ABSTRACT
In the Western academic tradition, the word al-qur’án-its most common Latinized forms are “Alcoran,” “Koran,” and “Coran”—is thought to be derived from the Syriac/Aramaic word keryana, which means “scripture reading; or recitation of a passage from the holy book.”3 Some Western scholars, however, suggest that one should not look beyond the Arabic language to identify its etymology, since the Arabic verb qara’a, from which the name “al-Qur’án” is derived, denotes an act of reading or recitation. This etymology is upheld by most Muslim scholars, although some argue that the Qur’án is a proper name that is not related to any word or root. The word “Qur’an” occurs in the text of the Qur’an itself about seventy times. Its most common synonyms, apart from “Revelation,” are “the Book [of God],” “Reminder,” “Wisdom,” and “Discernment” or “Separation” (namely, of believers from unbelievers or of good from evil).4
