Shakirah Hunter

On our journey to falling in love with the knowledge attached to each verse, statement, and word in the Qur’an, we delve a little further. Every ayah was revealed at certain times, and certain places. How fascinating and astounding that each ayah is recorded right down to the time, the season, the place etc. Subhaanallah! No such reverence is given to anything else besides the words of Allah.

The first broad category is the revelation during the time when the Prophet (s) was staying at home or when he was on a journey. Hadri verses are regarded as those that were revealed whilst He (s) was at home. Most verses of the Qur’aan fall into this broad category. Safri verses were revealed during His (s) journeys. Allama Suyuti (ra) has mentioned that there are about forty verses revealed whilst on a journey.

Then the ayaat are further divided into the divisions of day and night. Nahari ayaat were revealed during the day. According to Allama ibn Habib(ra) most verses were revealed during the day, whilst the Layla verses were revealed during the night and were only thirteen in number. The last two ayaat of Surah Al- Imran, ayah 198 to ayah 200 were revealed during the night.

The Sahabah took the classifications to another level when they recorded the season that certain ayaat were revealed! Subhaanallah! What an attachment to the knowledge of the ayaat of Allah. The Sayfi vereses were revealed during Summer and there is an authentic hadith that records the Ayah in Surah Nisa on the ruling of Kalaalah recorded as being revealed during the Summer. The ayah in Surah Mai’dah revealed at the farewell Hajj was also revealed in Summer.

The Shitai verses are the verses revealed during the wintertime. The famous incident of Ifk – the slander of Aisha (ra) – mentioned in Surah Noor, was revealed in the wintertime.

We then have firashi and Nawmi verses. Firashi verses were revealed to the Prophet (s) whilst he was lying on his bed. There are three such ayaat recorded according to Allamah Suyuti (ra). Nawmi verses were regarded as ayat when Nabi (s) was not fast asleep – but rather in a restful state. The gladtidings of the pond of Kauthar came to Nabie (s) whilst in a wink of sleep. He (S) raised his head and smiled and said that a surah had been revealed to him and He(s) then recited Suratul Kauthar.