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Useful Information
About Islam:
Early accounts of
Muhammad contain some stories that describe supernatural
events such as his night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and
his subsequent ascent to heaven on the back of a
supernatural winged horse. Despite such stories, the primary
focus of the biographies, as well as Islamic doctrine in
general, is on the humanity of Muhammad.
Like all prophets before
him, Muhammad was a mortal man, commissioned by God to
deliver a message to his people and to humanity. Like other
prophets, Muhammad was distinguished from ordinary people by
certain powers and faculties. For example, Muslims believe
that the distinction of being sinless was granted to
Muhammad by God to support his career as a prophet. Thus
Muhammad is portrayed in the Qur’an as a person who makes
mistakes but who does not sin against God. However, God
corrected Muhammad’s mistakes or errors in judgment, so that
his life serves as an example for future Muslims to follow.
This emphasis on Muhammad's humanity serves as a reminder
that other humans can reasonably aspire to lead a good life
as he did.
As with other prophets
and messengers, God supported Muhammad by allowing him to
work miracles and thus prove that he was a genuine prophet.
The singular miracle of Muhammad and the ultimate proof of
the truthfulness of Islam is the Qur’an. In accordance with
the words of the scripture itself, Muslims believe that the
Qur’an is the timeless word of God, “the like of which no
human can produce.” This trait of the scripture, called
inimitability (i'jaz), is based on belief in
the divine authorship of the Qur’an. Unlike earlier
religions, the miracle of Islam is a literary miracle, and
Muhammad's other supernatural acts are subordinate to it.
This belief in the unique
nature of the Qur’an has led Muslims to devote great
intellectual energies to the study of its contents and form.
In addition to interpreting the scripture and deriving
doctrines and laws from it, many disciplines within Qur’anic
studies seek to understand its linguistic and literary
qualities as an expression of its divine origins.
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The Format of the Holy Book |
The Qur’an is made up of
114 chapters, called suras, which appear, from the
second chapter onward, roughly in order of length, beginning
with the longest and ending with the shortest chapters. The
first chapter, al-Fatiha (“the Opening”), is a short chapter
that is recited during each of the five daily prayers and in
many other ritual prayers. All but one chapter begin with
the formula "in the name of God, the Merciful Lord of Mercy"
(bism Allah al-Rahman al-Rahim). Each chapter is
divided into verses called ayat (singular aya,
meaning “sign” or “proof”). With few exceptions the verses
are randomly organized without a coherent narrative thread.
A typical chapter of the
Qur’an may address any combination of the following themes:
God and creation, prophets and messengers from Adam to
Jesus, Muhammad as a preacher and as a ruler, Islam as a
faith and as a code of life, disbelief, human responsibility
and judgment, and society and law. Later Muslim scholars
have argued that the text’s timelessness and universality
explain the lack of narrative coherence and the randomness
of the topics. In other words, the multiple meanings of the
Qur’an transcend linear narrative as they transcend any
particular historical moment.
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