The Arabic word ayah is the term used for the verses in the Qur’an. The Holy Qur’an has reached us without any changes since the time of the Prophet Muhammad. Yet, when the Holy Qur’an was punctuated, some small differences were made in division and numeration of verses. For example, a phrase which is accepted as one by some scholars is considered as two verses by other scholars. Thus, minor differences emerged in the numbering of the verses. Although there is a common belief among the public that the number of verses in the Qur’an is 6,666, the correct number is 6,236.
What are the proofs about the fact that the Qur’an is protected and authentic?
The Qur’an is the last divine message that the Almighty Creator has sent down to all people until the Day of Judgment. He did not only send down these supreme words, but also took it under His protection. This fact is explained in the Holy Qur’an, “We have, without doubt, sent down the Message (i.e., Qur’an); and we will assuredly guard it (from corruption).” (Hijr, 15:9) This divine declaration is the greatest guarantee for Muslims about its protection. Indeed, history is the living witness to this. When the Holy Qur’an started to be revealed, it was both written down and memorized by Companions, constantly recited in prayers, and moreover, was reflected in their lives by being applied and manifested in the beliefs and deeds of Muslims. Following the demise of the Prophet Muhammad, the separate written pieces of the Qur’an were collected and a Mushaf was compiled during the rule of Abu Bakr. Subsequently, there was an increase in Islamic conquests in the period of the third Caliph Uthman, who convened a commission and the copies of Qur’an reproduced by this commission were sent to Mecca, Kufa, Basra, Damascus, Bahrain, and Yemen. Muslims prepared many copies of the Qur’an based on these first copies and this divine book has reached our era without any change.
What is the importance of dhikr and how should one make dua?
The lexical meaning of dua is “to call, address, demand, and ask for help”. In Islamic terminology, it is man’s turning to Allah with his whole being and presenting his material and spiritual wishes to Him. As it is based on a human’s submitting his state to Allah and supplicating to Him, dua is a connection between Allah and a servant. Dua always bears the meaning of honoring (glorifying Allah) and of demanding something along with this honoring. Dua is dhikr and worship at the same time. Therefore, two elements, one of which is dhikr and respect and the other is demand, are always included in dua. For this reason, Prophet Muhammad (saw) said, “Dua is the essence of worship.” (Tirmidhi, Da’awat, 2) For the same reason, ritual prayer, which is the most important act of worship, is expressed with the word dua (salat) (An’am, 6:52; Kahf, 18:28). In another verse it is stated, “Say (to the rejecters): “My Lord is not uneasy because of you if ye call not on Him: But ye have indeed rejected (Him) and soon will come the inevitable (punishment).” (Furqan, 25:77), expressing that humans can only gain value by means of turning to Allah. It is emphasized in the Holy Qur’an persistently to submit duas only to Allah and not to make dua and perform worship to anyone other than Allah, for idols or other creatures to which superior qualities are attached (Shu’ara, 26:213; Qasas, 28:88).
What is the nature of verses of dua that take place in the Qur’an?
There are a lot of verses related to dua in the Holy Qur’an. Around 200 verses are directly about dua. Moreover, there are a great number of verses which express a worshipper’s turning to Allah and one’s demands from Him and are related to dua in a broad sense. People are commanded to make dua to Allah in some of the verses related to this subject and the procedure, custom, and effects of dua are explained (Baqarah 2:186; Nisa 4:32; A’raf, 7:29, 55, 180; Yusuf, 12:86; Mu’min, 40:60). It is stated in some verses that duas made without complying with its conditions will not be accepted (Baqarah, 2:200; Yunus, 10:12, 22, 106). The majority of the verses in this group tell about the plea of those who do not recognize Allah and His commandments when they are alive on earth but will be sorry when they face their bitter fate in the Hereafter and beg to be sent to the world again. More than 100 verses include the duas of prophets and other faithful people or communities. Some surahs and verses serve as dua texts. Surah al-Fatiha is a good example of this. The dua in the 201st verse of Surah al-Baqarah, which means, “O our Lord! Give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter and defend us from the torment of the fire!” is the dua recited most after Fatiha. Anas ibn Malik said that Prophet Muhammad (saw) recited this most while making dua (Bukhari, Da’awat, 55) and advised people to recite it (Muslim, Dhikr, 23). It is seen in verses 8-9, 16, 53, 191-194 of Surah Al-i ‘Imran and in verse 74 of Surah al-Furqan. These are recited with the intention of dua. Verses 35-41 of Surah Ibrahim—which include the dua of Prophet Ibrahim, especially verse 41, which means, “O Lord! Cover (us) with thy forgiveness–me, my parents, and (all) believers on the day that the reckoning will be established!”—are the verses of dua that are recited often. Dua of the Prophet Musa in Surah Ta-Ha (Ta-Ha, 20:25-35) is one of the examples of dua in the Holy Qur’an, with its short, vivid, harmonious, and effective verses. The dua in these verses is made with expressions of, “O My Lord! Expand me my breast; ease my task for me; and remove the impediment from my speech so they may understand what I say.”
