Dating the Narrative of the Order of Qurʾānic Revelation as Transmitted by ʿIkrima and al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī

The list of chronological revelation attributed to ʿIkrima and al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, despite its lack of direct attribution to the Companions, enjoys notable prominence in early sources. This list, transmitted in a conjunctive form from these two Tābiʿīs, has been disseminated through a singular chain with the pivotal role of a figure named Ḥusayn ibn Wāqid al-Marwazī. In terms of frequency of citation across works from the first ten centuries, the report of ʿIkrima and al-Ḥasan ranks second after the list of ʿAṭāʾ al-Khurāsānī, and in some sources, it constitutes the sole reference for the order of revelation. The present study aims to examine the authenticity and reliability of the ʿIkrima–al-Ḥasan list and to date its transmission. By accessing ancient sources previously unreferenced in earlier research and analyzing early manuscript versions, the study extracts all known reports on the order of revelation. It then compares the ʿIkrima–al-Ḥasan narrative with other reports, taking into account both intentional and inadvertent textual variations, and evaluates its credibility using both classical and contemporary methods of ḥadīth criticism. The findings indicate serious doubt regarding the attribution of the extant form of this chronological list to the two Tābiʿīs. Analysis of the isnād network structure and the role of shared transmitters—particularly considering Ḥossain ibn Wāqid’s jurisprudential standing and his activity in the domains of chronological revelation and abrogation—suggests that he was the originator of this list’s compilation and dissemination. While the general framework of chronological revelation lists had emerged at least by the time of ʿAṭāʾ al-Khurāsānī in the mid-first century AH, the initial publication of the ʿIkrima–al-Ḥasan narrative with its distinct features occurred in the mid-second century AH in Marw, and its attribution to ʿIkrima and al-Ḥasan served a legitimizing function.