The Qur'an and Its Study. Adnan Zarzour
God sent as a manifestation of His Grace that He bestows on all the worlds. In reference to these five verses, some commentators say that they deserve to be called ‘The Headline of the Qur’an’ because they refer to the Oneness of God and confirm the attributes that relate to Himself and those relating to His action.
We may add that these five short verses also refer to the Prophet (peace be upon him) to whom the Qur’an is revealed and who was assigned the task of delivering God’s message. They also refer to man, who is addressed by the Qur’an and whom God has honoured by giving him reason and knowledge, making him worthy of being addressed by His revelations. We have mentioned that the very first word of this revelation, ‘Read’, makes the discourse that follows an address to man’s mind. The first verse says: ‘Read in the name of your Lord Who has created.’ This confirms that He is the One Who creates His servants, gives them life, teaches them, sets them on the right course and ensures that they have what they need of sustenance and health.
‘Read – for your Lord is the most Bountiful One, Who has taught the use of the pen’ (96: 3–4). This is a reference to man’s ability to expand his knowledge and to build on what he learns across centuries and generations, transmitting knowledge across communities: ‘He taught man what he did not know’ (96: 5). All of these are aspects of His Lordship.
We note that in these five verses each of the words ‘your Lord’, ‘read’ and ‘taught’ is repeated twice. Moreover, the act of reading implies what is written with the pen.
The first surah is called al-Fātiḥah, or the Opening, because it is the first that a scribe writes and the first the reader recites. The first five verses of Surah 96 may be called the Headline of the Revelation, because they provide a guide for the discerning reader and the created being assigned a task by his Lord.
2.4 According to Ibn ‘Abbās, the last verse of the Qur’an to be revealed was: ‘Fear the day when you shall all return to God; when every soul shall be repaid in full for what it had earned, and none shall be wronged’ (2: 281). A Hadith related by al-Bukhārī, also on Ibn ‘Abbās’s authority, mentions that the last revelation was the verse that says: ‘Believers, fear God and give up what remains outstanding of usury gains, if you are true believers’ (2: 278). Sa‘īd ibn al-Musayyib reports that he was informed that ‘the last verse to be sent down from Heaven was the verse detailing the ruling on loans’. This is the longest verse of the Qur’an and it starts: ‘Believers, when you contract a debt for a fixed term, put it in writing, and let a scribe write it down for you with fairness...’ (2: 282). Al-Suyūṭi said that it is possible to reconcile all these views, because all the verses so mentioned were revealed at the same time and are in sequence, tackling the same subject. Every one of these narrators mentioned part of the passage as the last to be revealed. However, the weightier view is that the final revelation given to the Prophet (peace be upon him) was Verse 281 of Surah 2: ‘Fear the day when you shall all return to God; when every soul shall be repaid in full for what it has earned, and none shall be wronged.’ Some reports state that the Prophet (peace be upon him) passed away only nine days after its revelation.64
In his book, Al-Burhān, al-Zarkashī mentions several reports concerning the last verse to be revealed. Some scholars take the number to ten different reports, but none of them mentions this was the third verse of Surah 5, which is the one often mentioned by some scholars. This verse includes the statement: ‘This day I have perfected your religion for you and have bestowed on you the full measure of My blessings and have chosen Islam as a religion for you.’ This view is clearly based on the subject matter of this verse, but it could not have been the last to be revealed because it was revealed during the Prophet’s pilgrimage. The Prophet (peace be upon him) lived eighty-one days thereafter, while we noted that he lived only nine days after the revelation of Verse 281 of Surah 2.
