《古兰经》的启示始于斋月的盖德尔夜（即第二十七夜，或二十一日之后的某个单数夜），那时先知穆罕默德ﷺ年满四十岁（约公元610年），他正在麦加附近山上的希拉洞中闭关静修。

The revelation of the Qur'an began in the laila al-qadr of Ramadan (the 27th night or one of the odd nights after the 21st) after the Prophet Muhammad had passed the fortieth year of his life (that is around the year 610), during his seclusion in the cave of Hira' on a mountain near Makka.

[关于圣训英文译文的说明：除非另有标注，圣训的英文译文取自以下文献：Khan, Muhammad Muhsin：《布哈里圣训实录的译义》，共9卷，伊斯坦布尔，1978年（简称 Bukhari）；以及 Siddiqui, Abdul Hamid：《穆斯林圣训实录》，共4卷，拉合尔，1978年（简称 Muslim）。]

[English translations of ahadith are, unless otherwise indicated, from Khan, Muhammad Muhsin: The Translation of the Meanings of Sahih al-Bukhari, 9 vols., Istanbul, 1978 (abbr. as Bukhari) and Siddiqui, Abdul Hamid: Sahih Muslim, 4 vols., Lahore, 1978 (abbr. as Muslim).] This is the account, as reported in the Sahih of Bukhari:

据圣妻、众信士之母阿伊莎传述：安拉的使者最初接受启示，是以善梦的形式出现的，这些梦如同晨光一般明晰（即真实无误）。此后，他开始喜爱独处。

Narrated Aisha the mother of the faithful believers: The commencement of the divine inspiration to Allah's apostle was in the form of good dreams which came like bright daylight (i.e. true) and then the love of seclusion was bestowed upon him.

他过去常常在希拉山洞中独居修行，在那里连续数日专心崇拜真主，直到想念家人才回去。他会带上在洞中所需的食物，然后回到他的妻子赫蒂彻那里，再次带上食物返回。直到有一天，真理突然降临到他身上，那时他正在希拉山洞中。

He used to go in seclusion in the Cave of Hira', where he used to worship (Allah alone) continuously for many days before his desire to see his family. He used to take with him food for the stay and then come back to (his wife) Khadija to take his food likewise again, till suddenly the truth descended upon him while he was in the Cave of Hira'.

天使来到他面前，让他诵读。先知回答说："我不会诵读。"先知接着说："天使抓住我（用力地），把我压得very紧，我再也承受不住。然后他放开我，又让我诵读，我回答说：'我不会诵读。'" Note: the Prophet is mentioned here, so ﷺ is written after each mention.

The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet replied 'I do not know how to read'. The Prophet added, 'The angel caught me (forcibly) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied, "I do not know how to read".

于是他再次抓住我,第二次紧紧压住我,直到我无法忍受为止。然后他放开我,又让我读,但我again回答说:"我不会读。"(或者:我该读什么?)于是他第三次抓住我并压住我,然后放开我,说道:

Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read, but again I replied, "I do not know how to read" (or what shall I read?). Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me, and then released me and said:

"奉你主之名而诵，你的主是创造者，他用血块创造了人。你应当诵读！你的主是最尊贵的。"……［布哈里，第一卷，第3则；第六卷，第478则；穆斯林，第一卷，第301则。］这段圣训接着讲述，先知回到他的妻子赫蒂彻身边，把他所经历的可怕遭遇告诉了她。她安慰他，两人便一同向瓦拉格咨询此事。瓦拉格是赫蒂彻的亲戚，也是一位有学问的基督徒。

"Read, in the name of Your Lord, who created, created man from a clot. Read! And Your Lord is the most bountiful" ... [Bukhari, I, No. 3; VI, No. 478; Muslim I, No. 301.] The narration goes on to tell us that the Prophet went back to his wife Khadija and recounted to her his dreadful experience. She comforted him and both of them consulted Waraqa, Khadlja's relative and a learned Christian, about it.

瓦勒加告诉穆罕默德，他遇到了那位“真主派遣给穆萨的人”，并且他将被他的族人驱逐。

Waraqa told Muhammad that he had encountered the one 'whom Allah had sent to Moses' and that he would be driven out by his people.

