MP SPEAKS | Muslims today celebrate the day when the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) first received the revelation of the Holy Quran from the archangel Jibril. Over the next 23 years, Muhammad would receive further revelations until his death. Literacy was not common and Muhammad, too, could not read or write. There were those around him that wrote down these revelations. It is said that after Muhammad’s death, the first successor caliph, Abu Bakar, instructed for the verses to be compiled for the first time.

As a child, I remember being interested in the end sections of the Holy Book. The surahs were shorter. Most Muslims memorise the latter surahs because of their brevity. Those of us who are not learned ulema or imams, will use these latter surahs for our daily prayers. Children will be tested by their parents to learn many of these verses by heart. Some Muslims who prefer shorter congregational terawih prayers during the nights of Ramadan will find mosques where the imam will read these shorter surahs rather than the entirety or parts of the longer surahs found in the earlier parts of the Quran.

Generally speaking, the longer surahs in the front sections of the Quran are Medinan verses. This means that they were revealed to the Prophet in the city of Medina. In 622AD, upon divine guidance, Muhammad decided to leave his birthplace of Mecca for the city of Medina. He and his followers faced constant persecution in Mecca from people opposed to his message and cause. And his life was threatened. He received word from Medina that the city would welcome him and his followers. His migration is...