Revealed books are mentioned in the Holy Qur’ān under three names. The first name is kitāb (pl. kutub), meaning a Book1 The word al-Kitāb has been used for the Holy Qur’ān itself, for its chapters, for any previous revelation, (13:43), for all previous revelations taken together (98:3) and for all revealed books including the Holy Qur’ān (3:119). Revealed books are also spoken of as ṣuḥuf (pl. of ṣaḥīfa)2 as in 87:18, 19, where all previous books, particularly the books of Moses and Abraham are so called, or as in 80:13 and 98:2 where the Holy Qur’ān itself is spoken of as ṣuḥuf. The third name under which revealed books are mentioned is zubur (pl. of zabūr),3 as in 26:196, 4:163, etc. The singular form, zabūr, occurs only three times in the Holy Qur’ān, twice in connection with the book of David: “And We gave to David a scripture (zabūr)’ (4:163, 17:55); and on one occasion a quotation is given from al-Zabūr: “And truly We wrote in the Book (al-Zabūr) after the reminder that My righteous servants will inherit the land” (21:105).
The Arabic word for revelation, waḥy, has, in its highest form, come to signify the Divine word which is communicated to prophets (anbiyā’) and saints, or righteous servants of God (auliyā’) who have not been raised to the dignity of prophethood.4 (R.). According to the Holy Qur’ān, revelation is a universal fact, so much so that it is even spoken of as being granted to inanimate objects: “Then He directed Himself to the heaven and it was a vapour, so He said to it and to the earth: Come both willingly or unwillingly. They both said: We come willingly. So He ordained them seven heavens in two periods, and revealed in every heaven its affair” (41:11, 12). On another occasion there is mention of revelation to the earth: “When the earth is shaken with her shaking, and the earth brings forth her burdens, and man
1 In 2:285 and in other places, the Holy Prophet and the believers are spoken of as believing in kutubi-hī or His books. The word kutub is pl. of kitāb, which is derived from the root kataba, meaning he wrote or he brought together, and kitāb (book) is a writing which is complete in itself. Thus a letter may be called kitāb, in which sense the word occurs in 27:28, 29, regarding Solomon’s letter to the queen of Sheba. The word kitāb has, however, been used to speak of the revelation of God to prophets whether written or not (R.), while it is also freely used regarding the Divine decrees or ordinances (see 8:68; 9:36; 13:38, etc.).
2 The word ṣaḥīfa is derived from ṣaḥf, and ṣaḥīfa means anything spread out (R.). Muṣḥaf means a collection of written pages, and the Holy Qur’ān is also called muṣḥaf.
3 The word zabūr is derived from zabara which means he wrote or he wrote it firmly or skilfully or engraved or inscribed on a stone (TA.): and zabūr means any writing or book, and particularly the Book of the Psalms of David is called al-Zabūr (LL.)
4 Al-kalimatu-llatī tulqā ilā anbiyā’i-hī wa auliyā’i-hī waḥy-un.