reciters; the term Qur'an is derived from the Arabic meaning "to recite."
- Written down in the 7th century to preserve revelations as reciters diminished.
- Compilers authenticated the text by comparing versions and studying transmission histories for each of the 114 revelations.
- Each revelation treated as a separate chapter or sura, organized from longest to shortest, resulting in a non-chronological text.
- Early Meccan revelations were shorter and appear later in the text; Medina revelations were longer and appear earlier.

Collection and Organization
- In the 8th century, scholars collected and organized Hadith; oral transmission led to challenges in determining authenticity.
- Scholars developed methods of authentication using a chain of authority, tracing the lineage of each Hadith to early companions of Muhammad.
- This chain also informs Islamic historical writing.

Selections highlight:
- The authority of the Qur'an and Muhammad as the prophet.
- Muslim views of nature, divine order, ritual practices, and community notions.
- Inclusion of both Qur'anic passages and Hadith in the selections, some in verse; revelations delivered over a decade in varying forms.

Key Surahs: Sūra 53, Sūra 52, Sūra 7, Sūra 33 and Hadith
- Sūra 53: Coming from the early Meccan period, mentions the angel Gabriel, described as powerful, who appeared to the Prophet.
- Muhammad describes two visionary occurrences involving Gabriel.
- Sūra 52: Muhammad claims divine inspiration from Allah himself.
- Sūra 7: Addresses his prophetic role as defined in the Torah and Gospel.
- Sūra 33: Concisely outlines Muhammad's mission as the prophet.
- A Hadith from al-Tabari discusses Muhammad's call and Gabriel's first appearance.

"By the Star when it plunges…" describes divine revelation received by Muhammad.
Key reflections on Muhammad's vision and the proximity of divine communication.

Addresses the reception and validation of prophetic claims against skepticism.
- Raises challenges to unbelievers.

Discusses divine mercy and the caliphate, asserting God's guidance for believers.
Critiques falsehoods and delineates lawful versus unlawful.

Key Surahs: Sura 2, Sura 6, Sura 28, Sura 3, Sura 5, and Hadith
- Explores figures from the Hebrew Bible and New Testament as central to unfolding Revelation.
- Sura 2 narrates creation of Adam, Iblis's refusal to bow, and the covenants of Allah with Abraham.
- Highlights Moses's prophetic confrontation and Mary’s divine selection.
- A Hadith indicates prior acknowledgment of Muhammad's prophetic role amongst Arabs, Jews, and Christians.

Creation of Adam: Dialogue with angels regarding Adam's creation and the subsequent fall into sin.
- Conveys themes of guidance and repentance.

Abraham’s Call: Abraham's rejection of idol worship in favor of monotheism.
- Represents a moment of spiritual awakening.

Messages of Mary: Interaction with angels declaring Mary's role and Jesus's divine mission.
- Points to the miraculous nature of Jesus’s birth and his prophetic role.

Groups of Beings: Includes Gabriel (angel of revelation), Michael (angel of providence), Israfil (angel of the trumpet), and Azra'il (angel of death).
- The jinn are beings capable of influencing humans, and some recognize the true revelations.

Describes the jinn's acknowledgment of the Qur'an as a revelation guiding to righteousness.

Five Pillars: The components of Islamic faith, including the Kalima, prayer, almsgiving, fasting, and pilgrimage.
- The Kalima serves as the essential creed: "La ilaha ill'Allah, Muhammad Rasul Allah," emphasizing singular devotion to Allah and acknowledgment of Muhammad as His messenger.

Rewards of Faith: Narratives affirming that professing the Kalima leads to salvation from Hellfire, reinforcing the creed's spiritual power and significance in Islamic life.