The chapters of the Noble Qur'an were not written in the order in which they were revealed; what are the reasons for this?
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The questioner : The chapters of the Noble Qur'an were not written in the order in which they were revealed; what are the reasons for this?
The Shaykh : This was the result of the independent legal reasoning (ijtihad) of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them).
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : I do not know of any reason for this other than that it was the result of their independent legal reasoning; either it was based on a directive from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him),
The questioner : O Allah, send blessings and peace upon him.
The Shaykh : or it was based on pure independent legal reasoning, because the arrangement of the chapters of the Qur'an, in some cases, is based on a directive from the Lawgiver, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : For example, he would recite Surah Subh and Surah al-Ghashiyah in the Friday prayer, and he would recite Surah al-Jumu'ah and Surah al-Munafiqun; in such cases, it is said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) arranged them.
And there are aspects of the arrangement of the chapters that were the result of the independent legal reasoning of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them).
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Nevertheless, we cannot be certain of the wisdom behind it; rather, it appears to us that chapters of similar length and subject matter are found arranged together.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And the other chapters that differ in this regard are also found arranged together; for example, the seven long chapters—al-Baqarah, Aal 'Imran, al-Nisa, al-Ma'idah, al-An'am, and al-A'raf—are found in a sequence, and you will find the short chapters—which are called al-Mufassal—also in a sequence.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The Shaykh : This was the result of the independent legal reasoning (ijtihad) of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them).
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : I do not know of any reason for this other than that it was the result of their independent legal reasoning; either it was based on a directive from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him),
The questioner : O Allah, send blessings and peace upon him.
The Shaykh : or it was based on pure independent legal reasoning, because the arrangement of the chapters of the Qur'an, in some cases, is based on a directive from the Lawgiver, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : For example, he would recite Surah Subh and Surah al-Ghashiyah in the Friday prayer, and he would recite Surah al-Jumu'ah and Surah al-Munafiqun; in such cases, it is said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) arranged them.
And there are aspects of the arrangement of the chapters that were the result of the independent legal reasoning of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them).
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Nevertheless, we cannot be certain of the wisdom behind it; rather, it appears to us that chapters of similar length and subject matter are found arranged together.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And the other chapters that differ in this regard are also found arranged together; for example, the seven long chapters—al-Baqarah, Aal 'Imran, al-Nisa, al-Ma'idah, al-An'am, and al-A'raf—are found in a sequence, and you will find the short chapters—which are called al-Mufassal—also in a sequence.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.