Was the Order Of the Suras Stipulated By Allah?
Question: Assalamu ‘alaykum.
1)Why wasn’t the Qur’an organized by Allah, and why did the organizers of the Qur’an not organize it in terms of the order of revelation?
2)Why did the person who collected the Qur’an rely on the memory of people for the Qur’an to be collected?
3)Was the Qur’an messed up?
Answer:
Wa ‘alaykum assalam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.
I pray you are well.
Firstly, you have asked questions that require a lot of detail to fully answer. I will give you brief answers, but to get a complete understanding please take our ‘Ulum al Qur’an course or this course that covers this and some slightly broader topics on revelation and its truth.
Why Was the Qur’an Not Organized By Allah?
The simple answer is that it was! Allah chose the sequence of the suras of the Qur’an, and told His Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) where to place each sura – and where to place each verse in every sura. There are many narrations that point to this.
Those who documented it and those who compiled them later did not change anything of the order the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) told them to place it in.
Why Is It Not In the Order It Was Revealed In?
Simply because Allah chose its order. There are many other miraculous elements that you will learn about in the courses above.
Was the Qur’an Messed Up?
I don’t know what you precisely mean by this question, but no, it was not. The Qur’an is a text which has been proven to be accurately preserved in the state it was revealed in. Its truth claim is verified by many miracles and proofs. Its wisdom has surpassed what human minds could conceive. It is perfect.
Please take the above courses, and do yourself a favor by staying away from the ill-informed and antagonistic sources that furnished you with the misunderstanding that so clearly troubled you. Poison always harms you, my friend, even if it comes in a fancy bottle.
May Allah bless you with the best of both worlds.
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital and he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.
