Part 3 - The word 'Qur'aan'

1) The most popular view on the derivation of the word 'Qur'aan' is that it comes from the word 'qara'a' which means to 'to read' or 'to recite' making the word 'Qur'aan' as verbal noun that translates to 'The Recitation' or 'The Reading'. This is also the opinon that majority of scholars hold and is the strongest opinion.

2) Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee (d. 204 A.H) was of the opinion that 'Qur'aan' is a proper noun that had no root word associated with it. He pronounced the word such that it rhymed with the English word 'lawn'.

3) Aboo al-Hasan 'Alee al-Ash'aree (d. 324 A.H) held the view that 'Qur'aan' is dereived from the root 'qarana', which means 'to join' or 'to associate'. This would make the meaning of the word 'Qur'aan', 'that which is joined together'. This meaning is consistent with the fact that the 'Qur'aan' is a collection of surahs and ayats that have been combined together to form a book.

4) Yahya ibn Ziyad ad-Daylamee (d. 207 A.H) was of the opinion that the word 'Qur'aan' comes from the word 'qaraa'in' which means 'to resemble' or 'to be similar to'. Indeed the ayats of the quran compliement one another in comprehension and resemble in their beauty and prose.

5) Ibn al-Atheer (d. 606 A.H) was of the opinion that the word 'Qur'aan' is from the word 'qar'' which means 'to combine'. It is called such since it combines stories, commands, promises and punishments.

Again, the first opinion is the strongest and held by majority of scholars and I have the same opinion on this matter.