Summary of the concepts of Ahl al-Sunnah
The Noble Qur'an was revealed piecemeal and compiled in a divinely ordained order.
The Noble Qur'an was revealed in installments over twenty-something years.
When a verse was revealed to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
he would say to one of the scribes,
"Place this verse in such-and-such a chapter."
Narrated by Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, and Ahmad.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, compiled it in the order it is currently found.
It is not according to the order of revelation.
It is a divinely ordained order.
The Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, presented it to Gabriel, peace be upon him, twice in the year he passed away.
This is the order that Allah Almighty preserved for him.
As He, the Exalted, said:
“Lo! We, even We, reveal the Reminder, and lo! We verily are its Guardian.” (15:9)
As for its piecemeal revelation,
it was for practical application in refuting those who opposed the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, during its revelation.
And to strengthen him, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, when confronting them in various incidents.
As Allah, the Exalted, said:
“And those who disbelieve say: Why is the Qur'an not revealed unto him all at once? (It is revealed) thus that We may strengthen thy heart therewith; and We have arranged it in right order.” (25:32)
“And those who disbelieve say: Why is the Qur'an not revealed unto him all at once? (It is revealed) thus that We may strengthen thy heart therewith; and We have arranged it in right order.” (25:32)
“And they bring thee no similitude but We bring thee the Truth (as against it), and better (than their similitude) as argument.” (25:33)
And Allah, the Exalted, said:
“And (it is) a Qur'an that We have divided, that thou mayst recite it unto mankind at intervals, and We have revealed it by (successive) revelation.” (17:106)
As for its compilation in its current order, it is, as we have said, divinely ordained and not the result of any human ijtihad.
This is how the excellent coherence and arrangement, which is clarified by the science of the Qur'anic contexts and the objectives of the Surahs, is achieved.
And His saying, "And a Qur'an We have separated it," refers to it being a compilation before its separation.
This refers to its compilation in the Preserved Tablet before its revelation, and its current compilation agrees with it in order.
Therefore, there is no basis for an objector to challenge the science of Qur'anic contexts and the objectives of the Surahs.
And the multiple guidance that arises from it.
The decisive word is that if the Noble Qur'an, after its revelation, was compiled from a dispersed state,
then it was revealed piecemeal from a meticulously organized compilation, which is its current arrangement.
Muslims should beware of calls to arrange it according to the order of revelation, for these are false calls for two reasons:
Firstly, that this is contrary to its form, which Allah preserved, and which clarifies the perfection of its organization.
Secondly, it is an impossible matter to achieve, because verses were revealed according to events, and they belonged to a specific Surah.
And before the Surah was completed, other verses from another Surah would be revealed. So, which order should we adopt?
And which Surah should we place before the other, when each of them contains verses that precede the second?
The summary is that the Noble Qur'an guides to the truth through the revelation of verses at the time of events and decrees.
Just as it guides to the truth through its meticulously organized compilation. It is dispersed for guidance during events,
and divinely ordained and compiled for guidance through its perfect organization.
Summary of the concepts of Ahl al-Sunnah