The Koran

The Koran is the name of the Holy Book in Islam. Islam is the name of a religion that was started in 609 AD, by a man called Mohammed. When Mohammed was 40 years old, he was praying by himself one day in a cave called Hira, which is in Saudi Arabia. It was there that he said he heard the angel Gabriel speaking to him. The angel told him to ‘read’ but Muhammed replied by telling the angel he was illiterate (meaning he could not read or write). The angel again told Muhammed to ‘read’ and Muhammed suddenly found that he could read the words being shown to him.

Over the next 23 years, Muhammed had many meetings with the angel and through those meetings, the Koran (the Holy book which Muslims read) came to be memorised by him and shared with others.

Muslims see the Koran as proof that Muhammad was a prophet (a man sent by God). This is because the Koranic verses were put together so beautifully, so poetically and so scientifically that it was considered miraculous for them to have come through someone as unlearned, un-scholarly and as illiterate as Muhammed was.

After the said revelations began, Muhammed immigrated to Medina and formed a community of Muslims there. In Medina they learned how to recite the parts of the Koran that had been revealed so far, and how to teach the laws within it to others. Great importance was placed on knowledge, learning and education in the Koran and many people became literate through practicing Islam.

Muslims see the Koran as being the final revelation from God. They believe that the Torah and the Bible were inspired by God, however that the Koran was literally God’s ‘word’. Some of the stories from the bible are rewritten differently in the Koran.

Some Muslims memorise the entire Koran, people who can do this are called a ‘hafiz’. During the month of Ramadan (a time when Muslims draw closer to God through fasting, prayer and almsgiving), each Muslim tries to recite the whole Koran. The Koran is made of 114 chapters starting with the longest and then roughly going down in size.

When Muslims read the Koran, they prepare themselves first by washing in a set way. Out of respect, the Koran is not allowed to be placed on the floor and it must never be placed underneath another book either.

Watch the film below to find out many more interesting facts about the Koran.