The Examination of the Verse Order in the Noble Qur’ān Chapters

The topic of the Mawqūfiyyat of the verse order (i.e., their original, divine order) in the noble Qur’ān chapters has always been discussed by the scholars of the Qur’ān sciences and has had proponents and opponents during the history. In this discussion, which has roots in the historical-narrative and sometimes in the theological sources, the role of narrations is highly significant, and the independent examination of the related narrations might have a significant effect on the clarification of its various dimensions. Therefore, in this study we did not take into account the other evidences presented by the proponents and opponents of the originality of the verse order, and only collected and evaluated the chains of transmission and indications of the narrations related to the manner of ordering the qur’ānic verses during the lifetime of the noble Prophet (s). Moreover, the narrations about the ordering of the verses in Imām ‘Alī’s (a) manuscript and his stance to this issue are also examined. At the end, it is concluded that from the viewpoint of the narrations, the original order of the qur’ānic verses is their very revelation order, and the changes made in the order of some verses did not come from the actions of the Prophet (s).

Keywords:

The Prophet (s) , Revelation Order , Originality of the verse order , Imām ‘Alī (a) , Narrations on changing the order of the qur’ānic verses