The first revelation to the Prophet was about knowledge and learning:
“Recite [Iqra]! The Name of your Lord, who created! Created man from a clot. Recite! Your Lord is Most Generous! He who taught by the pen; Taught man what he did not know” (96: 1-5).
The Prophet received revelations over twenty-three years, conveying the messages as he received by reciting them to the people around him (the word qur’an means ‘to recite’). According to many sources, some of the revelations were recorded during the Prophet’s time on pieces of parchment, bark, and other materials. Several years after his death, the revelations were compiled into a text today known as Qur’an. However, during the lifetime of the Prophet, the kitab, or book, as pages between two covers did not exist.
In the Qur’an, the term kitab is used in a variety of ways. More at Nimirasblog.
Ismailimail 