romikgosai/squad_modified huggingface dataset:
The language of the Quran has been described as "rhymed prose" as it partakes of both poetry and prose; however, this description runs the risk of failing to convey the rhythmic quality of Quranic language, which is more poetic in some parts and more prose-like in others. Rhyme, while found throughout the Quran, is conspicuous in many of the earlier Meccan suras, in which relatively short verses throw the rhyming words into prominence. The effectiveness of such a form is evident for instance in Sura 81, and there can be no doubt that these passages impressed the conscience of the hearers. Frequently a change of rhyme from one set of verses to another signals a change in the subject of discussion. Later sections also preserve this form but the style is more expository.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: What description of the writing in the Quran highlights its poetic aspect?
A: rhymed prose', '
Q: Which suras in the Quran are particularly rhythmic?
A: earlier Meccan suras', '
Q: What often changes along with the rhyming of Quranic verses?
A: subject of discussion', '
Q: Which parts of the Quran are the least poetic?
A: Later']
The Quranic text seems to have no beginning, middle, or end, its nonlinear structure being akin to a web or net. The textual arrangement is sometimes considered to exhibit lack of continuity, absence of any chronological or thematic order and repetitiousness. Michael Sells, citing the work of the critic Norman O. Brown, acknowledges Brown's observation that the seeming disorganization of Quranic literary expression – its scattered or fragmented mode of composition in Sells's phrase – is in fact a literary device capable of delivering profound effects as if the intensity of the prophetic message were shattering the vehicle of human language in which it was being communicated. Sells also addresses the much-discussed repetitiveness of the Quran, seeing this, too, as a literary device.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: What is lacking in the arrangement of the Quranic text?
A: continuity', "
Q: To which critic does Michael Sells refer on the subject of the Quran's disorganization?
A: Norman O. Brown", "
Q: How does Sells describe the Quran's repetitiveness?
A: a literary device", "
Q: Which scholar believes the Quran's fragmentary writing style is an effective literary device for a prophetic message?
A: Michael Sells"]
A text is self-referential when it speaks about itself and makes reference to itself. According to Stefan Wild, the Quran demonstrates this metatextuality by explaining, classifying, interpreting and justifying the words to be transmitted. Self-referentiality is evident in those passages where the Quran refers to itself as revelation (tanzil), remembrance (dhikr), news (naba'), criterion (furqan) in a self-designating manner (explicitly asserting its Divinity, "And this is a blessed Remembrance that We have sent down; so are you now denying it?"), or in the frequent appearance of the "Say" tags, when Muhammad is commanded to speak (e.g., "Say: 'God's guidance is the true guidance' ", "Say: 'Would you then dispute with us concerning God?' "). According to Wild the Quran is highly self-referential. The feature is more evident in early Meccan suras.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: What metatextual character does Stefan Wild focus on in his discussion of the Quran?
A: Self-referentiality', '
Q: What quality does the Quran claim in the different ways in which it refers to itself?
A: Divinity', '
Q: Which term that the Quran uses for itself means "news"?
A: naba\'', '
Q: The Quran is more self-referential in which of its suras?
A: early Meccan suras']
Tafsir is one of the earliest academic activities of Muslims. According to the Quran, Muhammad was the first person who described the meanings of verses for early Muslims. Other early exegetes included a few Companions of Muhammad, like ʻAli ibn Abi Talib, ʻAbdullah ibn Abbas, ʻAbdullah ibn Umar and Ubayy ibn Kaʻb. Exegesis in those days was confined to the explanation of literary aspects of the verse, the background of its revelation and, occasionally, interpretation of one verse with the help of the other. If the verse was about a historical event, then sometimes a few traditions (hadith) of Muhammad were narrated to make its meaning clear.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: What is the name of the activity of explaining what Quranic verses mean?
A: Tafsir', '
Q: Who was the first practitioner of Tafsir?
A: Muhammad', '
Q: What is the Arabic term for Quranic exegesis?
A: Tafsir', "
Q: Who were 'Ali ibn Abi Talib and 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas?
A: Companions of Muhammad"]
Because the Quran is spoken in classical Arabic, many of the later converts to Islam (mostly non-Arabs) did not always understand the Quranic Arabic, they did not catch allusions that were clear to early Muslims fluent in Arabic and they were concerned with reconciling apparent conflict of themes in the Quran. Commentators erudite in Arabic explained the allusions, and perhaps most importantly, explained which Quranic verses had been revealed early in Muhammad's prophetic career, as being appropriate to the very earliest Muslim community, and which had been revealed later, canceling out or "abrogating" (nāsikh) the earlier text (mansūkh). Other scholars, however, maintain that no abrogation has taken place in the Quran. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has published a ten-volume Urdu commentary on the Quran, with the name Tafseer e Kabir.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: In which language is the Quran recited?
A: classical Arabic', '
Q: What is the Arabic term for the cancellation of one part of the Quran by another?
A: nāsikh', "
Q: What is the name of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community's published Quran commentary?
A: Tafseer e Kabir", '
Q: What is the term for earlier portions of the Quran that may have been superseded by later parts?
A: mansūkh', '
Q: In which language is the Tafseer e Kabir written?
A: Urdu']
Esoteric or Sufi interpretation attempts to unveil the inner meanings of the Quran. Sufism moves beyond the apparent (zahir) point of the verses and instead relates Quranic verses to the inner or esoteric (batin) and metaphysical dimensions of consciousness and existence. According to Sands, esoteric interpretations are more suggestive than declarative, they are allusions (isharat) rather than explanations (tafsir). They indicate possibilities as much as they demonstrate the insights of each writer.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: What is another term for Sufi Quranic interpretation?
A: Esoteric', '
Q: What Arabic word describes the aspects of Quranic verses that Sufism tries to push beyond?
A: zahir', '
Q: What is an Arabic term for allusions?
A: isharat', '
Q: Sands says Sufi interpretations tend to use which literary device rather than direct explanation?
A: allusions']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Beloved is a term for God used by which style of Quranic interpretation?
A: Sufi', "
Q: Which Quranic verse describes Moses' encounter with God at the mountain?
A: 7:143", '
Q: In Sufi thought, what experiences bring one closer to truth?
A: longing and suffering', '
Q: Who wrote that Moses had lost the Moses in himself along the way to his encounter with God?
A: Qushayri']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Who was an important esoteric interpreter of the Quran in the 11th century?
A: Sulami', "
Q: What is the English name of Sulami's major work?
A: Truths of Exegesis", '
Q: In which language did Maybudi write?
A: Persian', '
Q: Which Sufi commentator wrote the Spirit of Elucidation?
A: Ismail Hakki Bursevi', '
Q: In which year did the poet Rumi die?
A: 1273']
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]