The perfection of religion mentioned in this verse of Surah 5 actually refers to the fact that the Muslims were well established in Makkah and all unbelievers were leaving it. When the Muslims offered their pilgrimage with the Prophet (peace be upon him) no unbeliever was present with them. This is confirmed by a report quoting Ibn ‘Abbās: ‘The Muslims and the unbelievers used to offer the pilgrimage together. When God revealed Surah 9, the unbelievers were no longer allowed to go near the Ka‘bah. The Muslims offered the pilgrimage with no unbeliever present. This was an aspect of the full measure of God’s blessings.’65
3. Why was the Qur’an Revealed in Parts?
As we have noted, the Qur’an was revealed in parts over a period of twenty-three years. This served many useful purposes, some of which applied to the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself, others related to the fledgling Islamic society and others still related to the Qur’anic text. We will briefly discuss these purposes.
3.1 Strengthening the Prophet’s heart: The Prophet (peace be upon him) was facing a determined onslaught by the unbelievers as well as the wicked schemes initiated by the hypocrites. Receiving new revelations time after time was an aspect of Divine care, renewing his strength and determination to fulfil the task God had assigned to him. At one point the unbelievers suggested that the Qur’an should have been revealed in full at one time, as was the case with earlier scriptures. God, however, answered them outlining the wisdom behind the method He chose for its revelation; ‘The unbelievers ask: “Why has not the Qur’an been revealed to him all at once?” Thus [it has been revealed] so that We might strengthen your heart with it, and We have imparted it to you by gradual revelation. Whenever they come to you with an argument, We shall reveal to you the truth and the best explanation’ (25: 32–33).
During those twenty-three years of his blessed life, the Prophet (peace be upon him) encountered great difficulties, which varied in nature and kind. Receiving revelations from God reduced his burden, eased his problems and wiped away his suffering. Moreover, the Qur’an always made clear that all these hardships were limited in nature and scope. The Qur’an gave frequent reassurance to the Prophet (peace be upon him), as appears in the following verses: ‘If they turn away, say: I warn you of a thunderbolt like the thunderbolt that struck the ‘Ād and Thamūd’ (41: 13); ‘Their hosts will be routed, and they will turn tail and flee’ (54: 45); ‘All that We relate to you of the histories of earlier messengers is a means by which We strengthen your heart. Through these [accounts] there has come to you the truth, as well as an admonition and a reminder for all believers’ (11: 120); ‘So, await in patience your Lord’s judgement; for you are under Our watchful eyes’ (52: 48); ‘Would you, perhaps, torment yourself to death with grief over them if they will not believe in this message?’ (18: 6); and ‘Do not waste yourself sorrowing for them. God has full knowledge of all that they do’ (35: 8).
Many are the verses of God’s book, the Qur’an, that comfort the Prophet (peace be upon him) and bid him to remain patient, particularly in situations of adversity. However, the very fact that the revelations continued to be given to him served to strengthen his resolve, as the above-quoted verses from Surah 25 confirm. The second of these verses, ‘Whenever they come to you with an argument, We shall reveal to you the truth and the best explanation,’ indicates one of the most important forms of such strengthening, which amounted to answering the unbelievers’ allegations and objections. Ibn Kathīr says in his commentary on this verse that whatever argument the unbelievers produced, the Qur’an would take care to state with great clarity the absolute truth of the particular matter. Ibn ‘Abbās mentions that their arguments tried to detract from the Qur’an and spoke ill of the Prophet (peace be upon him), yet God revealed the truth in answer. He adds: ‘This is an aspect of the great care taken of the Prophet and an honour conferred on him. The angel of revelation brought him the Qur’an morning and evening, day and night, at home and whilst travelling.’66
3.2 Easier to memorise: This is an aspect of the preservation of the Qur’an which God has guaranteed as He says: ‘It is We Ourselves Who have bestowed this reminder from on High, and it is We Who shall preserve it intact’ (15: 9). God chose to reveal the Qur’an in this fashion so that people could more easily memorise it. Hence, this verse mentions both the revelation of the Qur’an and its preservation. As we have noted, God ensured that the Prophet (peace be upon him) would learn and never forget it, telling him: ‘We shall teach you [the