《古兰经》的定义如下：

The Qur'an can be defined as follows:

真主的言语，通过天使吉卜利勒降示给末代先知穆罕默德ﷺ，其意义与字句都是精确的，并由众多传述者以口耳相传和文字记载的方式（即“太瓦図尔”）一代代传到我们这里。

The speech of Allah, sent down upon the last Prophet Muhammad, through the Angel Gabriel, in its precise meaning and precise wording, transmitted to us by numerous persons (tawatur), both verbally and in writing.

阿拉伯语词"Qur'an"（古兰经）派生自词根 qara'a，该词根有多种含义，例如"阅读"（见第17章第93节）、"诵读"（见第75章第18节、第17章第46节）等。"Qur'an"是一个动名词，因此意为"阅读"或"诵读"。就《古兰经》本身的用法而言，此词泛指安拉的启示（见第17章第82节），并不总是局限于今天我们所见的那种书籍形式的文本。

The Arabic word 'qur'an' is derived from the root qara'a, which has various meanings, such as to read, [Sura 17: 93.] to recite, [Sura 75:18:17: 46.] etc. Qur'an is a verbal noun and hence means the 'reading' or 'recitation'. As used in the Qur'an itself, the word refers to the revelation from Allah in the broad sense [Sura 17: 82.] and is not always restricted to the written form in the shape of a book, as we have it before us today.

然而，它仅指对穆罕默德ﷺ的启示，而对其他先知的启示则以不同的名称来称呼（例如：Taurat、Injil、kitab等）。

However, it means revelation to Muhammad only, while revelation to other prophets has been referred to by different names (e.g. taurat, Injil, kitab, etc.).

安拉启示给先知穆罕默德ﷺ的启示，在《古兰经》本身中被称为"古兰"（诵读），也有其他名称，例如……

The revelation from Allah to the Prophet Muhammad is referred to in the Qur'an itself by the name qur'an (recitation) as well as by other names, such as e.g.

Furqaan(准则,参见25:1)。

 Furqaan (criterion, see 25: 1).

《古兰经》（Tanzil，降示，参见 26:192）。

 Tanzil (sent down, see 26: 192).

Dhikr（提醒，参见 15:9）。

 Dhikr (reminder, see 15: 9).

Kitab(经典,参见21:10)。

 Kitab (scripture, see 21:10).

《古兰经》的其他称谓包括：Nur（光）、Huda（指引）、Rahma（慈悲）、Majid（荣耀）、Mubarak（吉祥）、Bashir（报喜者）、Nadhir（警告者）等。

Other references to the Qur'an are by such words as Nur (light), Huda (guidance), Rahma (mercy), Majid (glorious), Mubarak (blessed), Bashir (announcer), Nadhir (warner), etc.

这些名称都反映了安拉启示之言的各个方面之一。

All these names reflect one of the various aspects of the revealed word of Allah.

[有关圣训的详情，参见：A'zami, Muhammad Mustafa: Studies in Hadith Methodology and Literature, Indianapolis, 1977.] "Hadith"（圣训）一词的意思是消息、报道或叙述。《古兰经》正是在这一广义上使用该词的。[例如

[For details on hadith see: A'zami, Muhammad Mustafa: Studies in Hadith Methodology and Literature, Indianapolis, 1977.] The word hadith means news, report or narration. It is in this general sense that the word is used in the Qur'an. [e.g.

【Sura 12:101.】严格来说，"hadith"（复数 ahadith）一词特指关于先知穆罕默德ﷺ的逊奈（sunna）的口头和书面记述。关于先知穆罕默德ﷺ的圣训记述大致有以下几类：

Sura 12:101.] Technically, the word hadith, (pl. ahadith) means in particular the reports (verbal and written) about the sunna of the Prophet Muhammad. Hadith reports about the Prophet Muhammad are of the following kinds:

他说的话（qaul）。

 What he said (qaul).

