WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.270 align:middle line:90% 00:00:01.270 --> 00:00:05.530 align:middle line:84% - The Qur'an is the holy book for Muslims. 00:00:05.530 --> 00:00:08.480 align:middle line:84% Allah or God sent the angel Gabriel-- 00:00:08.480 --> 00:00:11.110 align:middle line:84% Muslims call him Jibra'il-- to take the words 00:00:11.110 --> 00:00:13.450 align:middle line:84% of the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad. 00:00:13.450 --> 00:00:16.360 align:middle line:84% Muslims aren't allowed to draw Muhammad, peace be upon him. 00:00:16.360 --> 00:00:19.210 align:middle line:84% So here is his name written in Arabic. 00:00:19.210 --> 00:00:22.090 align:middle line:84% Muhammad was praying all by himself in a cave. 00:00:22.090 --> 00:00:26.000 align:middle line:84% Jibra'il spoke to him and said, "Iqra!" which means "read." 00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:27.460 align:middle line:90% Muhammad couldn't read or write. 00:00:27.460 --> 00:00:30.080 align:middle line:90% So he replied, "I cannot read." 00:00:30.080 --> 00:00:32.840 align:middle line:90% Again, the angel said, "Read!" 00:00:32.840 --> 00:00:35.880 align:middle line:84% Again, Muhammad replied, "I cannot read." 00:00:35.880 --> 00:00:38.180 align:middle line:84% Jibra'il grabbed Muhammad and said, 00:00:38.180 --> 00:00:40.660 align:middle line:84% "Read in the name of your Lord who has created you 00:00:40.660 --> 00:00:42.550 align:middle line:90% from a drop of blood." 00:00:42.550 --> 00:00:45.640 align:middle line:84% Just like that, Muhammad found he could recite the words 00:00:45.640 --> 00:00:47.440 align:middle line:90% that Jibra'il had brought him. 00:00:47.440 --> 00:00:49.720 align:middle line:84% The word "Qur'an" means "to recite," 00:00:49.720 --> 00:00:52.360 align:middle line:84% which means to read something out loud. 00:00:52.360 --> 00:00:55.540 align:middle line:84% Muhammad had many meetings with Jibra'il throughout his life 00:00:55.540 --> 00:00:57.685 align:middle line:84% to get what we have as the Qur'an today. 00:00:57.685 --> 00:01:01.400 align:middle line:90% 00:01:01.400 --> 00:01:03.430 align:middle line:84% - My name's Ihsan Khan, and I'm currently 00:01:03.430 --> 00:01:04.879 align:middle line:90% the imam of Canterbury Mosque. 00:01:04.879 --> 00:01:07.820 align:middle line:84% What that involves is leading people in prayer 00:01:07.820 --> 00:01:11.740 align:middle line:84% simply, and being there if anyone needs to talk to you. 00:01:11.740 --> 00:01:14.590 align:middle line:84% The Qur'an is respected by Muslims because it is the word 00:01:14.590 --> 00:01:15.340 align:middle line:90% of God. 00:01:15.340 --> 00:01:18.010 align:middle line:84% The way a Muslim should respect is before even touching 00:01:18.010 --> 00:01:20.950 align:middle line:84% the Qur'an, you have to perform ablution, 00:01:20.950 --> 00:01:24.900 align:middle line:84% which is washing specific parts of your body to be pure, 00:01:24.900 --> 00:01:27.050 align:middle line:84% and you are not allowed to place it on the floor. 00:01:27.050 --> 00:01:28.810 align:middle line:84% If you are storing it anywhere, it 00:01:28.810 --> 00:01:30.409 align:middle line:90% has to be in a high position. 00:01:30.409 --> 00:01:32.200 align:middle line:84% And if there are other books on that shelf, 00:01:32.200 --> 00:01:34.116 align:middle line:84% then the Qur'an has to be on top of the books. 00:01:34.116 --> 00:01:37.900 align:middle line:84% It cannot be under any other books. 00:01:37.900 --> 00:01:39.400 align:middle line:90% - My name is Ilhan. 