6.2 The Second Revelation
From the lowest heaven sections of the Qur’aan were then taken down by the angel Jibreel to Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). This process of revelation continued over the twenty-three years of his prophethood. This revelation began with the first five verses of Soorah al-‘Alaq. These verses were revealed to the Prophet (ﷺ)
while he was on a spiritual retreat in the cave of Hiraa’ near Makkah.42 However, the first complete soorah to be revealed was Soorah al-Faatihah. 43 The revelation of this portion of Qur’aan marked the beginning of the final phase of prophethood. The last soorah to be revealed was Soorah an-Nasr. 44 This soorah was brought down in Minaa during the Farewell Hajj of the Prophet (ﷺ), which took place at the end of the tenth year after the Hijrah. According to Ibn ‘Abbaas, the last verse to be revealed was verse 281 in Soorah al-Baqarah, the last of a series of verses dealing with interest.45 Allaah has referred to the second revelation in the following way:
“And (it is) a Qur’aan which I have divided into parts in order that you (Muhammad) may recite it to the people gradually, and I have revealed it by successive revelation.” 46
42 Reported by ‘Aa’ishah and collected by al-Bukhaaree (Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol. 1, pp. 2-4, no. 3)
and Muslim (Sahih Muslim, vol. 1, pp. 96-8, no. 301).
43 Collected by al-Bayhaqee in Dalaa’il an-Nuboowah and al-Waahidee in Asbaab an-Nuzool. AsSuyootee said its narrators were reliable but the isnaad is mursal. See al-Itqaan, vol. 1, pp.70-71.
44 That was Ibn ‘Abbaas’s opinion, as collected by Imaam Muslim (Sahih Muslim, vol. 4, p. 1554, nos. 7174-5). Other sahaabah had differing opinions. See al-Itqaan, vol. 1, pp. 77-81.
45 Collected by al-Bukhaaree (Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol. 6, p. 51, no. 67). This verse, “And guard yourselves against a day when you will be brought back to Allaah; then every soul will be paid in full what it earned, and they will not be wronged,” did not involve an addition to Islaamic legislation, therefore there is no contradiction between this report and the statement of Allaah in Soorah al-Maa’idah (5):3, revealed at the Farewell Hajj, “This day I have completed your deen for you.”
46 Soorah al-Israa’ (17):106