His saying, exalted and majestic is He:

"And those who disbelieved said, 'Why was the Qur'an not revealed to him all at once?' Thus, We may strengthen your heart with it, and We have arranged it in a measured form." "And they do not come to you with a parable except that We bring you the truth and the best explanation." "Those who will be gathered on their faces to Hell, they are in the worst place and further astray in the way."

It has been narrated from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them, and others that the disbelievers of Quraysh said in some of their opposition: 'If this Qur'an were from Allah, the Exalted, it would have been revealed all at once, just as the Torah and the Gospel were revealed.' And His saying, "Thus," can be understood as either from the words of the disbelievers, or it can be considered as a continuation of the speech of Allah, glorified and exalted is He, which is preferable. Its meaning is: 'As We intended it to be revealed, We intended it to be revealed in parts.' The reference is to its revelation in segments. Allah, the Exalted, made the reason for its revelation in parts over time to strengthen the heart of Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, and to preserve it.

Makkī and al-Rummānī said: 'Since he was unlettered and could not write, it would correspond to the timed events.' It was revealed over more than twenty years. Other messengers used to write, so they received their revelations all at once. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, read: 'to strengthen' with a 'yā' (ي). And 'arranging' means differentiating between the successive things. From this is their saying: 'A cow that is arranged,' and from it is the arrangement of recitation. Allah, the Exalted, intended to reveal the Qur'an in the events and incidents that He had decreed and determined its revelation therein.

Then Allah, the Exalted, informed His Prophet that these disbelievers do not come to you with a parable - that they use in opposition - that is ambiguous, like their comparison of this to the Torah and the Gospel, except that the Qur'an comes with the truth in that, meaning with that which is true. Then it is the best explanation or the most eloquent in detail. Then Allah, the Exalted, warned the disbelievers of what will befall them on the Day of Resurrection from being gathered on their faces to the Fire. The majority hold that this walking on faces is a reality. It has been narrated in this regard - through Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him - that the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said to a man: 'O Messenger of Allah, how will they be able to walk on their faces?' He said: 'Indeed, the One who enabled them to walk on their feet is capable of making them walk on their faces.' And a group said: 'Walking on faces is a metaphor for extreme humiliation, disgrace, and shame.' And His saying, the Exalted, 'the worst place' is similar to the saying in His saying, the Exalted, 'the best resting place.'