SACRED MUSLIM TEXTS

SACRED TEXTS IN ISLAM

20120509-486px-Tilings_of_a_Hadith_on_a_Wall_at_Nishapur.jpg
Tilings of a Hadith on a wall in Nishapur
There are on two sacred texts in Islam — 1) Qurʾan, regarded as the word of God, containing the revelations from Allah given to the Prophet Muhammad by the archangel Jabraʾil (Gabriel); and 2) the Sunnah, or life example of the Prophet, which contains Muhammad's sayings, called hadiths, recorded throughout his life. [Source: Encyclopedia.com =]

John L. Esposito wrote in the “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices”: Muslims believe that sacred scriptures exist because throughout history God has sent his guidance to prophets so that his will might be known and followed by humankind. Thus, Muslims believe not only in the Prophet Muhammad but also in the prophets of the Hebrew Bible, including Abraham and Moses, and of the New Testament, John the Baptist and Jesus. Those prophets who have also brought God's revelation in the form of a sacred scripture or book—for example, Moses and the Torah and Jesus and the Gospels—are also called "messengers" of God. Thus, not all prophets are messengers, but messengers are also prophets. Jews and Christians are regarded as the People of the Book, a community of believers who received revelations, through prophets, in the form of scriptures, or revealed books, from God. [Source: John L. Esposito “Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices”, 2000s, Encyclopedia.com]

Other Muslim Texts include: 1) the “ sira” , biographies of the Muhammad; and 2) “ tafsir” and “ tawil” , Qur’anic commentary and explanation. Sometimes all these texts and the suras and hadiths are collectively called as the Hadiths

Islamic doctrine has traditionally been interpreted by Islamic scholars called ʾulema. Their function is to interpret and organize Islamic teachings. When they do this, they rely on four criteria in descending order of importance: 1) the Qurʾan; 2) the Sunnah; 3) the sahaba, or the earliest followers of Muhammad; and 4) independent reasoning. The ulema has not formulated new doctrines. They apply existing Islamic thought to new situations in modern life, such as reading the Qur’an on smartphones, organ donations, making online investments, and praying in airports. =

Qur’an

The Qur’an (also spelled Quran or Koran) is Islam’s holiest book and in simplistic terms is the Islamic equivalent of the Bible. “Qur’an” is generally translated to mean "recitation." Muslims believe it be the word of God revealed to Muhammad through the archangel Gabriel (known to Muslims as Jabraʾil) in bits and pieces over a 23 year period with the first revelations occurring on what is now Ramadan.

The Quran is considered by Muslims to be the exact word of God revealed to Prophet Muhammad in Arabic by the Archangel Gabriel beginning in A.D 610 while he was meditating in a cave in Hira near Mecca. Faraz Rabbani wrote for the BBC: “The Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet gradually...The essence of its message is to establish the oneness of God and the spiritual and moral need of man for God. This need is fulfilled through worship and submission, and has ultimate consequences in the Hereafter. The Qur'an is the word of God. Because of its inimitable style and eloquence, and, above all, the guidance and legal provisions it came with, it ensures the worldly and next-worldly welfare of humanity. [Source: Faraz Rabbani, BBC, September 3, 2009 |::|]


page from a 8th or 9th century Qur'an, Sura 39

The Qur’an is composed in rhymed prose and consists of 114 chapters, called suras, and totals just over 6,200 ayat, or verses. The first sura is a short "opening" chapter. The remaining 113 segments are arranged roughly in order of decreasing length. The short suras at the end of the book are early revelations, each consisting of material revealed on the same occasion. The longer suras toward the beginning of the book are compilations of verses revealed at different times in Muhammad's life. [Source: Library of Congress]

"The Muslim counterpart of Jesus," wrote historian Daniel Boorstein, "is not Muhammad. Christians believe in the Incarnation, the taking of human form by Jesus, conceived as the son of God. But Muslims believe in liberation, the embodiment of God in a Book. That book is the Qur’an. The reverence and mystery that Christians feel toward Jesus Christ is what Muslims feel toward their Book."μ