00:01:39.400 --> 00:01:44.380 align:middle line:84% I'm 18 years old, and I'm in my first year of university. 00:01:44.380 --> 00:01:46.570 align:middle line:84% So this is my room, I have the normal things 00:01:46.570 --> 00:01:48.220 align:middle line:84% that you would have, but I also have 00:01:48.220 --> 00:01:50.080 align:middle line:84% other things that are very important to me 00:01:50.080 --> 00:01:50.920 align:middle line:90% and my religion. 00:01:50.920 --> 00:01:54.010 align:middle line:84% The most important thing is the Qur'an. 00:01:54.010 --> 00:01:56.470 align:middle line:84% When you hold the Qur'an, if you look at it, 00:01:56.470 --> 00:01:58.480 align:middle line:84% it's back to front if you think about it. 00:01:58.480 --> 00:02:00.910 align:middle line:84% So this is the back, and this is the front, 00:02:00.910 --> 00:02:03.730 align:middle line:90% unlike any other English books. 00:02:03.730 --> 00:02:05.560 align:middle line:84% The reading is also back to front. 00:02:05.560 --> 00:02:07.450 align:middle line:84% So you read it from the right to the left, 00:02:07.450 --> 00:02:09.550 align:middle line:90% and you go across in this way. 00:02:09.550 --> 00:02:13.720 align:middle line:84% The Qur'an is divided into 30 equal sections. 00:02:13.720 --> 00:02:16.390 align:middle line:84% There are 114 chapters, called surahs. 00:02:16.390 --> 00:02:18.790 align:middle line:84% We mostly know chapters by their names, 00:02:18.790 --> 00:02:22.820 align:middle line:84% the first one being Al-Fatihah, which means "The Opening". 00:02:22.820 --> 00:02:25.330 align:middle line:84% And then this is followed on by Surat Al-Baqarah, 00:02:25.330 --> 00:02:26.560 align:middle line:90% which means "The Cow". 00:02:26.560 --> 00:02:28.510 align:middle line:84% The longer chapters are at the front 00:02:28.510 --> 00:02:30.730 align:middle line:84% and the shorter ones are at the back. 00:02:30.730 --> 00:02:34.650 align:middle line:84% And then each circle that you see is the end of a verse 00:02:34.650 --> 00:02:36.340 align:middle line:90% or we call ayah. 00:02:36.340 --> 00:02:39.850 align:middle line:84% And each chapter has different number of ayahs in them, 00:02:39.850 --> 00:02:42.700 align:middle line:84% different meanings, different stories. 00:02:42.700 --> 00:02:45.220 align:middle line:84% - My name is Muhammad Samiur Rahman. 00:02:45.220 --> 00:02:47.080 align:middle line:90% Everyone calls me Sami. 00:02:47.080 --> 00:02:52.060 align:middle line:84% I'm a creative artist, focusing mainly on Arabic calligraphy. 00:02:52.060 --> 00:02:54.220 align:middle line:84% Calligraphy comes from the Greek term which 00:02:54.220 --> 00:02:56.185 align:middle line:90% means "to write beautifully." 00:02:56.185 --> 00:03:00.460 align:middle line:84% And in Islam, calligraphy is understood to be a sacred art 00:03:00.460 --> 00:03:04.840 align:middle line:84% because it was first used to write down verses from 00:03:04.840 --> 00:03:05.650 align:middle line:90% the Qur'an. 00:03:05.650 --> 00:03:09.910 align:middle line:84% It slowly turned into an art because they believed 00:03:09.910 --> 00:03:12.640 align:middle line:84% the word of God should be portrayed in the most 00:03:12.640 --> 00:03:14.110 align:middle line:90% beautiful way possible. 00:03:14.110 --> 00:03:17.500 align:middle line:84% The Qur'an was revealed in Arabic because the Prophet was 00:03:17.500 --> 00:03:18.370 align:middle line:90% an Arab. 00:03:18.370 --> 00:03:21.160 align:middle line:84% I love working with Arabic from the Qur'an. 00:03:21.160 --> 00:03:23.350 align:middle line:84% You understand the level of spirituality 00:03:23.350 --> 00:03:25.750 align:middle line:90% that's held within it. 00:03:25.750 --> 00:03:29.270 align:middle line:84% - As Muslims, we pray five times a day. 00:03:29.270 --> 00:03:32.730 align:middle line:84% We use the Qur'an in all of our daily prayers. 