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Some history about the Holy Qur'an:

- The Qur'an is a divine message revealed by God (Allah) to Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him - PBUH) over a period of 23 years.

- In 610 AD while Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was meditating in the cave of Hira, outside the city of Makkah, Angel Gabriel visited Muhammad commanding him to "READ" [96:1]. This was the first verse revealed to Muhammad (PBUH) from Allah.

- Over the next several years, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) continued to receive revelations from Allah, which were ultimately compiled into 114 Chapters or Surahs.

- The revelation of the Qur'an came during different times, some verses were revealed after specific events while the seven verses that make "The Opening" (Surat Al-Fatiha) was revealed twice.

- The Chapters (Surahs) of the Qur'an tend to be arranged with the place of revelation, generally chapters revealed in Madinah are longer and placed in the first half of the Qur'an and Chapter revealed in Makkah tend to be shorter and are placed in the later end.

- Although some verses can be read on their own, many verses need to be understood through background knowledge of the time's culture, the Arabic language, and the history of revelation of the verse. To gain a better understanding of certain verses, one should refer to translations which include commentaries.

- The best reading is to take the Qur'an as a complete guidance rather than attempting to interpret verses on their own.

- Arabic is the language that was used for the revelation of divine message. The Arabic language is known for its poetic and linguistic excellence. This puts limitations on the translation and interpretation of the Qur'an. Any translations should be looked at as simple interpretations of the Qur'an. For a thorough and complete understanding, the Qur'an should be understood in its Original Arabic language.

Source: Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an, Inc., April 2009