HISTORY AND IMPORTANCE OF THE HOLY QURAN

Q. WRITE AN ACCOUNT OF THE WAYS IN WHICH THE QURAN WAS REVEALED TO THE HOLY PROPHET
(SAW) BETWEEN THE YEARS 610 TO 632 A.D.

General Introduction

 THE GLORIOUS BOOK CALLED THE HOLY QURAN, THE SOURCE OF GUIDANCE FOR THE WORLD, WAS REVEALED
UPON ITS RECIPIENT, THE HOLY PROPHET MUHAMMAD (SAW) IN A SPAN OF ABOUT 23 YEARS.
 THE HOLY QURAN WAS NOT INSTANTLY REVEALED IN A BOOK FORM. RATHER, IT WAS REVEALED AS PER THE
NEEDS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR ADRESSING THE ISSUES AT HAND.

Specific introduction

 THE PROCESS OF REVELATIONS STARTED WHEN THE HOLY PROPHET (SAW) WAS IN THE CAVE OF HIRA.
 GIVE A BRIEF MENTION OF THE CAVE OF HIRA INCIDENT HERE (OF 6 TO 8 LINES)

Body

A) METHOD OF REVELATIONS
 THE METHOD OF REVELATION OF THE HOLY QURAN TO HOLY PROPHET (SAW) WAS NOT
UNIFORM.
 SOMETIMES THE WHOLE SURAH WOULD BE REVEALED AND AT OTHER TIMES, ONLY A FEW
VERSES.
 SOMETIMES, THEY WERE REVEALED TO THE PROPHET (SAW) IN THE FORM OF A DREAM.
 AT OTHER TIMES, THE REVELATIONS CAME IN SUCH A WAY THAT THE PERSPIRATION COULD BE
SEEN VISIBLE ON THE HOLY PROPHET (SAW)’S FOREHEAD.
 SOMETIMES, THEY CAME IN SHAPE OF A WEIGHT SO IMMENSE; THE ANIMAL THE HOLY PROPHET
(SAW) TRAVELLED UPON COULDN’T TOLERATE AND WOULD SIT DOWN TILL THE PROCESS IS
DONE WITH.
 A COMPANION RELATES THAT HE WAS SITTING WITH HIS LEG UNDER THE LEG OF THE HOLY
PROPHET (SAW). A REVELATION CAME AT THAT MOMENT AND HE FELT AS IF HIS LEG WOULD
CRUSH UNDER THE WEIGHT (BUKHARI).
 SOMETIMES, IT CAME IN SHAPE OF THE RINGING OF A BELL.
 AT OTHER TIMES, HZ JIBRAEEL (A.S) APPEARED IN SHAPE OF A COMPANION NAMED YAHYA
QALBI (R.A)
 AT SOME OTHER INSTANCES, HZ JIBRAEEL (A.S) APPEARED IN HIS ACTUAL ANGEL FORM.
 THE HOLY PROPHET (SAW) IS REPORTED TO HAVE SAID, “THE REVELATION COMES TO ME
SOMETIMES AS RINGING OF A BELL AND THIS IS THE HARDEST ON ME, THEN HE (THE ANGEL)
LEAVES ME AND I REMEMBER FROM HIM WHAT HE SAYS; AND SOMETIMES THE ANGEL COMES
IN SHAPE OF A MAN AND HE TALKS TO ME AND I REMEMBER WHAT HE SAYS” (BUKHARI)

REASONS OF REVELATIONS

 THE REASONS FOR REVELATIONS WERE:

 A) TO CALL THE PEOPLE TOWARDS ISLAM.
B) TO WARN THEM OF THE CONSEQUENCES IF THEY DISOBEYED THE PROPHET (SAW).
C) TO GIVE DIRECTIONS TO THE MUSLIMS.
D) TO COMFORT AND CONSOLE THE HOLY PROPHET (SAW).
E) TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE REGARDING THE SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, POLITICAL, SPIRITUAL MATTERS ETC.

PLACES AND TIME OF REVELATION:

 THE REVELATIONS WOULD NOT COME WITH A PRIOR INTIMATION.

