praj-17/QA-MCQ-Open-ended huggingface dataset:
Title: Quran
Context: Moses, in 7:143, comes the way of those who are in love, he asks for a vision but his desire is denied, he is made to suffer by being commanded to look at other than the Beloved while the mountain is able to see God. The mountain crumbles and Moses faints at the sight of God's manifestation upon the mountain. In Qushayri's words, Moses came like thousands of men who traveled great distances, and there was nothing left to Moses of Moses. In that state of annihilation from himself, Moses was granted the unveiling of the realities. From the Sufi point of view, God is the always the beloved and the wayfarer's longing and suffering lead to realization of the truths.

question: Beloved is a term for God used by which style of Quranic interpretation? 

answer: Sufi

question: Which Quranic verse describes Moses' encounter with God at the mountain? 

answer: 7:143

question: In Sufi thought, what experiences bring one closer to truth? 

answer: longing and suffering

question: Who wrote that Moses had lost the Moses in himself along the way to his encounter with God? 

answer: Qushayri
Title: Quran
Context: One of the notable authors of esoteric interpretation prior to the 12th century is Sulami (d. 1021) without whose work the majority of very early Sufi commentaries would not have been preserved. Sulami's major commentary is a book named haqaiq al-tafsir ("Truths of Exegesis") which is a compilation of commentaries of earlier Sufis. From the 11th century onwards several other works appear, including commentaries by Qushayri (d. 1074), Daylami (d. 1193), Shirazi (d. 1209) and Suhrawardi (d. 1234). These works include material from Sulami's books plus the author's contributions. Many works are written in Persian such as the works of Maybudi (d. 1135) kash al-asrar ("the unveiling of the secrets"). Rumi (d. 1273) wrote a vast amount of mystical poetry in his book Mathnawi. Rumi makes heavy use of the Quran in his poetry, a feature that is sometimes omitted in translations of Rumi's work. A large number of Quranic passages can be found in Mathnawi, which some consider a kind of Sufi interpretation of the Quran. Rumi's book is not exceptional for containing citations from and elaboration on the Quran, however, Rumi does mention Quran more frequently. Simnani (d. 1336) wrote two influential works of esoteric exegesis on the Quran. He reconciled notions of God's manifestation through and in the physical world with the sentiments of Sunni Islam. Comprehensive Sufi commentaries appear in the 18th century such as the work of Ismail Hakki Bursevi (d. 1725). His work ruh al-Bayan (the Spirit of Elucidation) is a voluminous exegesis. Written in Arabic, it combines the author's own ideas with those of his predecessors (notably Ibn Arabi and Ghazali), all woven together in Hafiz, a Persian poetry form.

question: Who was an important esoteric interpreter of the Quran in the 11th century? 

answer: Sulami

question: What is the English name of Sulami's major work? 

answer: Truths of Exegesis

question: In which language did Maybudi write? 

answer: Persian

question: Which Sufi commentator wrote the Spirit of Elucidation? 

answer: Ismail Hakki Bursevi

question: In which year did the poet Rumi die? 

answer: 1273
Title: Quran
Context: Commentaries dealing with the zahir (outward aspects) of the text are called tafsir, and hermeneutic and esoteric commentaries dealing with the batin are called ta'wil ("interpretation" or "explanation"), which involves taking the text back to its beginning. Commentators with an esoteric slant believe that the ultimate meaning of the Quran is known only to God. In contrast, Quranic literalism, followed by Salafis and Zahiris, is the belief that the Quran should only be taken at its apparent meaning.[citation needed]

question: What is the Arabic term for the surface-level aspects of a text? 

answer: zahir

question: What Arabic term applies to interpretations aimed at the deeper, esoteric meanings of a text? 

answer: ta'wil

question: Who is the only one who ever knows the full meaning of Quranic verses in the esoteric view? 

answer: God

question: Which two groups are examples of Muslims who advocate a very literal reading of the Quran? 

