Which Verse of the Quran Was the Last to Be Revealed?
Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick
Question
I have seen several opinions about which verse of the Quran was the last to be revealed. Which is the correct view?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
May Allah alleviate our difficulties and guide us to that which is pleasing to Him. Amin.
Scholars differed about which verse of the Quran was the last to be revealed, and there are several views, according to the outcomes of their scholarly investigation and research (ijtihad). [Suyuti, Al-Itqan]
The Majority’s View
Most scholars opine that the last verse to be revealed was verse 281 in Surah Al-Baqarah. Allah Most High says: “And fear a Day when you will be returned to Allah. Then every soul will be compensated for what it earned, and they will not be treated unjustly.” [Quran, 2:281]
Ibn Hajar (Allah have mercy on him) held that this is the soundest view concerning the last verse to be revealed. [Ibn Hajar, Fath Al-Bari]
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) lived for nine more days after the above verse was revealed, and then he died on the night before Monday, the second day of Rabi’ Al-Awwal. [Suyuti, Al-Itqan]
Other Views
Imam Suyuti notes a difference in scholarly opinion regarding which verse was the last to be revealed.
Bukhari and Muslim narrated that Al-Bara’ Ibn ‘Azib (Allah be pleased with him) said: The last verses to be revealed were: “They request from you a [legal] ruling. Say, “Allah gives you a ruling concerning one having neither descendants nor ascendants [as heirs]” [Quran, 4:176]
Bukhari narrated that Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) said: The last verse to be revealed was the verse of Riba. Al-Bayhaqi narrated something similar from ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with him).
“O you who have believed, fear Allah and give up what remains [due to you] of interest …” [Quran, 2:278].
Last Verse Concerning Law
Scholars have noted that the final verse concerning Sacred Law was the verse in Sura Al-Ma’ida. Allah says: “…Today I have perfected your faith for you, completed My favor upon you, and chosen Islam as your way. But whoever is compelled by extreme hunger—not intending to sin—then surely Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” [Quran, 5:3]
The above verse was revealed during the Prophet’s only Major Pilgrimage (Hajj) (Allah bless him and give him peace). [Zurqani, Manahil Al-‘Irfan]
I pray this is of benefit and that Allah guides us all.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar, Shaykh Taha Karaan.
Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Mawlana Yusuf Karaan, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.
He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has served as the Director of the Discover Islam Centre and Al Jeem Foundation. For the last five years till present, he has served as the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.
Shaykh Irshaad has thirteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic online learning and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy living and fitness.
