The authority of the Qur'an for Muslims is that each word was given to them by Allah through the prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

By tradition Muhammad (pbuh), when meditating alone on Mt. Hira, had a vision of the angel Jibreel, who gave him a message from Allah that he would be given a revelation. As Muhammad (pbuh) was illiterate he was told to recite the revelation he would be given. Therefore those close to Muhammad (pbuh) wrote down the original teachings when he began to recite each new revelation. This was often on anything that was available at that moment whether it was a palm leaf or animal bone.

One of Muhammad's (pbuh) greatest friends, Abu Bakr, was concerned for the accuracy of the revelations after his death. With another friend Umar they asked Zaid ibn Thabit, who was by tradition a freed black slave thus symbolising the brotherhood or ummah of Islam, to make the teaching into a special book.

Zaid made no attempt to compile a book in a chronological sequence but ordered the revelation by length with the second chapter being the longest and the 114th the shortest. The only exception to this is the first chapter, or Opening (Fatihah in Arabic) which is essentially a statement of belief. Muslims may not know the chapters by their numbers but by their titles, and all chapters begin with the phrase 'In the name of Allah the Merciful and Compassionate' except for chapter 9, the Repentance. The word 'surah' can be translated as 'brick', for the words of the Qur'an are ones upon which people can build their lives.

The Qur'an is not a particularly long book so it is possible to remember the whole book. This links back to the origin of the revelations. The word Qur'an means to recite, which Muhammad (pbuh) had to do, and men or women who can recite the Qur'an have the title of Hafiz.

The Qur'an should be read in it original language of Arabic, and the vast majority of Muslims will learn Arabic so that they can read their holy book. In translation the beauty of the original Arabic is lost because the Qur'an is written in verse to be read or sung aloud and the sound goes beyond language.

Such is the respect accorded to the Qur'an that there is silence when it is being read and no one should be eating or drinking. Physical contact should be kept to a minimum. Before it is read, a ritual washing must take place, the person should be in the correct frame of mind and women must have their heads covered and not having their period. When not being used the Qur'an must be kept in the highest place in the room and wrapped to keep it free from dust or dirt. The Qur'an must never be put on the floor!

All aspects of a Muslim's life are influenced by the Qur'an. Not only that, but the opening chapter is recited at the five daily prayers, the words are used as decoration and an artistic form of calligraphy is used to decorate the Qur'an adding to its honour.

In addition to the Qur'an, the Hadith is the second most holy book for Muslims. It is often referred to as the 'book of traditions' and as such is a record of Muhammad's (pbuh) words, actions and advice or sunnah. These sayings and practices were collected together after Muhammad's (pbuh) death by Muslim scholars. There are two distinctive Hadith; sacred and prophetic. The Prophetic Hadith is a collection of the wisdom of Muhammad (pbuh) while the Sacred Hadith provides further insights that Allah had revealed to Muhammad (pbuh).