The Qur’an

The Qur’an is the primary text of Islam, revealed to the Prophet Muhammed
beginning in the year 610 C.E. It was canonicalized between 644 and 656. The
Qur’an is required reading for anyone who wants to understand Islam. Qur’an
means “The Recital” in Arabic; according to the story, the angel Gabriel commanded
Muhammed to “Recite!”.

Devout Muslims do not believe that any text other than the actual Arabic
text of the Quran (even a transliteration) can strictly be called ‘the Qur’an’.
This is because the Arabic text is considered canonical and there can be no
other versions of it. The phrase ‘the meaning of the Quran’ is typically used
to describe texts which elsewhere are described as ‘translations’. Please be
aware of this issue where this site refers to a ‘translation’ or ‘transliteration’
of the Quran.