00:03:32.730 --> 00:03:35.100 align:middle line:84% Allah is the Arabic word for God. 00:03:35.100 --> 00:03:37.830 align:middle line:84% Sometimes people don't realise that the Jewish God, 00:03:37.830 --> 00:03:41.250 align:middle line:84% the Christian God, and the Muslim God is the same God. 00:03:41.250 --> 00:03:44.880 align:middle line:84% The Qur'an also mentions words from the Torah and the Gospel. 00:03:44.880 --> 00:03:46.980 align:middle line:84% The Torah being the Jewish holy book 00:03:46.980 --> 00:03:48.740 align:middle line:84% and the Gospel being Jesus's words. 00:03:48.740 --> 00:03:51.160 align:middle line:84% And so we share a lot of the same stories 00:03:51.160 --> 00:03:52.950 align:middle line:90% and the same Prophets. 00:03:52.950 --> 00:03:55.150 align:middle line:84% There's a verse in the Qur'an that says 00:03:55.150 --> 00:03:58.410 align:middle line:84% [QUOTATION IN ARABIC],, which means, "You have your religion, 00:03:58.410 --> 00:03:59.880 align:middle line:90% and I have my religion." 00:03:59.880 --> 00:04:03.291 align:middle line:84% And so Islam teaches us to be respectful to all people, 00:04:03.291 --> 00:04:05.040 align:middle line:84% regardless of what they choose to believe. 00:04:05.040 --> 00:04:08.830 align:middle line:90% 00:04:08.830 --> 00:04:13.060 align:middle line:84% - Today is a Friday in which many Muslims come to attend 00:04:13.060 --> 00:04:15.510 align:middle line:90% the biggest prayer of the week. 00:04:15.510 --> 00:04:18.300 align:middle line:84% The reason why the Friday prayer is so busy at the mosque 00:04:18.300 --> 00:04:20.579 align:middle line:84% is because God has instructed people 00:04:20.579 --> 00:04:23.430 align:middle line:84% to leave whatever they're doing and go to the mosque. 00:04:23.430 --> 00:04:25.620 align:middle line:84% And the reason for this is because the Friday prayer 00:04:25.620 --> 00:04:28.090 align:middle line:84% has a sermon before the actual prayer begins. 00:04:28.090 --> 00:04:31.320 align:middle line:84% And in the sermon, the imam usually speaks about quotes 00:04:31.320 --> 00:04:32.460 align:middle line:90% from the Qur'an. 00:04:32.460 --> 00:04:34.994 align:middle line:84% - Endeavour to understand the interpretation of the surah 00:04:34.994 --> 00:04:35.910 align:middle line:90% and its fine meanings. 00:04:35.910 --> 00:04:38.570 align:middle line:84% - So every week, you're getting a religion booster, 00:04:38.570 --> 00:04:39.090 align:middle line:90% if you like. 00:04:39.090 --> 00:04:42.090 align:middle line:90% 00:04:42.090 --> 00:04:47.130 align:middle line:84% - Calligraphy plays another important role in Islam 00:04:47.130 --> 00:04:49.650 align:middle line:84% because we're not allowed to draw 00:04:49.650 --> 00:04:53.520 align:middle line:90% pictures of God or the Prophet. 00:04:53.520 --> 00:04:57.450 align:middle line:84% We wouldn't have pictures of them hanging in houses 00:04:57.450 --> 00:05:00.210 align:middle line:84% or in mosques, rather we use verses from 00:05:00.210 --> 00:05:03.630 align:middle line:84% the Qur'an or sayings of the Prophet to decorate the walls 00:05:03.630 --> 00:05:04.560 align:middle line:90% of the mosque. 00:05:04.560 --> 00:05:08.505 align:middle line:84% So that when a person reads it, he's praising God. 00:05:08.505 --> 00:05:11.230 align:middle line:90% - Muslims have many holy books. 