The Quran, the book of Islam, is the final book of revelation from God to humanity and the last in the line of revelations given to the Prophets. The Quran was revealed at a time when Science was primitive. People believed that the sun orbited the earth and the sky was held up by pillars at the corners of a flat earth. Against this backdrop the Quran was revealed, containing many scientific facts on topics ranging from astronomy to biology, geology to zoology. Allah says:

بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ وَالزُّبُرِ وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

“With the clear proofs and the Books. And We sent down to you the Remembrance, that you may make clear to mankind, what has been sent down to them and that they may reflect.” (Surah An-Nahl 16:44)

The Book of Allah is like an ocean. Muslims believe that the Quran is inimitable, i.e., no human speech can match the Quran in its content and form. There are 114 chapters (surahs), and 6,236 verses (ayahs), containing 99,464 words made up of 330,113 letters. Five mosques have been Quran namely Masjid e Aqsa, Masjid e Haraam, Masjid e Nabwi (PBUH), Masjid e Zaraar and Masjid e Quba.  Allah says:

وَهَٰذَا كِتَابٌ أَنزَلْنَاهُ مُبَارَكٌ فَاتَّبِعُوهُ وَاتَّقُوا لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ

“And this is a Book which We have revealed as a blessing: so follow it and be righteous, that ye may receive mercy.” (Surah Al-An`am 6:155)

The first Sura, known as “Surah Fatiha,” is the most recited and easiest surah of the Holy Quran. The Sura, which consists of seven verses, is repeated in daily prayers and on other occasions. The longest surah of the Quran is Al-Baqrawith 286 verses which is the second surah of the Quran while the shortest surah is Al-Kausar with only 3 verses. Surah Yasin is considered the heart of the Quran for its tremendous benefits for the believer.

There are countless facts about the Quran and its revelation some of which are shared over here:

1. The literal meaning of the Quran is “that which is being read”.
2. Quran has been translated into 103 languages so far.
3. Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) through the angel Jibril.
4. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was 40 years old when the first verse of the Quran was revealed to Him.
5. The revelation started in the Holy month of Ramadan.
6. The revelation of the Quran took place over a period of 23 years.
7. Quran was revealed in parts, verse by verse, to the Holy Prophet.
8. The period of the revelation of the Quran can be divided into 2 main parts which are Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)’s life in Makkah which is 13 years and after His (PBUH) migration to Madinah which is 10 years.
9. There are 114 Surahs in the Holy Quran. Each Surah follows a theme and gives a specific message about the fundamentals of faith and practising of belief.
10. The number of Surahs revealed in Makkah is 86, while 28 Surahs were revealed in Madinah.
11. To facilitate the recital of the Quran, it has been divided into 30 equal parts called the Juz or Sarah. The Surahs of Quran were arranged in the present order by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) himself though there was no compiled copy of the Quran during Prophet’s life and Sahaba memorized the verses of Quran by heart or scribed the verses on stones, animal skin or palm tree.
12. Angel Jibril used to bring the message of Allah to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) that was further shared by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) with His companions.
13. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) used to revise the verses of the Quran with Angel Jibril every year. In the year before his death, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) revised Quran with Jibril twice.
14. After the death of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the caliph Abu Bakr sensed the need for a written Quran and so he appointed Sahaba to compile the scribes of verses of the Quran for the generations to come.
15. The word Quran is used 70 times in the Holy Quran.
16. The longest Surah in the Quran is Surah Al-Baqrah which is the second Surah in order of compilation.
17. The shortest Surah is Surah Al-Kauthar.
18. The longest verse of the Quran appears in Surah Al-Baqarah verse number 282, also commonly known as Ayatul Kursi.
19. The first Surah in Quran, Surah Al-Fatiha is known as the Mother of the Quran or Ummul Quran.
20. Surah Yaseen is called the heart of the Quran.
21. Quran has been translated into 103 languages in the world.
22. There are 10 rewards against reading a single letter from the Holy Quran.
23. The words Man and Woman appear an equal number of times in Quran, which is 24.
24. The best drink mentioned in the Quran is Milk.
25. The best food to eat, mentioned in the Quran is Honey.
26. The best month among all months is mentioned as Ramadan in the Quran.
27. The best night mentioned in the Quran is Laylatul Qadr.
28. The name Muhammad is mentioned 4 times in the Holy Quran.
29. 6 Surahs or chapters in Quran are named after Prophets who came before Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
30. 25 Prophets are mentioned in the Quran.
31. Friday is the only day of the week that is mentioned in the Quran.
32. There are specific mannerisms to follow during the recital of the Quran one of them being that the Holy Quran should be recited in slow rhythmic tones which Allah mentions in the Quran.
33. “Bismillah ir-Rahmaani ir-Raheem” appears 114 times in the Holy Quran.
34. “Bismillah” is written before each Surah in the Holy Quran except in Surah Tauba, but is also written twice in Surah Namal.
35. Three mosques are mentioned in the Quran: Masjid-ul-Haram (Makkah), Masjid-ul-Aqsa (Jerusalem), Masjid Qubaa (near Madinah).
36. The number of times “Duniya” (life in this world) is mentioned is 115. The number of times “Aakhira” (the life Hereafter) is mentioned is also 115.
37. “Life” and “Death”, both are mentioned 145 times.
38. “Hardship” and “Patience”, both are mentioned 114 times.
39. The number of times, the word “Man” occurs in the Quran is 24 and the number of times “Woman” occurs is also 24. (Feminists, cheers! )
40. “This is the Book whereof there is no doubt.”(al-Baqara, 2:2)