answer: Salafis and Zahiris
Title: Quran
Context: The first fully attested complete translations of the Quran were done between the 10th and 12th centuries in Persian. The Samanid king, Mansur I (961-976), ordered a group of scholars from Khorasan to translate the Tafsir al-Tabari, originally in Arabic, into Persian. Later in the 11th century, one of the students of Abu Mansur Abdullah al-Ansari wrote a complete tafsir of the Quran in Persian. In the 12th century, Najm al-Din Abu Hafs al-Nasafi translated the Quran into Persian. The manuscripts of all three books have survived and have been published several times.[citation needed]

question: In which language was the Quran first translated? 

answer: Persian

question: Which work did scribes from Khorasan translate in the 10th century? 

answer: Tafsir al-Tabari

question: Whose student wrote a Persian tafsir of the Quran in the 11th century? 

answer: Abu Mansur Abdullah al-Ansari

question: Who wrote a Persian translation of the Quran in the 12th century? 

answer: Najm al-Din Abu Hafs al-Nasafi

question: To which dynasty did the king who commissioned the first translation of Quranic texts belong? 

answer: Samanid
Title: Quran
Context: Robert of Ketton's 1143 translation of the Quran for Peter the Venerable, Lex Mahumet pseudoprophete, was the first into a Western language (Latin). Alexander Ross offered the first English version in 1649, from the French translation of L'Alcoran de Mahomet (1647) by Andre du Ryer. In 1734, George Sale produced the first scholarly translation of the Quran into English; another was produced by Richard Bell in 1937, and yet another by Arthur John Arberry in 1955. All these translators were non-Muslims. There have been numerous translations by Muslims. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has published translations of the Quran in 50 different languages besides a five-volume English commentary and an English translation of the Quran.

question: In which year was the Quran first translated into a Western language? 

answer: 1143

question: Which organization offers versions of the Quran in 50 languages? 

answer: Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

question: Whose French translation of the Quran was the model for the first English version? 

answer: Andre du Ryer

question: Who completed the first Latin version of the Quran? 

answer: Robert of Ketton

question: In which language was Alexander Ross' version of the Quran published in 1649? 

answer: English
Title: Quran
Context: The proper recitation of the Quran is the subject of a separate discipline named tajwid which determines in detail how the Quran should be recited, how each individual syllable is to be pronounced, the need to pay attention to the places where there should be a pause, to elisions, where the pronunciation should be long or short, where letters should be sounded together and where they should be kept separate, etc. It may be said that this discipline studies the laws and methods of the proper recitation of the Quran and covers three main areas: the proper pronunciation of consonants and vowels (the articulation of the Quranic phonemes), the rules of pause in recitation and of resumption of recitation, and the musical and melodious features of recitation.

question: What discipline concerns the way the Quran is correctly recited? 

answer: tajwid

question: Tajwid deals with what aspect of the phonemes in the Quran? 

answer: pronunciation

question: Tajwid describes rules for what noiseless aspect of articulating Quranic verses? 

answer: pause in recitation

question: Rhythm is an example of which features of Quranic recitation covered by tajwid? 

answer: musical and melodious
Title: Quran
Context: Vocalization markers indicating specific vowel sounds were introduced into the Arabic language by the end of the 9th century. The first Quranic manuscripts lacked these marks, therefore several recitations remain acceptable. The variation in readings of the text permitted by the nature of the defective vocalization led to an increase in the number of readings during the 10th century. The 10th-century Muslim scholar from Baghdad, Ibn Mujāhid, is famous for establishing seven acceptable textual readings of the Quran. He studied various readings and their trustworthiness and chose seven 8th-century readers from the cities of Mecca, Medina, Kufa, Basra and Damascus. Ibn Mujahid did not explain why he chose seven readers, rather than six or ten, but this may be related to a prophetic tradition (Muhammad's saying) reporting that the Quran had been revealed in seven "ahruf" (meaning seven letters or modes). Today, the most popular readings are those transmitted by Ḥafṣ (d.796) and Warsh (d. 812) which are according to two of Ibn Mujahid's reciters, Aasim ibn Abi al-Najud (Kufa, d. 745) and Nafi‘ al-Madani (Medina, d. 785), respectively. The influential standard Quran of Cairo (1924) uses an elaborate system of modified vowel-signs and a set of additional symbols for minute details and is based on ʻAsim's recitation, the 8th-century recitation of Kufa. This edition has become the standard for modern printings of the Quran.

