Exploring the Continuity and Discontinuity of Sūrat l-ʿAlaq’s Revelation

Some believe that the first five verses in sūrat l-ʿalaq have been revealed a little before the other verses in the sūrah; sūrat l-Mudathir, sūrat l-Ḍuḥā and sūrat l-Qalam are the sūrahs revealed in the interval between the revelation of the first five verses and the final verses in sūrat l-ʿAlaq. The present study deals with the frequency of these famous sayings in the Islamic sources and clarifies the inaccuracy of the aforesaid sayings. The necessity of the discussion lies in the continuity of the verses in a sūrah and proving the verbal and semantic relationships between them and, eventually, coherent interpretation of a sūrah and text. Acceptance of the pause between the beginning and ending verses in sūrat l-ʿAlaq would be in contradiction to the holy Quran’s verses (expressive of the revelation of complete sūrahs of the holy Quran) and narrations on the order of revelation. It has been justified in the current research paper that the verses in sūrat l-ʿalaq have been revealed all at once and in a continuous manner.