Muslims believe that the Quran was orally revealed by God to the
final prophet,
Muhammad, through the archangel
Gabriel (
Jibril),
[18][19] incrementally over a period of some 23 years, beginning on 22 December 609
CE,
[20] when Muhammad was 40, and concluding in 632, the year of his death.
[11][21][22] Muslims regard the Quran as Muhammad's most important miracle, a proof of his prophethood,
[23] and the culmination of a series of divine messages starting with those revealed to
Adam, including the
Tawrah (
Torah), the
Zabur ("
Psalms") and the
Injil ("Gospel"), and ending with Muhammad's revelation. The word "Quran" occurs some 70 times in the Quran's text, and other names and words are also said to refer to the Quran.
[24] It is thought by Muslims to be not simply divinely inspired, but the literal
word of God.
[25]
According to tradition, several of Muhammad's companions served as scribes and recorded the revelations.
[26] Shortly after his death, the Quran was compiled by the companions, who had written down or memorized parts of it.
[27] The codices showed differences that motivated Caliph
Uthman to establish a standard version, now known as Uthman's codex, which is generally considered the archetype of the Quran known today. There are, however,
variant readings, with mostly minor differences in meaning.
[26]
The Quran assumes
familiarity with major narratives recounted in the
Biblical scriptures. It summarizes some, dwells at length on others and, in some cases, presents alternative accounts and interpretations of events.
[28][29][30] The Quran describes itself as a book of guidance for mankind (
2:185). It sometimes offers detailed accounts of specific historical events, and it often emphasizes the moral significance of an event over its narrative sequence.
[31][32] Supplementing the Quran with explanations for some cryptic Quranic narratives, and rulings that also provide the basis for
sharia (Islamic) law (in most denominations of Islam),
[33][Note 6] are
Hadith —
oral and written traditions believed to describe words and actions of Muhammad.
[Note 7][33] During prayers, the Quran is recited only in Arabic.
[34]
Someone who has memorized the entire Quran is called a
hafiz. Quranic verse (
ayah) is sometimes recited with a special kind of
elocution reserved for this purpose, called
tajwid. During the month of
Ramadan, Muslims typically complete the recitation of the whole Quran during
tarawih prayers. In order to extrapolate the meaning of a particular Quranic verse, most Muslims rely on
exegesis, or
tafsir.
[35]