所做之事(فِعْل)。

 What he did (fi'l).

他（默许）的他人行为（taqrir）。

 What he (silently) approved (taqrir) in others' actions.

此外，还有关于他的记载，即关于他品性与形貌的描述（sifa）。

There are also reports about him, i.e. about what he was like (sifa).

大多数穆斯林学者一致认为,圣训(sunna)的内容同样来自安拉。因此,他们把它描述为也是某种形式的启示所得。[详见伊玛目沙斐仪的《al-Risala》(《教法根源论》),开罗版,出版年不详,尤其是第28-9页。英文版见:Khadduri Majid, Islamic Jurisprudence. Shafi'i's Risala, 巴尔的摩,1961年,第5章,尤其是第121-2页。]然而,圣训的内容是通过先知自己的言语或行为来表达的;而就《古兰经》而言,天使吉卜利勒将确切的措辞和内容带给先知,先知接受这些作为启示,然后以他接受时的同样方式宣布出来。

There is agreement among most Muslim scholars that the contents of the sunna are also from Allah. Hence they have described it as also being the result of some form of inspiration. [For details see kitab al-risala, by Imam al-Shafi'i, Cairo, n.d., especially pp. 28-9. In English: Khadduri Majid, Islamic Jurisprudence. Shafi'i's Risala, Baltimore, 1961, chapter 5, especially pp. 121-2.] The contents of the sunna are however expressed through the Prophet's own words or actions, while in the case of the Qur'an the Angel Gabriel brought the exact wording and contents to the Prophet, who received this as revelation and then announced it, in the very same manner that he received it.

这两种形式之间的区别，苏尤蒂（循随朱韦尼的观点）用如下方式加以说明：

The difference between these two forms has been illustrated by Suyuti (following Juwaini) in the following manner:

“安拉的启示之言分为两种：第一种是，安拉对吉卜利勒说：‘你去告诉我所派遣的那位先知，安拉吩咐他做这件事和那件事，并向他下达了某些命令。’于是吉卜利勒领会了他的主所告诉他的内容，便降临到先知那里，把他的主所告诉他的话转达给他，但措辞并非这同样的措辞，就如同国王对一个他所倚重的人说：‘你去告诉某某人：国王对你说，要为他效力，召集你的军队去作战……’当使者前去转达说：‘国王告诉你们：不要在为我效力上有所懈怠，不要让军队涣散，并号召去作战’等等，那么他既没有撒谎，也没有减省（所传的讯息）……”

'The revealed speech of Allah is of two kinds: As to the first kind, Allah says to Gabriel: Tell the Prophet to whom I sent you that Allah tells him to do this and this, and He ordered him something. So Gabriel understood what His Lord had told him. Then he descended with this to the Prophet and told him what His Lord had told him, but the expression is not this (same) expression, just as a king says to someone upon whom he relies: Tell so-and-so: The king says to you: strive in his service and gather your army for fighting ... and when the messenger (goes and) says: The king tells you: do not fail in my service, and do not let the army break up, and call for fighting, etc., then he has not lied nor shortened (the message) ...

“至于另一种，安拉对吉卜利勒说：你把这份文书读给先知听。吉卜利勒便从安拉那里带着它降下，丝毫没有改动，就像国王写好一份诏令，交给他最可信赖的仆人，并说：你把它读给某某听。”

'And as to the other kind, Allah says to Gabriel: Read to the Prophet this (piece of) writing, and Gabriel descended with it from Allah, without altering it the least, just as (if) the king writes a written (instruction) and hands it over to his trustworthy (servant) and says (to him): Read it to so-and-so.