 THE REVELATIONS CAME IN BOTH, MAKKAH AND MADINAH.
 AFTER THE FIRST REVELATION, SURA AL-‘ALAQ, REVELATION STOPPED FOR A PERIOD WHICH CAUSED THE
PROPHET TO WORRY.
 ONCE THEY STARTED AGAIN THEY CAME STRONGLY AND FREQUENTLY.
 THEY WOULD COME AT ANY PLACE DEEMED FIT BY THE ALMIGHTY.
 THE REVELATIONS WERE RECEIVED BY THE HOLY PROPHET (SAW) AT DIFFERENT PLACE SUCH AS THE PLANE OF
ARAFAT AFTER THE PERFORMANCE OF THE HAJJ SERMON, WHEN HE WAS IN THE MASJID E NABVI AND SO ON.

METHOD OF PRESERVATION

 ALTHOUGH THE QURAN WAS REVEALED IN BITS AND CHUNKS, EVERY VERSE REVEALED HAD A PARTICULAR PLACE IN A
CHAPTER AND EVERY CHAPTER WAS GIVEN ITS PLACE IN THE BOOK.
 AFTER THE REVELATION, THE PROPHET (SAW) WOULD CALL HIS COMPANIONS AND WOULD DICTATE THE TEXT TO
HIM.
 THE COMPANIONSWOULD PRESERVE IT ON VARIOUS ITEMS SUCH AS FLAT STONE TABLETS, SKIN OF ANIMALS, DATE
PALM TREE LEAVES, SHOULDER BONE OF CAMELS ETC.

Conclusion

 IN THE LAST YEAR OF THE PROPHET (SAW)’S LIFE, HE RECITED THE QURAN TWICE.
 THIS IS HOW THE DIVINE MESSAGE WAS RECORDED IN SCRIPTURAL FORM AND LEARNT BY HEART TO BE
PRESERVED FOR THE COMING GENERATIONS.
Q. WRITE AN ACCOUNT OF THE WAYS IN WHICH THE QURAN WAS REVEALED TO THE HOLY PROPHET (SAW) IN THE YEARS
610 AND 632 A.D.

 THIS PART OF THE ANSWER REQUIRES A DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT OF THE REVELATIONS, FROM THE FIRST ONES TO THE
LAST ONES.
 ANSWERS SHOULD INDICATE (AND DESCRIBE) THAT REVELATIONS CAME IN BOTH MAKKAH AND MADINAH.
 AN ACCOUNT OF THE FIRST EXPERIENCE SHOULD BE GIVEN; WHEN THE PROPHET (SAW) WAS MEDITATING IN THE
CAVE OF HIRA,
 THE ANGEL CAME TO HIM AND COMMANDED HIM TO READ.
 THEY COULD ALSO ADD REFERENCES TO OTHER REVELATIONS COMING AT OTHER TIMES WITHOUT WARNING.
 THEY COULD ALSO ADD INFORMATION OF THE BODILY CHANGES IN THE PROPHET (SAW).
 THEY COULD ALSO ADD INFORMATION THAT THE REVELATIONS PROVIDED ANSWERS TO SITUATIONS HAPPENING IN
HIS LIFE AT THAT TIME.
 EXAMPLES AND DETAILS SHOULD BE GIVEN.
 EXCELLENT ANSWERS WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE A CONFIDENT NARRATIVE OF THE MODES IN WHICH THE
REVELATIONS CAME DOWN AND GIVE A COHERENT ACCOUNT OF THE HISTORY THE PROPHET (SAW)’S EXPERIENCES.

