The Arrangement of Verses and Chapters in the Qur'an: Is It Divinely Prescribed?
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Question:
The Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) asked: Is the arrangement of the verses and chapters in the Noble Qur'an divinely prescribed, or is it a matter of opinion among scholars and the Salaf?
Answer:
As for the arrangement of the verses, it is definitely divinely prescribed, because it is from the command of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He is the one who orders that this verse be placed in such and such a location, commanding the scribes of revelation to place the verses in the positions to which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) directed them. The arrangement of the verses is divinely prescribed, and there is no doubt about that. As for the arrangement of the chapters, it is a matter of disagreement among scholars. The correct view is that it is not divinely prescribed, but rather the result of the ijtihad (independent legal reasoning) of the Companions. For this reason, it is permissible to recite this chapter before that chapter, whereas it is not permissible to recite a verse from the end of a chapter before one from its beginning. This is not permissible by consensus. As for the chapters, it is permissible to recite from the end of the mushaf (written copy of the Qur'an) and from the beginning of the mushaf. There is no harm in this regarding the chapters. Therefore, the mushafs of the Companions differed in the arrangement of the chapters, indicating that this was a matter of ijtihad. Some scholars say that even the placement of the chapters is divinely prescribed. Allah knows best, but the correct view is that it is not divinely prescribed.
The Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) asked: Is the arrangement of the verses and chapters in the Noble Qur'an divinely prescribed, or is it a matter of opinion among scholars and the Salaf?
Answer:
As for the arrangement of the verses, it is definitely divinely prescribed, because it is from the command of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He is the one who orders that this verse be placed in such and such a location, commanding the scribes of revelation to place the verses in the positions to which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) directed them. The arrangement of the verses is divinely prescribed, and there is no doubt about that. As for the arrangement of the chapters, it is a matter of disagreement among scholars. The correct view is that it is not divinely prescribed, but rather the result of the ijtihad (independent legal reasoning) of the Companions. For this reason, it is permissible to recite this chapter before that chapter, whereas it is not permissible to recite a verse from the end of a chapter before one from its beginning. This is not permissible by consensus. As for the chapters, it is permissible to recite from the end of the mushaf (written copy of the Qur'an) and from the beginning of the mushaf. There is no harm in this regarding the chapters. Therefore, the mushafs of the Companions differed in the arrangement of the chapters, indicating that this was a matter of ijtihad. Some scholars say that even the placement of the chapters is divinely prescribed. Allah knows best, but the correct view is that it is not divinely prescribed.
Source
شرح لمعة الاعتقاد [ صالح الفوزان ]، القرآن كلام الله — islamhouse.com (1:08:15)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.