The Alwah: A Divine Continuum
The Journey of the Alwah in Revelation and Salvation
The Quran draws a profound connection between the Alwah
a word meaning “tablets” or “planks”
and pivotal moments in divine history.
From the story of Nuh (Noah) to Musa (Moses) and ultimately to the Quran itself,
the recurrence of this term reveals a deeper unity in revelation.
Nuh’s Salvation on the Alwah
Allah says regarding Nuh:
“We carried him on a craft made of planks (ألواح) and nails.”
(Quran 54:13)
The very structure that safeguarded Nuh and his followers,
"the Alwah" was their vessel to salvation.
These planks were not merely wooden boards;
they represented divine protection, carrying them away from destruction
and towards a new beginning.
The Alwah of Musa: The Written Law
Where else does the Quran mention Alwah?
We find it in the story of Musa:
“And We wrote for him on the tablets (ألواح) from all things a lesson,
and detailing all things.
Take it with strength and order your people to take the best from it.
I will show you the abode of the wicked.”
(Quran 7:145)
“And when the anger subsided from Moses,
he took the tablets (ألواح), and in its inscription was a guidance
and a mercy for those who reverence their Lord.”
(Quran 7:154)
“And when Moses returned to his people, angry and grieved,
he said: ‘Miserable is what you have done after I was gone;
do you wish to hasten the action of your Lord?’
And he cast down the tablets (ألواح) and took his brother by his head,
dragging him towards him.
He said: ‘Son of my mother, the people overpowered me and nearly killed me,
so do not make the enemies rejoice over me,
and do not make me with the wicked people.’”
(Quran 7:150)
Alwah are no longer the physical planks of Nuh’s ark,
but divine tablets of guidance, the Law (Torah).
Just as Nuh’s Alwah carried his people to safety,
Musa’s Alwah carried his people towards divine instruction.
The Quran as the Alwah:
The Ultimate Revelation
The Quran itself is also described using the word Alwah:
“No, it is a glorious Quran.
In a tablet (لوحٍ) preserved.”
(Quran 85:21-22)
Here, the Alwah is no longer a ship of survival or stone tablets of law
it is the eternal, preserved revelation of Allah.
The Quran embodies the ultimate guidance,
unifying past scriptures within its divine message.
One Revelation, One Book
From this, we see a clear pattern:
1. Nuh traveled on the Alwah—a physical means of survival.
2. Musa received the Alwah—written divine instruction for his people.
3. The Quran is also called the Alwah—a preserved and final revelation.
What does this imply?
All divine guidance exists within the Al-Kitab
the one singular Book in our hands today. There is no separate book beyond it.
“Those who rejected among the people of the Book
and the polytheists would not leave until a proof came to them
a messenger from God reciting purified scripts.
In them are valuable books.”
And not became divided those who were given the Book,
until from after what came (to) them (of) the clear evidence.
(Quran 98:1-4)
This verse clarifies that all previous revelations
the Torah, the Injeel (Gospel), and all divine scriptures
exist within this one Book, the Quran.
Does the Torah Exist Outside the Quran?
Some may argue that the Torah of Musa is an entirely different scripture.
However, the Quran consistently describes past scriptures as being
بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ (Bayna Yadayhi).
Many translations render Bayna Yadayhi as “before him,”
implying that the Torah and Injeel were separate past scriptures.
But linguistically, Bayna Yadayhi means “between his two hands.”
The Quran: The Torah, the Injeel, and the Recitation
The Quran is dynamic, it becomes what is read from it:
• When you read the governing laws (the ayats of commands and prohibitions),
the Kitab becomes the Torah—the Law.
• When you read the message of glad tidings,
the Kitab becomes the Injeel—the Good News.
• When you recite the words of Allah,
the Al-Kitab becomes the Quran—the Recitation.
Conclusion: The Unity of Divine Revelation
The concept of Alwah connects Nuh’s ark, Musa’s tablets,
and the Quran into a single, cohesive narrative.
It illustrates that divine guidance, protection
, and law have always existed within a single Al-Kitab
the one Book, the Quran.
There is no separate Torah, Injeel, or other book today
all guidance is contained within the preserved Alwah that is now in our hands: the Quran.