The Holy Qur'an - a special book

by Lucy Fletcher

Suitable for Key Stage 3

Aims

To introduce the Holy Qur'an and explore the idea of a special book that people live their lives by and reflect upon.

Preparation and materials

• You will need a copy of the Holy Qur'an.

Assembly

1. Recap on the assembly on the Bible if you used it. Ask: which groups of people have the Bible as their special book? Say that another word for special is 'sacred'.
2. Introduce another special book, called the Qur'an. This book is special for Muslims - who follow the religion of Islam.

   Demonstrate that it is so special (sacred) to Muslims there are many rules relating to it, such as:
   It has to be kept in the highest place in the room, e.g. on a high shelf - so that it is closer to Allah (God).
   Nothing should be placed on top of it.
   You have to wash your hands before you touch it to make yourself clean.
   You need to take your shoes off before you touch it.
   The Qur'an is always covered with special cloth.
   There is a special Qur'an stand that is made from wood.
   Sometimes the qur'an is raised to the forehead three times and to the lips, symbolizing the desire to learn from it and showing love.

   If appropriate, demonstrate these rituals.

3. Explain that the Qur'an is written in Arabic and that Muslims believe that the Angel Gabriel came and told the prophet Muhammad the true words of God. Muslims always add 'Peace be upon him' after the name of the prophet as a mark of respect. You may choose to do the same. Muhammad - Peace be upon him - remembered the words of Gabriel, and told his friends, who then wrote the words down in the form of the Qur'an.
4. There are 114 chapters in the Qur'an. None of the words have been changed. Although the Qur'an has been translated into 40 different languages Muslims are still taught to read it in Arabic. Muslim children all over the world go to Islamic School to learn the words of the Qur'an.

Time for reflection

The word 'sacred' means very special. Think of all the people, places and things, that are special to you. Perhaps your family…
A place you go on holiday…
A football stadium…

Picture these special people, places and things in your head. Think about them and how happy they make you feel.
If you want to, quietly in your head you could say thank you for everything that is special in your life - including books!

Hymn

'Praise him' (Come and Praise, 40)