ABSTRACT
The Qurʾān is the scripture of the Muslim community, revered by Muslims around the world and given authority to determine both faith and life. Many features of the Qurʾān can be fruitfully explored by the general reader. Other matters related to the Qurʾān, such as claims to its divine provenance and linguistic perfection, are matters of religious conviction rather than objective fact. At a number of points the Qurʾān plays an important role in the development of Muslim identity, both in the contents of the book itself and in the claims which Muslims make for their scripture. The Qurʾān is believed by Muslims to be the revelatory word of God, dictated by the angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muḥammad in segments between the years 610 and 632. Muslims believe that as Muḥammad recited the revelations, the words were memorized by his companions. They believe the recitations were later recorded word for word and are today found in the Arabic text of the Qurʾān in precisely the manner God intended.
