The Quran — The Character of Muhammad ﷺ That Can Be Read

Many people say:

“The Quran is the Kalam of Allah.”

True.

But do not immediately imagine an unseen figure named Allah composing a book, then Muhammad ﷺ reading that book and shaping his character by imitating its contents.

That is one narrative model.

The text we have is far more direct.

Aishah رضي الله عنها said:

كَانَ خُلُقُهُ الْقُرْآنَ

“His character was the Quran.”

— Sahih Muslim, no. 746

Notice the direction of the statement.

خُلُقُهُ
his character

is then described as:

الْقُرْآنَ
the Quran

Therefore, from the structure of the wording:

CHARACTER → THE QURAN

Not:

THE QURAN → CHARACTER

This is important.

Aishah did not say:

“His character was shaped by the Quran.”

Nor did she say:

“He read the Quran and then imitated the character contained within it.”

Instead, when she was asked about his character, her direct answer was:

HIS CHARACTER WAS THE QURAN.

Therefore, the more precise relationship is:

Muhammad ﷺ can be witnessed through his character.

And that character is described as:

الْقُرْآن

the Quran.

This is where the meaning of Quran as “reading” becomes important.

If the Quran is a reading, then that reading does not necessarily have to be understood as “the book came first, then the person followed the book”.

Instead, the reading can be understood as A DESCRIPTION THAT IS READ UPON THE PERSON WHO CAN BE WITNESSED.

Therefore, the structure is:

ALLAH
= the description of Essence, Attributes and Actions

↓

KALAM OF ALLAH
= the description that is expressed

↓

THE QURAN
= the reading of that description

↓

MUHAMMAD ﷺ
= the person upon whom that reading can be witnessed

↓

CHARACTER
= what becomes manifest upon that person

That is why the relationship between the Kalam of Allah and the character of Muhammad ﷺ should not be separated.

If you want to know how that description lives within a person, look at Muhammad ﷺ.

If you want to understand what the Quran means in a form that can be witnessed, look at his character.

Therefore, do not restrict the Quran to being merely an external object.

And do not restrict Muhammad ﷺ to being a reader who stands outside the content of that reading.

He is THE PERSON UPON WHOM THAT READING BECOMES MANIFEST.

PUNCHLINE

THE QURAN CAN BE READ UPON THE PERSON AND CHARACTER OF MUHAMMAD ﷺ.

MUHAMMAD ﷺ DID NOT MERELY READ A BOOK AND THEN IMITATE ITS CONTENTS.

Or, in its sharpest form:

THE QURAN DESCRIBES THE PERSON OF MUHAMMAD ﷺ WHO CAN BE WITNESSED.

IT IS NOT THAT MUHAMMAD ﷺ NARRATED THE QURAN AND THEN FOLLOWED IT.