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Revelation Order of the Qur'an

The Qur'an was sometimes revealed to respond to various events and incidents. Sometimes it was revealed to support the Prophet (saws) who was faced with many questions, whether by Muslims or non-Muslims, and hardships. Other times was revealed for legislation and for putting rules to govern the social, economical, and political life of Muslims.

The first verses to be revealed, according to the most correct opinion of scholars, are the first five verses of Surat Al-`Alaq, which happens to be Chapter 96 of the 114 chapters of the Qur'an.

Order of Verses

Muslim scholars agree that the order of the verses in every chapter was done or commanded by the Prophet (saws) himself following the commands of Almighty Allah.

The Prophet (saws) once told his Companions after he had received a certain revelation that the arch-angel Gabriel had specified for him the particular order of verses (Ahmad).

There are also many incidents narrated in the books of Sunnah regarding the Prophet's (saws) recitation during prayer. The Companions used to pray every day behind the Prophet (saws) and he used to recite the Qur'an in the order given to him by Allah, and they used to learn and memorize from his recitation.

There have never been any incident in which any of the Companions reciting in any order that violated the order of the verses showed to us by the Prophet (saws).

Order of Surahs

As for the order of the surahs (chapters), the most accepted view is that it was also applied following an instruction given by Almighty Allah. It has been recorded that the Prophet (saws) reviewed the Qur'an with the arch-angel Gabriel 24 times all within his life.

Every year, he used to review it once during the month of Ramadan with Gabriel. During the final year of the Prophet's life, Gabriel revised the Qur'an twice with the Prophet (saws) as a way of confirming it. The Prophet (saws), in turn, used to follow this order in teaching his Companions and communicating the message to them.

Significance of Order

The question of why a surah like Surat Al-`Alaq, which was revealed first not put first in the mushaf (a physical copy of the Qur'an), this will require us to search more in the Qur'an and explore some of its secrets. A deeper look into the whole matter will show us that the order of the Qur'an has a purpose and the revelation of the Qur'an also has a purpose.

For instance, the revelation of the Qur'an responding to specific problems or incidents carries the purpose of solving these problems or providing guidance in these incidents.

During the first 13 years of Islam, the main task of the Prophet (saws) was to call people to Islam based on the Qur'anic revelations that focused on the Oneness of Allah and righteous conduct.

When Muslims migrated to Madinah and an Islamic community started to be well-established and new challenges emerged, the main focus of the revelation was to regulate the life of Muslims through detailing the rulings pertaining to different acts of worship and setting punishments for crimes and so on.  

This shows us that the revelation in each of the two stages has a purpose. When the revelation stage was completed, the whole Qur'an was there and the whole message was put in the order that was intended for it to stay till the Day of Judgment.

Explanation of Order

Such an order serves in delivering the message the Qur'an is put for, as it has got another purpose.

If you look at the first surah of the Qur'an, namely Al-Fatihah, you can perceive that it acts as a summary for the structure and the message of the Book (Qur'an) ahead of every reader.

Being Umm Al-Qur'an (the Mother of the Qur'an), it carries all its themes; it summarizes them. It tells us who Allah is: the source of all love and mercy. Therefore, knowing who He is, we should be thankful to Him and worship Him alone. We should seek His help, and He has all the power to give us whatever we need. It makes it clear that Allah is the only One Who can really guide. It speaks about life after death and the consequences of human action and behavior.

The same holds true for Surat Al-Baqarah. The first verses speak about the fact that this Book is above all doubts and it is beyond the abilities of doubters to try to challenge its validity. Then it gives a hint on its main theme — guiding the righteous — and then goes on to speak about the beginning of creation and the story of Adam to establish the theme that humankind is here on earth as a vicegerent of the Creator and should use the Book as a manual to carry out the mission in the right way.

All these themes and messages cannot be carried except through this logical order in which Allah commanded for the Qur'an to be put. If a surah like Al-`Alaq was to be put at the beginning instead of Al-Fatihah, it could have given a significance of course and give a message, but not the exact fully wonderful message that we can get from the order of the Qur'an as it is now.

Why Al-`Alaq in the Current Order?

