The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1915 page)

n describes itself as a ‘clear book’ (2. 2), and a clear ‘Arabic Qur’
n’ (12. 2), some of its passages are acknowledged to be obscure and in need of interpretation. The science of commentary and interpretation (
tafs
r
and
ta’w
l
) has given rise to a large body of literature.
As the speech (
kal
m
) of All
h, the Qur’
n is considered one of His attributes (
if
t
), and also as co-eternal with him. Muslim teaching in general has been that the Qur’
n is eternal, uncreated, and perfect. Its inimitability (
i‘j
z
) is an article of faith (10. 38, 11. 13) and a proof of its divine origin. The intense respect for the words of the Qur’
n has led to an eagerness to recite portions frequently, and to learn the whole book by heart, one who has so learnt being known as a
fi