Ulum Al-Qur’an and its Significance
The Noble Qur’an, the Word of Allah, is the final Revelation sent down to humanity through Allah's Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the Seal of the Prophets. It is a unique Book that supports the previous revelations and restores the eternal message and truth of Allah the Almighty. It represents the first and primary source that constitutes the way of life and code of conduct, the Straight Path, known as Islam.
The message of the Qur’an contains guidance and wisdom in the form of laws, stories, parables, and arguments for those who have an intellect. Hence, it is essential for the believer to deeply understand the meanings and implications of the Book of the Creator in order to truly reflect and correctly act upon it. For this purpose, ever since the Muslims received the Qur’an, they have not only dedicated themselves to its message, but also to its setting and framework that serve to facilitate its understanding and implication. Their application and preoccupation with issues related to the understanding of the Qur’an led to the development of disciplines and branches of knowledge that are known as `Ulum Al-Qur’an (the sciences of the Qur’an).
`Ulum al-Qur’an has become an inseparable part of Qur’anic education because it has indispensable knowledge for correctly understanding and internalizing the Qur’an. It is regrettable to note that there are very few texts available for the Muslim English reader to assist him or her in learning the Qur’an. The aim of this column is to fill this gap and help towards understanding the Qur’anic message by introducing disciplines related to its circumstances, setting, and framework.
`Ulum al-Qur’an is, therefore, defined as the branch of knowledge concerned with investigating and studying the Qur’an. Its subjects involve the following:
The evolution and development of this discipline
The various names and lexical meanings of the Qur’an
Nature of revelation (wahi)
Method of collection (jam`) and preservation (hifzh) of the Qur’an
Oral and written transmission of the Qur’anic revelation
Exegesis (tafseer)
Schools of tafseer
Methods of tafseer
Ta’weel and deviant exegeses
Conditions required of the exegete (mufassir)
The scholars of tafseer and their books
Recitations (qir’aat)
The Seven Forms (sab`at ahruf)
The dialects of Quraysh
Tajweed
Reasons and occasions of revelation (asbab an-nuzul)
Makkan and Madinan surahs
Abrogation (an-nasikh) and abrogated (al-mansukh) verses
The muhkamat and mutashabihat verses (clear and ambiguous verses)
Form, language, and style of the Qur’an
The virtues of the Qur’an and the etiquettes of its recitation
The distinctive features and miraculous nature of the Qur’an
Other issues related to Qur’anic studies of special importance today
The scientific trends in the Qur’an: a contemporary miracle
The stance of orientalists, colonialists, and missionaries towards the Qur’an
Translation and interpretation of the Qur’an
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