Was the Qur’aan revealed all at once or piecemeal?

Some opinions suggest that the Qur'aan was revealed in a single night,
and some say that the Qur'aan was revealed overseveral years in Makkah
and Madinah. Do these opinions contradict one another? Is one right
and the other wrong? Or are they both wrong?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The issue mentioned has two aspects, on one of which there is
consensus and the other is a matter concerning which there are
differences of opinion.
With regard to the aspect on which there is consensus, it is that the
Qur'aan did not come down from heaven to the Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) all at once; rather the
Revelation came down to him from Allah piecemeal, according to events
and circumstances.
There are verses which confirm that quite clearly with no confusion,
and they affirm the wisdom behind its being revealed in that manner:
-1-
Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And those who disbelievesay: Why is not the Qur'aan revealed to him
all at once? Thus (it is sent down in parts), that We may strengthen
your heart thereby. And We have revealed it to you gradually, in
stages"
[al-Furqaan 25:32].
Shaykh 'Abd ar-Rahmaan as-Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
That isbecause every time something of the Qur'aan was revealed to
him, it increased him in certainty and steadfastness, especially when
there wascause for anxiety. The fact that Qur'aan was revealed when
new developments occurred meant that it hadgreater impact and was more
reassuring to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
And that was more effective than if it had been revealed before
that,then was remembered when the new developments occurred.
"And We have revealed it to you gradually, in stages" means We
revealed it slowly and sentit gradually. All of this indicates that
Allah was taking care of His Book, the Qur'aan, and His Messenger,
Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), as He sent down
His Book in accordance with the situations faced by the Messenger and
as needed to address unfolding issues.
End quote from Tafseer as-Sa'di
-2-
Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning) says:
"And (it is) a Qur'aan which We have divided (into parts), in order
that you might recite it to men at intervals. And We have revealed it
by stages"
[al-Isra' 17:106].
Shaykh 'Abd ar-Rahmaan as-Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"at intervals" means at an easy pace, so that they might ponder it and
think about its meanings, and derive knowledge from it.
"And We have revealed it by stages" means: bit by bit, piecemeal over
twenty-three years.
End quote from Tafseer as-Sa'di, p. 468
What confirms the fact that the Qur'aan was revealed piecemeal is the
suspension of the Revelation concerning the slander incident (al-ifk),
in which 'Aa'ishah (may Allahbe pleased with her) was accused of
adultery. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was
waiting for Qur'aan to be revealed, because of the enormity ofthe
calamity and the accusation that was made against his wife, until the
words of Allah were revealed (interpretation ofthe meaning):
"Verily! Those who brought forth the slander (against 'Aa'ishah the
wife of the Prophet SAW) are a group among you. Consider it not a bad
thingfor you. Nay, it is good for you. Unto every man among them will
be paid that which he had earned of the sin, and as for him among them
who had the greater share therein, his will be a great torment"
[an-Noor 24:11].
Another confirmation that the Qur'aan was revealed piecemeal is the
first few verses of Soorah 'Abasa (no. 80) which were revealed when
the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) turned away
from teaching the blind man Ibn Umm Maktoom in the hope that the
leaders of Quraysh would become Muslim (as he was already talking to
the leaders of Quraysh and the blind mind man came to him in the
middle of that conversion).
Secondly:
With regard to that concerning which there is a difference of opinion,
it has to do with the start of the revelation of the Qur'aan. Was it
sent down all at once to the first heaven, then brought down to the
Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) piecemeal, or was
it all brought down in the samemanner, piecemeal according to events,
as stated above?
The reason for this difference of opinion is differences in
understanding some verses which indicate that the Qur'aan came down
ata particular time, such as the verses in which Allah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for
mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between
right and wrong)"
[al-Baqarah 2:185]

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Should the one who is praying behind the imam recite al-Faatihah or listen to the recitationof the imam?

Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has instructedus to listen
quietly and attentively when the Qur'aan is being recited: "So, when
the Quran is recited, listen to it, and be silent that you may receive
mercy" [al-A'raaf 7:204]. And the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) warned us that any prayerin which al-Faatihah is
notrecited is invalid.
I hope that you can tell me what I should do to avoid falling into
that which goes against either of these two injunctions, ifthe imam
does not leave enough time for the people praying behind him to recite
al-Faatihah. What is the correct opinion regarding this matter?.
Praise be to Allaah.
In the answer to question no. 10995 we explained that reciting
al-Faatihah is one of the pillars or essential parts of the prayer for
the imam, the one who is praying behindan imam and the one whois
praying on his own.
Secondly:
With regard to the pause that some imams leave after reciting
al-Faatihah, it is not long enough for the one who is praying behind
the imam to recite al-Faatihah; rather it is only a brief pause that
serves to separate between the recitation of al-Faatihah and the
recitation of another soorah.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The pause between the recitation of al-Faatihah and another soorah was
not narrated from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him), despite the view of some of the fuqaha', that the imam should
pause so as to allow those praying behind him to recite al-Faatihah.
Rather it is a brief pause that is intended for one to catch one's
breath on the one hand, and to allow the one who is praying behindthe
imam, on the other hand, to start to recite (al-Faatihah) and he
should complete it, even ifthe imam is reciting, because it is a brief
pause, not a long one. End quote.
Fataawa Arkaan al-Islam, p. 323-324
If the imam does not pause for a long time afterreciting al-Faatihah,
then the one who is praying behind him has to recite al-Faatihah, even
if that is at the same time as the imam is reciting the other soorah,
because this is what was the Prophet (blessing and peace of Allah be
upon him) instructed his companions to do in Fajr prayer.
Abu Dawood (823) narrated that 'Ubaadah ibn as-Saamit (may Allah be
pleased with him) said: We were behind the Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in Fajr prayer. The
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) recited,
and he found it difficult to recite (due to interference). When he
finished praying he said: "Perhaps you were reciting behind your
imam?" We said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah. He said: "Do not do that,
apart from the Opening of the Book (al-Faatihah), because there is no
prayer for the one who does not recite it."
Classed as hasan by al-Tirmidhi; classed as saheeh by al-Bayhaqi,
al-Khattaabi and others. This is a clear statement that it is
obligatory for theone who is praying behindan imam to recite
al-Faatihah in a prayer in which recitation is done out loud.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz said: If the imam does not pause, the one who is
praying behind him has to recite al-Faatihah even if that is when the
imam is reciting (the other soorah), according to the more correct
scholarly view.
End quote from Fataawa ash-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 11/221
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
If it is asked: if the imam does not pause, when should the one who is
praying behind him recite al-Faatihah? The answer is: he should recite
al-Faatihah when the imam is still reciting, because the Sahaabah used
to recite al-Faatihah with the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him) and hesaid: "Do not do that except with the Essence ofthe
Book (al-Faatihah), because there is no prayer for the one who does
not recite it. End quote.
Fataawa Arkaan al-Islam, p. 322
With regard to the words of Allah (interpretation of the meaning):
"So, when the Quran is recited, listen to it, and be silent that you
may receive mercy" [al-A'raaf 7:204], this is general in meaning,
except when one has to recite al-Faatihah, in the sense that it is
obligatory to listen attentively to the imam's recitation of Qur'aan
in prayer, except when the one who is praying behind him is reciting
al-Faatihah only. This is based on the wordsof the Messenger
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): "Do not do that, apart
from the Opening of the Book (al-Faatihah), because there is no prayer
for the one who does not recite it." And that was in Fajr prayer,
which is a prayer in which recitation is doneout loud, as is well
known.
So the one who is praying behind the imam is enjoined to listen
attentively except when he is reciting al-Faatihah.
And Allah knows best.

