A COMPARISON of the historical facts in the life of Muhammad with the various
portions of the Qur'an connected with them is necessary, if that life is to be
intelligently understood. Another and equally important result of such
comparison is that it shows the gradual way in which the Qur'an came into
existence and how admirably the revelations fitted in to the local
circumstances, and gave what was claimed to be divine authority and support to
the varied actions of the Prophet. In this way alone could his change of policy
be justified and he himself be protected from the charge of time-serving and
inconsistency.
The arrangement of the Suras, or chapters in the Qur'an, is not
chronological. The longest Suras are placed first in the book. Thus, to take the
Qur'an and read it straight through throws no light on the life and work of the
Prophet, but simply bewilders the reader. Maulavi Muhammad 'Ali, a Qadiani
commentator, asserts that the whole Qur'an was committed to writing during the
Prophet's life-time and that the present arrangement of chapters and verses was
made under the