Volume 6, Book 61, Number 515:
Narrated Yusuf bin Mahk:
While I was with Aisha, the mother of the Believers, a person from Iraq came and asked, “What
type of shroud is the best?” ‘Aisha said, “May Allah be merciful to you! What does it matter?” He said,
“O mother of the Believers! Show me (the copy of) your Qur’an,” She said, “Why?” He said, “In order
to compile and arrange the Qur’an according to it, for people recite it with its Suras not in proper
order.” ‘Aisha said, “What does it matter which part of it you read first? (Be informed) that the first
thing that was revealed thereof was a Sura from Al-Mufassal, and in it was mentioned Paradise and
the Fire. When the people embraced Islam, the Verses regarding legal and illegal things were re –
vealed. If the first thing to be revealed was: ‘Do not drink alcoholic drinks.’ people would have said,
‘We will never leave alcoholic drinks,’ and if there had been revealed, ‘Do not commit illegal sexual
intercourse, ‘they would have said, ‘We will never give up illegal sexual intercourse.’ While I was a
young girl of playing age, the following Verse was revealed in Mecca to Muhammad: ‘Nay! But the
Hour is their appointed time (for their full recompense), and the Hour will be more grievous and
more bitter.’ (54.46) Sura Al-Baqara (The Cow) and Surat An-Nisa (The Women) were revealed
while I was with him.” Then ‘Aisha took out the copy of the Qur’an for the man and dictated to him
the Verses of the Suras (in their proper order) .