# Quote — Karen Armstrong, Muhammad

> The word qur’an means “recitation.” It was not designed for private perusal, but like most scriptures, it was meant to be read aloud, and the sound was an essential part of the sense. Poetry was important in Arabia. The poet was the spokesman, social historian, and cultural authority of his tribe, and over the years the Arabs had learned how to listen to a recitation and had developed a highly sophisticated critical ear.

- Author: [Karen Armstrong](https://www.leafyquotes.com/karen-armstrong.md)
- Book: [Muhammad](https://www.leafyquotes.com/karen-armstrong/muhammad.md)
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Karen_Armstrong#Muhammad:_A_Biography_of_The_Prophet_(2001)) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/karen-armstrong/muhammad/the-word-quran

## More from this book

> Muslims respect the pacifist message of Jesus (even though the Qu'ran points out that Christians can be very belligerent but they accept that force is sometimes necessary. If tyrants and loathsome regimes were not opposed militarily, evil would have swamped the whole world.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/karen-armstrong/muhammad/muslims-respect-the.md)

> Deeds that seemed unimportant at the time would prove to have been momentous; a tiny act of selfishness and unkindness or, conversely, an unconsidered act of generosity would become the measure of a human life.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/karen-armstrong/muhammad/deeds-that-seemed.md)

> Monotheism is essentially inimical to tribalism: it demands that a people unite in a single community.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/karen-armstrong/muhammad/monotheism-is-essentially.md)