List of Islamic texts

Last updated

This is a list of Islamic texts. The religious texts of Islam include the Quran (the central text), several previous texts (considered by Muslims to be previous revelations from Allah), including the Tawrat (Torah) revealed to the prophets and messengers amongst the Children of Israel, the Zabur (Psalms) revealed to Dawud (David) and the Injil (the Gospel) revealed to Isa (Jesus), and the hadith (deeds and sayings attributed to Muhammad, which comprise the sunnah).

Contents

Quran

The Quran is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims believe to be a revelation from God. [1] It is widely regarded as the finest work in classical Arabic literature. [2] [3] [4] [5] The Quran is divided into chapters (Arabic: سورتیں, surahtaen; singular سورۃ, sūrah), which are subdivided into verses (Arabic: آية, āyāh ; plural آيات, āyāt).

Text of the Quran

The text of the Qur'an of 114 chapters of varying lengths, each known as a surah. Each surah is formed from several verses, each called an ayah.

Commentaries and exegesis (tafsīr)

A body of commentary and explication (tafsīr), aimed at explaining the meanings of the Quranic verses.

Reasons of revelation (asbāb al-nuzūl)

The science which describes the reason, circumstances, and events surrounding the revelation of verses.

Previous revelations

Other Islamic books considered to be revealed by God before the Quran, mentioned by name in the Quran are the Tawrat (Torah) revealed to the prophets and messengers amongst the Children of Israel, the Zabur (Psalms) revealed to Dawud (David) and the Injil (the Gospel) revealed to Isa (Jesus). The Quran also mentions God having revealed the Scrolls of Abraham and the Scrolls of Moses.

The Islamic methodology of tafsir al-Qur'an bi-l-Kitab (Arabic : تفسير القرآن بالكتاب) refers to interpreting the Qur'an with/through the Bible. [6] This approach adopts canonical Arabic versions of the Bible, including the Tawrat and the Injil, both to illuminate and to add exegetical depth to the reading of the Qur'an. Notable Muslim mufassirun (commentators) of the Bible and Qur'an who weaved biblical texts together with Qur'anic ones include Abu al-Hakam Abd al-Salam bin al-Isbili of Al-Andalus and Ibrahim bin Umar bin Hasan al-Biqa'i. [6]

Sunnah

Sunnah denotes the practice of Islamic prophet Muhammad that he taught and practically instituted as a teacher of the sharī‘ah and the best exemplar. [7] The sources of sunna are usually oral traditions found in collections of Hadith and Sīra (prophetic biography), as well as the Qur'an. Unlike the Qur'an, Muslims naturally differ on the set of texts or sources of sunnah, and they emphasize different collections of hadith based on to which school of thought or branch they belong.

Hadith (Traditions of the prophet)

Hadīth are sayings, acts or tacit approvals ascribed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Unlike the Qur'an, the hadiths are not accepted by all Muslims. [8] [9]

Biographical evaluation (ilm ar-rijal)

The science which explores the narrators of hadith.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

Tafsir refers to an exegesis, or commentary, of the Quran. An author of a tafsir is a mufassir. A Quranic tafsir attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, interpretation, context or commentary for clear understanding and conviction of God's will in Islam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Fatiha</span> First chapter of the Quran

Al-Fatiha is the first chapter of the Quran. It consists of seven verses which consist of a prayer for guidance and mercy.

Al-ʻAlaq is the 96th chapter (sūrah) of the Qur'an. It is composed of 19 āyāt or verses. It is sometimes also known as Sūrat Iqrā.

The Pen, or Nūn is the sixty-eighth chapter (sūrah) of the Qur'an with 52 verses (āyāt). Quran 68 describes God's justice and the judgment day. Three notable themes of this Surah are its response to the opponents' objections, warning and admonition to the disbelievers, and exhortation of patience to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Chronologically, this was the first appearance of any of the "disjointed" [i.e., single] letters (muqattaat) which precede a number of the surahs of the Qur'an, while in Quranic order this is the last surah to have the appearance of muqattaat.

Injil is the Arabic name for the Gospel of Jesus (Isa). This Injil is described by the Qur'an as one of the four Islamic holy books which was revealed by Allah, the others being the Zabur, the Tawrat, and the Qur'an itself. The word Injil is also used in the Qur’an, the hadith and early Muslim documents to refer to both a book and revelations made by God to Jesus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zabur</span> Holy book of prophet Dawud (David in Islam)

The Zabur is, according to Islam, the holy book of Dawud, one of the holy books revealed by Allah before the Quran, alongside others such as the Tawrāh (Torah) and the Injīl (Gospel). Muslim tradition maintains that the Zabur mentioned in the Quran is the Psalms of Dawud.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Anfal</span> 8th chapter of the Quran

Al-Anfal is the eighth chapter (sūrah) of the Quran, with 75 verses (āyāt). Regarding the timing and contextual background of the revelation, it is a "Medinan surah", completed after the Battle of Badr. It forms a pair with the next surah, At-Tawba.

An-Nisa' is the fourth chapter (sūrah) of the Quran, with 176 verses (āyāt). The title derives from the numerous references to women throughout the chapter, including verse 34 and verses 4:127-130.

Naskh is an Arabic word usually translated as "abrogation". In tafsir, or Islamic legal exegesis, naskh recognizes that one rule might not always be suitable for every situation. In the widely recognized and "classic" form of naskh, one ḥukm "ruling" is abrogated to introduce an exception to the general rule, but the text the ḥukm is based on is not repealed.

