What is the Qur'an?
Short answer
The Qur'an is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims believe is the literal word of God, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ through the angel Gabriel over approximately 23 years (610–632 CE). It consists of 114 chapters (surahs) and is recited in Arabic in daily prayer worldwide.
Understanding the question
For Muslims, the Qur’an is not simply a religious text among others — it’s understood as God’s own words, transmitted through revelation, not authored by Muhammad ﷺ himself. Understanding this claim is essential to understanding Islam.
What “revelation” means here
Muslims believe the Qur’an was revealed to Muhammad ﷺ in segments over roughly 23 years, delivered through the angel Gabriel (Jibril), beginning in 610 CE in a cave near Mecca and continuing until shortly before his death in 632 CE. Muhammad ﷺ is understood as the messenger who received and transmitted the revelation, not its author — a distinction central to Islamic belief about the Qur’an’s divine origin.
Structure
The Qur’an contains 114 chapters, called surahs, of widely varying length — from a few lines to hundreds of verses. Surahs are traditionally categorized as Meccan (revealed before Muhammad’s ﷺ migration to Medina in 622 CE, generally shorter and focused on core theology) or Medinan (revealed after, often longer and addressing law and community life). Chapters are further divided into verses, called ayat (singular: ayah), meaning “sign.”
How it was preserved
Two parallel methods of preservation are central to Islamic tradition: memorization (companions of the Prophet ﷺ memorized the Qur’an as it was revealed, a practice — hifz — that continues today with millions of Muslims worldwide who have memorized the entire text) and written compilation (verses were recorded on available materials during Muhammad’s ﷺ lifetime and formally compiled into a single written text shortly after his death). See Has the Qur’an Changed? for the detailed historical case.
Role in Muslim life
The Qur’an is recited in Arabic during the five daily prayers, regardless of a worshipper’s native language, and is studied through tafsir (exegesis/commentary) to understand its meaning in context. Muslims also read translations to understand the meaning directly, though translations are considered interpretations of the Arabic, not the Qur’an itself in the fullest theological sense.
Common misunderstanding
Some assume the Qur’an reads like a single continuous narrative, similar to parts of the Bible. It doesn’t — it moves between theology, law, narrative, and exhortation, often within the same chapter, and was revealed in response to specific events and questions over more than two decades rather than written as one continuous composition.
Conclusion
The Qur’an is, for Muslims, God’s direct words to humanity — revealed gradually, memorized and recorded carefully from the outset, and central to worship and daily life. Its claims to divine origin, preservation, and content are examined in detail throughout this section.
Read it yourself
You can read the Qur’an in English translation at quran.com, or request a free printed copy via our Qur’an request page.
Related Questions
Has the Qur'an Changed Since It Was Revealed?
Muslims hold that the Qur'an's text has been preserved essentially unchanged since the 7th century, through a combination of continuous memorization and early written compilation. Surviving manuscripts — including fragments radiocarbon-dated to within, or close to, Muhammad's ﷺ lifetime — are consistent with this claim, though Western academic scholarship continues to study the fine details of the text's early transmission.
Muhammad ﷺWho Was Muhammad ﷺ?
Muhammad ﷺ (c. 570–632 CE) was a merchant from Mecca who, at age 40, began receiving what Muslims believe was divine revelation, later compiled as the Qur'an. Over the next 23 years he taught monotheism, built the first Muslim community, faced persecution and exile, and eventually became a religious, political, and military leader across much of the Arabian Peninsula.
Why IslamWhy Islam? Which Religion Is True?
Once someone accepts that God likely exists, Islam's case rests on several converging factors: a strict, uncompromising monotheism shared across earlier scripture; the historical preservation of its founding text; the character and impact of Muhammad ﷺ; and a coherent theology that Muslims argue best resolves the tensions found in other traditions. This page introduces the case; deeper pages examine each part.
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