The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 7
I - Early Sources of Sīrat & Islāmic History 7 Since the individual words of the <mark>Qur’ān</mark> present a grand total of 77,934 words, 1 the average number of words per verse equal twelve, which evidently results in an average revelation of approximately nine words per day. Based on these calculations it is obvious that the <mark>Holy</mark> <mark>Qur’ān</mark> was revealed very slowly and gradually. Although it is true that there were temporary respites in the revelation of the <mark>Holy</mark> <mark>Qur’ān</mark>, there were also certain days when many <mark>verses</mark> were revealed to the <mark>Holy</mark> Prophet sa all at once. Nonetheless, the <mark>Holy</mark> <mark>Qur’ān</mark> was never revealed in such magnitude as might seem arduous to preserve it by writing or memorize it continually. It was the practice of the <mark>Holy</mark> Prophet sa that as <mark>verses</mark> of the <mark>Holy</mark> <mark>Qur’ān</mark> were revealed to him, he would dictate them to writing, and under divine knowledge, organize the sequential order of these <mark>verses</mark> as well. Many Aḥādīth 2 have been narrated in this regard and the following Ḥadīth can be presented as an example: ُ عَن ِ ابْن ِ عَبَّاس ٍ قَال َ قَال َ عُثْمَان ُ ابْن ُ عَفَّان َ رَضِی َ اللّٰه ُ عَنْهُمَا كَان َ رَسُوْل ُ اللّٰه ِ صَلَّی اللّٰه ِ عَلَیْه ِ وَسَلَّم َ اِذَا نَزَل َ عَلَیْه ِ شَیْء ٌ دَعَا بَعْض َ مَن ْ كَان َ یَكْتُب ُ فَیَقُوْل ُ ضَعُوْا ھٰؤُلَآء ِ الْاٰیَات ْ فِی سُوْرَة ِ الَّتِی یَذْكُر ُ فِیْھَا كَذَا وكَذَا فَاِذَا نَزَلَت ْ عَلَیْه ِ الْاٰیَة ُ فَیَقُوْل ُ ضَعُوْا ھٰذِہ الْاٰیَة َ فِی السُّوْرَة ِ الَّتِی ْ یَذْكُر ُ فِیْھَا كَذَا وَكَذَا Ḥaḍrat Ibni ‘Abbās who was the paternal cousin of the <mark>Holy</mark> Prophet sa narrates that Ḥaḍrat ‘ Uthmān bin ‘Affān (who served as a scribe in the time of the <mark>Holy</mark> Prophet sa ) would often state that “When several <mark>verses</mark> were revealed to the <mark>Holy</mark> Prophet sa all at once, the <mark>Holy</mark> Prophet sa would summon one of his scribes and instruct that these <mark>verses</mark> should be written in a certain chapter at the following place. If only one verse was revealed, the <mark>Holy</mark> Prophet sa would, in the same manner, summon one of his scribes and particularly instruct that this verse be written in the following place. ” 3 1 Al -Itq ānu fī ‘Ulūmil-<mark>Qur’ān</mark>, By ‘Allāmah Jalāl-ud-Dīn Suyūṭī, Part 1, p. 108, An-Nau‘ut-Tāsi‘-‘Ashar fī ‘Adadi Suwarihī wa Āyātihī wa Kalimātihī wa Ḥurūfihī, Faṣl, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2004) 2 Sayings of the <mark>Holy</mark> Prophet sa (Publishers) 3 Mishkātul-Maṣābīḥ, Kitābu Faḍā’ilil-<mark>Qur’ān</mark>, Bābu Ikhtilāfil-Qirā’āti wa Jam‘il-<mark>Qur’ān</mark>, Al-Faṣluth- Thālith, Ḥadīth No. 2222, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2003)