al-Bukhārī, from Yūsuf ibn Māhak, who said:

“I was with ‘Ā’ishah, the Mother of the Believers, when an Iraqi man came to her and asked, ‘Which kind of shroud is best?’

“She replied, ‘Woe to you! What difference does it make to you?’

“He said, ‘Mother of the Believers, show me your copy of the Quran.’

“She asked, ‘Why?’

“He said, ‘So that I may arrange the Quran according to it, for it is being recited out of order.’

“She replied, ‘What harm does it do you whichever part you read first? The first revelation from it was a surah from the Mufassal—the section of shorter surahs—mentioning Paradise and Hell. Then, when people embraced Islam, rulings on the lawful and unlawful were revealed. Had the first thing revealed been, “Do not drink wine,” they would have said, “We will never give up wine.” Had it been, “Do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse,” they would have said, “We will never give up unlawful sexual intercourse.” The following was revealed to Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in Mecca while I was still a young girl playing: “But the Hour is their appointed time, and the Hour is more calamitous and more bitter.” Surahs al-Baqarah and al-Nisā’ were not revealed until I was living with him.’”

He said: “She then brought out the copy of the Quran for him and dictated to him the verses of the surahs.”

Since disbelief, wickedness, and disobedience cause evil and aggression, a man or a group may commit a sin, while others remain silent instead of enjoining right and forbidding wrong, making that silence one of their sins. Still others may condemn them in a prohibited manner, making that condemnation one of their sins. Thus division, discord, and evil arise. This has been among the greatest sources of strife and evil, in both past and present, for man is deeply unjust and ignorant, and wrongdoing and ignorance take many forms. The wrongdoing and ignorance of the first may be of one kind, while those of the second and third may each be of another kind.