Surah Al-Qadr

Abu Hayyan stated that it is Medinan, according to the majority. Al-Mawardi narrated the opposite, and al-Wahidi mentioned that it is the first surah revealed in Medina. Al-Jalal stated in al-Itqan that there are two opinions, but the majority hold that it is Meccan.

Evidence for its Medinan nature is cited from what al-Tirmidhi and al-Hakim extracted from Al-Hasan ibn Ali (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was shown the Banu Umayya upon his pulpit, which grieved him, so "Indeed, We have granted you al-Kawthar" was revealed, and "Indeed, We sent it [the Qur'an] down during the Night of Decree" was revealed—the hadith. Al-Muzani described this hadith as munkar (denounced/rejected).

Al-Jalal also extracted this hadith in al-Durr al-Manthur from Ibn Jarir, al-Tabarani, Ibn Marduyah, and al-Bayhaqi in al-Dala'il, narrating it via Yusuf ibn Sa'd, noting that al-Tirmidhi extracted it and classified it as weak (da'if). Al-Khatib also extracted a similar account from Ibn Abbas, as did Ibn al-Musayyib with the wording: "The Prophet of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: 'I was shown the Banu Umayya ascending my pulpit, and that distressed me,' so 'Indeed, We sent it down during the Night of Decree' was revealed."

Regarding Al-Muzani’s statement that it is munkar, I have some hesitation. Regardless, the manner in which this indicates the surah is Medinan has been questioned. It was answered that it is possible this refers to the phrase "upon my pulpit," and it is apparent that the pulpit only existed at the time of the vision, and it was not constructed except in Medina.

Its verses are six according to the Meccan and Syrian counts, and five according to the others. It came in a hadith extracted by Muhammad ibn Nasr from Anas in a marfu' (elevated) manner that it is equivalent to a quarter of the Qur'an. Many of the Shafi'i scholars mentioned that it is recommended to recite it after ablution (wudu'), and some of their Imams said [to recite it] three times.

The rationale for its placement after the preceding surah is that it acts as a justification for the command to recite the Qur'an mentioned therein. It is as if it were said: "Recite the Qur'an, for its decree is great and its affair is momentous."

Al-Khattabi said the intention behind the writing in His saying "Indeed, We sent it down" to His saying [the end of the surah] is what led to its placement [after the preceding surah], and Judge Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi approved of this, saying: "This is most wondrous." It appears that he meant the accusative pronoun in "sent it down" refers to "Recite," as you will hear, God willing. He intended that it refers to what is recited from "Recite," and thus its return to the Qur'an would be contrary to the apparent meaning; so do not be heedless of this.

Surah Al-Qadr: (1) Indeed, We sent it down in...

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

"Indeed, We sent it down in the Night of Decree." According to the majority, the pronoun refers to the Quran. The Imam (Fakhr al-Din al-Razi) claimed there is a consensus of the commentators on this, as if he did not consider those among them who said it refers to Gabriel (peace be upon him) or others, due to the weakness of that position.

They stated that expressing it with a third-person pronoun, despite no prior mention, serves to magnify it. That is, a magnification because it suggests that due to its exalted status, it is as if it were present before everyone; thus, it holds the power of something already mentioned. Likewise, attributing its revelation to the 'We' of Majesty—used twice—and emphasizing the sentence serves the same purpose.

Al-Zamakhshari indicated that the sentence implies the exclusivity of the revelation to Him, glory be to Him, based on the principle that it is like the saying, "I am the one who helps you in your need" (ana sa'idun fi hajatika), where the conceptual agent precedes the verb. This was critiqued by noting that what they mentioned applies to the detached pronoun, not the attached one, such as the noun of Inna here. Yes, the exclusivity is understood from the context of the speech. In this, they did not explicitly state the condition of what was mentioned regarding the exaltation of the time of its revelation by His saying, the Exalted...