Questions and answers:
['
Q: What is the Arabic term for the surface-level aspects of a text?
A: zahir', "
Q: What Arabic term applies to interpretations aimed at the deeper, esoteric meanings of a text?
A: ta'wil", '
Q: Who is the only one who ever knows the full meaning of Quranic verses in the esoteric view?
A: God', '
Q: Which two groups are examples of Muslims who advocate a very literal reading of the Quran?
A: Salafis and Zahiris']
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]

Questions and answers:
['
Q: In which language was the Quran first translated?
A: Persian', '
Q: Which work did scribes from Khorasan translate in the 10th century?
A: Tafsir al-Tabari', '
Q: Whose student wrote a Persian tafsir of the Quran in the 11th century?
A: Abu Mansur Abdullah al-Ansari', '
Q: Who wrote a Persian translation of the Quran in the 12th century?
A: Najm al-Din Abu Hafs al-Nasafi', '
Q: To which dynasty did the king who commissioned the first translation of Quranic texts belong?
A: Samanid']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: In which year was the Quran first translated into a Western language?
A: 1143', '
Q: Which organization offers versions of the Quran in 50 languages?
A: Ahmadiyya Muslim Community', '
Q: Whose French translation of the Quran was the model for the first English version?
A: Andre du Ryer', '
Q: Who completed the first Latin version of the Quran?
A: Robert of Ketton', "
Q: In which language was Alexander Ross' version of the Quran published in 1649?
A: English"]
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: What discipline concerns the way the Quran is correctly recited?
A: tajwid', '
Q: Tajwid deals with what aspect of the phonemes in the Quran?
A: pronunciation', '
Q: Tajwid describes rules for what noiseless aspect of articulating Quranic verses?
A: pause in recitation', '
Q: Rhythm is an example of which features of Quranic recitation covered by tajwid?
A: musical and melodious']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: The absence of which language feature made early Quranic recitation more diverse?
A: Vocalization markers', '
Q: Which Baghdad scholar identified justified seven different Quranic readings?
A: Ibn Mujāhid', '
Q: Which century produced the seven readings selected by Ibn Mujāhid?
A: 8th', "
Q: Which recitation is the original basis of the Quran of Cairo?
A: ʻAsim's", "
Q: Which city corresponds to Asim's recitation of the Quran?
A: Kufa"]
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Who created Quranic manuscripts before the 19th century?
A: calligraphers and copyists', '
Q: What is the name of the thicker-stroked writing used for the Quran beginning in the 9th century?
A: Kufic scripts', '
Q: Which was the most widely used script by copyists in the 11th century?
A: naskh', '
Q: Where was the Maghribi script most commonly used by Quran copyists?
A: North Africa and Spain', '
Q: Which script was only used to copy the Quran by people in northern India?
A: Bihari']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: In which century were vocalization marking added to the Quran?
A: ninth century', '
Q: Where were Quran copies kept for those who could not afford their own?
A: mosques', '
Q: What are the parts of the Quran called that are 30 in total?
A: juzʼ', '
Q: Which group of Quran copyists produced the most in-demand manuscripts?
A: Ottoman']
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.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Which Biblical character is the most often mentioned person in the Quran?
A: Moses', '
Q: Who has claimed that Christians and Jews had heard and discussed the Quran before it took on its standardized Arabic form?
A: Sahih al-Bukhari', '
Q: Which older language is thought to strongly resemble that of the Quran?
A: Syriac', '
Q: Which relative of Jesus appears more often in the Quran than the New Testament?
A: Mary', '
Q: What do devout Muslims believe is the reason for the overlap of events and characters in the Bible and Quran?
A: common divine source']
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.

Questions and answers:
["
Q: What are the two type of ta'wil?
A: acceptable and unacceptable", "
Q: Which type of esoteric interpretation involves a transfer by proof of a verse's meaning?
A: Unacceptable", "
Q: The implicit meaning of a Quranic verse that is known fully only by God is which type of ta'wil?
A: Acceptable"]
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.

Questions and answers:
["
Q: Who had begun memorizing Muhammad's revelations in his lifetime?
A: his companions", '
Q: What was done to the Quranic text early in its history leaving few markedly different variants?
A: standardized', '
Q: Which which university is Fred Donner affiliated?
A: University of Chicago', '
Q: The Quran is widely accepted by historians to contain a relatively accurate record of whose words?
A: Muhammad']