Investigating the Synchronicity of Instantaneous or Gradual Revelation with Bi‘that

Some historians of the Qur’ān maintain that the bi‘that (being chosen as God’s messenger) of Prophet Muḥammad (s) synchronized with the beginning of the revelation of the Qur’ān while others deny this. In this regard, there is a difference of opinion among scholars as to whether the beginning of the revelation of the Qur’ān was instantaneous (dafʿī) or gradual (tadrījī). Therefore, the authors of this article have tried to offer a new solution to this old problem in the history of the Qur’ān by putting these scattered answers into a comprehensive plan. To this end, all people and all useful reasons have been used logically in response to the problem. Then, it is shown that the date of bi‘that synchronized with the beginning of the revelation of the Qur’ān and this revelation at the time of bi‘that was instant. This instantaneous revelation, which has the quality of ‘amr, preceded the gradual revelation of the Holy Qur’ān.