The Qur'an as scripture

The word ‘Qur’an’ is an Arabic term which means ‘recitation’ or ‘reading.’ It derives from the Arabic root q-r-’ , which is also the root of the first word reportedly revealed to the Prophet Muhammad: iqra’ , meaning ‘recite’ or ‘read.’ Muhammad’s role as a prophet began when he was commanded to ‘recite.’ Although the Qur’an uses a range of names to refer to itself, the name ‘Qur’an’ has become the most common one for the holy scripture of Islam. Other names used by the Qur’an to refer to itself include the Revelation (tanzil) , the Reminder (dhikr) , the Criterion (furqan) and the Scripture (kitab) . The Qur’an also attributes a number of characteristics to itself, such as Noble (as in the commonly cited phrase ‘the Noble Qur’an’), Clear, Glorious and Blessed.