Understanding Islam — Page 115
113 orders” or any given passage was revealed later and hence more important. As time passed, and the study of the Holy Quran developed and became a science, commentators of the Holy Quran sought a more organized and enhanced study. They searched through historical sources and tried to determine the date of revelation of each S ū rah. As a result, in some cases, the date of revelation is widely accepted, but in other cases, the precise date of revelation of a given S ū rah may be disputed. Regardless, as far as the word of God is concerned, it has always been seen as a whole in the Holy Quran, not in pieces as some critics imagine. This is why when the Holy Quran says that there is no compulsion in religion (2:257) and that the religion of the disbelievers is for them and the religion of Islam is for the Muslims (109:7), these passages should be seen as supplementary or additional to other verses of the Holy Quran; not contradictory to them. Specific to S ū rah At-Taubah , it should be understood that even this S ū rah must not be seen as an independent and stand-alone chapter or S ū rah of the Holy Quran. One of the unique things about this chapter is that it is actually a part of the previous chapter or a sub-section of the