Nuzul al-Quran al-Karim wal-Inaya bihi fi Ahd al-Rasul
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- Majma‘ al-Malik Fahd li-Ṭibā‘at al-Muṣḥaf al-Sharīf bi-al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah
Nuzul al-Quran al-Karim wal-Inaya bihi fi Ahd al-Rasul (The Revelation of the Holy Quran and Care for It during the Era of the Messenger) is a Quranic studies research monograph by Muhammad bin Abd al-Rahman al-Shaya examining the linguistic, theological, and historical dimensions of the revelation of the Quran .
Background and Scope
The treatise was prepared as a research submission for the Symposium on the Care of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the Holy Quran and Its Sciences (ندوة عناية المملكة العربية السعودية بالقرآن الكريم وعلومه), convened in Medina and published by the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran .
In the introduction, al-Shaya notes that although the broad theme of the Quran’s descent encompasses various topics—including the stages of descent, repetitive revelation of verses, the seven ahruf (modes), Meccan and Medinan classifications, and occasions of revelation (asbab al-nuzul)—the constraints of the symposium led him to concentrate specifically on the mechanics and stages of revelation (tanazzulat) to provide focused analysis rather than reiterating generalities .
Linguistic and Conceptual Framework
The author analyzes the root n-z-l in the Arabic language, observing that it primarily denotes descent from higher to lower as well as settling or halting in a location (al-hulul) . The root appears across 295 verses in 44 morphological derivations within the Quran . Al-Shaya categorizes the occurrences of revelation (nuzul) in the Quran into three types:
- Restricted descent from God Almighty: A classification exclusive to the Quran itself (such as in تَنْزِيلُ الْكِتَابِ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ مِنْ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ), which emphasizes its uncreated origin and refutes theological and philosophical assertions that revelation was merely an emanation from the active intellect .
- Restricted descent from the heavens: Referring to phenomena such as the sending down of rain, angels, or divine chastisement .
- Absolute, unrestricted descent: General usage not confined to a specific category, such as وَأَنْزَلْنَا الْحَدِيدَ فِيهِ بَأْسٌ شَدِيدٌ .
The work also discusses the stylistic distinction drawn by scholars between anzala (implying sending down all at once) and nazzala (indicating gradual or recurring revelation) .
Stages and Circumstances of Revelation
Al-Shaya examines scholarly doctrines concerning the stages of the Quran's revelation (tanazzulat):
- The primary and preferred view: The Quran had two descents—an initial descent of the entire text from the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfuz) to the House of Glory (Bayt al-Izzah) in the lowest heaven during the Night of Decree (Laylat al-Qadr) in Ramadan, followed by piecemeal descent (tanjim) upon the Prophet over approximately twenty-three years .
- The secondary view: The Quran had a single, direct descent upon the Prophet, which commenced on the Night of Decree in Ramadan .
Regarding the timing and circumstances of revelation, the treatise outlines that most revelations took place during the daytime while the Prophet was resident, though some portions were revealed during travel or at night . The revelation began on a Monday, substantiated by the hadith of Abu Qatadah al-Ansari regarding fasting on Mondays: ذاك يوم ولدت فيه ويوم بعثت - أو أنزل عليَّ فيه ("That is the day on which I was born and the day on which I was sent—or on which revelation was sent down upon me") .
Concerning the month of initial revelation, opinions recorded in the study include Rabiʿ al-Awwal (with variants specifying the 1st, the 8th—deemed the majority view by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya—or the 12th of that month in the forty-first year of the Year of the Elephant), while the most widespread view, cited by Ibn Kathir from Ubayd ibn Umayr and Ibn Ishaq, is that it began in Ramadan . The quantities revealed at a time varied, ranging from single or multiple verses to verse fragments, complete individual surahs, or two surahs revealed together, such as al-Muʿawwidhatayn .
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