The idea of a holy book or other religious totem being based on an archetype preserved in heaven is not unique to Islam but goes back "thousands of years" to "the early
Sumerians" according to
Alfred Guillaume.
In the revealed Quran Quranic verses and referred to “mother of the book” (
umm al-kitab); verse refers to a “well-guarded tablet” (
lawh mahfuz) and to a “concealed book” (
kitab maknun). Revelation of the Quran is described as being "sent down" in verse : It is also called
kalam allah — the word of God — and to most Muslims is eternal and uncreated It is disputed whether the revealed Quran is a precise copy of the Heavenly Quran or an abridged version. Commonly, the
Injil and the Islamic notion of
Torah are thought to be part of the Heavenly Quran. ==References==