Claim: Islam had a prophet and his name was Muhammad.

The Quran -LRB- -LSB- kɔrˈɑːn -RSB- ; القرآن , literally meaning `` the recitation '' ; also romanized Qur ` an or Koran -RRB- is the central religious text of Islam , which Muslims believe to be a revelation from God -LRB- Allah -RRB- . It is widely regarded as the finest work in classical Arabic literature . The Quran is divided into chapters -LRB- surah in Arabic -RRB- , which are then divided into verses -LRB- ayah -RRB- .   Muslims believe that the Quran was verbally revealed by God to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel -LRB- Jibril -RRB- , gradually over a period of approximately 23 years , beginning on 22 December 609 CE , when Muhammad was 40 , and concluding in 632 , the year of his death . Muslims regard the Quran as the most important miracle of Muhammad , a proof of his prophethood , and the culmination of a series of divine messages that started with the messages revealed to Adam and ended with Muhammad . The word `` Quran '' occurs some 70 times in the text of the Quran , although different names and words are also said to be references to the Quran .   According to the traditional narrative , several companions of Muhammad served as scribes and were responsible for writing down the revelations . Shortly after Muhammad 's death , the Quran was compiled by his companions who wrote down and memorized parts of it . These codices had differences that motivated the Caliph Uthman to establish a standard version now known as Uthman 's codex , which is generally considered the archetype of the Quran known today . There are , however , variant readings , with mostly minor differences in meaning .   The Quran assumes familiarity with major narratives recounted in the Biblical scriptures . It summarizes some , dwells at length on others and , in some cases , presents alternative accounts and interpretations of events . The Quran describes itself as a book of guidance . It sometimes offers detailed accounts of specific historical events , and it often emphasizes the moral significance of an event over its narrative sequence . The Quran is used along with authentic and reliable hadith to interpret sharia law . During prayers , the Quran is recited only in Arabic .   Someone who has memorized the entire Quran is called a hafiz . Some Muslims read Quranic ayah -LRB- verse -RRB- with elocution , which is often called tajwid . During the month of Ramadan , Muslims typically complete the recitation of the whole Quran during tarawih prayers . In order to extrapolate the meaning of a particular Quranic verse , most Muslims rely on the tafsir .