As-salamu alaykum,
This app was created for Muslims who want a dedicated app to easily read and recite the Quran with the Arabic, transliteration, and translation all in one place. May Allah grant you ease in your journey in Islam and may you become among those who memorise the Quran front to back.
Jazakallah Khair.
The Revelation of the Quran
The Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in the year 610 CE during the month of Ramadan, through the angel Jibril (Gabriel), when he (SAW) was 40 years old. The Quran was revealed in stages over the course of 23 years, until the death of the Prophet (SAW).
Whenever a portion of the Quran was revealed to the Prophet (SAW), he dictated it to his companions so they could memorise and write down the revelation, allowing the preservation of the Quran, as well as its implementation in life. The Prophet (SAW) could not make copies of the Quran himself as he could not read or write.
After the Prophet (SAW) died, many companions who had memorised the Quran died in the Battle of Yamamah. In order to ensure the preservation of the Quran, Abu Bakr, the Caliph at the time, tasked Zayd ibn Thabit to collect all the individual copies and to make a master copy (to further ensure the Quran's authenticity, only copies that had been written in the presence of the Prophet (SAW) were used in the making of this master copy). The master copy was further verified by multiple people who had memorised the entire Quran during the time of the Prophet (SAW). This guaranteed that every verse that got into the final master copy had truly been revealed to the Prophet (SAW), as well as making sure that every verse that was revealed, was also in it.
When the master copy was created, it was given to Abu Bakr As-Saddiq. After the death of Abu Bakr, it was given to Umar ibn Al-Khattab, the second Caliph, and then to his daughter Hafsa (a widow of the Prophet (SAW)) after Umar passed away.
Using the master copy, Caliph Uthman ibn Affan tasked 12 of his companions to prepare copies of the Quran in the same way Zayd ibn Thabit had done. Once these were complete, he compared them to the original, which was still held by Hafsa.
When the Quran was collected in a single volume, called an ‘Uthmani mus-haf’, Caliph Uthman sent copies to different provinces under Muslim rule, accompanied with reciters. This made the teaching of Islam and the learning of the Quran easier, quicker, and more widely available.
To this day, countless Muslims (many of whom do not speak Arabic) have memorised the Quran in its entirety, further preserving the message of Islam in the hearts and minds of millions around the world. Those who have memorised the Quran are called ‘Hafiz.'
Due to the dedication of the early Muslims, there is still only one version of the Quran, making it the most authentic and best-preserved holy book in the world (the only differences occurring in the way the Arabic gets translated). May Allah bless the Prophet (SAW) and all those who have helped preserve and spread this sacred and infallible text from our Lord.
Differences in Translation
When reading a translation of the Quran, it is imperative for the reader to understand that the translation loses a lot of depth and emotion, as the translated language is usually not as descriptive as Arabic. As a result, translations cannot capture the emotion, detail, and literary wonder which is present in the authentic Arabic Quran. For a reader to fully grasp the entire meaning of this sacred text, one should try to learn Arabic (learning Arabic is encouraged but not compulsory for Muslims, as long as they are aware if the issues of translating Arabic to a different language).
One example of how something can be translated differently is Allah’s name ‘Ar-Rahman’, which opens almost every surah of the Quran. Some translations use ‘the Entirely Merciful’, whereas others use ‘the Most Compassionate,’ but the Arabic meaning contains more depth than either of these translations.
(To fully understand how descriptive Arabic is, there are around 12,000,000 words in Arabic, compared to roughly 250,000 words in English – according to the Oxford English Dictionary.)
All of this is to say that, when reading the English translation of an Arabic text, it is important to keep in mind that the translation cannot capture the full depth of emotion present in the original, and in order to fully understand the original, one should learn Arabic.
Learning About the Meanings of Quran
When the Quran was being revealed, certain chapters were revealed at certain times. For example, Surah Taha was revealed at a time when idolaters of the Quraysh family attacked Islam, claiming that the Quran was revealed as a stress to Mohammad (SAW); Allah refuted these attacks in the second and third verses of Surah Taha which can be translated to “We did not reveal the Qur'an to you to cause you distress // it is only a reminder for him who fears Allah.”
In order to fully understand the meaning of the verses and chapters of the Quran as much as possible, one should strive to read the Tafsir (the Quranic commentary/explanation). Some good sources for Tafsir are:
- The Islamic Studies website , and
- The Honey for the Heart website (this website also has extensive information about other Islamic topics, such as how to discipline yourself, Ramadan reminders, hadith, du’a, and so much more).
Another good way to casually learn the meaning of some chapters and verses (and why they were revealed at a specific time) is to read about the Sirah of the Prophet (SAW) - the Prophet's biography.
The importance of reading and studying Tafsir cannot be overstated. For a person to be able fully understand the word of their Lord, one must try to make an effort to learn more about teachings and meanings in the blessed Quran.
Reciting The Arabic Quran with The Correct Pronunciations
Pronouncing Arabic correctly can be hard for non-Arabic speakers, even with the transliteration. To encourage people to learn how to correctly pronounce the Quran, Allah decreed that the reward for someone who has difficulty reciting the Quran is double that of someone who recites perfectly. The Prophet (SAW) said, “Verily the one who recites the Qur’an beautifully, smoothly, and precisely, he will be in the company of the noble and obedient angels. And as for the one who recites with difficulty, stammering or stumbling through its verses, then he will have twice that reward.”
If you come across a section that you struggle to pronounce, you can listen to recitations of Imams and Sheikhs reciting the specific section to hear and learn from how they pronounce it.
This introduction to the Quran has been brief and brushes over a lot of information, so if you want to learn more about the Quran and Islam, it is highly recommended to attend classes about Islam and the Quran in a Mosque, as well as to read books and watch lectures by knowledgable figures in the Muslim community.
As there is so much to learn in Islam, do not feel bad for not being able to memorise and implement the teachings of the Quran and Islam into your life as soon as you learn about them. One of the reasons why the Quran was revealed over 23 years is so the early Muslims had time to strengthen their faith and to adjust to the changes Islam brought to their lives.
I hope this app brings you close to your Lord and to Islam, and may Allah grant you peace while reading and reciting the Quran, and may Allah make us among the people of Jannah. Ameen.