As for why Surat Al-`Alaq is mentioned in this specific order in the Qur'an, scholars hold the view that in the previous surah of At-Tin, Allah says what means that He has created humans in the best make (At-Tin 95:4). The details of that creation are cited in Surat Al-`Alaq:

*{Read in the name of your Lord Who created. Created humans, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood.}* (Al-`Alaq 96:1-2)

Revelation Order of the Qur'an

Revelation
Order
Surah Number Surah Name Arabic Name Total Verses Revelation Place
1 96 Alaq 19 Macca
2 68 Qalam 52 Macca
3 73 Muzammil 20 Macca
4 74 Mudathir 56 Macca
5 1 Fatehah 7 Macca
6 111 Lahab 5 Macca
7 81 Takwir 29 Macca
8 87 A'la 19 Macca
9 92 Leyl 21 Macca
10 89 Fajr 30 Macca
11 93 Duha 11 Macca
12 94 Inshira 8 Macca
13 103 Asr 3 Macca
14 100 Aadiyat 11 Macca
15 108 Kauthar 3 Macca
16 102 Takatur 8 Macca
17 107 Alma'un 7 Macca
18 109 Kafirun 6 Macca
19 105 Fil 5 Macca
20 113 Falaq 5 Macca
21 114 Nas 6 Macca
22 112 Iklas 4 Macca
23 53 Najm 62 Macca
24 80 Abasa 42 Macca
25 97 Qadr 5 Macca
26 91 Shams 15 Macca
27 85 Buruj 22 Macca
28 95 T'in 8 Macca
29 106 Qureysh 4 Macca
30 101 Qariah 11 Macca
31 75 Qiyamah 40 Macca
32 104 Humazah 9 Macca
33 77 Mursalat 50 Macca
34 50 Q'af 45 Macca
35 90 Balad 20 Macca
36 86 Tariq 17 Macca
37 54 Qamr 55 Macca
38 38 Sad 88 Macca
39 7 A'Raf 206 Macca
40 72 Jinn 28 Macca
41 36 Ya'sin 83 Macca
42 25 Furqan 77 Macca
43 35 Fatir 45 Macca
44 19 Maryam 98 Macca
45 20 Ta Ha 135 Macca
46 56 Waqiah 96 Macca
47 26 Shuara 227 Macca
48 27 Naml 93 Macca
49 28 Qasas 88 Macca
50 17 Bani Israil 111 Macca
51 10 Yunus 109 Macca
52 11 Hud 123 Macca
53 12 Yousuf 111 Macca
54 15 Hijr 99 Macca
55 6 Anam 165 Macca
56 37 Saffat 182 Macca
57 31 Luqman 34 Macca
58 34 Saba 54 Macca
59 39 Zumar 75 Macca
60 40 Mumin 85 Macca
61 41 Hamim Sajdah 54 Macca
62 42 Shura 53 Macca
63 43 Zukhruf 89 Macca
64 44 Dukhan 59 Macca
65 45 Jathiyah 37 Macca
66 46 Ahqaf 35 Macca
67 51 Dhariyat 60 Macca
68 88 Ghashiya 26 Madina
69 18 Kahf 110 Macca
70 16 Nahl 128 Macca
71 71 Noah 28 Macca
72 14 Ibrahim 52 Macca
73 21 Anbiya 112 Macca
74 23 Muminun 118 Macca
75 32 Sajdah 30 Macca
76 52 Tur 49 Macca
77 67 Mulk 30 Macca
78 69 Haqqah 52 Macca
79 70 Maarij 44 Macca
80 78 Naba 40 Macca
81 79 Naziat 46 Macca
82 82 Infitar 19 Macca
83 84 Inshiqaq 25 Macca
84 30 Rum 60 Macca
85 29 Ankabut 85 Macca
86 83 Tatfif 36 Macca
87 2 Baqarah 286 Madina
88 8 Anfal 75 Madina
89 3 Aal-e-Imran 200 Madina
90 33 Ahzab 73 Madina
91 60 Mumtahana 13 Madina
92 4 Nisa 176 Madina
93 99 Zilzal 8 Macca
94 57 Hadid 29 Madina
95 47 Muhammad 38 Madina
96 13 Ra'd 43 Madina
97 55 Rahman 78 Macca
98 76 Dahr 31 Madina
99 65 Talaq 12 Madina
100 98 Beyinnah 8 Madina
101 59 Hashr 24 Madina
102 24 Nur 64 Madina
103 22 Hajj 78 Madina
104 63 Munafiqun 11 Madina
105 58 Mujadila 22 Madina
106 49 Hujurat 18 Madina
107 66 Tahrim 12 Madina
108 64 Taghabun 18 Madina
109 61 Saff 14 Madina
110 62 Jumah 11 Madina
111 48 Fath 29 Madina
112 5 Maidah 120 Madina
113 9 Taubah 129 Madina
114 110 Nasr 3 Madina