Importance of the title of a book: Perception and meanings conveyed by the title: : The Qur'aan

 

Experts and educationists suggest that the first rule in critical reading is that you must know what kind of a book is in your hand; and they say that we should know this as early in the process as possible, preferably before we begin to read. Many readers ignore titles and prefaces because perhaps they do not think it important to classify the book they are about to read. However, the author of a book facilitates its reader to know the kind of book he is being given by assigning it a title. Obviously, a descriptive and illustrative title will be considered the best for a reader to facilitate him immediately classify the book in hand.

The title of the Book we are trying to read is: : the Qur'aan:

Name of the book:  is derived from Root "ق ر ء". Lane's lexicon describes its perception and meanings:

" قَرَأَ الشَّىْءَ  , [aor. قَرَاَ ,] inf. n. قُرْآنٌ, He collected together the thing; put it, or drew it, together;  part to part, or portion to portion. [This seems to be generally regarded as the primary signification.]". This signification is mentioned in classical lexicon لسان العرب in these words:

وقَرَأْتُ الشيءَ قُرْآناً: جَمَعْتُه وضَمَمْتُ بعضَه إِلى بعض

The basic perception infolded in the Root is of an activity involving the process of gathering a thing at one place-point. It thus changes the scattered - separated - bifurcated - spread position of a thing into a whole; a unity.

The renowned lexicons say that "قرات الناقة" means that the she-camel became pregnant. What is pregnancy? Why she became pregnant? What activity made her pregnant? The act of gathering [ ق ر ء] of the sperm and ova made her pregnant.

Another word made from this Root quoted in lexicons is "قرء"; and its plural of abundance used in Grand Qur'aan is: ; it refers to multiple discharges of menstruation of a woman during her period. What is menstruation and what physical relationship does it have with the basic perception of Rootق ر ء ? Menstruation is breaking of the spread lining: endometrium of the womb [uterus in medical parlance] which gets gathered as a whole and is discharged. Arabic Roots in their perception enfold all the physical realities relating both to matter and life. They verbally mirror the image of visible and invisible realities and are thus illustrative.

The basic perception infolded in the Root relates to an activity; the process of gathering, or compilation. An activity yields a product; or creates a state; and/or triggers another activity. When we carry out this process of gathering with regard to letters-alphabet-syllables, words of a language on a piece of paper it produces and yields the product, a compilation: a book; a compilation of written reading material placed in a receptacle; it is the opposite of loose written papers; or shredded and scattered state. This in turn triggers another activity: the process of reading.

Analytical reading involves breaking a text into its component parts to understand its meanings and relate it to other text. This process again yields a state for the reader as is signified by the Root and word/verbal noun: . It is gathered in his memory. This is the ultimate objective of reading a book; receiving communication; the reader has come to terms with the Author as coming to terms is usually the last step in any successful business negotiation.

The title: informs and emphasizes upon the reader that it is kind of book which requires analytical reading of utmost active undertaking.

The title has loudly informed the reader that this book is unique and exclusive in the family of books:

 The Book sent and verbally communicated to the exalted Universal Messenger Muhammad Sal'lallaa'hoalaih'wa'salam is given the name: : "The Grand Written Book-the Grand Qur'aan". After thus the major classification of books in the world is:

1. and;

2. All other books are:  "the written books other than the Grand Qur'aan".

We the claimants of belief must ponder for a while and count how many books and written material [] other than Grand Qur'aan are embraced with our chests, and are revered and considered parallel with it? The request of the pagans; not acceded by the elevated Messenger Muhammad Sal'lallaa'hoalaih'wa'salam, was nothing more than this. Where we stand? The non believers of Qur'aan were directly asking the exalted Messenger for a book and personal sayings other than the Qur'aan but he obliged them not. Isn't it strange that we feel obliged and revere those who gave us books and sayings, other than Qur'aan, attributing them to the exalted Messenger Sal'lallaa'hoalaih'wa'salam? We must acknowledge the information given by Allah the Exalted in the Qur'aan that the contemporary non-believers never alleged that the exalted Messenger had given them verbally and in writing any statement other than that written in Grand Qur'aan. We must ponder for a while about these facts that might help us align and orient towards the Qur'aan which is declared as the Verbal Relay of elevated Messenger Muhammad Sal'lallaa'hoalaih'wa'salam.

Here the explicit noun: is the second direct object of the verb: signifies rendering, declaring, titling the Book as Qur'aan and: is its adjectival portrayal. Allah the Exalted has declared the title of the Explicitly Explicative Book as Qur'aan composed in Arabic language.

The title of the Book in our hand illustrates that all the realm, theoretical and practical, relevant to the reader is gathered and incorporated as a coherent unit in its folder: the contents; miscellany of verbal passages; the words and sentences. Allah the Exalted explicitly informs:

The title of the Book instantly reveals that which the serious listeners belonging to species Jinn had commented about it before their people; our respects and salutation to them:

It is time that we start listen the Grand Qur'aan in the manner this group of Species Jinn had listened. Listening and reading a book is treated as learning from a teacher. Listening is learning from the teacher who is present while reading is learning from one who is absent. Reading the Grand Qur'aan is thereby learning from the exalted Messenger Mohammad Sal'lallaa'hoalaih'wa'salam who verbally relayed it and transmitted to posterity by writing and compiling it as a book. His teaching to people to learn through listening and his teaching us to learn through the Book is exactly identical since he verbally narrated to them nothing but Qur'aan. He is telling us:

Allah the Exalted confirms about the elevated Messenger Mohammad Sal'lallaa'hoalaih'wa'salam that he teaches us:

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Let us pay our respects and salutations and show obeisance to the universal Teacher and guide lord in a humble and respectful manner. This will help to elevate our selves and will place us amongst those who recognize and acknowledge the honour bestowed by Allah the Exalted on him. It will prove us distinguished and of different psyche than that of Iblees-Satan who refused to show obeisance to Adam alai'his'slaam whom Allah the Exalted granted distinction and honour over the Angels and the Jinn species.