Why the Quran is regarded as Islam's holiest scripture and how it differs from other sacred texts

Outline (brief)

• Warm opening: sacred texts shape beliefs; studying SOR invites curiosity about Islam.

• What makes a text “holy”? Revelation, guidance, and role in worship and law.

• The Quran in Islam: why it’s considered the holiest scripture, how Muslims view it, and its place in daily life.

• Quick contrast: Torah, Bhagavad Gita, and Upanishads in their own traditions.

• How to think about these topics in a broader SOR study: key terms, context, and careful interpretation.

• Practical takeaways and questions to consider.

• Calm, reflective close: what these texts invite us to explore about faith and community.

Holy texts aren’t just old books; they’re living anchors for communities, shaping both daily routines and big life questions. In Studies of Religion, you’ll encounter many such anchors from different traditions. Let me guide you through one core example—the holiest scripture in Islam—and then connect it to a bigger picture about how sacred texts function across faiths.

What makes a text holy?

Think of a holy text as more than ink on pages. In many traditions, a sacred book is believed to carry a divine voice, a set of guiding principles, and a framework for how to live with others. In Islam, the Quran is treated as the literal word of God, revealed to a single Prophet, and it serves as a complete guide for worship, ethics, and everyday conduct. It’s not just read; it’s often memorized and recited, with a particular cadence and reverence in Islamic communities. The key ideas to keep in view are:

• Revelation: a message believed to come from a divine source and delivered in a structured form.

• Guidance: answers or directions for personal virtue, social justice, and communal life.

• Authority: a central reference point that shapes law, ritual, and interpretation within the faith.

Different faiths answer these questions in different ways, but the underlying pattern—divine message plus practical guidance—shows up again and again. Now, let’s zoom in on Islam and the Quran.

The Quran: Islam’s centerpiece

Here’s the thing many students find striking: Muslims view the Quran as the holiest scripture because they believe it is the literal word of God (Allah), revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel. This isn’t just a nice story; it’s the foundation of how Muslims understand revelation itself. The Quran is considered the final and complete message from God to humanity, a culmination in a long line of divine messages delivered through prophets.

What does that mean in practice? The Quran offers:

• Personal guidance: it speaks to everyday choices, from honesty and compassion to personal discipline and mercy.

• Spiritual practice: memorization (hifz) and recitation (tilawah) are valued acts of devotion, shaping how Muslims connect with God.

• Legal and ethical framework: it provides principles that scholars use to discuss family law, charity, justice, and communal responsibilities. In many Muslim communities, the Quran is read alongside other sources of guidance, like traditions about the Prophet (hadith) and juristic reasoning, but the Quran remains the core reference point.

A few factual notes that help with understanding:

• The text is structured into surahs (chapters) and ayahs (verses). Some surahs were revealed in Mecca, others in Medina, and this Meccan/Medinan split is often used to discuss the tone and focus of different sections.

• While translations exist, many Muslims believe the original Arabic text holds the exact divine meaning. Translations are invaluable for non-Arabic readers, but they’re viewed as interpretations rather than replacements for the original text.

• The Quran isn’t read as a single narrative like a storybook; it’s a compilation of divine guidance presented in a form that invites reflection, memory, and recitation across generations.

In contrast, other sacred texts do different jobs in their own faiths

To get a fuller sense of religious study, it helps to compare briefly with other revered scriptures:

• The Torah in Judaism: A foundational set of laws, stories, and teachings that guides Jewish life, history, and identity. It anchors ritual practice, holidays, and moral reflection.

• The Bhagavad Gita in Hinduism: A philosophical dialogue about duty, righteousness, devotion, and the nature of the self. It’s more of a philosophical and ethical guide within a broad tradition.

• The Upanishads in Hinduism: Philosophical texts exploring ultimate reality, the self, and meditation. They’re less about ritual instruction and more about metaphysical inquiry.

Each tradition treats its sacred writings as a wellspring of meaning, but the way they function in daily life can look quite different. Islam places a heavy emphasis on the Quran as a direct and enduring word from God, forming a fixed center of authority. Judaism, Hinduism, and other faiths often weave sacred writings into a broader tapestry of law, practice, philosophy, and lived tradition. That difference in emphasis is exactly the kind of nuance SOR students explore when they compare religious texts.

How to think about these topics in your Studies of Religion work

Let me explain how you can approach topics like this in a thoughtful, confident way:

• Identify the tradition and the text: Start by naming the faith (Islam) and the sacred text (the Quran). Note its status (holiest scripture) and why that status is held (divine revelation to Muhammad via Gabriel).

• Distinguish between text, context, and interpretation: The Quran is considered the direct word of God by Muslims, but interpretations about how to apply its guidance can vary. Recognize the difference between the text itself and later explanations or legal rulings about it.

• Note the role in life and community: Consider how the text shapes worship practices (daily prayers, recitation), moral expectations, and community identity.

• Compare with other traditions: When you look at the Torah, Bhagavad Gita, and Upanishads, ask what roles those texts play in their communities—are they primarily legal documents, philosophical treatises, or stories that teach virtue?

• Use precise language: In exams or essays, you’ll likely need to explain why a text is considered holy within its tradition, rather than judging which text is “better.” The strength lies in understanding the faith’s own framework.

A few takeaways and questions to ponder

• How does the idea of a “literal word of God” influence Muslim practices like daily recitation or memorization?

• In what ways does the Quran guide both private conduct and public ethics in Muslim-majority societies? How might this differ in more secular contexts?

• If you compare the Quran to the other texts mentioned, what kinds of questions arise about authority, interpretation, and tradition? For example, how do communities reconcile ancient guidance with modern life?

• What are the boundaries between a sacred text and sacred tradition (like stories about the Prophet’s life) in shaping belief and practice?

A note on study approach

Studying sacred texts isn’t just about memorizing facts. It’s about hearing the voices of communities across time and place. You’ll find that terms like surah, ayah, Meccan, and Medinan carry layers of meaning beyond their dictionary definitions. You’ll also notice how the act of reading—alone, with family, in a mosque or temple, or in a classroom—becomes a shared experience that sustains culture and identity.

A gentle, human reflection

Religious texts travel with people—through migration, war, peace, and everyday life. They’re not dusty relics; they’re ongoing conversations across generations. The Quran, in Islam, is central to that conversation for many Muslims. It’s a text that believers seek to understand, memorize, and implement as they navigate personal growth, ethical choices, and communal duties.

If you’re exploring these ideas for a course like Studies of Religion, you’ll notice a few recurring patterns: a strong emphasis on the source (a divine origin claims), a practical focus on how belief translates into behavior, and a respect for tradition alongside living, evolving interpretations. Recognizing these patterns makes it easier to compare different faiths without getting lost in the details.

To wrap up

In short, the Quran is recognized as the holiest scripture in Islam because it is believed to be the literal word of God revealed to Prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel. It stands as the final revelation and a comprehensive guide for worship, ethics, and daily life. Compare this with how other traditions treat their sacred texts, and you’ll begin to see a broader landscape of belief—one where texts are not just books but living commitments shared by communities around the world.

If you’re curious, you can explore more about how surahs and ayahs function in liturgy and law, or how different Muslim communities emphasize memorization, recitation, and interpretation. Either way, the conversation about sacred texts is a doorway into understanding faith, culture, and the ways people seek meaning together. And that’s a conversation worth having, because it reminds us that despite differences, many of us are asking similar questions about truth, justice, and what it means to live well.