Page 41 - Ulum Al Quran An Introduction To The Sciences Of The Quran

52, 67, 69, 70, 78, 79, 82, 84,
There is a difference of opinion as to what was last revealed in Makka. Some say, following Ibn 'Abbas, that it was Sura
29 (al-ankabut); others say Sura 23 (al-mu'minun); still others say Sura 83 (al-mutaffifin). Some believe that Sura 83 is
actually Madinan.

The following 29 suras are, according to Zarkashi, [Zarkashi. Vol. 1, p. 194. For another list see fihrist. 1, pp. 52-3.] of
Madinan origin:
2, 8, 3, 33, 60, 4, 99, 57, 47, 13, 55, 76, 65, 98, 59, 110, 24, 22, 63, 58, 49, 66, 61, 62, 64, 48, 9, 5.

Some hold that Sura 1 (al-fatiha) is of Makkan, others that it is of Madinan, origin.

The Makkan suras constitute about 11, and the Madinan about 19 juz' of the text.

From the above division it is obvious that the Madinan suras are the longer ones and comprise a much larger part of the
Qur'an.

Chronology

According to a list based upon Nu'man b. Bashir and given in the fihrist of al-Nadim, [Fihrist, I. pp.49-52.] the
chronological order of the revelation of the suras is as follows:

96, 68, 73, 74, 111, 81, 94, 103, 89, 93, 92, 100, 108, 102, 107, 109, 105, 112, 113, 114, 53, 80, 97, 91,
85, 95, 106, 101, 75, 104, 77, 50, 90, 55, 72, 36, 7, 25, 35, 19, 20, 56, 26, 27, 28, 17, 11, 12, 10, 15,
37, 31, 23, 34, 21, 37, 40, 41, 47, 43, 44, 45, 46, 51, 88, 18, 6, 16, 71, 14, 32, 52, 67, 69, 70, 78, 79,
82, 84, 30, 29, 83, 54, 86.

Why is it important to know the chronology of the suras and verses, although the Qur'an is not arranged in chronological
order?

To know the origin and order of some of the revelation is important for understanding its meaning which can often be
more easily grasped if one knows the time and circumstances that relate to it. For instance, many ayat from the Makkan
period may be especially meaningful to Muslims living in a strongly un-Islamic environment, while some of the Madinan
period would appeal much to Muslims who are in the process of formation of the umma. In some cases, unless one
knows which of two or more related verses was revealed first, one cannot decide which legal ruling is now binding upon
the Muslims. Here knowledge of the chronology is directly linked with the issue of al-nasikh wa al-mansukh. [See below
for details.] It is also important to know the chronology of verses in order to understand the gradual development of
many Muslim practices, attitudes and laws such as e.g. towards prohibition of alcohol, towards fighting, etc. and to see
how these matters developed historically, i.e. during the lifetime of the Prophet in order to understand their full
implications. [For example as far as fighting the enemy is concerned, the first verse revealed on this particular subject is
from Sura al-hajj (22). This verse is from the Madinan period and it becomes clear from this that Muslims were not drawn
to fight against the non-Muslims before the hijra. This has important implications for our own planning and thinking, e.g.
to decide when Islam has to be defended today with verbal and when with physical means.]
Knowledge about the Makkan and Madinan suras derived from the sahaba and tabi'un and nothing is said about this by
the Prophet himself. [al-Baqillani, in Qattan, op. cit., p.55.] This is because at his time everyone was a witness and well
aware of the occasions of revelation.

Often there is internal evidence, as to which, part of the revelation is Makkan or Madinan. There are a number of guiding
criteria, which help to distinguish between them:

 The theme. Does it belong to the Makkan or Madinan period? e.g. verses about warfare (9: 5) are only
revealed after hijra.

 Sometimes there is a direct reference, such as e.g. to Abu Lahab in Sura 111, or to the Battle of Badr in
Sura 3: 123.

 The length. Makkan ayat are often short, Madinan ones longer, e.g.: Sura al-shu'ara'(26) is Makkan. It
has 227 ayat. Sura al-anfal (8) is Madinan. It has (only) 75 ayat.

Makkan suras are usually short, Madinan ones longer, e.g.: Juz' 30 is overwhelmingly Makkan. It has 543 (Makkan) ayat.