Sunnah and Hadith

Many of the precepts for appropriate behavior are specified in the Qur’an. Other spiritual and ethical guidelines are found in the hadiths, an authenticated record of the sayings and actions of Muhammad and his earliest companions. Devout Muslims regard their words, acts, and decisions — called collectively the sunna — as models to be emulated by later generations. Because of its normative character, the sunna is revered along with the Qur’an as a primary source of seriat (in Arabic, sharia ), or Islamic law. [Source: Library of Congress]

Sunnah are the examples of Muhammad. They are the practices and examples drawn from the Prophet Muhammad's life. Along with the Hadiths they are the most important texts in Islam after the Qur’an. They must adhere to a strict chain of narration that ensures their authenticity, taking into account factors such as the character of people in the chain and continuity in narration. Reports that fail to meet such criteria are disregarded.

One translation of the sunnah is the “customary way of doing.” The term generally refers to short narratives relating specific acts and sayings of Muhammad that express the ideal of behavior for pious, orthodox Muslim. They have been collected through a chain of hearsay. .[Source: Charles F. Gallagher, “International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences”, 1960s, Encyclopedia.com]


Sunan ad-Darakutni, an important work for the implication of the Sunnah

According to the BBC: “In addition to the Qur'an, the other sacred sources are the Sunnah, the practise and examples of the Prophet Muhammad's life, and the Hadith, reports of what the prophet Muhammad said or approved. Both the Hadith and Sunnah must adhere to a strict chain of narration that ensures its authenticity, taking into account factors such as the character of people in the chain and continuity in narration. Reports that fail to meet such criteria will be disregarded. [Source: BBC, July 14, 2011 |::|]

Hadith

The hadiths are reports of Muhammad's sayings and deeds recorded by his followers. Supplementary guides of faith began to emerge after the death of Muhammad as it became clear that the Qur’an did not provide specific guidance for many of the questions and issues faced by Muslims. In their quest for additional guidance, Muslims looked to the life, the habits, and the sayings of Muhammad in certain situations. There thus arose the practice of compiling, recording, and classifying the “tradition” (hadith) of or relating to the Prophet. [Source: Charles F. Gallagher, “International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences”, 1960s, Encyclopedia.com]

The Hadith are an authenticated record of sayings and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad and his earliest companions recorded by his followers. As such, it is the principal guide for Muslims in interpreting the Qur’an and the source of the vast majority of Islamic law, or Sharia. The words, acts, and decisions of Muhammad and his companions— collectively called the sunna — are viewed as precedents for Islamic social and legal customs and as models to be emulated by later generations. The Hadith also includes the sira, biographies of the Muhammad, and tafsir and tawil, Qur’anic commentary and explanation.

There are literally tens of thousands of hadiths, some of which contradict others. They are divided into six revered collections, or sahib , meaning “sound." The authenticity of some hadiths is still a matter of debate. Those who told the stories, and recorded them, were not always reliable. In the early centuries after Muhammad's death religious schools went through them, evaluated them, evaluated their sources and decided which ones fit the moral vision of God and deserved emphasis.

Sunnah

Sunnah are the examples of Muhammad. They are the practices and examples drawn from the Prophet Muhammad's life. Along with the Hadiths they are the most important texts in Islam after the Qur’an. They must adhere to a strict chain of narration that ensures their authenticity, taking into account factors such as the character of people in the chain and continuity in narration. Reports that fail to meet such criteria are disregarded.

One translation of the sunnah is the “customary way of doing.” The term generally refers to short narratives relating specific acts and sayings of Muhammad that express the ideal of behavior for pious, orthodox Muslim. They have been collected through a chain of hearsay. .[Source: Charles F. Gallagher, “International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences”, 1960s, Encyclopedia.com]

World’s Oldest Library, in Fez, Morocco


Qarawiyyin

The Qarawiyyin library in Fez, Morroco was built in 9th century.Hervé Bar of AFP wrote: “Nestled in a labyrinth of streets in the heart of Morocco’s ancient city of Fez, stands the world’s oldest working library. Its sculpted dark wooden door stands almost hidden on the edge of a square, where artisans hammer away at copper in a deafening din, delighting passing tourists. But for the few lucky enough to be allowed behind the door, a staircase tiled with green and blue hints at the written wonders beyond. [Source: Hervé Bar, AFP, December 1, 2016 ^/^]

