The Prophet Muhammad & The Qur'an

Religious Studies: KS3, topic 2.1.2

Muhammad and the Qur'an

The Qur'an is the holy book for Muslims. It was revealed by God to the Prophet Muhammad.

Muhammad lived in Arabia and was born in Mecca in 570.
He was descended from Quraish tribal leaders.
Both his parents died whilst he was still a child.
He was raised by his grandfather and his uncle, Abu Talib.
He lived a life typical of his time and country, as a shepherd and then later as a trader.
His first wife was Khadija, a wealthy businesswoman.
The marriage was a very happy one, so eventually, Muhammad settled down to family life.

Muhammad began to go away each year to a place called Hira, where he was able to pray alone in a cave.
This was when he was about 40 years old.
Muslim belief teaches that once, whilst Muhammad was praying, the Angel Gabriel appeared to him.

The Angel Gabriel instructed Muhammad to recite verses that appeared before him.
Muhammad was illiterate (could not read) but found he was able to recite the verses.
Muhammad was frightened by this experience, and fearful that people would think he was mad.
The revelations continued for over 20 years.
The verses that he recited became known as the Qur’an, which is the holy book of Muslims.
The word Qur'an literally means ‘the recitation’.

At first, the Qur’an was part of an oral tradition.
This means the words were not written down but passed on by being learnt by heart (something many Muslims do to this day).
The verses were later collected into a book.

The Qur'an contains many important teachings for Muslims:
The importance of worshipping the one true God (Allah).
The importance of obeying the commands of Allah.
The attributes of Allah.
And how Muslims should behave towards each other.
The Qur'an also refers to prophets from Jewish and Christian traditions, including Moses and Jesus.
But, The Qur'an says that Muhammad is the final prophet. And, the Qur’an is the final revelation - the pure, unaltered teaching of Allah.