Chapter 2

Question 1

What is the holy Quran?

Answer 1

• speech of allah
• holy scripture for muslims
• revealed to the prophet muhammed
• 114 chapters over 30 parts
• protected by allah
• book of guidance, commands, lessons
• revealed over 23 years
• literally means the recited because we recite the words of allah

Question 2

names of the quran

Answer 2

• Al Furqan
• Al Dhikr
• Al Tanzil
• Al Majeed
• Al Kareem
• Al Hakeem
• Al Kitab Mubeen
• Al Kitab
• Al Kitab Mubarak

Question 3

what is Makki

Answer 3

• chapter revealed before the prophet’s migration
• revelation lasted 13 years with 85 surahs
• brief short verses
• verses related to faith and the afterlife
• all the verses of sadjha - telling people to worship allah alone
• people addresses as o people and o mankind

Question 4

What is Madani

Answer 4

• chapters revealed after the prophets migration
• revelation lasted 10 years with 29 surahs
• Long and detailed verses
• Verses relate laws and obligations (halal/haram) also relating to state affairs (economy, defence, politics, social elements)
• People are referred to as ‘o Believers’, ‘o people
• Hypocrites were exposed

Question 5

what are types of revelations

Answer 5

• quran revealed on the heart of the prophet
• through jibril
• ringing bell
• through dreams

Question 6

What is Tafseer

Answer 6

the science of the meanings of the quran

Question 7

what were the three stages of preserving the quran

Answer 7

• written (in the time of the prophet)
• gathered ( in the time of abu bakr)
• standardised (in the time of sayiduna uthman

Question 8

How was the quran preserved in the time of the prophet

Answer 8

• the prophet muhammad would recited the quran every ramadan to angel jibreel.
• he recited it twice in the last ramadhan before his departure first to jibreel and second to hazrat ali ibn abi talib
• quran written in entirety
• 40 scribes who were instructed to write the Quran.
• These scripts would be checked by the Prophet
• companions memorised the quran and read it back to the prophet to verify

Question 9

How was the quran preserved in the time of Sayiduna Abu Bakr

Answer 9

• Sayiduna Umar asked Sayiduna Abu Bakr to arrange the Quran into a single volume after the battle of yamama
• Sayiduna Zaid ibn Thabit led the compilation project
• Each part of the written Quran was gathered as well as people who memorised the Quran
• Each part was examined critically
• Only accepted parts which had two written copies
• Two witness statements were required
• The copies were compared against the last recitation of the Prophet
• once all the parts were gathered into a single volume, it was handed to Sayiduna Abu Bakr and after his demise handed to hazrat Umar and then to hazrat Hafsa

Question 10

How was the quran preserved in the time of Hazrat uthman

Answer 10

• Arabs have many dialects and began to recite the Quran in their own dialect
• This created a lot of disagreement / confusion
• A single official copy was commissioned in the original dialect as recited by the Prophet and recorded in the script of Sayiduna Abu Bakr
• Standard copies were made and sent to the main centres of the Muslim world
• preventing catastrophes and disagreements

Question 11

What are the four sources of islamic law

Answer 11

1. Quran
2. Sunnah/ hadith
3. Ijma
4. Qiyas

Question 12

what is the sunnah

Answer 12

• The sunnah is practical and universal.
• It is the example of the one who pleased Allah the most and His Beloved.
• Hence, following him assures us the same outcome - pleasing Allah
• The hadith are reports of the Sunnah and they offer an interpretation of the Quran.
• The Hadith records the entirety of the Sunnah which covers all aspects of life.
• Without the Prophet (peace be upon him), we can not understand the Quran.

Question 13

What is ijma

Answer 13

• The unanimous agreement of all Muslim jurists on any legal issue- which can’t be found in the Quran/Hadith
• Be a Mujtahid
• Must have supporting evidence from Quran/Hadith
• The issue must not have an answer to it before
• Can’t contradict existing rulings

Question 14

What is qiyas

Answer 14

• Make a ruling based on a comparison to another ruling.
• This is done by jurists when a ruling can’t be found in Quran, Hadith or Ijma.
• Must have origins in Quran and/or Hadith
• Must not have a previous ruling
• Must not be against a previous ruling
• Can’t be done if there is an Ijma already

Question 15

What is the relationship of the Quran with Hadith, Ijma and Qiyas

Answer 15

• Quran is the source of all guidance and rulings
• Quran instructs us to obey the Messenger (hadith)
• Quran and Hadith instruct and encourage Ijma and Qiyas