Extracting a Table of Surah Revelation Order Based on Comparison and Synthesis of Sources

Knowledge of the order of surah revelation is not only impactful in tanziili interpretations (descending order) but also in all interpretive styles and even various Islamic disciplines such as history and theology. The scholarly community desires a reliable table outlining the order of surah revelation; however, no authentic, soundly-transmitted narration (isnad) has been found that presents such a table. Researchers have relied solely on certain narrations, or on narrative or intra-textual analyses of the Quran, to compile a table of revelation order, none of which possess the necessary certainty. This research endeavors to propose a table with the highest degree of reliability by aggregating all historical-narrative information, comparing and synthesizing it, and supplementing it with contextual clues in cases of disagreement. Another section of the article examines the weaknesses of the narrational chains (isnads) and, with the aid of biographical and contextual clues, strengthens the weak isnads. This comparison and synthesis has been able to overcome the weaknesses of individual narrations through a collective perspective, such that in over 70% of cases, the narrations are entirely concordant, and in the remaining 30%, concordance outweighs discord. This discord, too, can be remedied through intra-textual clues. Ultimately, any remaining doubts, due to the minor and limited nature of the overall order of revelation, do not undermine its fundamental validity. The research findings indicate that the proposed descending order table aligns with the table presented by Ayatollah Muhaqqiq Bahbahani in his At-Tahreer.