Knowing God through religious texts - Islam
For Muslims, the 蚕耻谤鈥檃苍The sacred book in Islam, it is believed that it contains the word of God, dictated by Angel Jibril and written in Arabic. is the most important revelation of all. It is a special revelation from AllahThe Arabic word for God, commonly used by Muslims. to the Prophet Muhammad (Allah鈥檚 most important spokesman).
Muslims consider the 蚕耻谤鈥檃苍 to be different to any other book as they believe it to be the direct word of Allah.
The Prophet Muhammad became the messenger of Allah after his first experience of revelation in the year 610CE. For the next 23 years, the Prophet continued to have Allah鈥檚 word revealed to him.
The revealed teachings were written down by the Prophet Muhammad鈥檚 close friends and followers.
The popular view amongst Muslims is that the final words of Allah to Muhammad were:
The Sunnah refers to the sayings and practices of the Prophet Muhammad, and his approval of the actions of his companions. His example is considered to be perfect. They are found mainly in the HadithThe sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, as remembered and recounted by those close to him..
For non-Arabic speakers it may be difficult to understand or to explain the content of the 蚕耻谤鈥檃苍, as some believe that key words and concepts can only be fully understood in the original Arabic. There are also some teachings in the 蚕耻谤鈥檃苍 which may appear at first sight to contradict Muslim morality, or they may fit uneasily with widely accepted modern values.
For example, this passage appears to suggest that it is allowed for men to enslave women during war:
Muslim scholars have been engaged in tafsir (the detailed explanations of verses and words of the 蚕耻谤鈥檃苍) for centuries. Their aim is to try to explain such difficulties and to help believers understand the true meaning of the 蚕耻谤鈥檃苍.