1.1. Definition of the Qur’an in linguistic terms
The word Qur’an comes from the root qara’a. The Qur’an is so called because the surahs are collected together in the Qur’an. [68] See: Ibn Faris: Maqayis al-Lughah, 5/79; al-Harawi: al-Gharibayn, 5/1516; al-Wahidi: al-Tafsir al-Basit, 3/577; Ibn al-Athir: al-Nihayah, 4/30

1.2. Definition of the Qur’an in Islamic terminology
The Holy Qur’an is the words and Book of Allah, may He be exalted, which was revealed to His slave and Messenger Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) through Jibril (peace be upon him) in a clear Arabic tongue, and it has reached us through tawatur (meaning that it was narrated by so many from so many that they could not all have agreed upon a lie). It is written in the Mushaf and is recited as an act of worship. It begins with Surat al-Fatihah and ends with Surat al-Nas, and even the shortest surah in it is a miracle. [69] See: Ibn ‘Ubaydah: Majaz al-Qur’an, 1/1; Tafsir al-Qurtubi, 2/298; Mustafa al-Bagha and Muhiy al-Din Masto: al-Wadih fi ‘Ulum al-Qur’an, p. 15; Musa‘id al-Tayyar: al-Muharar fi ‘Ulum al-Qur’an, p. 22.

Difference between the Holy Qur’an and hadith qudsi:
There are many differences which the scholars noted between the Holy Qur’an and the hadith qudsi in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) narrated words from his Lord, may He be glorified and exalted. These differences include the following:

i. Allah challenged people to produce anything like the Holy Qur’an, or ten surahs like it, or one surah, or a discourse like it, and they were unable to do so. As for the hadith qudsi, there is no such challenge and these reports are not regarded as miraculous.

ii. The Holy Qur’an was transmitted through tawatur, so it is definitively proven in its entirety, every surah and verse, every sentence and word, every letter and diacritical mark. As for the hadith qudsi, most of these reports are ahad [70] Ahad (solitary): a hadith narrated by one, two, three or more narrators at every level in the chain of narration (isnad), but it does not reach the level required for tawatur. and are proven on the basis of probability.

iii. The Holy Qur’an is from Allah, both words and meanings. As for the hadith qudsi, the meaning is from Allah according to scholarly consensus, but there is a difference of scholarly opinion regarding their wording.

iv. The Holy Qur’an cannot be attributed to anyone except Allah, may He be exalted. As for the hadiths qudsi, they are attributed to Allah, may He be exalted, in the sense that the words came from Him originally, so it is said in such reports: “Allah, may He be exalted, said…” Or these reports may be attributed to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in the sense that he told us what Allah said, so it is said in such reports: “The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, narrating from his Lord…”

v. It is not permissible for one who is junub to recite the Holy Qur’an – according to the majority of scholars – unlike the hadith qudsi.

vi. The Holy Qur’an may be recited as an act of worship, because the prayer is not valid unless Qur’an is recited in it, in contrast to the hadith qudsi. Moreover, the reward for reciting Qur’an is great, whereas there is no report to suggest that there is a reward for reciting the hadith qudsi like that for reciting the Holy Qur’an.

vii. The Qur’an cannot be recited with paraphrases according to the consensus of the Muslims rather its precise phrases must be recited. In the case of the hadith qudsi, there is a difference of scholarly opinion as to whether it is permissible to narrate prophetic hadiths by mentioning the meaning and not the exact words. Most of the scholars are of the view that it is permissible.

viii. It is prescribed to recite both the isti‘adhah A‘udhu Billahi min al-Shaytan al-rajim (I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaytan) and the basmalah Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim (In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful) when starting to recite the Holy Qur’an, unlike the hadith qudsi.