The Revelation and Compilation of the Quran

It was on an odd night in the last ten days of the month of Ramzan in 610 CE, when as per his custom Muhammad pbuh went to the Hira cave in Jabal al Noor to meditate.
The angel Jibraeel appeared before him and said
“Iqra ( Read)”
delivering the initial verses of Surah Al-Alaq (96:1-5): “Recite in the name of your Lord who created-created man from a clinging substance…”
This event marks the start of Muhammad pbuh him’s prophethood.
The Quran was revealed gradually in segments
-verses, chapters, or parts of chapters-rather than as a complete text. This piecemeal revelation, known as “tanzil” (sending down), responded to specific events, questions, or challenges faced by the early Muslim community. For example, some verses addressed moral guidance, while others provided laws or refuted opponents
The 23-year span allowed the Quran to adapt to the evolving circumstances of the Muslim community. Early Meccan revelations (610-622 CE) focused on monotheism, patience, and moral exhortation amid persecution. Later Medinan revelations (622-632 CE) emphasized legal, social, and communal structures as Islam grew into a governing system. The final verse revealed, according to many scholars, was Surah Al-Ma’idah (5:3): “This day I have perfected for you your religion” just before the Prophet’s rahlat ( passing away).
The Quran was
primarily an oral revelation in a largely oral Arab society. Muhammad memorized it and recited it to his
companions, who also committed it to memory. Its rhythmic, poetic style aided memorization, and “hafiz” (those who memorized the entire Quran) emerged even during the Prophet’s lifetime.
While the Quran was fully revealed and memorized by the time of Muhammad’s death in 632 CE, its transition from oral tradition to a standardized written text
occurred in stages under the caliphs.
By the reign of the third caliph, Uthman (644-656 CE) Islam had spread widely, and regional variations in recitation (due to Arabic dialects) emerged among Muslims. To ensure uniformity, Uthman commissioned a standardized codex (mushaf) around
650 CE.
Zaid ibn Thabit led a committee that:
• Used Hafsa’s sheets as the base text.
• Cross-checked it with companions’ memories and written records.
• Produced several identical copies, sending them to major Islamic centers (e.g., Mecca, Medina, Basra, Kufa, Damascus), while ordering the destruction of variant manuscripts to prevent confusion.
This Uthmanic codex became the
definitive written Quran, preserving its content and order as it remains today,
divided into 114 surahs (chapters) and approximately 6,236 verses (varying slightly by counting methods).
This handwritten and beautifully illuminated manuscript of the Quran Sharif is one i inherited from my aunt in law.
Every Alvida Jummah i take it out and read a few pages. It’s fragile so i keep it in an airtight box for the rest of the year.
The first two pages and Surah Isra are gilded and illuminated.
The fourth image is Surah Adh-Dhariyat ( 51)