A Simple Guide to ISLAM
The Qur’an
~ 71 ~
The second point concerns the arrangement of the verses and
chapters of the Qur’an. When the Qur’an was revealed in parts, at
different times according to the demand of circumstances, how did
it come to be arranged in its present form? We find the answer in
books of hadith. It has been proved from authentic traditions that
the angel Gabriel, who conveyed the revelations of God to the
Prophet, had himself arranged these verses. According to the
traditions, each year during the month of Ramazan, the angel
Gabriel came to the Prophet and recited before him all the Quranic
verses revealed up till that time, in the order in which they exist
today. And after listening to the recitation by the angel Gabriel, the
Prophet repeated the verses in the order in which he had heard
them from Gabriel. This dual process has been termed
al-Araza,
‘mutual presentation’ in the books of hadith.
It is also established in these books that in the last year of the
Prophet’s life, when the revelations had been completed, Gabriel
came to the Prophet and recited the entire Qur’an in the existing
order twice, and similarly the Prophet also recited to Gabriel the
entire Qur’an twice. This final presentation is called
al-Arz al-
Akhirah
in the books of hadith. (
Fathul Bari
, p. 659-663)
In this way, when by the help of Gabriel the Qur’an was fully
arranged, the Prophet recited it to his companions on different
occasions in the order with which we are familiar today. In this way
the Qur’an was preserved in its present order in the memory of
tens of thousands of the companions during the lifetime of the
Prophet himself.
