The Heavenly Quran (
Arabic: أمّ الکتاب,
romanized: umm al-kitāb,
lit. 'mother of the Book'[1]), according to a common
Islamic belief, is a primordial version of the revealed
Quran.
History
The idea of a holy book or other religious totem being based on an archetype preserved in heaven is not unique to Islam but goes back "thousands of years" to "the early Summerians" according to
Alfred Guillaume.[2][3]
In the revealed Quran
Quranic verses
43:4 and
13:39 referred to “mother of the book” (umm al-kitab); verse
85:22 refers to a “well-guarded tablet” (lawh mahfuz) and
56:78 to a “concealed book” (kitab maknun). Revelation of the Quran is described as being "sent down" in verse
17:105:
"With the truth we (God/Allah) have sent it down and with the truth it has come down".[4]
It is also called kalam allah — the word of God — and to most Muslims is eternal and uncreated[1]attribute of God, as opposed to something written or created by God.
The Quran that resides in heaven is distinct from the earthly
Quran.[5][6] It is disputed whether the revealed Quran is a precise copy of the Heavenly Quran or an abridged version. Commonly,
Injil and the Islamic notion of
Torah are thought to be part of the Heavenly Quran.[1][7]