00:05:11.230 --> 00:05:13.560 align:middle line:84% The first one we have is the Qur'an. 00:05:13.560 --> 00:05:17.160 align:middle line:84% We also have to follow the Hadith, which are literally 00:05:17.160 --> 00:05:18.975 align:middle line:84% the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. 00:05:18.975 --> 00:05:21.870 align:middle line:84% - Sahih Bukhari which is one of the most popular Hadith books. 00:05:21.870 --> 00:05:23.430 align:middle line:84% So whatever the Prophet Muhammad said 00:05:23.430 --> 00:05:26.340 align:middle line:84% has now been compiled into thousands and thousands 00:05:26.340 --> 00:05:26.910 align:middle line:90% of books. 00:05:26.910 --> 00:05:30.930 align:middle line:84% And in it are examples of how the Prophet lived his life. 00:05:30.930 --> 00:05:32.430 align:middle line:84% So from the different positions he 00:05:32.430 --> 00:05:35.420 align:middle line:84% did in prayer, to how he used to eat, how he used to drink-- 00:05:35.420 --> 00:05:38.430 align:middle line:84% so every small activity that he did has been recorded. 00:05:38.430 --> 00:05:41.220 align:middle line:84% The Qur'an is the word of God, and the Hadith is the saying 00:05:41.220 --> 00:05:42.937 align:middle line:90% of the Prophet Muhammad. 00:05:42.937 --> 00:05:44.520 align:middle line:84% The reason why they were kept separate 00:05:44.520 --> 00:05:48.309 align:middle line:84% is because if you compile them both into one book, somewhere 00:05:48.309 --> 00:05:50.100 align:middle line:84% down the line, you're going to get confused 00:05:50.100 --> 00:05:52.125 align:middle line:84% with regards to which is the saying of God 00:05:52.125 --> 00:05:54.540 align:middle line:84% and which is the saying of a man. 00:05:54.540 --> 00:05:57.870 align:middle line:84% - The Qur'an was first passed on by word of mouth. 00:05:57.870 --> 00:06:01.460 align:middle line:84% Because at this time, not many people could read or write. 00:06:01.460 --> 00:06:04.680 align:middle line:84% Allah gave the words of the Qur'an to Jibra'il, who gave 00:06:04.680 --> 00:06:05.460 align:middle line:90% them to Muhammad. 00:06:05.460 --> 00:06:07.295 align:middle line:84% And Muhammad would teach the words 00:06:07.295 --> 00:06:09.480 align:middle line:90% to his wife and his Companions. 00:06:09.480 --> 00:06:12.365 align:middle line:84% They would teach their friends and family and so the words 00:06:12.365 --> 00:06:14.280 align:middle line:90% of the Qur'an spread. 00:06:14.280 --> 00:06:17.160 align:middle line:84% At the same time, the few people who could write 00:06:17.160 --> 00:06:20.150 align:middle line:84% began writing down the verses on anything they could find, 00:06:20.150 --> 00:06:23.370 align:middle line:84% such as palm leaves or bits of parchment. 00:06:23.370 --> 00:06:25.620 align:middle line:84% When Muhammad died, the first leader 00:06:25.620 --> 00:06:29.130 align:middle line:84% of Islam who came after him, a man called Abu Bakr, 00:06:29.130 --> 00:06:32.190 align:middle line:84% decided that he would collect all the palm leaves and bits 00:06:32.190 --> 00:06:34.980 align:middle line:84% of parchment together and make them into a book 00:06:34.980 --> 00:06:38.100 align:middle line:84% so that none of the verses would get lost. 00:06:38.100 --> 00:06:40.560 align:middle line:84% Many other copies were made over the years, 00:06:40.560 --> 00:06:42.660 align:middle line:84% but the third leader, called Uthman, 00:06:42.660 --> 00:06:44.730 align:middle line:84% found that not all the copies were the same, 00:06:44.730 --> 00:06:46.980 align:middle line:90% so he gathered them all in. 00:06:46.980 --> 00:06:50.490 align:middle line:84% Then he asked everyone who had memorised the Qur'an to come 00:06:50.490 --> 00:06:53.900 align:middle line:84% and check the verses and correct any mistakes. 