مَا أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْقُرْآنَ لِتَشْقَىٰ

“Not We (have) sent down to you the Quran that you be distressed.” (Surah Ta-Ha 20:2 )

The most read book throughout the world, The Holy Quran, is the last book of Allah (SWT) carrying the message of mercy, forgiveness and peace for all mankind. The Holy Quran was revealed more than 1400 years ago to the last messenger of Allah, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as the final word to call mankind towards the creator and share the truth about the universe with humankind.

The following are some facts found in the Quran:

1. Origin of Life: Water is essential for all living things. We all know that water is a basic need for life but the Quran makes a very unusual claim. “We made every living thing from water. Will they not believe?” (Quran 21:30)
2. Iron: Iron is unnatural to the earth.  It did not form on the earth but came down to earth from outer space.  This may sound weird but it’s true.  Scientists have found that billions of years ago the earth was stuck by meteorites.  These meteorites were carrying Iron from distant stars which had exploded. “We sent down Iron with its great inherent strength and its many benefits for humankind.” (Quran 57:25)
3. Sky’s Protection: The sky plays a crucial role in protecting the earth.  The sky protects the earth from the lethal rays of the sun. If the sky did not exist, then the sun’s radiation would have killed off all life on earth.  It also acts like a blanket wrapped around the earth, to protect it from the freezing cold of space. “We made the sky a protective ceiling. And yet they are turning away from Our signs!” (Quran 21:32)
4. Mountains: The Quran indicates that mountains have deep roots by using the word stakes to describe them.  In fact, mountains do have deep roots, and the word stakes is an accurate description of them. “Did We not make the earth a resting place? And the mountains as stakes?” (Quran 78:6-7)
5. Sun’s Orbit: It is now a well-established scientific fact that the Sun is not stationary, but is moving in an orbit around the centre of our Milky Way galaxy. “It is He who created night and day, the Sun and the Moon, each floating in its orbit.” (Quran 21:33)
6. Expansion of the Universe: At a time when the science of Astronomy was still primitive, the expansion of the universe was described in the Quran: “And it is We who have built the Universe with [Our creative] power and keep expanding it.” (Quran 51:47)

The message in Quran shows us the way to spend our lives in accordance with the guidelines provided by Allah and to follow the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Reciting Quran reveals many treasures of wisdom hidden in the Holy Book which draw us closer to believing in the oneness of God and the message of Islam. Allah says:

مَّن يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ وَمَن تَوَلَّىٰ فَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًا

“(He) who obeys the Messenger then surely he obeyed Allah, and whoever turns away – then not We (have) sent you over them (as) a guardian.” (Surah An-Nisaa’ 4:80)

When you open up Quran and start reciting it, you’ll find many gems and inspirations that no one else could have found. It’s like being directly guided by a light source. The knowledge found in the Holy Quran is indisputable. The scientific facts revealed in Quran have been proven true and no one can refute the divine wisdom behind the verses of the Quran. The stories of prior Prophets and religions have also been proven true.