The Holy Quran

The Holy Quran is the divine scripture revealed by Allah to the last of the prophets and messengers, Muhammad, peace be upon him (PBUH), to guide people and lead them from darkness to light. It is the word of Allah, and its recitation is an act of worship for Muslims, with its reading being a pillar of daily prayers. The Holy Quran refers to both individual verses and the entire book.

The Holy Quran is a symbol of sanctity for Saudis, as Muslims; they do not place it on the ground, but rather keep it in elevated and protected places to prevent neglect and misuse.

Status of the Holy Quran

The Holy Quran is the last divinely revealed book from Allah Almighty, safeguarded from any additions, omissions, and distortions. It is also one of the main reasons for the preservation of Arabic, as its verses testify to the eloquence and significance of the Arabic language. The Holy Quran is also the eternal miracle of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) received the Holy Quran through a revelation delivered by the angel Jibreel. The first stage of the Quran's descent upon the lowest Heaven happened on Laylat Al-Qadr during the month of Ramadan. The second stage saw a gradual revelation over twenty-three years, as per facts and events. The 114 Surahs (chapters) of the Holy Quran are divided into two categories according to the timing of their revelation: Makki, which was revealed before the migration of the Prophet to Makkah (Hijrah), and Madani, revealed after Hijrah. Its provisions and verses are featured to be relevant for all times.

The Holy Quran during Prophetic era

At the beginning of the Prophetic era, the Holy Quran was memorized by the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Its verses were fully compiled during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Caliph Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq compiled it into a single manuscript once the killing of the Companions who had memorized the Quran became widespread. Later, when variations in recitation arose among the reciters, Caliph Uthman Bin Affan presented reciters with a standardized copy of the Holy Quran, which he distributed to all countries. Hence, he managed to solve the issue before it intensified.

The Holy Quran is characterized by its exquisite grammar, which contradicts all that is customary for Arabs. Its eloquence surpasses the capability of any created being, and it recounts the events from the beginning of the world up to the moment of its revelation, the fulfillment of the promise was made to the living, the revelation of future mysteries, the identification of halal and haram and clarification of other rules in Islam, and its clarification of apparent and vague matters as to relieve ambiguity, in addition to its wisdom that could never have originated from a human being.

Sciences of the Holy Quran

The Holy Quran is accompanied by various studies, collectively known as Quranic Studies (Ulum Al-Quran). They consist of topics that elaborate upon the stages of the Holy Quran's revelation, arrangement, writing, and collection. These sciences also concern its reading and interpretation and inimitability, the concepts of abrogation and abrogated ruling, the concepts of obvious verses and those liable to a variety of possible apparent meanings, the reasons for the Holy Quran revelation, dispelling the illusion of exclusivity, and the contemplations on how to correctly derive legal rulings.

The Holy Quran was first revealed with the beginning of Surat Al-Alaq, where Allah, the Almighty, said: {Read, in the name of your Lord who created (1) created humans from a clinging clot (2) Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous (3) who taught by the pen (4) taught humanity what they knew not (5).} The last verse that was revealed probably is the 281st verse of Surat Al-Baqarah, where Allah, the Almighty, said: {Be mindful of the day when you will all be returned to Allah, then every soul will be paid in full for what it has done, and none will be wronged.}

Saudi Arabia's attention to the Holy Quran

The Holy Quran garnered the attention of caliphs and princes in the Islamic countries that rose after the era of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his Rashidun successors. During the Saudi era, Saudi Arabia attached utmost attention and care to the Holy Quran by establishing memorization centers, holding annual Quran competitions, establishing the King Fahd Glorious Quran Printing Complex, gifting copies of the Holy Quran to Hajj and Umrah performers, and supplying Islamic countries and Muslim minorities in the world's various countries and continents with printed copies of the Holy Quran in several international, regional and local languages.

King Fahd Glorious Quran Printing Complex has deployed its efforts to develop digital databases for the Quran, where it used modern software and offered support services for easing the understanding and recitation of the text of the Holy Quran and its sciences, as well as translating and interpreting its verses as accurately as possible in line with the importance and status of the Holy Quran.

Saudi Arabia also attaches its attention and care to the Holy Quran via associations dedicated to reciting and memorizing the Holy Quran in all Saudi cities. It also holds competitions for memorizing the Holy Quran, including the King Abdulaziz International Competition for the Memorization of the Holy Quran and the King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Award for Quran Memorization, Recitation, and Interpretation.

The care, restoration, rehabilitation, and distribution of the Holy Quran are the focus of some Saudi nonprofit organizations. To deal with shredded Quran sheets in a way appropriate for Quran status, and without mixing them with anything else, certain public spaces have designated containers for the purpose.

Mushaf Al-Madinah Application

King Fahd Glorious Quran Printing Complex launched an application entitled Mushaf Al-Madinah to facilitate the recitation of the Holy Quran. The application is available on Android and Apple phones and was launched in 2019. The application provides two versions of the Holy Quran, the version that is already known to the public, which is the Holy Quran used in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, consisting of 604 pages, and the unguided version, which is a complete electronic version of the aforementioned Holy Quran, consisting of 521 pages written by the calligrapher Dr. Uthman Taha.

The Charitable Society for the Memorization of the Holy Quran in Al-Kharj Governorate, Riyadh Province, is one of the main supply centers for the Holy Quran in Saudi Arabia and abroad. It has in its warehouses a reserve of two million ready-for-restoration copies of the Holy Quran. It also works on recycling forty thousand copies of the Holy Quran per month, ultimately renewing them and meeting the needs of about sixty countries. Moreover, the center collaborates with several government agencies and Saudi embassies to meet their requests and renew old copies of the Holy Quran.