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Islam, A World Civilization "Thus We have appointed you amiddle nation, that you may be witnesses upon mankind." (Quran, Surah [2:143])

Islam was destined to become a world religion and to create a
civilization which stretched from one end of the globe to the other.
Already during the early Muslim caliphates, first the Arabs,then the
Persians and later the Turks set about to create classicalIslamic
civilization. Later, in the 13th century, both Africa and India became
great centers of Islamic civilization and soon thereafter Muslim
kingdoms were established in the Malay-Indonesian world while Chinese
Muslims flourished throughout China.
Global religion
Islam is a religion for all people from whatever race or background
they might be. That is why Islamic civilization is based on a unity
which stands completely against any racial or ethnic discrimination.
Such majorracial and ethnic groups as the Arabs, Persians, Turks,
Africans, Indians, Chinese and Malays in addition to numerous smaller
units embraced Islam and contributed to the building of Islamic
civilization. Moreover, Islam was not opposed to learning from the
earlier civilizations and incorporating their science, learning, and
culture into its own world view, as long as they did not oppose the
principles of Islam. Each ethnic and racial group which embraced Islam
made its contribution to the one Islamic civilization to which
everyone belonged. The sense of brotherhood and sisterhood wasso much
emphasized that it overcame all local attachments to a particular
tribe, race, or language--all of which became subservient to the
universal brotherhood and sisterhood of Islam. The global civilization
thus created by Islam permitted people of diverse ethnic backgrounds
to work together incultivating various arts and sciences. Although the
civilizationwas profoundly Islamic, even non-Muslim "people of the
book" participated in the intellectual activity whose fruits belonged
to everyone. The scientific climate was reminiscent of the present
situation in America where scientists and men and women of learning
from all over the world are active in the advancement of knowledge
which belongs to everyone. The global civilization created by Islam
also succeeded in activating the mind and thought of the people who
entered its fold. As a result of Islam, the nomadic Arabs became
torch-bearers of science and learning. The Persians who had created a
great civilization before the rise of Islam nevertheless produced much
more science and learning in the Islamic period than before.The same
can be said of the Turks and other peoples who embraced Islam. The
religion of Islam was itself responsible not only for the creation of
a world civilization in which people of many different ethnic
backgrounds participated, but it played a central role in developing
intellectual and cultural life on a scale not seen before. For some
eight hundred years Arabic remained the major intellectual and
scientific language of the world. During the centuries following the
rise of Islam, Muslim dynasties ruling in various parts of the Islamic
world bore witness to the flowering of Islamic culture and thought. In
fact this tradition of intellectual activity was eclipsed only at the
beginning of modern times as a result of the weakening of faith among
Muslims combined with external domination. And today this activity has
begun anew in many parts of the Islamic world now that the Muslims
have regained their political independence.
A Brief History of Islam, The Rightly Guided Caliphs
Upon the death of the Prophet, Abu Bakr, the friend of the Prophet and
the first adult male to embrace Islam, became caliph. Abu Bakr ruled
for two years to be succeeded by 'Umar who wascaliph for a decade and
during whose rule Islam spread extensively east and west conquering
the Persian empire, Syria and Egypt. It was 'Umar who marched on foot
at the end of the Muslim army into Jerusalem and ordered the
protection of Christian sites. 'Umar also established the first public
treasury and a sophisticated financial administration. He established
many of the basic practices of Islamic government. 'Umar was succeeded
by 'Uthman who ruledfor some twelve years during which time the
Islamic expansioncontinued. He is also known as the caliph who had the
definitive text of the Noble Quran copied and sent to the four corners
of the Islamic world. He was in turn succeeded by 'Ali who is known to
this day for his eloquent sermons and letters, and also for his
bravery. With his death the rule of the "rightly guided" caliphs, who
hold a special place of respect in the hearts of Muslims, came to an
end.

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Quran

Ramadan is that month in which
Al-Quran has been revealed as a guide
for mankind, and clarifications from the
guidance and from the criterion, so
whosoever from you witnessed that
month then he should fast in it ...
Al-Baqara 2:185
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