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the scribes of the Prophet (r) to record all of the Qur’aan during his lifetime.
This early preservation of Qur’aan was critical to maintaining the purity of the
teachings of Islaam, as it was the alterations in earlier books of revelation which
led their followers astray. The gradual revelation of the Qur’aan also gave them a
greater opportunity to contemplate the meanings of the verses. This, in turn,
caused them to question the Prophet (r) in order to clarify certain points or verify
certain interpretations. Thus, this generation was able to gain a truly deep
understanding of the Qur’aan. This was of great importance, because their
practical implementation of the principles of the Qur’aan became a guide to later
generations of Muslims and continues to be one to this day. Such an
understanding would not have been possible had the Qur’aan been revealed all at
once.
5. Dealing With Problems as They Arose
Often the verses of the Qur’aan would be revealed to deal specifically with
problems which faced the Prophet (r) and his companions. Sometimes people
would ask the Prophet (r) questions about which he had no knowledge, and
Allaah would reveal the answer. For example, it was reported that the story about
Thul-Qarnayn was revealed because the Jews asked the Prophet (r) about him, as
a test of his prophethood. Allaah revealed:
( ÇÑÌÈ #·ò2Ï çm÷ZÏiB Nä3øn=tæ (#qè=ø?r'y ö@è% ( Èû÷ütRös)ø9$# Ï `tã tRqè=t«ó¡our )
“And they ask you about Thul-Qarnayn. Tell them, ‘I will read to you
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a report.’ ”
At other times, verses would be revealed to correct an error made by the Prophet
(r) himself. An example of this is in Soorah at-Tawbah, in which Allaah told the
Prophet (r),
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Soorah al-Kahf (18):83. See Tafseer Ibn Katheer, vol. 3, p. 106.
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