Which Surahs Were Revealed All At Once vs In Installments: Sheikh ‘Abdullah al-‘Awaaji

Sheikh ‘Abdullah al-‘Awaaji (former professor of Tafsir at the Islamic University of al-Madinah) wrote the following on Twitter in response to a question he received:

عدد السور التي صحت الأحاديث والآثار بنزولها جملة واحدة: أحد عشر سورة : أ-سورتان طويلتان وهما: الأنعام، والتوبة، ب-وثلاث سور متوسطة وهي الفتح، والمرسلات والمنافقون ، ج-وست سور قصيرة وهي : التكاثر، والكوثر ، والنصر، والمسد، والفلق، والناس. ـ

The number of surahs for which there are authentic narrations from the Prophet or Sahabah stating that the entire surah was revealed all at once is: twelve surahs.

Two long surahs: al-An’aam (6) and al-Tawbah (8)

Three medium-length surahs: al-Fath (48), al-Mursalat (77), and al-Munafiqoon (63)

Six short surahs: al-Takathur (102), al-Kawthar (108), al-Nasr (110), al-Masad (111), al-Falaq (113), and al-Nas (114)

وأكثر قصار السور يظهر من سياق آياتها ووحدة موضوعها أنها نزلت جملة واحدة، ولكن لم يأتِ حديث أو أثر، لكنه الغالب في النظر. ـ

And based on the context of the ayaat and singular theme of most of the short surahs, it appears that most were also revealed in one installment. This is the case for most of them, even if there is no statement from the Prophet or the Sahabah explicitly stating that.

وعدد السور التي وردت أحاديث وآثار تفيد نزولها جملة واحدة، ولكنها لم تصح: ست سور، وهي: أ-سورتان طويلتان وهما: المائدة ، والكهف ، ب-وسورة متوسطة وهي الصف، ج-وثلاث سور قصيرة وهي : والبينة والكافرون، والإخلاص. ـ

Now the number of surahs for which there are narrations – though not authentic – from the Prophet or Sahabah indicating that they were revealed in one single installment is: six surahs.

Two long surahs: al-Ma’idah (5) and al-Kahf (18)

One medium-length surah: al-Saff (61)

Three short surahs: al-Bayyinah (98), al-Kafiroon (109), and al-Ikhlas (112)

وغالب سور القرآن الكريم المتوسطة والطويلة نزلت سوره آيات مفرقات . وعن أبي نُضرة : قال كان أبو سعيد الخدري يعلمنا القرآن خمس آيات بالغداة ، وخمس آيات بالعشي ، ويخبر أن جبريل نزل بالقرآن خمس آيات ،خمس آيات . وعن أبي العالية : قال قال عمر رضي الله عنه: ” تعلموا القرآن خمساً خمساً آيات؛ فإن جبريل نزل بالقرآن على النبي ﷺ خمساً خمساً” . والراجح في الاثر عن أبي العالية إرساله . وبعض هذه الآثار يقوي بعضاً. ـ

Meanwhile, most of the medium and long surahs were revealed in installments.

Abu Nadhrah said:

Abu Sa’eed al-Khudhri used to teach us five ayaat in the morning and five ayaat in the evening, and he told us that Jibril revealed the Qur’an five ayaat at a time.

Abu’l-‘Aliyah relayed that ‘Umar said:

Teach the Qur’an five ayaat at a time, for Jibril revealed the Qur’an to the Prophet five ayaat at a time.

The strongest opinion is that this report from Abu’l-‘Aliyah is mursal, but some of these narrations strengthen and reinforce the others.

بل ثبت نزول بعض قصار السور وخاصة في أوائل النزول مفرقة ، وعلى سبيل المثال : أول ما نزل من القرآن الكريم الآيات الخمس الأولى من سورة العلق. وهي قوله تعالى: {اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ. خَلَقَ الْأِنْسَانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ. اقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ الْأَكْرَمُ. الَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ. عَلَّمَ الْأِنْسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ} و نزل ٦-١٤ في قصة خاصة. ونزل ١٥-١٩ في قصة خاصة. ونزلت الأربع الآيات الأولى أو اكثر من سورة المدثر دفعة، ونزلت خمس عشر آية( ١١-٢٥ ) دفعة والظاهر أن ما بينهما نزل دفعة، وأن ما بعدهما نزل دفعة، فتكون على الاقل نزلت في أربع دفعات. ـ

Yet some of the short surahs – especially the earliest revelations – have been authentically reported to have been revealed in installments. To give some examples:

The first part of the Qur’an to be revealed were the first five ayaat from surah al-‘Alaq, which are Allah’s statement:

اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ. خَلَقَ الْأِنْسَانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ. اقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ الْأَكْرَمُ. الَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ. عَلَّمَ الْأِنْسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ

Recite by the name of your Lord who created * Created mankind from a clot * Recite, and your Lord is most Generous * Who taught to write * Who taught mankind what they did not know [96:1-5]

and then ayaat 6-14 were revealed about a specific incident, and then ayaat 15-19 were revealed about a specific incident.

And the first four ayaat or perhaps more of surah al-Muddathir were revealed in one installment, then fifteen ayaat (ayaat 11-25) were revealed in another installment, and it appears that the ayaat in between those two were revealed in another installment and that the ayaat after those were revealed in yet another installment, which would mean that that the surah was revealed in at least four installments.

[As found on the al-Istisharat al-Qur’aniyyah Twitter account here on 2/14/2024]

See also: The Makki and Madani Surahs in Chronological Order: al-Suyooti

See also: The Preservation of the Numbering of Ayaat in the Qur’an

See also: Later Surahs Build on Earlier Surahs: Imam al-Shatibi

See also: How Was the Arrangement of Ayaat and Surahs Decided?: al-Suyooti