Frequently Asked Questions

Muslims regard the Quran itself as the Prophet Muhammad's ﷺ greatest miracle. In Sahih al-Bukhari 4981, the Prophet said every prophet was given signs, and what he was given is the revelation itself. Its central proof is its inimitable language, which the Quran challenges anyone to match (Quran 2:23, 10:38, 11:13, 17:88, 52:34).

The Quran has 114 surahs (chapters). In the Kufan counting used in the widely printed Hafs recitation, it has 6,236 verses. Other early counting traditions number the verses slightly differently without any difference in the text itself.

Many Muslims regard the Quran's descriptions of nature, such as the stages of the embryo (23:12–14), the barrier between seas (55:19–20) and darkness in the deep sea (24:40), as scientific miracles. A careful approach gives the verse, its classical meaning and the scientific observation, and notes where the parallel is debated. Our Scientific Miracles page covers 23 such verses.

Every verse is fetched from the Tanzil Uthmani text and cross-checked automatically against Quran.com before publishing. Any mismatch blocks the build. Each verse links to Quran.com for verification.

I'jaz al-Qur'an means the inimitability of the Quran: the doctrine that no human being can produce anything like it. It is based on the Quran's own challenge verses (2:23–24, 10:38, 11:13, 17:88, 52:33–34) and was developed by scholars such as al-Khattabi, al-Baqillani and 'Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani.

Muslims hold that the challenge has never been met. Imitations have been attempted, for example by the 7th-century claimant Musaylimah, but they were not accepted even by the Arabs of the time, who were expert judges of eloquence. The Quran itself predicts this outcome: “and ye can never do it” (2:24).

According to the Quran, no. It calls him “the unlettered Prophet” (al-nabi al-ummi, 7:157) and says he did not read any scripture before it nor write one with his right hand (29:48).

No. The Quran rejects being called poetry (69:41). Although it has rhyme and rhythm, it does not follow the metres of Arabic poetry, and it differs from the rhymed prose of pre-Islamic soothsayers (69:42).

Muslims believe the Quran has been preserved unchanged, as promised in Quran 15:9. It was memorised by many Companions and written down during the Prophet's lifetime, compiled under Abu Bakr and standardised under 'Uthman (Sahih al-Bukhari 4986, 4987). Manuscripts from the first Islamic century match the text in use today.

Among the oldest dated are the Birmingham Quran leaves (radiocarbon-dated 568–645 CE with 95.4% probability, University of Birmingham, 2015), the Tübingen fragment (649–675 CE), and the lower text of the Sana'a palimpsest, all from the first Islamic century.

According to Sahih al-Bukhari 4987, differences in recitation had appeared among newer Muslims in the provinces. 'Uthman had standard codices copied from the sheets compiled under Abu Bakr, sent one to each province, and had other written materials burned to prevent disputes.

The qira'at are the recognised modes of reciting the Quran, each traced through chains of teachers to the Prophet. Ten are canonical. They fit within the 'Uthmanic consonantal text. Hafs 'an 'Asim is the most widespread today.

Quran 30:2–4 says the Romans had been defeated in the nearest land but would be victorious within bid'i sinin (three to nine years). It was revealed in Makkah around 614–619 CE after Persia captured Jerusalem (614). Emperor Heraclius defeated Persia decisively at Nineveh in December 627 CE.

Surah 111 (al-Masad) declared that Abu Lahab, the Prophet's uncle and opponent, would perish and enter the Fire, which implies he would die a disbeliever. He lived about ten more years, could have disproved it by professing Islam, and died in disbelief shortly after Badr (624 CE).

Quran 54:45, “The hosts will all be routed and will turn and flee”, a verse revealed earlier in Makkah. Sahih al-Bukhari 4875 reports that the Prophet recited it as he went out at Badr.

Quran 10:92 says: “But this day We save thee in thy body that thou mayst be a portent for those after thee.” Classical commentators explain that his body was cast ashore as proof of his death. Which Pharaoh opposed Moses is not historically established.

The Quran uses al-malik (the king) for Joseph's era (12:43) and Fir'awn (Pharaoh) for Moses's era (7:103). Egyptologists generally date the use of “pharaoh” (pr-ꜥꜣ, “great house”) as a way of referring to the king himself to the New Kingdom, so the Quran's usage fits the Egyptian evidence.

Yes. An inscription of the Assyrian king Sargon II (715 BCE) names the Tamudi, and classical writers such as Pliny and Ptolemy mention them. The rock-cut tombs at Hegra (Mada'in Salih) are Nabataean and later than Thamud.

Many Muslims see the Quran's descriptions of nature, such as the embryo's stages (23:12–14), the barrier between seas (55:19–20) and darkness in the deep sea (24:40), as remarkable signs. Scholars differ on “scientific interpretation”. A careful approach states the verse, its classical meaning, the scientific fact, and where the parallel is limited, and never stretches a verse to fit a theory.

Quran 21:30 says the heavens and the earth were “of one piece (ratq), then We parted them”. Many readers see a parallel with modern cosmology's hot, dense early universe. Classical commentators also offered other meanings, such as the sky opening with rain and the earth with plants.

Quran 51:47 contains la-musi'un, which can mean “We are expanding it” or “We are vast in power”. Most classical commentators chose the second meaning. Some modern translators choose the first, which parallels the expansion of the universe discovered in the 1920s.

The Quran calls mountains pegs (78:7) and says they were cast so the earth would not shake with people (16:15). Geology confirms that mountains have deep roots, but it does not show that mountains prevent earthquakes, and that claim should not be attributed to the Quran.

Marmaduke Pickthall's The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930), a widely respected translation now in the public domain. Arabic key words are explained where the translation needs it, and every verse links to Quran.com for other translations.

The “miracle of 19” numerical code was proposed by Rashad Khalifa in the 1970s. It relied on inconsistent counts, and Khalifa ultimately rejected two verses of the Quran (9:128–129) to preserve it. It is rejected by Muslim scholars and is not included on this site.

No. This widely shared story is false, and Armstrong himself denied it. We do not use unverified stories as evidence.