question: The absence of which language feature made early Quranic recitation more diverse? 

answer: Vocalization markers

question: Which Baghdad scholar identified justified seven different Quranic readings? 

answer: Ibn Mujāhid

question: Which century produced the seven readings selected by Ibn Mujāhid? 

answer: 8th

question: Which recitation is the original basis of the Quran of Cairo? 

answer: ʻAsim's

question: Which city corresponds to Asim's recitation of the Quran? 

answer: Kufa
Title: Quran
Context: Before printing was widely adopted in the 19th century, the Quran was transmitted in manuscripts made by calligraphers and copyists. The earliest manuscripts were written in Ḥijāzī-type script. The Hijazi style manuscripts nevertheless confirm that transmission of the Quran in writing began at an early stage. Probably in the ninth century, scripts began to feature thicker strokes, which are traditionally known as Kufic scripts. Toward the end of the ninth century, new scripts began to appear in copies of the Quran and replace earlier scripts. The reason for discontinuation in the use of the earlier style was that it took too long to produce and the demand for copies was increasing. Copyists would therefore chose simpler writing styles. Beginning in the 11th century, the styles of writing employed were primarily the naskh, muhaqqaq, rayḥānī and, on rarer occasions, the thuluth script. Naskh was in very widespread use. In North Africa and Spain, the Maghribī style was popular. More distinct is the Bihari script which was used solely in the north of India. Nastaʻlīq style was also rarely used in Persian world.

question: Who created Quranic manuscripts before the 19th century? 

answer: calligraphers and copyists

question: What is the name of the thicker-stroked writing used for the Quran beginning in the 9th century? 

answer: Kufic scripts

question: Which was the most widely used script by copyists in the 11th century? 

answer: naskh

question: Where was the Maghribi script most commonly used by Quran copyists? 

answer: North Africa and Spain

question: Which script was only used to copy the Quran by people in northern India? 

answer: Bihari
Title: Quran
Context: In the beginning, the Quran did not have vocalization markings. The system of vocalization, as we know it today, seems to have been introduced towards the end of the ninth century. Since it would have been too costly for most Muslims to purchase a manuscript, copies of the Quran were held in mosques in order to make them accessible to people. These copies frequently took the form of a series of 30 parts or juzʼ. In terms of productivity, the Ottoman copyists provide the best example. This was in response to widespread demand, unpopularity of printing methods and for aesthetic reasons.

question: In which century were vocalization marking added to the Quran? 

answer: ninth century

question: Where were Quran copies kept for those who could not afford their own? 

answer: mosques

question: What are the parts of the Quran called that are 30 in total? 

answer: juzʼ

question: Which group of Quran copyists produced the most in-demand manuscripts? 

answer: Ottoman
Title: Quran
Context: According to Sahih al-Bukhari, the Quran was recited among Levantines and Iraqis, and discussed by Christians and Jews, before it was standardized. Its language was similar to the Syriac language.[citation needed] The Quran recounts stories of many of the people and events recounted in Jewish and Christian sacred books (Tanakh, Bible) and devotional literature (Apocrypha, Midrash), although it differs in many details. Adam, Enoch, Noah, Eber, Shelah, Abraham, Lot, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Jethro, David, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Jonah, Aaron, Moses, Zechariah, John the Baptist and Jesus are mentioned in the Quran as prophets of God (see Prophets of Islam). In fact, Moses is mentioned more in the Quran than any other individual. Jesus is mentioned more often in the Quran than Muhammad, while Mary is mentioned in the Quran more than the New Testament. Muslims believe the common elements or resemblances between the Bible and other Jewish and Christian writings and Islamic dispensations is due to their common divine source,[citation needed] and that the original Christian or Jewish texts were authentic divine revelations given to prophets.

