The Chronological Analysis of the Quran

The Quran was revealed in Arabic to the Prophet Mohammad in 610 CE
over 22 years. In the first twelve years of the revelation, the
Prophet was living in Makkah (Mecca). Persecution, at the hands of the
tribe of Quraysh then forced him, allallaahu alayhi wa sallam, and his
companions to leave to Al-Madeenah, in what is known as the Hijrah
(immigration), where he lived thelast ten years.
The 114 chapters of the Holy Quran are not listed in the chronological
order of their revelation. This special order, however, was inspired
to the Prophet by Allaah, the Most Exalted, so it is a genuine quality
of the Quran. Each chapter is described as either Makkan or Madeenan,
depending on whether the majority of its verseswere revealed before or
after the Hijrah.
Knowing the chronological order in which the different Soorahs
(Quranic chapters) or verses wererevealed can be of importance in some
cases. And even though this may not be possible for all ofthe 6234
verses, because the sequence was recorded at anytime, through sound
Ijtihaad (research) and analysis, scholars were capable of putting
togetherthe cases where authentic reports confirmed such order andthe
cases where that order was made clear.
These efforts resulted in the development of a method in which the
revelation of the Quranwas looked at in chronological terms as well as
dividing revelation into Makki (Makkan) and Madani (Madeenah) types or
periods.
We will first look at some of the benefits of this chronological
analysis, then proceed to discuss the Makki and Madani criteria
andtheir use in the Tafseer (interpretation of the Quran) and the
deduction of Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) rulings.
In the following we will present avery brief look at three main
benefits of the chronological analysis of the Quran, other benefits
and many more examples can be found in Al-Itgaan, by Imaam As-Suyooti
:
Assessment of Rulings' Abrogation
Abrogation is a term that refers to the cases in which a ruling gets
abrogated by another. Simply put, abrogation means the replacement of
one verse by another thus reversing or repealing the ruling that was
revealed in it. Therefore, if we have a case in which we have
twoverses that carry in them two rulings which oppose one another and
we could reconcile them in a way that is acceptable under the
Principles of Fiqh (Jurisprudence), then we look at the chronological
order of their revelation to assess which verse carries the abrogated
ruling. Obviously, the verse revealed first carries the abrogated
ruling, and we should uphold the ruling carried in the late-revealed
one.
Examples of that: If we knew that:
1. The verses making Salaah (prayer) obligatory were revealed in
Makkah before the Hijrah [migration of Prophet Muhammad and his
companions from Makkah to Madeenah].
2. The verses making Zakaah (the Poor Due) and Sawm (fasting)
obligatory were revealed during the second year of Hijrah, and
3. The verses that established theobligation of Hajj (pilgrimage to
Makkah) were revealed in the sixth year of Hijrah,
We would know the sequence in which these pillars of Islam were established.
Appreciation of the Gradual Process in Legislation
This is an important part of the general message of Islam, especially
the aspect related to making prohibitions and having people go through
major changes of lifestyle. Knowledge of the chronology of how these
aspects were made in the early period of Islam leads one to appreciate
the wisdom behind the gradual process of legislation. A good example
of this is the prohibition of inebriants. First, people were toldthey
are bad but may have some benefit, as in the verse (which means):
"They ask you (O Muhammad ) about wine and gambling. Say, 'In them is
great sin and [yet, some] benefit for people.'" [Quran 2:219]
Then they were told not to drink before Salaah, through the verse
(which means): "O you who have believed, do not approach prayer while
you are intoxicated ..." [Quran 4:43]
And later inebriants were prohibited altogether, through the verse
(which means): "O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants,
gambling, [sacrificingon] stone alters [to other than Allaah], and
divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it
that you may besuccessful. " [Quran 5:90]
In this example we notice the way the legislation considered the fact
that drinking was a major solid part of the Arabs' social life. But
the gradual approach used in indicating its harms and making it
prohibited on them made it easy for them toaccept, a realistic
approach whichwe can all learn from.