206. Arrangement Of The Aayaat

 BY Asma Bint Shameem

The Qur’aan was revealed to the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam over 23 years starting right from the time Jibreel came to the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam in the cave of Hira up to shortly before his death Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam. 

It was the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam himself who arranged the order of the Aayaat In the Qur’aan. 

And there’s consensus among the ulama about this. 

It was upon the instructions of the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam to the Sahaabah that the arrangement of the Aayaat within the Surahs was made. 

That was exactly how Jibreel Alaiyhis-Salaam told the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam, upon the instructions of Allaah, to arrange the Aayaat of the Qur’aan, where to put them and in which order. 

This arrangement and order of the Aayaat was also well known among the Sahaabah because they used to pray behind the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam every single day and they used to hear him recite the Aayaat in this particular order. That’s how they they learnt it and that’s how they memorized it. 

Uthmaan radhi Allaahu anhu said: 

“The Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam 

used to receive revelation of Surahs with many aayahs. When they were revealed, he would call his scribes and tell them, ‘Put these aayaat in the soorah where such-and-such is mentioned.’ (Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi and others)

Al-Baghawi said:

“The Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam used to instruct his companions and teach them what was revealed to him of the Qur’aan in the order in which it appears in our Mus-hafs now, the order which Jibreel taught him. When each aayah was revealed, Jibreel would tell him, this aayah is to be written after such and such an aayah in Surah such and such. 

Thus it is clear that the efforts of the Sahaabah were limited solely to gathering the Qur’aan in one place, not to arranging its order. The Qur’aan is written on al-Lawh al-Mahfooz in this order, then Allaah sent it down in its entirety to the first heaven, whence it was revealed in stages as it was needed, and the order in which it was revealed is not the order in which it is recited.”  (Sharh al-Sunnah)

As far as the arrangement of the Surahs is concerned, there is a difference of opinion among the scholars about that. 

Some of them said that it was the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam himself who arranged the order of the Surahs upon the instructions of Allaah through Jibreel. 

But some of them said it was the Sahaabah who made ijtehaad and gathered the Surahs In this particular manner. 

And Allaah knows best about that. 

However we do know that the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam used to review the Qur’aan with Jibreel Alaiyhis-Salaam every year in Ramadhaan and in the last year of his life, he Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam reviewed the Qur’aan with him twice. 

So this order of the Surahs was well known to him Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam and he approved of it. 

And so that’s how we have the Surah arrangement in the Musaahif we have today since the time of Uthmaan radhi Allaahu anhu. 

And Allaah knows best