It is reported in the athar that the Qur'an was sent down in one lump to the lowest heaven, then it was sent down in parts. Does this contradict the saying of Allah the Exalted:

The Shaykh : How?

The questioner: The descent of the Qur'an. There are some verses that on their surface indicate it was sent down in one lump, and on their surface, other verses indicate they were sent down once for each incident, along with some athar whose authenticity we know from Ibn Abbas and others. So what is the reconciliation of the statement in your view?

The Shaykh : I did not understand the question.

The questioner: Did the Qur'an come down in one lump?

The Shaykh: Yes, the Qur'an came down in one lump to the House of Glory in the lowest heaven, as is authentic in the athar from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), and then it came down according to the occasion.

The questioner: ... My Shaykh ... meaning Allah (Mighty and Majestic) spoke about it with the incident, not that this preceded it, like the saying of Allah (the Exalted): , , so this means on its surface that this verse was sent down after the dialogue or the complaint or the grievance.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner: And this perhaps contradicts what was mentioned from Ibn Abbas?
The student: What is the contradiction?

The questioner: was sent down after the complaint. If it had been sent down in the House of Glory on the Night of Decree, or in what becomes, meaning for this part of the verse, it has an apparent meaning.

The Shaykh: By Allah, the truth is, as Abu Faris indicated, the question needs some clarification. Because when there is something heard, our Lord hears everything, He knows that thing before it happens. So the attribute of hearing is not the attribute of knowledge, as is well known. But what is the type of problem? Does this deny that the Qur'an, whose incident will occur, was sent down, and the information from the Lord of the Worlds that He hears that incident? The truth is, I did not understand the question before I understood it later, but I did not know where the problem came from.

The questioner: ... and harm befalls the Muslims, so a Qur'anic verse is sent down as a response to this incident.

The Shaykh: All right.

The questioner: And the incident of the arguing woman.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner: It became clear that this verse was sent down after its arrival.

The Shaykh: Meaning: From where was it sent down?

The questioner: From Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Allah (Mighty and Majestic) spoke it.

The Shaykh: ... But from the House of Glory, what prevents it from being here?

The questioner: The prevention is . There is a difference between "heard" and "hears."

The Shaykh: I am not denying that He hears when the dialogue actually took place. Allah was hearing without a doubt. There is no necessary connection between "hears" and speech and descent.

The questioner: Shaykh, if it was sent down in the House of Glory, if it was sent down in the House of Glory, "hears" here is not appropriate except in the meaning of knowledge, as the Mu'tazilah and others interpreted it. Why did He not say "Allah has known the statement of the woman who argues with her husband" if it was sent down in the House of Glory? But when the hearing was after her speech with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner: The attribute of hearing is appropriate for , whereas knowledge, its descent to the House of Glory on the Night of Decree, for example, or in one lump, is incompatible with the attribute of hearing. Meaning, the attribute of knowledge is more appropriate for it.

The Shaykh: We said two things. This is number one. Number two: Is it not possible, even temporarily, until Allah opens up for us or for some of our brothers sitting here an answer that is more acceptable? Is it not possible that such an incident is an exception to the general rule?

The questioner: No problem. It is a general text. And if reconciliation is not possible by any way of reconciliation, it is said: The Qur'an is a general text, except where we find what compels us to say that this was not among what was sent down.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : How?

The questioner: ... the evidence ... .

The Shaykh: No, the hadith scholar has no problem with ... the problem is, yes.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh: Whenever it comes, the door of reconciliation is open. Meaning, the issue of excluding the lesser from the greater, as Ibn Hazm says in his book Al-Ihkam fi Usul al-Ahkam. This is a known rule in Islam: "Excluding the lesser from the greater in case of contradiction." So however many evidences you imagine that compel us to specify the general text, they are far fewer than the general text, especially since they will not be as clear in the conception of the problem.

The Shaykh: We do not know if Abu Abd al-Rahman has something?
The student: Does it not return to the Preserved Tablet?

