Turns Out This Is Why The Qur'an Was Not Revealed All At Once; There Is Wisdom
Turns Out This Is Why The Qur’an Was Not Revealed All At Once, There Is Wisdom
Jakarta — CNBC Indonesia — Every Ramadan, the commemoration of Nuzulul Qur’an is an important moment for Muslims to recall the revelation to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The Qur’an itself was not revealed all at once, but gradually over a period of 22 years, 2 months and 22 days. The process began with the first revelation containing the command to read, delivered by the Angel Gabriel in the Cave of Hira. Subsequently, other verses descended in line with the events experienced by the Prophet and the community at the time. This gradual method served specific purposes. The following are four insights into its wisdom:
- Strengthening the Prophet’s Heart
One of the main wisdoms of revealing the Qur’an gradually is to strengthen and calm the heart of Prophet Muhammad in carrying out his mission of dawah. This is explained in Surah Al-Furqan verse 32: ’And those who disbelieve say, “Why was the Qur’an not revealed to him all at once?” Thus, We may strengthen your heart with it and We have arranged it in tirrage? The translation is “and We have made it easy to read gradually” Wait.
We should present the verse:
“wa qâlalladzîna kafarû lau nuzzila ’alaihil-qur’ânu jumlataw wâḫidah, kadzâlika linutsabbita bihî fu’âdaka wa rattalnâhu tartîlâ” translation: “Or those who disbelieve say, ‘Why was the Qur’an not revealed to him all at once?’ Thus, that We may strengthen your heart and We have revealed it in parts, in slow measure.” Something along those lines.
In the early days of preaching, the Prophet faced persecution from the Quraysh; the Qur’anic revelations were gradual to provide spiritual strength.
- Answering the Challenge of the Opponents and Lessons for the Prophet Muhammad
The gradual revelation also functioned to answer various questions and challenges from the disbelievers who sought to undermine Islam. At that time, those opposing the Prophet Muhammad frequently posed difficult questions to corner him. Through revelations that descended gradually, Allah provided answers to these issues, while also demonstrating the truth of the message carried by the Prophet Muhammad. This also served as a teaching medium for the Prophet Muhammad, as Allah would often admonish him when he erred in da’wah.
A described example of this wisdom is written in Surah Al-Kahfi verses 23 to 24. These verses descended as a rebuke to the Prophet Muhammad when he promised to provide answers to the Quraysh’s questions about the spirit, the People of the Cave (Ashabul Kahfi), and Zul-Qarnain.
“wa la taqûlanna lisyai’in innî fâ’ilun dzâlika ghadâ”
Jangan sekali-kali engkau mengatakan terhadap sesuatu, “Aku pasti melakukan hal itu besok,”
“illâ ay yasyâ’allâhu wa dzkur rabbaka idzâ nasîta wa qul ’asâ ay yahdiyani rabbî li’aqraba min hâdzâ rasyadâ”
kecuali (dengan mengatakan), “Insyaallah.” Ingatlah kepada Tuhanmu apabila engkau lupa dan katakanlah, “Mudah-mudahan Tuhanku akan memberiku petunjuk kepada yang lebih dekat kebenarannya daripada ini.”
When that time, the Prophet did not yet know the answer, since no verse had been revealed regarding it. Allah then taught the Prophet about the importance of saying “InshaAllah” before the needed answer was revealed.
- Easier to Memorise and Understand
The Qur’an was revealed gradually to make it easier to memorize, understand, and implement by Muslims. In the time of the Prophet Muhammad, memorization was a strong tradition among Arab society. As verses descended little by little, the companions could memorize them more easily before conveying them to others. Moreover, writing and compiling the Qur’anic revelation was initially limited, relying on palm leaves, bone, and stone as media of writing. The compilation of the Mushaf Qur’an only took place officially in the caliphates of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq and Uthman ibn Affan, several years after the Prophet’s death. Therefore, this staged process helped Muslims to understand the Qur’an more deeply, as each verse could be studied and acted upon before the next verse descended.
- Aligning with Events in Society
One of the unique features of the Qur’an is that many verses descended alongside events taking place in society. In this way, the revelation became a direct guide for real life. Moreover, some rules in Islam were also set gradually to be more readily accepted by society. A commonly cited example is the process of prohibiting khamr (intoxicants) or alcoholic drinks. In the early stage, the Qur’an mentioned that khamr has benefits but its harms outweigh the benefits, as explained in Surah Al-Baqarah 219.
“yas’alûnaka ’anil-khamri wal-maisir, qul fîhimâ itsmun kabîr wama manâfi’u lin-nâsi wa itsmuhumâ akbaru min nafi’himâ, wa yas’alûnaka mâdzâ yunfiqûn, qulil-’afw, kadzâlika yubayyinullâhu lakumul-âyâti la’allakum tatafakkarûn”
Mereka bertanya kepadamu (Nabi Muhammad) tentang khamar dan judi. Katakanlah, ‘Pada keduanya terdapat dosa besar dan beberapa manfaat bagi manusia. (Akan tetapi) dosa keduanya lebih besar daripada manfaatnya.’ Mereka (juga) bertanya kepadamu (tentang) apa yang mereka infakkan. Katakanlah, ‘(Yang diinfakkan adalah) lebih baik daripadanya.’