THE KORAN Context The Quran is a highly revered book in Islam. It is not only appreciated for its contents, but also, more essentially, for its status as a Revelation. For this reason it is not common practice among Muslims to make any significant reference to the history of the Quran. More appropriately, they refer to the story of the Revelation of the Quran. According to Islamic history, Allah revealed the entire Quran to Muhammad on the Night of Majesty. Thereafter it gradually descended to the Prophet Muhammad over a period of 23 years. Since the prophet is believed to have been illiterate, the great literary excellence of the book is considered a miracle and one of the greatest proofs of revelation. Contrary to what some believe, the Quran is to Islam what the Bible is to Christians, the Quran is regarded with far greater reverence. Generally the Bible is read, studied and appreciated as a testimony to God's revelation. Biblical hermeneutics requires the study of the context and the investigation of what the first recipients of the text could have understood in order to correctly apply its meaning to today's situation. The Quran on the other hand is not thought of only as a record of revelations. Muslims see it as the direct speech of God. His revelation is not believed to have brought it to light. They believe that it has always existed as part of a larger book, the umma al katib, the Mother of the Book, who is with God. Setting The Quran was written in two main places. The first sections of the book were written in Mecca, the birthplace and site of the prophet's first ministry. Subsequent sections came from its later center in Medina. During Muhammad's days in Mecca, the city was very... the focus of the paper...ND Corporation, 2004.Sawma, Gabriel. "Abrogation of Islam and persecution of Christians". Assyrian International News Agency. January 18, 2011. www.aina.org/guesteds/20110118151407 (accessed November 20, 2011). Spencer, Robert. The truth about Muhammad: founder of the most intolerant religion in the world. Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, 2006. Wansbrough, John. Qur'anic Studies: Sources and Methods of Scriptural Interpretation. Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books, 2004. Warraq, Ibn. Leave Islam. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 2004. World Islamic Front. “World Islamic Front Statement Calling for Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders.” Federation of American Scientists. 23 February 1998. http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/docs/980223-fatwa.htm (accessed 26 November 2011). Zaidi, Manzar. "A Taxonomy of Jihad". Arab Studies Quarterley 31, no. 3 (Summer 2009): 21-34.