据圣妻、众信士之母阿伊莎传述：哈里斯·本·希沙姆问安拉的使者：“安拉的使者啊，启示是如何降临到您身上的？”安拉的使者ﷺ回答说：“有时它如同铃铛的响声那样降临，这种形式的启示是最为艰难的，而且在我领会了所启示的内容之后，这种状态便会过去。有时天使以人的形式来到我这里与我交谈，我便领会他所说的一切。” [Bukhari, I, No. 2.]

Narrated Aisha, the mother of the faithful believers: Al-Harith bin Hisham asked Allah's apostle: 'O Allah's apostle. How is the divine inspiration revealed to you?' Allah's apostle replied, 'Sometimes it is "revealed" like the ringing of a bell, this form of inspiration is the hardest of all and then this state passes off after I have grasped what is inspired. Sometimes the Angel comes in the form of a man and talks to me and I grasp whatever he says'. [Bukhari, I, No. 2.]

最早降示给先知穆罕默德ﷺ的启示，是《古兰经》第96章“凝血”（Al-'Alaq）的开头几节经文（96:1-3；也有学者认为是96:1-5）：

The first revelation that the Prophet Muhammad received is in the first verses from Sura al-'alaq (96:1-3, according to others 1-5):

“奉你主之名宣读，祂创造了人，用凝血块创造了人。你应当宣读！你的主是最尊贵的，祂教人用笔书写，教人所不知道的。”第九十六章的其余部分（现为十九节经文）是在之后的某个时候降示的。

'Read in the name of your Lord, who created, created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is most bountiful. (He who taught) the use of the pen taught man which he knew not.' The remainder of Sura 96, which now has 19 ayat, was revealed on some later occasion.

在第一次接收到的启示之后，启示中断了一段时间（称为“法特拉”），之后才重新降临。

After the first message thus received, revelation ceased for a certain period (called fatra) and then resumed:

据贾比尔·本·阿卜杜拉·安萨里叙述，他在谈及启示中断期间，转述了先知的话：“我正在走路，忽然听到天上传来一个声音。我抬头一看，看见的正是那位曾在希拉山洞来到我这里的天使，他坐在天地之间的一把椅子上。我害怕他，便回到家中，说：‘给我盖上（毯子）。’于是安拉降示了以下尊贵的经文：{你这盖着衣服的人啊！你起来，去警告（众人遭受安拉的刑罚）……直到‘也要远离一切污秽’}。此后，启示便强烈而持续地降临了。” [Bukhari, I, end of No. 3.]

Narrated Jabir bin 'Abdullah Al-Ansari while talking about the period of pause in revelation reporting the speech of the Prophet, 'While I was walking, all of a sudden I heard a voice from the heaven. I looked up and saw the same angel who had visited me at the Cave of Hira' sitting on a chair between the sky and the earth. I got afraid of him and came back home and said "Wrap me (in blankets)" and then Allah revealed the following holy verses (of the Qur'an): O you covered in your cloak, arise and warn (the people against Allah's punishment) ... up to "and all pollution shun".' After this revelation came strongly and regularly. [Bukhari, I, end of No. 3.]

《古兰经》中降示给先知穆罕默德ﷺ的第二段经文，是《muddaththir》章（74:15）的开头部分。

The second portion of the Qur'an revealed to the Prophet Muhammad was the beginning of Sura al-muddaththir (74: 15).

它现在由56节经文组成，其余部分是后来降示的，开头是：“披着外衣的人啊，起来警告吧，你要尊崇你的主，洁净你的衣服，远离污秽……”

It now consists of 56 verses, the rest revealed later, and begins as follows: 'O you, covered in your cloak, arise and warn, thy Lord magnify, thy raiment purify, pollution shun ...'

许多学者认为，《穆撒米鲁》章（第73章）是随后降示的启示。

Many hold that Sura al-muzzammil (73) was the next revelation.

