Every Muslim believes that the Qur’an is the unaltered and absolute word of Allah. However, contrary to
public assumptions, the Qur’an was not revealed as a complete book that was split into 30 sections with
its 114 surahs arranged in a manner that we witness today. Rather, it was revealed in instalments to the
Beloved Messenger (peace be upon him) over a span of two decades and went through a complete
compilation process, which Imam al-Bukhari has shared in his book within Sahih al-Bukhari titled the
Book of the Virtues of the Qur’an.
In this course, students will learn of this process in a detailed manner by going over all the important
reports that provide clarity on this matter. They will thus have many of the objections and doubts posed
by the Orientalists clarified thus bringing strength to their faith. They will also be prepared to study
Imam al-Bukhari’s Book of Tafsir, which will be offered subsequent to this course.