2 (A) WRITE ABOUT THE EVENTS OF THE FIRST REVELATION RECEIVED BY THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH) AND HOW HE
WAS REASSURED AFTERWARDS. [10]

 CANDIDATES SHOULD INCLUDE SOME OF THE FOLLOWING POINTS. ALL OTHER RELEVANT POINTS MUST BE CREDITED.
 THE PROPHET (PBUH) HAD INCREASED THE TIME HE SPENT IN SOLITUDE IN THE CAVE OF HIRA.
 WHEN HE WAS 40 THE REVELATION CAME TO HIM, DURING THE MONTH OF RAMADAN: THE ANGEL JIBRIL CAME TO
HIM AND INSTRUCTED HIM TO READ, IQRA, AND THE PROPHET (PBUH) REPLIED HE COULD NOT.
 THE ANGEL SQUEEZED HIM HARD (‘THE ANGEL PRESSED ME UNTIL I COULD NOT BEAR IT ANY MORE’) HE REPEATED
THE COMMAND AND SQUEEZED THE PROPHET (PBUH) AGAIN, THEN AFTER A THIRD TIME THE ANGEL SQUEEZED HIM,
RELEASED HIM THEN RECITED THE FIRST FEW VERSES OF SURA ALAQ (96.1–5): “READ! IN THE NAME OF YOUR LORD,
WHO CREATED, 2. CREATED MAN OUT OF A CLOT OF CONGEALED BLOOD: 3. PROCLAIM! AND YOUR LORD IS MOST
BOUNTIFUL, 4. HE WHO TAUGHT BY THE PEN, 5. TAUGHT MAN WHAT HE DID NOT KNOW.”
 THE PROPHET (PBUH) CAME OUT OF THE CAVE AND SAW THE ANGEL ON THE HORIZON.
 THE ANGEL TOLD HIM, “YOU ARE THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH AND I AM JIBRIL.”
 HE WAS CONFUSED AND SHAKEN AND HE RAN HOME AND ASKED HIS WIFE TO COVER HIM.
 SHE CONSOLED HIM, SAYING GOD WOULD NOT DISGRACE HIM, AND WENT TO SEE HER COUSIN, WARAQA BIN
NAWFAL, WHO CONFIRMED HIS PROPHETHOOD.
2. (A) WRITE ABOUT THE PROPHET’S DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES OF REVELATION, AFTER THE FIRST REVELATION. [10]

 ANSWERS HERE SHOULD NOT GIVE A NARRATIVE OF THE FIRST REVELATION IN THE CAVE OF HIRA, THOUGH BRIEF
MENTION OF IT IS FINE.
 CANDIDATES SHOULD ALSO FOCUS ON THE MAKKAN PERIOD, I.E. THE FIRST 13 YEARS OF REVELATION.
 CANDIDATES SHOULD MENTION THAT THE QUR’AN WAS REVEALED TO THE PROPHET OVER A PERIOD OF 23
YEARS, AND NOT AS A COMPLETE BOOK.
 AFTER THE FIRST REVELATION, SURA AL-‘ALAQ, REVELATION STOPPED FOR A PERIOD WHICH CAUSED THE
PROPHET TO WORRY.
 ONCE THEY STARTED AGAIN THEY CAME STRONGLY AND FREQUENTLY.
 CANDIDATES COULD MENTION THAT THERE WERE DIFFERENT WAYS IN WHICH THE VERSES WERE REVEALED TO
THE PROPHET, SOMETIMES THE ANGEL JIBRA’IL BROUGHT THE REVELATIONS AND SOMETIMES THEY WERE
REVEALED LIKE THE RINGING OF A BELL.
 THEY WERE NOT WITHIN HIS CONTROL (SURA 75:16-19) AND HE HAD NO IDEA WHEN THEY WERE COMING.
 CANDIDATES COULD GIVE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF VERSES THAT WERE REVEALED TO THE PROPHET IN MAKKA IN
DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES.
 THEY COULD ALSO MENTION THAT THE MAIN TASK OF THE PROPHET IN MAKKA WAS TO CALL PEOPLE TO ISLAM
AND SO THE MAKKAN SURAS ARE PRIMARILY BASED ON THE ONENESS OF ALLAH AND RIGHTEOUS CONDUCT.
 BETTER CANDIDATES WILL INCLUDE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES AND QUOTATIONS TO SUPPORT THEIR ANSWERS.

2. (A) WRITE ABOUT THE EVENTS OF THE FIRST REVELATION RECEIVED BY THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH) AND HOW
HE WAS REASSURED AFTERWARDS.