Quranic Sciences - History and Descent of the Quran

Different names of the Quran.
The word "Quran" - literal meaning and definition.
Wahi (revelation) - the need and cause for it.
Different sources of knowledge.
Different kinds of divine revelation:
- Directly at the heart.
- Direct discourse from Allah.
- Through an angel (mostly Hazrat Jibril).
Methods of Wahi:
- Sound of ringing bells.
- Angel in human form.
- Angel in original form.
- True dreams (during initial days of Nabuwa).
- Direct discourse with Allah.
- Inspiration in the heart.
Difference between Wahi, Kashif, and Ilham.
Wahi Matlu (recited revelation) and Wahi Ghair Matlu (non-recited revelation).
Proofs from the Quran of Wahi Ghair Matlu and an example from Surah At-Tahrim.
Addressing doubts about Wahi and their answers.

Wahi is necessary for humans.
Purpose: To guide humans, communicate Allah's commands, and show how to please Allah.
Allah communicates with humans through Wahi to chosen prophets, who then deliver the message to mankind.
Wahi is a communication between Allah and human beings.
- Addressing misconceptions of Wahi.

The Quran is the word of Allah, preserved in Lawh-e-Mahfuz (the guarded tablet), as stated in the Quran: "It is the glorious Quran [inscribed] in a guarded tablet." (Surat Al-Buruj, 85:21-22)
The Quran was sent down in two stages:
- First Descent: From Lawh-e-Mahfuz to Bayt-ul-Izzah (the house of honor) in the heaven of this world (As-Samaa'ud-Dunya).
- Bayt-ul-Izzah, also known as Bayt-e-Ma'mur, is a place directly above the Kaaba in Makkah.
- Angels perform Tawaf and Ibadat there.
- Second Descent: From Bayt-ul-Izzah to Prophet Muhammad () صلى الله عليه وسلم over a period of 23 years, in bits and pieces according to situations and needs.
Two words used in the Quran for its descent:
- Inzal: Sending down the whole Quran at once.
- {\displaystyle{\operatorname {إِنْزَال} }}
- Used when referring to the descent of the Quran on Laylatul Qadr (the Night of Decree).
- Tanzil: Sending down in bits and pieces.
- {\displaystyle{\operatorname {تَنْزِيل} }}
- Signifies the revelations made to the Prophet Muhammad () صلى الله عليه وسلم from time to time.
- Surah Al-Isra (17:106) mentions the piecemeal sending down of the Quran so that it may be recited to mankind at intervals.
- Narrations from Ibn Abbas affirm the two descents.

The first descent took place from the guarded tablet to Bayt-ul-Izzah, the place of worship for angels, located directly over the Kaaba.
The wisdom behind the two descents is not known with certainty, but scholars have offered some explanations.
- Allama Abu Shama stated that the intention was to emphasize the splendor of the Quran and to inform the angels that it was the last scripture.
- Allama Zarkani suggests that the purpose was to affirm the book's divinity and freedom from doubt, as it is preserved in Lawh-e-Mahfuz and Bayt-ul-Izzah, as well as in the memory of the Prophet () صلى الله عليه وسلم.
- The first descent took place on the Night of Power (Laylatul Qadr).

The second descent began when Prophet Muhammad () صلى الله عليه وسلم was 40 years old, commencing on Laylatul Qadr.
- The Battle of Badr took place on the same date eleven years later.
Facts about the beginning of the Quran's descent:

Different narrations specify different dates (17th, 19th, or 27th of Ramadan) for the first revelation.
Prophet Muhammad () صلى الله عليه وسلم initially saw true dreams for six months before the first Quranic revelation in Ramadan.
The first verses revealed were the first five verses of Surah Al-Alaq.
Hadith from Sahih Al-Bukhari describes the angel's appearance in the Cave of Hira and the command to read.
After the first revelation, there was a period of three years without any further revelation, known as Fatra tul-Wahi.
After three years, the Prophet () صلى الله عليه وسلم saw the same angel again and received the verses of Surah Al-Mudaththir.

Majority View: First verses of Surah Al-Alaq were revealed first, followed by Surah Al-Mudaththir after Fatra tul-Wahi.
Second View: Verses of Surah Al-Mudaththir were the first to be revealed (based on a narration of Ibn Jabir).
- Hafiz Ibn Hajar explained that this narration is abridged and that the angel had already come to the Prophet () صلى الله عليه وسلم in Hira.
Third View: Surah Al-Fatiha was the first revelation (based on a narration from Amir ibn Hubel).
- Alama Zamakhshari supports this view.
- Hafiz Ibn Hajar refuted this belief.
- Allama Anwar Shah Kashmiri suggests that Surah Al-Fatiha was revealed twice, once before Surat Al-Alaq as a recitation by an angel, and then later as part of the Quran.
The most widely accepted view is that the first verses were from Surat Al-Alaq, followed by a period of Fatra tul-Wahi, and then Surat Al-Mudaththir.

Every surah containing the word "{\operatorname {كَلَّا}} ", which means "certainly not", is a Makki Surah.
- This word occurs 33 times in 15 Surahs, all in the second half of the Quran.
Every surah containing a verse about Sajdah (prostration) is a Makki Surah (according to the Hanafi school of thought).
- {\operatorname {سجدة} }$$
- Imam Shafi holds a different opinion for the verse Sajda in Surah Al-Hajj, which is a Madani Surah.
Every surah, except Surah Al-Baqarah, relating the story of Hazrat Adam and Iblis is a Makki Surah.