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qur'an

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate quran

n. the holy book of Islam, which Muslims believe contains the words of God as told to the prophet Muhammad.

n. the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. Almost always preceded by the definite article.


SIMPLE

He reads a chapter from the Qur'an every morning.

CONTEXTUAL

Scholars spend years studying the classical Arabic used in the Qur'an to interpret its complex meanings.

COMPLEX

The calligrapher spent decades meticulously copying the verses of the Qur'an, ensuring that every stroke adhered to the traditional geometric proportions of the script.

Synonyms
Origin

Borrowed from Arabic الْقُرْآن (al-qurʔān), definite form of قُرْآن (qurʔān, “act of reciting”), verbal noun of قَرَأَ (qaraʔa, “to recite; to read (aloud)”). (The obsolete alternative spellings with "al-", like the Alcoran, redundantly retained the Arabic definite article.) Compare Classical Syriac ܩܪܝܢܐ (qeryānā, “reading; scripture”).

Usage

Usually capitalised. Often preceded by 'the'.

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