Though the Holy Quran was revealed in portions, yet it is a mistake to suppose that it remained long in that fragmentary condition. As its very name implies, it was a book from the first, and though it could not be complete until the last verse was revealed, it was never without some form of arrangement. There is the clearest testimony, internal as well as external that every single verse or part of a verse and every chapter that was revealed had its own definite place in the Holy Book. The Holy Quran is itself clear on this point: `And those who disbelieve say: Why has not the Quran been revealed to him all at once? Thus, that We may establish thy heart by it, and We have arranged it well in arranging' (25:32).
The arrangement of the Quran was thus a part of the Divine scheme. Another verse showing that the collection of the Holy Book was a part of the Divine scheme runs thus: `Surely on Us devolves the collecting of it and reciting of it' (75:17) from which it appears that just as the Holy Quran was recited by Gabriel to the Prophet (sws), in like manner, the collecting together of the various parts was effected by the Prophet (sws) under the guidance of Gabriel. History also bears testimony to the truth of this statement, for not only are there numerous anecdotes showing that this or that portion of the Quran was put to writing under the orders of the Prophet (sws), but we are clearly told by Uthman (rta) the third caliph, that every portion of the Holy Book was written at a specified place at the bidding of the Prophet (sws): `It was customary with the messenger of Allah that when a portion of different chapters was revealed to him, and when any verse was revealed, he would call one of those persons who used to write the Holy Quran and say to him: Write this verse in the chapter where such and such verses occur'. In this way the whole Quran was arranged under guidance of Gabriel by the Prophet (sws) himself.