This ancient Islamic religious text has sold over 800 million copies. It is sometimes transliterated as Quran, Kuran, Koran, Qur'ān, Coran or al-Qur'ān. It is widely regarded as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language. According to Muslim tradition, it was revealed by God to the Prophet Muhammad in separate revelations over the major portion of his life at Mecca and at Medina.

The Qur'an was probably compiled as a single volume under the third caliph, Uthman, who appointed a committee (651-52). The internal organisation of the Qur'an is somewhat ad hoc. Revelations consisted of verses (ayat) grouped into 114 chapters (surah, plural -suwar). The chapters are arranged in mechanical: the first, al-Fateha or "the Opening is a short prayer exalting God that has become an essential part of all Islamic liturgy and prayer. The rest are graded generally by length, from longest to shortest.