et-Tibyân fî Ulûmil Kurân

The term Ulūm al-Qur’ān (sciences of the Qur’an) is a nominal compound formed from “ulūm,” the plural of “ilm” (meaning to know, to understand, to have a definitive view), and “Qur’ān.” In technical terms, ilm is used to mean knowing and comprehending matters with their proofs.

The word Qur’ān itself is a noun derived from the verb “qa-ra-a,” meaning to read. It refers to Allah Almighty’s miraculous speech, revealed gradually to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) over twenty-three years through the angel Gabriel (peace be upon him), written in the mus’hafs, transmitted to us by continuous recitation (tawātur), and whose recitation is an act of worship. It begins with Sūrat al-Fātiḥah and ends with Sūrat an-Nās.

As an iḍāfah construction (genitive compound), Ulūm al-Qur’ān, as an absolute expression, signifies “all sciences related to the Qur’an.” The reason for using the plural form of “ilm” in this compound is to indicate that it doesn’t refer to just one science related to the Qur’an, but rather all sciences that serve and are based upon it. Thus, disciplines such as Tafsīr (exegesis), Qirā’āt (recitations), Rasm al-ʿUthmānī (Uthmanic script), Iʿjāz al-Qur’ān (inimitability of the Qur’an), Asbāb al-Nuzūl (reasons for revelation), Nāsikh-Mansūkh (abrogating and abrogated verses), Iʿrāb al-Qur’ān (grammatical analysis of the Qur’an), Gharīb al-Qur’ān (unusual words in the Qur’an), as well as religious and linguistic sciences, fall into this category.

According to another definition, Ulūm al-Qur’ān refers to the sciences that serve the Qur’an or are based upon it.