25:32 Al-Furqaan (The Criterion)

هذا من جملة مقترحات الكفار الذي توحيه إليهم أنفسهم فقالوا: { لَوْلَا نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ الْقُرْآنُ جُمْلَةً وَاحِدَةً } أي: كما أنزلت الكتب قبله، وأي محذور من نزوله على هذا الوجه؟ بل نزوله على هذا الوجه أكمل وأحسن، ولهذا قال: { كَذَلِكَ } أنزلناه متفرقا { لِنُثَبِّتَ بِهِ فُؤَادَكَ } لأنه كلما نزل عليه شيء من القرآن ازداد طمأنينة وثباتا وخصوصا عند ورود أسباب القلق فإن نزول القرآن عند حدوث السبب يكون له موقع عظيم وتثبيت كثير أبلغ مما لو كان نازلا قبل ذلك ثم تذكره عند حلول سببه. { وَرَتَّلْنَاهُ تَرْتِيلًا } أي: مهلناه ودرجناك فيه تدريجا. وهذا كله يدل على اعتناء الله بكتابه القرآن وبرسوله محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم حيث جعل إنزال كتابه جاريا على أحوال الرسول ومصالحه الدينية.

يقول تعالى مخبرا عن كثرة اعتراض الكفار وتعنتهم وكلامهم فيما لا يعنيهم حيث قالوا: "لولا نزل عليه القرآن جملة واحدة" أي هلا أنزل عليه هذا الكتاب الذي أوحي إليه جملة واحدة كما نزلت الكتب قبله جملة واحدة كالتوراة والإنجيل والزبور وغيرها من الكتب الإلهية فأجابهم الله تعالى عن ذلك بأنه إنما نزل منجما في ثلاث وعشرين سنة بحسب الوقائع والحوادث وما يحتاج إليه من الأحكام ليثبت قلوب المؤمنين به كقوله: "وقرآنا فرقناه" الآية ولهذا قال "لنثبت به فؤادك ورتلناه ترتيلا" قال قتادة بيناه تبيينا وقال ابن زيد وفسرناه تفسيرا.

The Reason why the Qur'an was revealed in Stages, the Refutation of the Disbelievers, and their Evil

Allah tells us about the many objections raised by the disbelievers, their stubbornness, and how they spoke of things which were none of their concern. They said:

لَوْلاَ نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ الْقُرْءَانُ جُمْلَةً وَحِدَةً

("Why is not the Qur'an revealed to him all at once") meaning, why was this Qur'an, which was revealed to him, not sent down all at one time, as the previous Books, the Tawrah, Injil, Zabur and other Divine Books Allah answered them, telling them that it was revealed in stages over twenty-three years, according to events and circumstances, and whatever rulings were needed, in order to strengthen the hearts of the believers, as He says:

وَقُرْءانًا فَرَقْنَاهُ

(And (it is) a Qur'an which We have divided (into parts)...) (17:106). Allah says:

لِنُثَبِّتَ بِهِ فُؤَادَكَ وَرَتَّلْنَاهُ تَرْتِيلاً

(that We may strengthen your heart thereby. And We have revealed it to you gradually, in stages.) Qatadah said it means: "We have explained it." `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said it means: "We have given its interpretation."

وَلاَ يَأْتُونَكَ بِمَثَلٍ

(And no example or similitude do they bring,) This means no arguments or doubts,

إِلاَّ جِئْنَـكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَأَحْسَنَ تَفْسِيراً

(but We reveal to you the truth, and the better explanation thereof.) They do not say anything in an attempt to oppose the truth, but We respond to them with the truth of that same matter, more clearly and more eloquently than anything they say. Abu `Abdur-Rahman An-Nasa'i recorded that Ibn `Abbas said, "The Qur'an was sent down all at once to the first heaven on Laylatul-Qadr (the Night of Power), then it was revealed over twenty years." Allah says:

وَلاَ يَأْتُونَكَ بِمَثَلٍ إِلاَّ جِئْنَـكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَأَحْسَنَ تَفْسِيراً

(And no example or similitude do they bring, but We reveal to you the truth, and the better explanation thereof.) and:

وَقُرْءانًا فَرَقْنَاهُ لِتَقْرَأَهُ عَلَى النَّاسِ عَلَى مُكْثٍ وَنَزَّلْنَـهُ تَنْزِيلاً

(And (it is) a Qur'an which We have divided (into parts), in order that you might recite it to men at intervals. And We have revealed it by stages) (17:106). Then Allah tells us about the terrible state of the disbelievers when they are raised on the Day of Resurrection and gathered into Hell:

الَّذِينَ يُحْشَرُونَ عَلَى وُجُوهِهِمْ إِلَى جَهَنَّمَ أُوْلَـئِكَ شَرٌّ مَّكَاناً وَأَضَلُّ سَبِيلاً

(Those who will be gathered to Hell on their faces, such will be in an evil state, and most astray from the path. ) In the Sahih, it is reported from Anas that a man said, "O Messenger of Allah, how will the disbeliever be gathered on his face on the Day of Resurrection" The Prophet said:

«إِنَّ الَّذِي أَمْشَاهُ عَلَى رِجْلَيْهِ قَادِرٌ أَنْ يُمْشِيَهُ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَة»

(The One Who caused him to walk on his two feet is able to make him walk on his face on the Day of Resurrection.)

And those who disbelieve say ‘Why has the Qur’ān not been revealed to him all at once?’ as the Torah the Gospel and the Book of Psalms were. God exalted be He says We have revealed it thus in parts it is that We may strengthen your inner-heart with it and We have arranged it in a specific order that is to say We produce it in stages one part after another gradually and deliberately in order to facilitate its comprehension and its memorisation.

Commentary

The sequence of objections by the infidels and polytheists and their answers, which had started in the beginning of the Surah, is continuing. Here in this verse the objection as to why the Qur'an was revealed gradually bit by bit and not in one go is answered. The wisdom behind gradual revelation of the Qur'an as explained in the verse is that it was to keep the heart of the Holy Prophet ﷺ firm and strong. By gradual revelation the Holy Prophet's ﷺ heart was made strong in the following manner:

1. It was made easy for him to remember the Qur'an by heart. If the whole Book was revealed in one go, its remembrance by heart would not have been that easy. Remembrance of the Qur'an by heart expelled all worries from his heart.

2. Whenever an objection was raised by the infidels or a maltreatment was perpetrated, a verse would reveal to give him fortitude. In case the entire Qur’ an was revealed in one piece and the fortitude for the special occasion had also been mentioned in it, its search in the Book would have been painstaking. Moreover, it would have been uncertain whether or not the attention of the Holy Prophet ﷺ would be drawn to the particular verse.

3. Instant response by way of revelation to answer awkward questions was by itself the confirmation of Allah Ta’ ala's support which is the biggest source of strength for the heart. The wisdom of keeping the heart strong is not dependent on gradual revelations alone. Other factors in this regard are mentioned in the following verse of Surah Bani Isra'il وَقُرْاٰنًا فَرَقْنٰهُ لِتَقْرَاَهٗ عَلَي النَّاسِ عَلٰي مُكْثٍ (And We have divided the Qur'an in portion, so that you may recite it to the people gradually - 17:106). (Bayan ul-Qur’ an)