Defining Quran
Various reasons have been advanced for giving it the name Quran. And only Allah ﷻ knows best. The conventional definition of “Quran” has been made in the following words: “The words of Allah that were revealed to His Messenger ﷺ, written in Books and narrated continuously from him without any doubt.” (Reference: at-Talweeh aaal-Tawdeeh, v1, p26, printed at Mustafa Press albabi, Egypt)
The word Quran is made of the Arabic letters:
ق ر ا ن
There are two ways that the word Quran has been interpreted by our scholars. One is with the root letters ق ر ن and the other is with the root letters ق ر ا.
If we go with ق ر ن, the word becomes: Qarana, which means to flow. This tells us that the Quran has a flow. A flow cannot be achieved by dropping one line only. There needs to be one line after another, after another to create a flow. Speech can be properly understood when we recognize how its components have been organized. How parts of it correspond to other parts of it. If we take only one part of the speech and ignore the others, then we won't get the point, we might even miss the meaning altogether. Quran not only has a beautiful flow in its recitation, but it also has an amazing flow in its speech and the way it makes its arguments.
There is a word related to Qarana called قرين in the Quran which refers to a close companion. When people sit in close connection to each other, they are Qareen to each other. So when we study the word Quran from the root word Qarana and the corresponding word Qareen, then it gives the meaning of something that is combined and together. If we look at the ayaat of the Quran then they are close together, they are Qareen to each other. When one surah finishes, then right after another surah attaches to it. So the word Quran tells us that its ayaat, its surahs and its meanings are attached to each other. The Quran has tarteeb (arrangement) and it has fluency.
If we look at the root letters, ق ر ا which form the word Iqra. Its origins are Qaraa Yaqrau means “to collect”. It is also used for “reading” or “reciting” because the words and letters are collected together while reading something. In Arabic language, sometimes a verbal noun is used in the meaning of its passive participle. The Quran is so named in the same sense, that is “The Book that is read/ recited”. The word “Quran” is a masdar(grammatical term) and is used only for the Quran. We cannot call any other book as the Quran – not Torah, not Injeel, not even a book that has Quran with its translation or explanation. Quran is only pure Quran – the only Arabic words which are the words of God exactly as it is. Even one word of human origin makes it a kitab and not the Quran.
One of the reasons quoted by scholars is that this name refutes the disbelievers of Arabia, who used to ask people not to listen to the Quran and to make noises during its recital to stop it from being heard. Allah ﷻ recorded their words in the Quran in Surah Fussilat 41:26,
وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَا تَسْمَعُوا لِهَٰذ ا الْقُرْآنِ وَالْغَوْا فِيهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَغْلِبُونَ
And those who disbelieve say, "Do not listen to this Qur'an and speak noisily during [the recitation of] it that perhaps you will overcome.
The name Quran itself nips their mischief in the bud. By giving it the name Quran, it has been proclaimed that this Message can’t be suppressed by such ridiculous means. This Book is revealed to be recited and it shall be recited till the Last Day. It is now an established fact that the Holy Quran is the most widely read and recited Book in the world.
The word Quran is made of the Arabic letters:
ق ر ا ن
There are two ways that the word Quran has been interpreted by our scholars. One is with the root letters ق ر ن and the other is with the root letters ق ر ا.
If we go with ق ر ن, the word becomes: Qarana, which means to flow. This tells us that the Quran has a flow. A flow cannot be achieved by dropping one line only. There needs to be one line after another, after another to create a flow. Speech can be properly understood when we recognize how its components have been organized. How parts of it correspond to other parts of it. If we take only one part of the speech and ignore the others, then we won't get the point, we might even miss the meaning altogether. Quran not only has a beautiful flow in its recitation, but it also has an amazing flow in its speech and the way it makes its arguments.
There is a word related to Qarana called قرين in the Quran which refers to a close companion. When people sit in close connection to each other, they are Qareen to each other. So when we study the word Quran from the root word Qarana and the corresponding word Qareen, then it gives the meaning of something that is combined and together. If we look at the ayaat of the Quran then they are close together, they are Qareen to each other. When one surah finishes, then right after another surah attaches to it. So the word Quran tells us that its ayaat, its surahs and its meanings are attached to each other. The Quran has tarteeb (arrangement) and it has fluency.
If we look at the root letters, ق ر ا which form the word Iqra. Its origins are Qaraa Yaqrau means “to collect”. It is also used for “reading” or “reciting” because the words and letters are collected together while reading something. In Arabic language, sometimes a verbal noun is used in the meaning of its passive participle. The Quran is so named in the same sense, that is “The Book that is read/ recited”. The word “Quran” is a masdar(grammatical term) and is used only for the Quran. We cannot call any other book as the Quran – not Torah, not Injeel, not even a book that has Quran with its translation or explanation. Quran is only pure Quran – the only Arabic words which are the words of God exactly as it is. Even one word of human origin makes it a kitab and not the Quran.
One of the reasons quoted by scholars is that this name refutes the disbelievers of Arabia, who used to ask people not to listen to the Quran and to make noises during its recital to stop it from being heard. Allah ﷻ recorded their words in the Quran in Surah Fussilat 41:26,
وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَا تَسْمَعُوا لِهَٰذ ا الْقُرْآنِ وَالْغَوْا فِيهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَغْلِبُونَ
And those who disbelieve say, "Do not listen to this Qur'an and speak noisily during [the recitation of] it that perhaps you will overcome.
The name Quran itself nips their mischief in the bud. By giving it the name Quran, it has been proclaimed that this Message can’t be suppressed by such ridiculous means. This Book is revealed to be recited and it shall be recited till the Last Day. It is now an established fact that the Holy Quran is the most widely read and recited Book in the world.