What is the Quran? The holy book of Islam explained

What Muslims believe the Quran is

For Muslims, the Quran is the direct speech of Allah, not the words of the Prophet ﷺ or his companions. Its name comes from the Arabic for "reading" or "recitation", and it describes itself as guidance for people:

ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًۭى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿٢﴾

It has many other names, such as Al-Furqan (the Criterion) and Adh-Dhikr (the Reminder); see the names of the Quran.

How it was revealed

Revelation began in 610 CE, when the Prophet ﷺ was about 40 years old, in the cave of Hira near Makkah, during the month of Ramadan. It continued in parts over about 23 years, in Makkah and then Madinah, until shortly before his death in 632 CE. The verses were memorised by many companions and written down by scribes as they were revealed, then gathered into a single book; the full story is in when the Quran was written and who compiled it. It was revealed in Classical Arabic.

How it is organised

The Quran has 114 surahs (chapters) and 6,236 ayahs (verses). The surahs are not in the order they were revealed: after the opening surah, Al-Fatihah, they run roughly from longest to shortest. For reading and memorising, the Quran is also divided into 30 equal parts (juz), 60 hizb and seven manzil. See how many surahs and ayahs are in the Quran, the list of all 114 surahs and how the Quran is divided.

Why Muslims recite and memorise it

• In prayer: Al-Fatihah and other passages are recited in every one of the five daily prayers (see which surahs to recite in salah).
• As worship: reading the Quran, especially in Ramadan, is one of the most valued acts in Islam.
• By heart: many Muslims memorise the whole Quran; someone who has done so is called a hafiz. Learn more in how to memorise the Quran.
• With care: it is recited with tajweed, the rules of correct pronunciation (see our tajweed rules guide).

If you are new to Islam, our Quran classes for reverts start from the very first letter.