The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: So I will say, since the athar from Ibn Abbas is established, we say that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) sent it down with His knowledge, and He spoke about it previously. And Allah ... He spoke previously and is still speaking (Glorified and Exalted is He).

The Shaykh: He is still.
The student: Then if ... the situation is that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) spoke about it.
Another student: Listen, may Allah bless you, the remaining brothers in the back did not hear.
Another student: AndThe Shaykh : He is asking me just one question.

The Shaykh: Excuse me, please go ahead.
The student: I do not know this ... if the speech is directed, did you hear them? If it is not directed, why did He make them hear?

The Shaykh: No, it is directed. Why not? It is good. May Allah bless you.
The student: I say that the problem with what the brother mentioned, the athar of Ibn Abbas, returns to the Preserved Tablet, is that not so?

The Shaykh: In the Preserved Tablet, in the Noble Qur'an.
The student: I know, but it may not return.

The Shaykh : Why?
The student: Because the Preserved Tablet, by the consensus of the Ummah, everything was written in it. The first thing Allah created was the Pen, and He said to it: Write everything.

The Shaykh: All right.
The student: So it wrote.

The Shaykh: And it wrote the speech of Allah?
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh: It wrote the speech of Allah.
The student: There is no disagreement.

The Shaykh: No problem, but in sequence we reach what the Shaykh wants.
The student: Ah, I understood what he wanted.

The Shaykh: Okay, so what is the answer?
The student: There is no disagreement about the Preserved Tablet. The disagreement is about its descent from the Preserved Tablet to ...

The Shaykh: There is no correct disagreement, but the problem is: Does what you mentioned not apply to what is in the Preserved Tablet? It applies without a doubt.

The Shaykh: Okay, brother Salim.
The student: There will be two answers.

The Shaykh: Go ahead.
The student: Perhaps Allah (Glorified and Exalted) ... the first matter is that what was mentioned from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Qur'an was sent down in one lump to the House of Glory, then it was sent down as stars according to the incidents, is that the Qur'an is with the knowledge of Allah (Glorified and Exalted), and what Allah (Glorified and Exalted) knows will happen, so Allah (Glorified and Exalted) informed about the occurrence of this argument with her husband before it happened with His knowledge (Glorified and Exalted), so what Allah (Glorified and Exalted) knew happened as Allah (Glorified and Exalted) knew another matter that the ...

The Shaykh: Excuse me, it is not appropriate to turn the speech away from the cause in that, because the question relates to the divine speech. So if you want to remove the problem and make the answer clear to those present, direct your speech, if you wish, around the divine speech.
The student: Another matter.

The Shaykh: No, the first one.
The student: The first one is that Allah (Glorified and Exalted) spoke it from eternity. Allah (Glorified and Exalted) is described with speech before, meaning He is described with speech from eternity. So how do we say that Allah (Glorified and Exalted) ... this contradicts the knowledge of Allah (Glorified and Exalted), and He had decreed the decrees before He created the things.

The Shaykh: You are not answering the brother's problem.
The student: The aspect of the problem, Professor, the aspect of the problem is in the verse .

The Shaykh: Yes.
The student: Verbs can be expressed in the past for the present, and the present for the past, as in the saying of Allah (Glorified and Exalted): .

The Shaykh: ... an example, but here, does the meaning of the verse mean "will hear"?
The student: He heard.

The Shaykh: But how did He hear when there was no heard thing there?
The student: By its descent, that it will happen.

The Shaykh: ... We have entered the door of ta'wil (figurative interpretation). It remains recorded as his problem: How did He say this before the speech and dialogue between them took place? Okay, the second answer, so that there is support there.
The student: The other is that the expression of the present for the past and the past for the present , meaning: as came in the beginning of the verse: . There is no contradiction between the past and present verbs.
Another student: According to his saying: before it happened.
Another student: And the examples are many in this matter, and Allah knows best.
Another student: Our Shaykh, may Allah bless you, is it necessary for the word "hears" that there is speech existing now ... is this necessary, our Shaykh?

The Shaykh: This is a present tense verb that indicates the present and the future.