Chronological order of Qur’an chapters

The Qur’an was not published as the order of the chapters suggests. It is possible to discover a chronological order of the chapters. The first chapters were published in Mecca, later the Medinian chapters came. The two most accepted methods of placing the verses according to the time they were published, are the Nöldeke and the Egyptian standards. Like the early Muslim scholars, Nöldeke adopted the Qur'anic chapters with legal content, as published in Medina [1]. Later, however, traditional Muslim scholars placed legal arguments above style and substance, resulting in the Egyptian standard. Nöldeke has placed Qur’an 110 between 59 and 24, but it is the last in the Egyptian standard. Nöldeke placed Qur’an 62 before 64 and 61, but in the Egyptian standard it is after 64 and 61. For non-Muslims, reading the Nöldeke or Egyptian standard can be of added value if there is a historical awareness of the life of Mohammed. Nöldeke has divided the Meccan chapters into three Meccan periods, because in the published verses it shows a development from great passion to coolness. There is no strong time division between the three Meccan periods [2]. The Meccan periods began in 610 and ended in 622. The historical period of Medina is 622-632. Nöldeke's chronology has been the standard for Western scholars [3].

Table Chronology order of Qur'an chapters

Nöldeke Standard	Egyptian Standard	Qur’an Chapter Nr	Title	Place of Publication	Historical Period
1	1	96	Al-Alaq	Mecca	First Meccan
2	4	74	Al-Muddaththir	Mecca	First Meccan
3	6	111	Al-Masad	Mecca	First Meccan
4	29	106	Quraish	Mecca	First Meccan
5	15	108	Al-Kawthar	Mecca	First Meccan
6	32	104	Al-Humazah	Mecca	First Meccan
7	17	107	Al-Maa'oon	Mecca	First Meccan
8	16	102	At-Takaathur	Mecca	First Meccan
9	19	105	Al-Feel	Mecca	First Meccan
10	9	92	Al-Layl	Mecca	First Meccan
11	35	90	Al-Balad	Mecca	First Meccan
12	12	94	Al-Inshirah	Mecca	First Meccan
13	11	93	Ad-Dhuha	Mecca	First Meccan
14	25	97	Al-Qadr	Mecca	First Meccan
15	36	86	At-Taariq	Mecca	First Meccan
16	26	91	Ash-Shams	Mecca	First Meccan
17	24	80	Abasa	Mecca	First Meccan
18	2	68	Al-Qalam	Mecca	First Meccan
19	8	87	Al-A'la	Mecca	First Meccan
20	28	95	At-Tin	Mecca	First Meccan
21	13	103	Al-'Asr	Mecca	First Meccan
22	27	85	Al-Burooj	Mecca	First Meccan
23	3	73	Al-Muzzammil	Mecca	First Meccan
24	30	101	Al-Qaari'ah	Mecca	First Meccan
25	93	99	Az-Zalzalah	Medina	First Meccan
26	82	82	Al-Infitar	Mecca	First Meccan
27	7	81	At-Takweer	Mecca	First Meccan
28	23	53	An-Najm	Mecca	First Meccan
29	83	84	Al-Inshiqaaq	Mecca	First Meccan
30	14	100	Al-'Aadiyat	Mecca	First Meccan
31	81	79	An-Naazi'aat	Mecca	First Meccan
32	33	77	Al-Mursalaat	Mecca	First Meccan
33	80	78	An-Naba'	Mecca	First Meccan
34	68	88	Al-Ghaashiyah	Mecca	First Meccan
35	10	89	Al-Fajr	Mecca	First Meccan
36	31	75	Al-Qiyamah	Mecca	First Meccan
37	86	83	Al-Mutaffifeen	Mecca	First Meccan
38	78	69	Al-Haaqqa	Mecca	First Meccan
39	67	51	Adh-Dhaariyaat	Mecca	First Meccan
40	76	52	At-Toor	Mecca	First Meccan
41	46	56	Al-Waqi'ah	Mecca	First Meccan
42	79	70	Al-Ma'aarij	Mecca	First Meccan
