Muslims believe the Qur'an is the literal word of Allah, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through the angel Jibril over roughly twenty-three years, and preserved in its original Arabic without alteration since then. In the text, Allah describes Himself as its guardian. In Surah Al-Hijr, chapter fifteen, verse nine, an English translation of the meaning reads: “Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian.” This is part of why the Qur'an holds the central place it does in Islam.

How is it structured? The Qur'an is divided into one hundred and fourteen chapters, called surahs, of varying length, and each surah is divided into verses, called ayat. It is not arranged in the order in which it was revealed, and it is not a single continuous narrative. A new reader often finds this unfamiliar at first, compared with reading a book from start to finish. That is a normal adjustment, not a sign of doing something wrong.

For a new Muslim, reading in translation from the beginning is a completely reasonable way to start engaging with its meaning. Alongside that, you can gradually learn to read the Arabic script itself. These are two separate skills, and they can be developed side by side. The Qur'an Reading and Tajweed course on this site covers the reading skill step by step, and the Qur'an Reader shows the Arabic text alongside a translation, with recitation by human reciters to follow along with.

There is no expectation that a new Muslim will immediately memorise large portions, or understand every verse in depth. Even lifelong Muslims keep studying the Qur'an throughout their lives. A practical starting point is learning the few short surahs needed for prayer, and then building outward at a manageable pace.