Question
What day was the Holy Quran revealed to the Prophet (SAW) for the first time?
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Allah states in the Quran, “We have sent it down in a blessed night…” (Surah Dukhan: 3)
According to the majority of the commentators, “blessed night”, refers to Layla Tul Qadr (Night of Power on 610 CE) which occurred in the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan. This is further supported by the verse, “We sent it (the Quran) down in the Night of Qadr”. (Surah Qadr: 1)
It is narrated in a tradition of the Prophet (sallal lahu Alayhi wa Sallam) that all Prophets, since the creation of man till the end, received their respective Books in the month of Ramadan on different dates. Qatadah (radi Allahu anhu) reports on the authority of Wathilah (radi Allahu anhu) that the Messenger of Allah said that Ibrahim (alayhis salaam) received his scriptures on 1st Ramadan, Injil was revealed on 18th Ramadan and the Holy Quran was revealed on the night of 24th, that is, on 25th Ramadan. (Qurtubi, Vol 16, P110)
The statement that the “Quran was revealed in the Night of Power” means that it was revealed in its entirety from the Preserved Tablet to the lowest sky in one night of the month of Ramadan. However, it was revealed to the Prophet (sallal lahu Alayhi wa Sallam) gradually over a period of twenty-three years. Some scholars have expressed the opinion that the instalment of the Quran that was destined to be revealed in a given year used to be sent down on the Night of Power from the Preserved Tablet to the lowest sky of the Earth. (Qurtubi, Vol 16, P110)
Only Allah knows best
Written by Maulana Sayeedur Rahman
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
