What does it mean that the Quran was revealed on Laylatul-Qadr in Ramadan?

- What does it mean that the Quran was revealed on Laylatul-Qadr in Ramadan?
- The month of Ramadan changes every year.

Dear Brother / Sister,

Yes, the Quran was revealed in the month of Ramadan. And this month of Ramadan is the same month every year. However, it is not according to the solar year, but lunar year. We fast according to the lunar year and in the month of Ramadan anyway. (1)

As for the descent of the Quran:

As it is mentioned in the tafsir of Ibn Jarir and others, the majority of riwayah tafsirs report the following statement from Ibn Abbas:

1. From Ikrima: The Quran descended as a whole to the sky of the world on the night of Laylatul-Qadr (the Night of Power) in the month of Ramadan. Then, Allah sent down verses from it as He wished to do something on the earth and gathered it.

2. From Hakim b. Jubayr: The Quran descended as a whole in one night from the high sky to the earthly sky. It was separated into parts in the following years, and Ibn Abbas recited the verse, “Furthermore I call to witness the setting of the stars” (Al-Waqia, 56/75) and it was sent down separately, in parts.

3. From Said b. Jubayr: The Quran descended as a whole on the night of Laylatul-Qadr onto the sky of the world, and it was in the place of the stars, and Allah revealed it to His Messenger, one part after another, and then He said:

“Those who reject Faith say: ‘Why is not the Quran revealed to him all at once?’ Thus (is it revealed), that We may strengthen thy heart thereby, and We have rehearsed it to thee in slow, well-arranged stages, gradually.” (al-Furqan, 25/32)

4. All of the Quran descended at once, and was placed in the Bayt al-Izzah in the sky of the world, and Gabriel (Jibril) sent it down to Muhammad (pbuh) with the answer to the words and deeds of the servants. According to the statement of Ayni in his “Explanation of Bukhari”, it was sent down as a whole on the night of Qadr (Power) from the Preserved Tablet to the sky of the world, and it was placed in the Bayt al-Izzah; Gabriel dictated it to the scribe angels and sent it down to the Prophet (pbuh) piece by piece. Twenty-three years passed between the beginning and the end.

Ibn Jarir also has two narrations from Sha’bi:

1. We were informed that the Quran descended to the sky of the earth all at once.

2. The first Quran was revealed on the night of Qadr. Therefore, tafsir scholars have mainly followed those two directions. In the first, the pronoun refers to the entire Quran and inzal (sending down) means sending it down all at once; in the second, it means the beginning of the sending down. The fact that the pronoun refers to the command “read” expresses this second meaning more clearly and without any interpretation. Thirdly, as we have already mentioned, the fact that it refers to Badr by referring to the word “saf’” seems to be the closest and most appropriate meaning compared to the narration that it was sent down in Madinah. Since the meaning of inzal attributed to the Quran as mentioned at the beginning of the chapter of al-Baqara is the revelation from the unseen realm to the visible realm, it is also correct in the sense of the fulfillment of a promise or threat made in the Quran concerning the future, and the realization of a foretold event.

We sent it down on Laylatul-Qadr, that is, or We sent it down about Laylatul-Qadr because some have attributed the pronoun to this chapter (surah), interpreting is as We sent it down about Laylatul-Qadr, that is, to explain the honor and virtue of Laylatul-Qadr. Since the verses after that were sent down to declare the goodness and virtue of Laylatul-Qadr, this chapter is not devoid of that meaning. However, it will be incomplete to attribute this verse to it because it is possible to use it as an adverb directly but using it as a cause is the opposite of what is apparent; and the original referral of the chapter should have been to declare the honor and dignity of what was revealed in it before Laylatul-Qadr, i.e. the pronoun’s addressee. Otherwise, by going straight to explanation of the virtue of Laylatul-Qadr without saying that the Quran was revealed on Laylatul-Qadr, the greatest virtue of Laylatul-Qadr would have been omitted, and the relation of the chapter to its predecessor would not have been observed; in addition, the wisdom behind its placement there in the order would not have been pointed out. In the previous meaning, the pleasure of the chapter is to declare the value of the Quran, which is commanded to be recited above; and since the virtue of the night is what is referred to the following verses in it, it is fully related to what precedes and what follows it. Therefore, it is the former that is trusted both in terms of narration and tradition.” (Elmalılı, Tefsir)

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