““A house of science and wisdom,” according to its founder Fatima Al-Fihri, the Qarawiyyin library was one of the Arab world’s largest centers of learning. Fihri, the daughter of a wealthy merchant from Al-Qayrawan in Tunisia, established the library, the university that originally housed it and a mosque in 859 CE. ^/^

“Today the university has moved to a new location, but the mosque — which shares an emerald-green tile roof with the library — still stands. The library as it appears today was built in the 14th century under Sultan Abu Inan, and completely restructured under King Muhammad V, the grandfather of Morocco’s current monarch. Over the centuries, sultans, noblemen, princesses and wise men have contributed works to its shelves. ^/^

“Under an imposing ceiling of wooden arabesques and a huge copper chandelier, the main reading room sits next an area that contains some 20,000 books. A short walk — through a corridor of mosaics, past panels of sculpted cedar wood under finely chiseled ceilings — leads to the library’s centerpiece. The manuscript room is hidden behind two heavy metal doors and protected by an alarm system and surveillance cameras. Its wooden window shutters are closed to prevent sunlight from entering.” ^/^

Texts in the World’s Oldest Library Fez, Morocco

The Qarawiyyin library in Fez is home to priceless treatises in Islamic studies, astronomy and medicine. Hervé Bar of AFP wrote: “The precious manuscripts are each bundled in a grey-colored cardboard file and displayed on standard metal shelves. Works can be consulted sitting at one of two chairs next to a simple table — on which sits a green felt cushion embroidered with gold thread. Around 3,800 titles are kept here, some of them priceless. The library counted 30,000 manuscripts when it was founded under Abu Inan. But many were destroyed, stolen or plundered over the years, says Jouane. There’s only very little left of what once was, but today we carefully watch over these priceless treasures.” [Source: Hervé Bar, AFP, December 1, 2016 ^/^]


Qarawiyyin library

“One example is a treatise on medicine by philosopher and physician Ibn Tufayl from the 12th century. “From baldness to corn on the foot, all ailments of the body are listed — in verse to make them easier to learn,” Jouane says. The word “diabetes,” which is of Greek origin, already features written in Arabic script. Another gem is a handwritten copy of historian and philosopher Ibn Khaldun’s “Book of Lessons.” The treatise in history has been signed by the 14th-century thinker himself. “Praise be to God, what is written belongs to me,” a line he wrote reads in breathtakingly elegant handwriting. ^/^

“Another 12th-century manuscript — a treatise in astronomy by philosopher Al-Farabi — shows the course of the planet Jupiter, complete with drawings of astonishing precision. And then there is a treatise on the Malikite doctrine in Islam written by the grandfather of the Arab philosopher Averroes. Its 200 pages of gazelle leather are inscribed with tiny immaculate calligraphy dotted with embellishments in gold ink. Perhaps surprisingly, one of the “works most in demand,” according to Jouane, is Christian: a 12th century copy of the Gospel of Mark in Arabic. It was translated “in all likelihood by a Christian man of letters from Andalusia who had come to Qarawiyyin to learn Arabic,” says Jouane, expressing pride at the “incredible degree of tolerance at the time.”“ ^/^

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons except Qarawiyyin library, CNN

Text Sources: Internet Islamic History Sourcebook: sourcebooks.fordham.edu “World Religions” edited by Geoffrey Parrinder (Facts on File Publications, New York); Arab News, Jeddah; “Islam, a Short History” by Karen Armstrong; “A History of the Arab Peoples” by Albert Hourani (Faber and Faber, 1991); “Encyclopedia of the World Cultures” edited by David Levinson (G.K. Hall & Company, New York, 1994). “Encyclopedia of the World’s Religions” edited by R.C. Zaehner (Barnes & Noble Books, 1959); Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Geographic, BBC, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, The Guardian, BBC, Al Jazeera, Times of London, The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, Compton’s Encyclopedia and various books and other publications.

Last updated March 2024


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