Makki & Madani
Last updated
Last updated
Every Sura in the Quran is considered either Meccan or Medinan. According to the book "An Introduction to The Sciences of The Quran," pp. 27-28:
There is a common misunderstanding that Makki means the surah was revealed in Makkah and Madani means it was revealed in Medinah. This is not the case. Makkan revelation is anything that was revealed before the migration of the Prophet from Makkah to Medinah whereas Madani revelation is anything that was revealed after migration. It is a classifcation based on the time of revelation with migration serving the determining factor.
Therefore, if the revelation occurred before the Hijra to Medina, it is considered Meccan. If it was revealed after the Hijra, it is considered Medinan.
Sura 9, Barã’ah, sometimes also called At-Tawba, was the second last Sura revealed and is, therefore, considered a Medinan sura. This is except for verses 128 and 129, which are regarded as Meccan. The problem with this claim is that until the Hijra, all the revelations occurred in Mecca, and after the Hijra, all the revelations occurred in Medina. So, it does not make sense that a Medinan Sura ends with two Meccan verses.
Additionally, we will see that the only witness to these two verses, Khuzayma ibn Thabit Dhu al-Ansari, was an Ansari (resident of Medina), as his name implies. So how did an Ansari companion be the only one to witness these two Meccan verses?
Lastly, another problem with this narrative is that it is well understood that all of Sura Barã’ah was revealed in full, and it would be contradictory if it had two Meccan verses at the end of it.
Narrated Al-Bara: The last Sura which was revealed in full was Baraa (i.e. Sura-at-Tauba), and the last Sura (i.e. part of a Sura) which was revealed was the last Verses of Sura-an-Nisa': -- "They ask you for a legal decision. Say: Allah directs (thus) About those who have No descendants or ascendants As heirs." (4.177)
حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ رَجَاءٍ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْرَائِيلُ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنِ الْبَرَاءِ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ آخِرُ سُورَةٍ نَزَلَتْ كَامِلَةً بَرَاءَةٌ، وَآخِرُ سُورَةٍ نَزَلَتْ خَاتِمَةُ سُورَةِ النِّسَاءِ {يَسْتَفْتُونَكَ قُلِ اللَّهُ يُفْتِيكُمْ فِي الْكَلاَلَةِ}
Sahih al-Bukhari 4364 https://sunnah.com/bukhari:4364
Abu Ishaq said that he heard al-Bara' b. 'Azib (Allah be pleased with him) say: The last complete sura revealed (in the Holy Qur'an) is Sura Tauba (i e. al-Bara'at, ix.), and the last verse revealed is that pertaining to Kalala.
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْحَنْظَلِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا عِيسَى، - وَهُوَ ابْنُ يُونُسَ - حَدَّثَنَا زَكَرِيَّاءُ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنِ الْبَرَاءِ، أَنَّ آخِرَ، سُورَةٍ أُنْزِلَتْ تَامَّةً سُورَةُ التَّوْبَةِ وَأَنَّ آخِرَ آيَةٍ أُنْزِلَتْ آيَةُ الْكَلاَلَةِ .
Sahih Muslim 1618c https://sunnah.com/muslim:1618c