The second kind of revelation is that the Noble Qur’an came down in portions...

The second kind of revelation is that the Noble Qur’an came down in portions, gradually, during the entire period of the call which lasted 23 years.[^5] Some have also said that the initiation of the revelation of the Qur’an began on the Night of Ordainment and that it was not the entire book which was revealed on this night, however this idea does not fit with the apparent meaning of the verse which says: Surely We sent it (the Qur’an) down on the Night of Ordainment. It should be noted that in regards to the descent of the Qur’an, some of the verses have made use of the notion of “إِنْزَالٌ”, while other verses have spoken about “تَنْزِيلٌ” and from a review of some Arabic dictionaries, we understand that the difference between these two Arabic terms is that “إِنْزَالٌ” has a broad meaning, and here it implies ‘bringing down all at once’ while “ تَنْزِيلٌ” implies ‘bringing down gradually’.[^6] This difference, which is seen in various verses of the Qur’an, can be taken as an indication to the above mentioned two types of descent.

In the next verses, referring to the greatness of the Night of Ordainment it says: And what will make you know what the Night of Ordainment is? Right after this we are told, The Night of Ordainment is better than a thousand months. This phrase shows that the importance of this night is so great that even the Noble Prophet, with his vast knowledge, did not know the status of this night prior to it being revealed to him!

We know that one thousand months is equal to more than eighty years and truly, what a great night it is whose worth and value is as much as the length of a fairly long blessed life (which a person could have). It is cited in some commentaries that the Noble Prophet has said: “One of the members of the Children of Israel (the Israelites) had spent one thousand months with his fighting armor on and was always prepared for war in the path of Allah.

The companions of the Prophet  became surprised and wished that there might have been that sort of virtue and…