苏尤蒂说:《古兰经》属于第二类,第一类是圣行(Sunna),由此派生出按照意义而非按照原文转述圣行的做法,这与《古兰经》不同。"[萨布尼,《Tibyan》,第52页] 人们普遍认为,《古兰经》与圣行之间的区别如下:

[有关该主题的入门介绍及精选示例文本，可参见：Ibrahim Izzuddin 与 Denis Johnson-Davies 合著的 Forty Hadith Qudsi，贝鲁特、大马士革，1980年。] "Qudsi"的意思是神圣或纯洁。有一些传述记载了先知穆罕默德ﷺ向人们讲述真主所说（说）或所做（做）的事情，但这些内容并不属于《古兰经》。这类传述被称为"圣训圣语"（hadith qudsi），例如：

[For an introduction to the subject and select sample texts, see e.g. Ibrahim Izzuddin and Denis Johnson-Davies: Forty Hadith Qudsi, Beirut, Damascus, 1980.] Qudsi means holy, or pure. There are some reports from the Prophet Muhammad where he relates to the people what God has said (says) or did (does), but this information is not part of the Qur'an. Such a report is called hadith qudsi, e.g.:

艾卜·胡莱赖ڨ传述：安拉的使者ﷺ说：

Abu Hurairah reported that Allah's messenger said:

"真主，至尊至高，说：'若我的仆人喜欢与我相见，我也喜欢与他相见；若他不喜欢与我相见，我也不喜欢与他相见。'"［《四十圣训·圣训叙述》，贝鲁特、大马士革，1980年，第30条。］虽然圣训中的圣训与《古兰经》的共同之处在于，两者都包含真主启示给穆罕默德ﷺ的话语，但《古兰经》与圣训之间的主要区别如下：

'Allah, Mighty and Exalted is He, said: If My servant likes to meet me, I like to meet him, and if he dislikes to meet Me, I dislike to meet him.' [Forty Hadith Qudsi, Beirut, Damascus, 1980, No. 30.] While the common factor between hadith qudsi and the Qur'an is that both contain words from Allah which have been revealed to Muhammad, the main points of difference between Qur'an and hadith qudsi are as follows:

在《古兰经》中，确切的措辞来自安拉，而在圣训格杜西（Hadith Qudsi）中，措辞则由先知穆罕默德ﷺ提供。

In the Qur'an the precise wording is from Allah, while in the hadith qudsi the wording is given by the Prophet Muhammad.

《古兰经》只通过天使吉卜利勒降示给穆罕默德ﷺ，而圣训中的"圣训格杜西"则可能以其他方式启示，例如通过梦境。

 The Qur'an has been brought to Muhammad only by the Angel Gabriel, while hadith qudsi may also have been inspired otherwise, such as e.g. in a dream.

《古兰经》是无法模仿的，独一无二；但圣训的情况则不同，圣训古德西（Hadith Qudsi）并非如此。

 The Qur'an is inimitable and unique, but not so the hadith qudsi.

《古兰经》由大量的人辗转传述（tawatur），而圣训和圣训古杜西（hadith qudsi）则往往只由少数人，甚至仅由一人传述。圣训古杜西中有些是sahih（沙希）的，也有些是hasan（哈桑）的，甚至有些是da'if（达因弗）的；而对于《古兰经》中的任何一节经文，则毫无疑问。

 The Qur'an has been transmitted by numerous persons, (tawatur) but the hadith and hadith qudsi often only by a few or even one individual. There are hadith qudsi which are sahth, but also others hasan, or even da'if, while there is no doubt at all about any aya from the Qur'an.

另一点是，圣训隐意（hadith qudsi）不能在礼拜中诵读。

Another point is that a hadith qudsi cannot be recited in prayer.

因此，《古兰经》与其他一切言辞或著作之间最重要的区别在于：《古兰经》是安拉的言语，通过天使吉卜利勒（Gabriel）以其确切的含义和措辞降示，由众多人传述，独一无二、无与伦比，并受到安拉自己的保护，不受任何篡改。

The most important distinction between the Qur'an and all other words or writings therefore is that the Qur'an is the speech from Allah, revealed in its precise meaning and wording through the Angel Gabriel, transmitted by many, inimitable, unique and protected by Allah Himself against any corruption.