Whoever reads a letter from the Book of Allah, he will have a reward. And that reward will be multiplied by ten. I am not saying that ‘Alif, Laam, Meem’ is a letter, rather I am saying that ‘Alif’ is a letter, ‘laam’ is a letter, and ‘meem’ is a letter.
– Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) [Tirmidhi]
The Qur’an
The Qur’an is, for Muslims, the literal word of God “sent down” from the Heavens onto the “heart” of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in plain Arabic speech by the True Spirit, i.e. the Angel Gabriel (Quran 26:193-195).
Although eternally preserved in the Protected Tablet (Quran 85:21-22), it was revealed piecemeal over twenty-three years (Quran 25:32 and 17:106), as its absolute and infinite origin, in a conspicuously dialectic manner. It addresses human issues and developments, particularly those that transpired during the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) mission in Arabia.
It was the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) habit to seclude himself in a cave for months at a time, reflecting on the troubles of his society and its many afflictions. The revelation of the Quran began in the Cave of Hira in the Mountain of Light when the Angel Gabriel visited the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) during one of these private moments of seclusion and related to him the words of God, which became imprinted on his heart (Sahih al-Bukhari). The revelations arrived gradually, addressing his new community's spiritual, individual, familial, societal and political problems.
The ordering of the revelations into a Book was undertaken under the direction of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and completed upon his death. The Book is Islam, complemented only by the example of the bringer of the message, Muhammad (peace be upon him).