The Stages of the Revelation of the Qur'an
Ramadan is a noble month. In it, Allah SWT reveals the Qur’an to the Prophet Muhammad SAW. The sharia contained in this Book of Allah applies to all people until the Day of Judgment.
‘The month of Ramadan is the one in which the Qur’an was revealed, as guidance for humankind and explanations regarding that guidance and a criterion (between right and wrong)’ (QS al-Baqarah: 185).
The Prophet Muhammad SAW said in a hadith qudsi: Allah says, ‘Whosoever is preoccupied with the Qur’an rather than remembering Me and supplicating to Me, I will grant him something better than what I grant those who supplicate to Me; and the superiority of the Words of Allah over all words is like the superiority of Allah over His creatures.’
Allah Ta’ala fixed the Night of the Descent of the Qur’an as Laylat al-Qadr. The value of that night is better than a thousand months. Therefore, the Prophet SAW urged Muslims to attain the honour of Laylat al-Qadr, which occurs in Ramadan, especially the last ten nights.
According to the ulama, the Qur’an was not only revealed on Laylat al-Qadr. The descent of this sacred book occurred through three successive stages. Some of it descended all at once. There are also stages in which the Qur’an descends gradually.
Lauh Mahfuzh
In essence, the Qur’an was revealed in three phases. In the first stage, Allah revealed the Qur’an to Lauh Mahfuzh. This sacred book was revealed there in its entirety. The evidence is Surah al-Buruj, verses 21-22. It means, ‘Indeed, those who disbelieve are the ones who deny the Qur’an, which is noble, kept in Lauh Mahfuzh.’
Imam al-Hafidz Badruddin al-Aini says that Lauh Mahfuzh is with Allah Ta’ala. The designation does not signify a place, but is an indication of the perfection of its existence compared with other creatures.
The Jumhur ulama typically interpret Lauh Mahfuzh as a book or a gigantic device that stores all data or blueprints concerning all events that occur, from time immemorial to the Day of Judgment. The creature is often equated with Umm al-Kitab (QS ar-Ra’d:39), Kitab Maknun (QS al-Waqi’ah:77), and Kitab al-Mubin (QS al-An’am:59).