question: Which Biblical character is the most often mentioned person in the Quran? 

answer: Moses

question: Who has claimed that Christians and Jews had heard and discussed the Quran before it took on its standardized Arabic form? 

answer: Sahih al-Bukhari

question: Which older language is thought to strongly resemble that of the Quran? 

answer: Syriac

question: Which relative of Jesus appears more often in the Quran than the New Testament? 

answer: Mary

question: What do devout Muslims believe is the reason for the overlap of events and characters in the Bible and Quran? 

answer: common divine source
Title: Quran
Context: According to Tabatabaei, there are acceptable and unacceptable esoteric interpretations. Acceptable ta'wil refers to the meaning of a verse beyond its literal meaning; rather the implicit meaning, which ultimately is known only to God and can't be comprehended directly through human thought alone. The verses in question here refer to the human qualities of coming, going, sitting, satisfaction, anger and sorrow, which are apparently attributed to God. Unacceptable ta'wil is where one "transfers" the apparent meaning of a verse to a different meaning by means of a proof; this method is not without obvious inconsistencies. Although this unacceptable ta'wil has gained considerable acceptance, it is incorrect and cannot be applied to the Quranic verses. The correct interpretation is that reality a verse refers to. It is found in all verses, the decisive and the ambiguous alike; it is not a sort of a meaning of the word; it is a fact that is too sublime for words. God has dressed them with words to bring them a bit nearer to our minds; in this respect they are like proverbs that are used to create a picture in the mind, and thus help the hearer to clearly grasp the intended idea.

question: What are the two type of ta'wil? 

answer: acceptable and unacceptable

question: Which type of esoteric interpretation involves a transfer by proof of a verse's meaning? 

answer: Unacceptable

question: The implicit meaning of a Quranic verse that is known fully only by God is which type of ta'wil? 

answer: Acceptable
Title: Quran
Context: The Quran most likely existed in scattered written form during Muhammad's lifetime. Several sources indicate that during Muhammad's lifetime a large number of his companions had memorized the revelations. Early commentaries and Islamic historical sources support the above-mentioned understanding of the Quran's early development. The Quran in its present form is generally considered by academic scholars to record the words spoken by Muhammad because the search for variants has not yielded any differences of great significance.[page needed] University of Chicago professor Fred Donner states that "...there was a very early attempt to establish a uniform consonantal text of the Qurʾān from what was probably a wider and more varied group of related texts in early transmission. [...] After the creation of this standardized canonical text, earlier authoritative texts were suppressed, and all extant manuscripts—despite their numerous variants—seem to date to a time after this standard consonantal text was established." Although most variant readings of the text of the Quran have ceased to be transmitted, some still are. There has been no critical text produced on which a scholarly reconstruction of the Quranic text could be based. Historically, controversy over the Quran's content has rarely become an issue, although debates continue on the subject.

question: Who had begun memorizing Muhammad's revelations in his lifetime? 

answer: his companions

question: What was done to the Quranic text early in its history leaving few markedly different variants? 

answer: standardized

question: Which which university is Fred Donner affiliated? 

answer: University of Chicago

question: The Quran is widely accepted by historians to contain a relatively accurate record of whose words? 

answer: Muhammad
Title: Quran
Context: Sahih al-Bukhari narrates Muhammad describing the revelations as, "Sometimes it is (revealed) like the ringing of a bell" and Aisha reported, "I saw the Prophet being inspired Divinely on a very cold day and noticed the sweat dropping from his forehead (as the Inspiration was over)." Muhammad's first revelation, according to the Quran, was accompanied with a vision. The agent of revelation is mentioned as the "one mighty in power", the one who "grew clear to view when he was on the uppermost horizon. Then he drew nigh and came down till he was (distant) two bows' length or even nearer." The Islamic studies scholar Welch states in the Encyclopaedia of Islam that he believes the graphic descriptions of Muhammad's condition at these moments may be regarded as genuine, because he was severely disturbed after these revelations. According to Welch, these seizures would have been seen by those around him as convincing evidence for the superhuman origin of Muhammad's inspirations. However, Muhammad's critics accused him of being a possessed man, a soothsayer or a magician since his experiences were similar to those claimed by such figures well known in ancient Arabia. Welch additionally states that it remains uncertain whether these experiences occurred before or after Muhammad's initial claim of prophethood.