00:06:53.900 --> 00:06:57.510 align:middle line:84% Ever since then, every copy of the Qur'an has been exactly 00:06:57.510 --> 00:06:58.080 align:middle line:90% the same. 00:06:58.080 --> 00:07:01.120 align:middle line:90% 00:07:01.120 --> 00:07:03.370 align:middle line:84% - When I was studying in the Islamic school, 00:07:03.370 --> 00:07:06.400 align:middle line:84% a lot of the students, they try and memorise the entire Qur'an. 00:07:06.400 --> 00:07:09.170 align:middle line:84% The person who has memorised the entire Qur'an is called 00:07:09.170 --> 00:07:10.080 align:middle line:90% a hafiz. 00:07:10.080 --> 00:07:13.960 align:middle line:84% "Hafiz" is in Arabic means "to protect". 00:07:13.960 --> 00:07:15.890 align:middle line:84% By memorising it, he's preserving it. 00:07:15.890 --> 00:07:17.800 align:middle line:90% He's looking after it. 00:07:17.800 --> 00:07:22.060 align:middle line:84% Because I've memorised the Qur'an, I can walk around, 00:07:22.060 --> 00:07:23.320 align:middle line:90% and I can read. 00:07:23.320 --> 00:07:27.820 align:middle line:84% If I'm going to work or if I'm on the train, I could sit down, 00:07:27.820 --> 00:07:28.990 align:middle line:90% and I could just read. 00:07:28.990 --> 00:07:31.870 align:middle line:84% I think it's a really beautiful way to start your day 00:07:31.870 --> 00:07:35.500 align:middle line:84% by reciting a portion of the Qur'an. 00:07:35.500 --> 00:07:39.580 align:middle line:84% - At the age of about five, I started off by learning 00:07:39.580 --> 00:07:43.420 align:middle line:84% the Arabic alphabet, and that helped me to be able to read 00:07:43.420 --> 00:07:44.470 align:middle line:90% the Qur'an. 00:07:44.470 --> 00:07:46.180 align:middle line:90% I learned to memorise it. 00:07:46.180 --> 00:07:48.940 align:middle line:84% Because I was never properly taught the translation 00:07:48.940 --> 00:07:51.220 align:middle line:84% of the Qur'an, the more I started to memorise 00:07:51.220 --> 00:07:53.980 align:middle line:84% and the older I got, the more I realised that I didn't really 00:07:53.980 --> 00:07:55.840 align:middle line:90% understand what I was saying. 00:07:55.840 --> 00:07:58.300 align:middle line:84% I decided to learn the meaning of the Qur'an. 00:07:58.300 --> 00:08:02.650 align:middle line:84% I would look online and look in translation books. 00:08:02.650 --> 00:08:05.920 align:middle line:84% - The translations are important for Muslims in today's society 00:08:05.920 --> 00:08:09.820 align:middle line:84% because majority of Muslims do not understand or speak Arabic. 00:08:09.820 --> 00:08:12.520 align:middle line:84% Trying to translate certain words from Arabic into English 00:08:12.520 --> 00:08:14.080 align:middle line:84% can be difficult because there aren't 00:08:14.080 --> 00:08:16.990 align:middle line:84% words that can fit the meaning of the Arabic word. 00:08:16.990 --> 00:08:19.360 align:middle line:84% The original form is Arabic, and we keep it this way 00:08:19.360 --> 00:08:20.740 align:middle line:90% to keep it truthful. 00:08:20.740 --> 00:08:24.670 align:middle line:84% - The way classical Arabic or Qur'anic Arabic is, 00:08:24.670 --> 00:08:28.221 align:middle line:84% a single sentence can have so many different meanings behind 00:08:28.221 --> 00:08:28.720 align:middle line:90% it. 00:08:28.720 --> 00:08:31.060 align:middle line:84% - The Qur'an isn't an easy book to understand. 