43	97	55	Ar-Rahman	Medina	First Meccan
44	22	112	Al-Ikhlas	Mecca	First Meccan
45	18	109	Al-Kaafiroon	Mecca	First Meccan
46	20	113	Al-Falaq	Mecca	First Meccan
47	21	114	An-Naas	Mecca	First Meccan
48	5	1	Al-Fatihah	MeccaMecca	First Meccan
49	37	54	Al-Qamar	Mecca	Second Meccan
50	56	37	As-Saaffaat	Mecca	Second Meccan
51	71	71	Nuh	Mecca	Second Meccan
52	98	76	Al-Insan	Medina	Second Meccan
53	64	44	Ad-Dukhaan	Mecca	Second Meccan
54	34	50	Qaaf	Mecca	Second Meccan
55	45	20	Ta-Ha	Mecca	Second Meccan
56	47	26	Ash-Shu'ara	Mecca	Second Meccan
57	54	15	Al-Hijr	Mecca	Second Meccan
58	44	19	Maryam	Mecca	Second Meccan
59	38	38	Saad	Mecca	Second Meccan
60	41	36	Ya-Sin	Mecca	Second Meccan
61	63	43	Az-Zukhruf	Mecca	Second Meccan
62	40	72	Al-Jinn	Mecca	Second Meccan
63	77	67	Al-Mulk	Mecca	Second Meccan
64	74	23	Al-Mu'minun	Mecca	Second Meccan
65	73	21	Al-Anbiya	Mecca	Second Meccan
66	42	25	Al-Furqan	Mecca	Second Meccan
67	50	17	Al-Isra	Mecca	Second Meccan
68	48	27	An-Naml	Mecca	Second Meccan
69	69	18	Al-Kahf	Mecca	Second Meccan
70	75	32	As-Sajdah	Mecca	Third Meccan
71	61	41	Fussilat	Mecca	Third Meccan
72	65	45	Al-Jaathiyah	Mecca	Third Meccan
73	70	16	An-Nahl	Mecca	Third Meccan
74	84	30	Ar-Rum	Mecca	Third Meccan
75	52	11	Hud	Mecca	Third Meccan
76	72	14	Ibrahim	Mecca	Third Meccan
77	53	12	Yusuf	Mecca	Third Meccan
78	60	40	Ghafir	Mecca	Third Meccan
79	49	28	Al-Qasas	Mecca	Third Meccan
80	59	39	Az-Zumar	Mecca	Third Meccan
81	85	29	Al-Ankabut	Mecca	Third Meccan
82	57	31	Luqmaan	Mecca	Third Meccan
83	62	42	Ash-Shura	Mecca	Third Meccan
84	51	10	Yunus	Mecca	Third Meccan
85	58	34	Saba	Mecca	Third Meccan
86	43	35	Faatir	Mecca	Third Meccan
87	39	7	Al-A'raf	Mecca	Third Meccan
88	66	46	Al-Ahqaaf	Mecca	Third Meccan
89	55	6	Al-An'am	Mecca	Third Meccan
90	96	13	Ar-Ra'd	Medina	Third Meccan
91	87	2	Al-Baqarah	Medina	Medinan
92	100	98	Al-Bayyinah	Medina	Medinan
93	108	64	At-Taghabun	Medina	Medinan
94	110	62	Al-Jumu'ah	Medina	Medinan
95	88	8	Al-Anfal	Medina	Medinan
96	95	47	Muhammad	Medina	Medinan
97	89	3	Ali 'Imran	Medina	Medinan
98	109	61	As-Saff	Medina	Medinan
99	94	57	Al-Hadeed	Medina	Medinan
100	92	4	An-Nisa	Medina	Medinan
101	99	65	At-Talaq	Medina	Medinan
102	101	59	Al-Hashr	Medina	Medinan
103	90	33	Al-Ahzaab	Medina	Medinan
104	104	63	Al-Munafiqoon	Medina	Medinan
105	102	24	An-Nur	Medina	Medinan
106	105	58	Al-Mujadila	Medina	Medinan
107	103	22	Al-Hajj	Medina	Medinan
108	111	48	Al-Fath	Medina	Medinan
109	107	66	At-Tahreem	Medina	Medinan
110	91	60	Al-Mumtahanah	Medina	Medinan
111	114	110	An-Nasr	Medina	Medinan
112	106	49	Al-Hujuraat	Medina	Medinan
113	113	9	At-Tawbah	Medina	Medinan
114	112	5	Al-Ma'idah	Medina	Medinan

Notes

Theodor Nöldeke et al, Wolfgang H. Behn (ed), The History of the Qur’ān, Brill, Leiden, 2013.
Ahmad Syukron, Nikmatul Khairiyah, Chronology of the Qur'an According to Theodor Nöldeke and Sir William Muir (Analysis of the History of the Qur'an and Life of Mahomet), Budapest International Research and Critics Institute-Journal (BIRCI-Journal),
Gerhard Bowering, Chronology and the Qur’ān, in: Jane Dammen McAuliffe (ed.), Encyclopaedia of the Qur’an, Brill, Leiden, 2001.