根据其他学者的说法,《古兰经》第1章《法提海》是第三个被降示的章节。[苏尤蒂,《古兰学精义》,第1卷,第24页。]在其他早期启示中,据一些传闻,先知在麦加宣布的还有第111章、第81章、第87章、第92章、第89章等。随后启示继续降示,“提及天堂与火狱,直到人类皈依伊斯兰教,然后又降示了关于合法与非法的启示……”[苏尤蒂,《古兰学精义》,第1卷,第24页。]启示在先知一生之中持续降临,无论是在麦加还是麦地那,即大约持续了23年之久。

According to others, Sura al-fatiha (1) was the third sura to be revealed. [Suyuti, Itqan, I, p.24.] Among other early revelations, which the Prophet declared in Makka, are, according to some reports, Sura 111, Sura 81, Sura 87, Sura 92, Sura 89, etc. Then revelation continued, 'mentioning Paradise and Hell, and until mankind turned to Islam, then came revelation about halal and haram ... ' [Suyuti, Itqan, I, p.24.] Revelation came to the Prophet throughout his lifetime, both in Makka and Madina, i.e. over a period of approximately 23

……直至他在伊斯兰历10年(公元632年)去世前不久。

years, until shortly before his death in the year 10 after Hijra (632).

许多穆斯林学者认为，最后降示的启示是第2章第281节。

Many Muslim scholars agree that the last revelation was Sura 2, verse 281:

「你们当敬畏那一日，届时你们将被送归真主。然后，每个灵魂都将获得其所应得，而且没有人会受到不公的对待。」有人还说，这节经文是第2章第282节，或是第278节。[Kamal, Ahmad 'Adil: 'ulum al-Qur'an, Cairo, 1974, p.18.] 也有人提出，这三节经文是在同一时间降示的。先知在最后一次启示之后九夜便去世了。ﷺ

'And fear the day when ye shall be brought back to God. Then shall every soul be paid what it earned and none shall be dealt with unjustly.' Some also say that it was 2:282 or 2:278. [Kamal, Ahmad 'Adil: 'ulum al-Qur'an, Cairo, 1974, p.18.] It has also been suggested that all three verses were revealed on one occasion. The Prophet died nine nights after the last revelation.

其他学者认为，第5章第4节是最后降示的经文：

Others hold that Sura 5:4 was the last to be revealed:

"今日，我已为你们完善了你们的宗教，完成了我对你们的恩惠，并选择伊斯兰作为你们的宗教。"许多学者认为，这节经文是最后降示的启示，这种看法并不可靠，因为它是在先知最后一次朝觐时降示的。这一信息的依据是欧麦尔的一段圣训。苏尤蒂解释说，关于第五章中的这节经文，在它之后再没有降示关于教法、合法与非法的启示，从这个意义上说，它标志着宗教的"完成"。然而，提醒人们即将到来的审判日的启示仍在继续，而最后一次这样的启示正是上述这节经文。 [Sabuni, tibyan pp. 18-9]

'This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.' The opinion that this verse was the last revelation is not sound according to many scholars, since it was revealed during the last pilgrimage of the Prophet. This information is based upon a hadith from 'Umar. Suyuti explains concerning the verse in Sura 5 that after it nothing concerning ahkam and hal'al and haram was revealed, and in this sense it is the 'completion' of religion. However, revelation reminding man of the coming day of judgement continued and the last such revelation is the above verse. [Sabuni, tibyan pp. 18-9]

《古兰经》是在二十三年间分阶段降示的，并非一次性整部降示。

The Qur'an was revealed in stages over a period of 23 years, and not as a complete book in one single act of revelation.

这种情况有多方面的原因，其中最重要的有以下几点：

There are a number of reasons for this; most important are the following:

为了坚定先知ﷺ的心，不断与他对话，并在需要指引时随时给予引导。

 To strengthen the heart of the Prophet by addressing him continuously and whenever the need for guidance arose.

出于对先知ﷺ的体谅，因为启示对他来说是一种非常艰难的经历。

 Out of consideration for the Prophet since revelation was a very difficult experience for him.

逐步实施真主的律法。

 To gradually implement the laws of God.

为了让信士们更容易理解、运用和记诵启示。

 To make understanding, application and memorization of the revelation easier for the believers.