00:08:31.060 --> 00:08:33.640 align:middle line:84% Take Shakespeare, for example: When 00:08:33.640 --> 00:08:35.799 align:middle line:84% you're studying Shakespeare at GCSE, 00:08:35.799 --> 00:08:38.409 align:middle line:84% it's difficult to understand if you don't have someone there 00:08:38.409 --> 00:08:40.090 align:middle line:90% explaining each verse to you. 00:08:40.090 --> 00:08:44.179 align:middle line:90% - We have the commentary books. 00:08:44.179 --> 00:08:48.040 align:middle line:84% Each single verse of the Qur'an is explained in a great amount 00:08:48.040 --> 00:08:48.610 align:middle line:90% of detail. 00:08:48.610 --> 00:08:50.401 align:middle line:84% - There are scholars who've studied for 10, 00:08:50.401 --> 00:08:53.230 align:middle line:84% 15 years, trying to translate single verses. 00:08:53.230 --> 00:08:56.380 align:middle line:84% There are Muslims in today's society who try to interpret 00:08:56.380 --> 00:08:58.780 align:middle line:84% the Qur'an themselves, and this can be devastating 00:08:58.780 --> 00:09:01.150 align:middle line:90% for the entire human race. 00:09:01.150 --> 00:09:03.220 align:middle line:84% You have to understand which verses were revealed 00:09:03.220 --> 00:09:04.890 align:middle line:84% for the context of 1,400 years ago, 00:09:04.890 --> 00:09:10.000 align:middle line:84% and which verses apply in today's society. 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:11.680 align:middle line:90% - I am a feminist. 00:09:11.680 --> 00:09:13.509 align:middle line:90% I do a lot of activist work. 00:09:13.509 --> 00:09:15.300 align:middle line:84% - There's a lot of things that Muslim women 00:09:15.300 --> 00:09:16.130 align:middle line:90% have done for the world. 00:09:16.130 --> 00:09:17.629 align:middle line:84% There's a lot of things that females 00:09:17.629 --> 00:09:18.910 align:middle line:90% have done for the world. 00:09:18.910 --> 00:09:21.370 align:middle line:84% - The teachings from the Qur'an help me with any challenges 00:09:21.370 --> 00:09:23.165 align:middle line:90% that I may come across. 00:09:23.165 --> 00:09:24.790 align:middle line:84% Because there are so many people coming 00:09:24.790 --> 00:09:27.680 align:middle line:84% from different parts of the country and the world, 00:09:27.680 --> 00:09:30.580 align:middle line:84% there are some people here who have never come across a Muslim 00:09:30.580 --> 00:09:31.120 align:middle line:90% before. 00:09:31.120 --> 00:09:33.410 align:middle line:84% They all had questions to ask, especially 00:09:33.410 --> 00:09:35.500 align:middle line:84% things around feminism and Islam. 00:09:35.500 --> 00:09:37.000 align:middle line:84% To me, this is really empowering, 00:09:37.000 --> 00:09:40.000 align:middle line:84% and I would much rather people ask me questions, rather than 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:44.570 align:middle line:84% people coming up with their own ideas of what Islam is. 00:09:44.570 --> 00:09:47.140 align:middle line:84% - The Qur'an-- it's not only a message for Muslims. 00:09:47.140 --> 00:09:49.690 align:middle line:84% It's a message for everyone because the Prophet 00:09:49.690 --> 00:09:52.590 align:middle line:84% was sent as a Messenger to all of mankind. 00:09:52.590 --> 00:09:56.472 align:middle line:84% It teaches us about humanity living together as one. 00:09:56.472 --> 00:09:59.770 align:middle line:84% - Allah says, [QUOTATION IN ARABIC] "Hold 00:09:59.770 --> 00:10:03.330 align:middle line:84% on to the rope of God and do not become divided". 00:10:03.330 --> 00:10:04.044 align:middle line:90%