Ar-Ra'd,, or the Thunder, is the 13th chapter (sūrah) of the Qur'an, composed of 43 verses (āyāt). It has Muqattat المر.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Kahf</span> 18th chapter of the Quran

Al-Kahf is the 18th chapter (sūrah) of the Qur'an with 110 verses (āyāt). Regarding the timing and contextual background of the revelation, it is an earlier Meccan surah, which means it was revealed before Muhammad's hijrah to Medina, instead of after.

The Throne Verse is the 255th verse of the second chapter of the Quran, al-Baqara 2:255. In this verse, God introduces Himself to mankind and says nothing and nobody is comparable to God. The greatest and one of the most well-known verses of the Quran, it is widely memorised and displayed in the Islamic faith. It is said (ḥadīṯ) that reciting this verse wards off devils (šayāṭīn) and fiends (ʿafārīt).

Occasions or circumstances of revelation, in Arabic( أسباب النزول -asbābal-nuzūl,) names the historical context in which Quranic verses were revealed from the perspective of traditional Islam. Though of some use in reconstructing the Qur'an's historicity, asbāb is by nature an exegetical rather than a historiographical genre, and as such usually associates the verses it explicates with general situations rather than specific events. The study of asbāb al-nuzūl is part of the study of Tafsir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torah in Islam</span> Islamic view of the Torah

The Tawrat, also romanized as Tawrah or Taurat, is the Arabic-language name for the Torah within its context as an Islamic holy book believed by Muslims to have been given by God to the prophets and messengers amongst the Children of Israel. In the Qur'an, the word 'Tawrat' occurs eighteen times. When referring to traditions from the Tawrat, Muslims have not only identified it with the Pentateuch, but also with the other books of the Hebrew Bible as well as with Talmudic and Midrashic writings.

Indeed, We sent down the Torah, in which was guidance and light. The prophets who submitted [to God] judged by it for the Jews, as did the rabbis and scholars by that with which they were entrusted of the Scripture of God, and they were witnesses thereto. So do not fear the people but fear Me, and do not exchange My verses for a small price [i.e., worldly gain]. And whoever does not judge by what God has revealed - then it is those who are the disbelievers.

The Scrolls of Abraham are a part of the religious scriptures of Islam. These scriptures are believed to have contained the revelations of Abraham received from the God of Abrahamic religions, which were written down by him as well as his scribes and followers.

Tanzil "sending down", Inzal "bringing down", and nuzul "descending", and other words based on the triconsonantal Arabic root verb nazala "to descend", refer to the Islamic belief in the descent of God's message from heaven to earth where it was revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David in Islam</span> Islamic view of David

Dawud, or David, is considered a prophet and messenger of God (Allah) in Islam, as well as a righteous, divinely-anointed monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel. Additionally, Muslims also honor David for having received the divine revelation of the Zabur (Psalms).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic holy books</span> Religious scriptures seen by Muslims as holy

Islamic holy books are certain religious scriptures that are viewed by Muslims as having valid divine significance, in that they were authored by God (Allah) through a variety of prophets and messengers, including those who predate the Quran. Among the group of religious texts considered to be valid revelations, the three that are mentioned by name in the Quran are the Tawrat, received by prophets and messengers amongst the Israelites; the Zabur (Psalms), received by David; and the Injeel, received by Jesus. Additionally, the Quran mentions God's revealing of the Scrolls of Abraham and the Scrolls of Moses.

The Quran states that several prior writings constitute holy books given by God to the prophets and messengers amongst the Children of Israel, in the same way the Quran was revealed to Muhammad. These include the Tawrat, believed by Muslims to have been given by God to the prophets and messengers amongst the Children of Israel, the Zabur revealed to David (Dawud); and the Injil revealed to Jesus (Isa).

Prophets in Islam are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread God's message on Earth and serve as models of ideal human behaviour. Some prophets are categorized as messengers, those who transmit divine revelation, most of them through the interaction of an angel. Muslims believe that many prophets existed, including many not mentioned in the Quran. The Quran states: "And for every community there is a messenger." Belief in the Islamic prophets is one of the six articles of the Islamic faith.

References

  1. ↑ Nasr, Seyyed Hossein (2007). "Qurʼān". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 2007-11-04.
  2. ↑ Margot Patterson, Islam Considered: A Christian View, Liturgical Press, 2008 p. 10.
  3. ↑ Mir Sajjad Ali, Zainab Rahman, Islam and Indian Muslims, Guan Publishing House 2010 p. 24, citing N.J. Dawood's judgement.
  4. ↑ Alan Jones, The Koran, London 1994, ISBN   1842126091, opening page.
    "Its outstanding literary merit should also be noted: it is by far, the finest work of Arabic prose in existence."
  5. ↑ Arthur Arberry, The Koran Interpreted, London 1956, ISBN   0684825074, p. 191.
    "It may be affirmed that within the literature of the Arabs, wide and fecund as it is both in poetry and in elevated prose, there is nothing to compare with it."
  6. 1 2 McCoy, R. Michael (2021-09-08). Interpreting the Qurʾān with the Bible (Tafsīr al-Qurʾān bi-l-Kitāb). Brill. ISBN   978-90-04-46682-1.
  7. ↑ Islahi, Amin Ahsan (1989) [tr:2009]. "Difference between Hadith and Sunnah". Mabadi Tadabbur i Hadith [Fundamentals of Hadith Interpretation] (in Urdu). Lahore: Al-Mawrid. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  8. ↑ Aisha Y. Musa, The Qur’anists, Florida International University, accessed May 22, 2013.
  9. ↑ Neal Robinson (2013), Islam: A Concise Introduction, Routledge, ISBN   978-0878402243, Chapter 7, pp. 85-89
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.