question: What physical symptom accompanied Muhammad's revelations? 

answer: seizures

question: What measure of distance described the nearness of the Angel's approach to Mohammad? 

answer: two bows' length

question: In which work did Welch express his belief that Mohammad's physical reaction to the revelation was historically accurate?  

answer: Encyclopaedia of Islam

question: Which people would Mohammad's critics have compared him to at the time? 

answer: a possessed man, a soothsayer or a magician
Title: Quran
Context: Muhammad Husayn Tabatabaei says that according to the popular explanation among the later exegetes, ta'wil indicates the particular meaning a verse is directed towards. The meaning of revelation (tanzil), as opposed to ta'wil, is clear in its accordance to the obvious meaning of the words as they were revealed. But this explanation has become so widespread that, at present, it has become the primary meaning of ta'wil, which originally meant "to return" or "the returning place". In Tabatabaei's view, what has been rightly called ta'wil, or hermeneutic interpretation of the Quran, is not concerned simply with the denotation of words. Rather, it is concerned with certain truths and realities that transcend the comprehension of the common run of men; yet it is from these truths and realities that the principles of doctrine and the practical injunctions of the Quran issue forth. Interpretation is not the meaning of the verse—rather it transpires through that meaning, in a special sort of transpiration. There is a spiritual reality—which is the main objective of ordaining a law, or the basic aim in describing a divine attribute—and then there is an actual significance that a Quranic story refers to.

question: What was the original meaning of ta'wil? 

answer: "to return" or "the returning place"

question: What can interpretation find that lies the behind the apparent events referred to in a Quranic story? 

answer: a spiritual reality

question: What philosophical term corresponds to the type of interpretation in ta'wil? 

answer: hermeneutic
Title: Quran
Context: According to Shia beliefs, those who are firmly rooted in knowledge like Muhammad and the imams know the secrets of the Quran. According to Tabatabaei, the statement "none knows its interpretation except God" remains valid, without any opposing or qualifying clause. Therefore, so far as this verse is concerned, the knowledge of the Quran's interpretation is reserved for God. But Tabatabaei uses other verses and concludes that those who are purified by God know the interpretation of the Quran to a certain extent.

question: Who do Shia Muslims believe can approach Quranic truths besides God and Muhammad? 

answer: imams

question: According to Shia Muslims, who is the only one who can fully know the a Quranic interpretation? 

answer: God

question: How must God have treated those who are qualified to know Quranic sectets? 

answer: purified
Title: Great_power
Context: A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power influence, which may cause middle or small powers to consider the great powers' opinions before taking actions of their own. International relations theorists have posited that great power status can be characterized into power capabilities, spatial aspects, and status dimensions. Sometimes the status of great powers is formally recognized in conferences such as the Congress of Vienna or an international structure such as the United Nations Security Council (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States serve as the body's five permanent members). At the same time the status of great powers can be informally recognized in a forum such as the G7 which consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

question: What is a nation which can exert its influence on a global scale called? 

answer: A great power

question: What two dominant traits do great powers usually possess? 

answer: military and economic strength

question: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States serve as what body's five permanent members? 

answer: United Nations Security Council

question: What two lesser traits do great powers usually possess? 

answer: diplomatic and soft power influence

question: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States are part of what international forum? 

answer: the G7

question: What do great powers usually have? 

answer: military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power influence

question: What are the permanent members of UN Security Council? 

answer: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States

question: What are the countries in the G7? 

answer: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America

question: What 3 factors have international relations theorists considered factors for great power status? 

answer: power capabilities, spatial aspects, and status dimensions