The Qur'an was not sent down all at once. It came over roughly twenty-three years, in answer to real events in the life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the people around him — in Makkah and then in Madinah, on journeys, in hardship and in relief. Reading a verse with its place and moment in view makes it far easier to understand.
The Qur'an has 114 chapters and over 6,000 verses, but only a small portion of them have an occasion of revelation (asbāb al-nuzūl) fixed to a particular year and place by a narration all scholars accept. For most of the Qur'an, no such report exists — and where reports do exist, they often differ. Much of what is commonly printed as a “revelation chronology” is careful scholarly estimation, not settled fact.
So this page deliberately keeps only what is firmly established: moments recorded in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī or Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, or verses whose subject the Qur'an itself ties to the event. Entries resting on estimated dating alone have been left out rather than presented as certain. That means the timeline is short by design — it is a set of anchors you can rely on, not a complete map.
Every reference links to the full text on quran.com or sunnah.com so you can read it in context yourself. This is a reference outline, not a ruling.
Cave of Hira, on Jabal al-Nur outside Makkah
The Prophet ﷺ was in retreat in the cave when the angel Jibril came to him and commanded him to read.
The first five verses of Sūrat al-'Alaq — the very first words of the Qur'an to be revealed.
Makkah, at the Prophet's home
After a pause in revelation, Jibril came again while the Prophet ﷺ lay wrapped in a cloak.
The opening of Sūrat al-Muddaththir — the command to rise and warn, which began his public mission.
Mount Ṣafā, Makkah
Commanded to warn his closest relatives, the Prophet ﷺ climbed Ṣafā and called the clans of Quraysh; Abu Lahab answered him harshly.
The command to warn the near kinsfolk, and Sūrat al-Masad, revealed in reply to Abu Lahab.
The Night Journey: Makkah to Jerusalem, then the ascension
The Prophet ﷺ was taken by night from the Sacred Mosque to al-Aqsa, and then raised through the heavens; the five daily prayers were made obligatory.
The opening verse of Sūrat al-Isrā', and the verses of Sūrat al-Najm describing what he was shown.
The Hijra — Makkah to Yathrib, later named Madinah
The Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr travelled north, sheltering three nights in the cave of Thawr while Quraysh searched for them.
The verse recalling the two in the cave: 'Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us.'
Madinah — the turning of the qibla
After praying towards Jerusalem for months in Madinah, the Prophet ﷺ was commanded during prayer to turn towards the Ka'bah.
The verses of Sūrat al-Baqarah changing the direction of prayer.
The wells of Badr, south-west of Madinah
A small Muslim force met a far larger Makkan army and prevailed; the Qur'an itself names the day of Badr.
Sūrat al-Anfāl, on the battle and the distribution of what was taken.
Mount Uhud, north of Madinah
The Muslims suffered heavy losses after archers left their posts; the Prophet ﷺ himself was wounded.
The passage of Āl 'Imrān reviewing the day of Uhud, which the Qur'an addresses by name of event.
The trench dug around Madinah
A confederate army besieged Madinah; the Muslims dug a trench and held out until the siege broke.
The opening passage of Sūrat al-Aḥzāb, which describes the confederates and the siege directly.
Ḥudaybiyyah, on the edge of the Makkan sanctuary
Turned back from pilgrimage, the Prophet ﷺ accepted a treaty whose terms many Companions found painful.
Sūrat al-Fatḥ, revealed on the return journey, calling the treaty a clear victory.
The conquest of Makkah
Makkah was entered without a battle; the Prophet ﷺ removed the idols set around the Ka'bah, reciting as he did so.
'Truth has come and falsehood has departed' — recited by the Prophet ﷺ at the Ka'bah, as narrated in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī.
'Arafah, during the Farewell Pilgrimage
The Prophet ﷺ performed Hajj with a great gathering and delivered the Farewell Sermon.
'This day I have perfected for you your religion' — revealed, as narrated by 'Umar, while he stood at 'Arafah on a Friday.
Madinah — the final months
Revelation ended with the Prophet's death, and the Qur'an was complete.
Al-Barā' ibn 'Āzib narrated that the last verse revealed was the verse of al-kalāla, at the end of Sūrat al-Nisā'.
The chronology above follows the standard early biographies and the classical works on Qur'anic sciences. Where scholars differ on the dating of a verse, read the sources rather than this page.
The Qur'an
Revelation — with a translation such as M.A.S. Abdel Haleem or Saheeh International
Every verse cited above links to quran.com, where the full chapter and translation can be read in context.
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim
al-Bukhārī (d. 870), Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj (d. 875)
The narrations for the first revelation, the change of qibla, the Night Journey and the Farewell Pilgrimage; each citation links to sunnah.com.
Al-Sīra al-Nabawiyya
Ibn Isḥāq (d. 767), edited by Ibn Hishām (d. 833)
The earliest surviving continuous biography, and the source of much of the standard chronology of events.
Al-Ṭabaqāt al-Kubrā
Ibn Sa'd (d. 845)
An early compilation of reports on the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions, widely used for dating events.
Al-Itqān fī 'Ulūm al-Qur'ān
Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī (d. 1505)
A classical manual on Qur'anic sciences, including Makkan and Madinan classification and the occasions of revelation.
Al-Raḥīq al-Makhtūm (The Sealed Nectar)
Ṣafī al-Raḥmān al-Mubārakfūrī (d. 2006)
A widely available modern biography in English, useful for following the sequence year by year.