Here’s why some states cuti in the middle of the puasa month for Nuzul Qur’an

On the 19th of April 2022, Malaysian Muslims will celebrate Nuzul Al-Qur’an, one of the lesser-known Islamic holidays on the calendar. In fact, as far as we could confirm, the only two countries to celebrate it as public holidays are Malaysia (only certain states) and Brunei, while Indonesia also does so to a smaller extent.

But despite it not being not as festive as, say, Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Nuzul Qur’an remains a highly significant date in Islamic culture, as it is said to be the date the Qur’an was first revealed to the world (the Arabic word ‘nuzul/نزول’ carries the meaning of ‘descent’; hence, Nuzul Qur’an = the descent of the Qur’an). But there’s a lot more to it than that, because…

The actual date of the Nuzul Qur’an is actually unclear

Interestingly, Malaysia’s, Indonesia’s, and Brunei’s selection of the Nuzul Qur’an date of 17 Ramadhan is not universal among all Muslims across the world; there’s actually quite a bit of debate as to when exactly the Qur’an was ‘delivered’ to humanity. But before we get into that, we need to understand what the Nuzul Qur’an was, how it happened, and something called the ‘Night of Power’.

For this, we need to go back to Mecca in 610 AD, the home of Muhammad ibn Abdullah. Like many do today, Muhammad used to ponder on the state of the world, and would spend a lot of time meditating in a cave. It was during one such meditation session during that year that Muhammad is said to have been visited by the archangel Gabriel (Jibril), who gave him his first revelation:

“Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists), Has created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous, Who taught by the pen⁠—taught man what he did not know.” – Qur’an, Surah Al-Alaq, 96:1-5

This would be the first of many parts of Qur’anic revelation, which would be revealed to him incrementally over a period of 23 years. And well, the rest is history.

The Nuzul Qur’an commemorates this occasion of the first revelation, but as mentioned earlier, its exact date is unknown, and scholars differ on the date that Nuzul Qur’an actually occurred.

So why did Malaysia pick 17 Ramadhan then?

Thankfully, we aren’t completely in the dark when it comes to the date of Nuzul Qur’an; there are certain clues given in the Qur’an as to when it happened, namely, regarding the Night of Power, which is mentioned in the following verse in the Qur’an:

“Verily, we sent down the Qur’an in the night of al-Qadr (Night of Decree/Power), And what shall make thee understand how excellent the night of al-Qadr is? The night of al-Qadr is better than a thousand months.” – Qur’an, Surah al-Qadr, 97:1-5

Without going too deeply into it, the Night of Power is said to fall on one of the last 10 days of Ramadhan, with the odd nights being more likely, and is said to be the most blessed day of the year to pray for wishes to be granted, as well as forgiveness and salvation.

So based on that verse and the above explanation, it would only make sense that Nuzul Qur’an would be held anywhere between the 20th-30th day of Ramadhan, yet this is not the case in Malaysia (although some scholars are of the view that it’s on the 21st). In fact, scholars are split between the 17th, 21st, and 24th days of Ramadhan as being the actual date of Nuzul Qur’an.

In order to clear up this confusion, it’s important to understand that the Qur’an is said to have been passed through different ‘stages’ of heaven:

Stage 1: God inscribes the Qur’an on Luh Mahfuz (the ‘tablet of Predestination’, where God writes all of time and fate) 

Stage 2: The Qur’an goes from Luh Mahfuz to Baitul Izzah (the figurative ‘House of Worship’ in the heavens)

Stage 3: From Baitul Izzah, the Qur’an is revealed to Muhammad over 23 years

According to scholars, the Night of Power was Stage 2, when the Qur’an first descended to the Baitul Izzah from the Luh Mahfuz in its entirety, while the actual Nuzul Qur’an is said to have happened in Stage 3, when the the Qur’an was first revealed to Muhammad on 17th Ramadhan. This is the version Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei (all under the Shafi’i school of thought) subscribe to, hence, our Nuzul Qur’an celebration takes place on the 17th day.

The following excerpt from Al-Bidayah wa An-Nihayah, a tome of Islamic history and tradition, is often cited as evidence to support this claim:

“The beginning of the revelation to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was on Monday, the 17th day of Ramadhan. In other narrations, it was the 24th day of Ramadhan.” – Ibn Kathir, as narrated from Al-Waqidi from Abi Ja’far Al-Baqir, Al-Bidayah wa An-Nihayah

As far as we can tell, Nuzul Qur’an seems to be a very regional celebration

While not exclusive to this part of the world, Malaysia seems to place more importance on Nuzul Qur’an than most, hence the public holiday. And different people have different ways of celebrating, such as holding feasts, lectures, and/or prayers. However, what would be the best way to celebrate it, according to the Prophet himself? The following hadith may help:

“Previously the Angel Gabriel came to see the messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him-, in every night of Ramadan, and he would recite the Qur’an together with him.” – Narrated by Al Bukhari

So yeah, that’s how Prophet Muhammad used to do it: reciting the Qur’an on every night of Ramadhan, which includes the night of Nuzul Qur’an.

But much more than just reciting the Qur’an and fasting, Ramadhan is a period of reflection for Muslims the world over, and a time to recognize your little blessings, and to be grateful for them. Have a blessed Ramadhan, and have a blessed Nuzul Qur’an holiday.