The Historical Procedure of Recognizing Meccan and Medinite Verses

The knowledge of being meccan or medinite concerning the chapters and verses of the Quran has a significant role in the correct interpretation of this holy book. Therefore, in order to indentify this aspect of the verses, scholars have showed much effort in different ways, all through centuries since early islam till now. At the beginning, the Companions were questioned about it; later on, their sayings and that of the Successors took the form of hadith with different classifications: some expressing rules for recognition of these kind of verses; a variety of them specifying particular cases; others indicating the chronology of revelation and a number of them stating the cause of revelation. These traditions have become the main proofs for this kind of classification of verses and chapters. During the long scholastic history of this study, from the time of the Companions till the last two centuries, the efforts for recognition of the meccan and medinite verses can be classified in the following three approaches: 1. Based on hadiths ;as the main proof which usually on the time of contradictory traditions ended to both exclusion of numerous verses from the whole chapter and belief in re-descendent of the verse or chapter or its revelation in the road between Mecca and Medina; 2. Based on identifying rules, the result of which has been few rules regarding the subject of the meccan and medinite verses; 3. Based on form and content of verses which has been usually depending on the subject of the traditions concerning the cause of revelation and not the proper verses. In the two recent centuries new approaches can be seen employing different data including: statistical details about verses and chapters; style, tone and length of verses and the content of the verses. These recent scholars have given new solutions to the problem of contradictory traditions without accepting re-descendent of verses or its exclusion from the whole chapter. Consequently to reach a proper method ,with least error, all the clues and evidences should be taken into consideration.