May the peace, mercy and blessing of Allah be upon you, our shaikh:

May Allah preserve and protect you.

What were the last verse and the last chapter of the Qur'an that were sent down?

May Allah reward you well.

In the name of Allah, all praise is due to Allah and may peace and blessing be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed: The people of knowledge (scholars) have held different opinions concerning which verse of the Qur'an was the last to be revealed.

The first opinion: The last verse to be revealed was the verse of riba, which is the Saying of Allah Most High (in meaning):

{O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah and give up what remains (due to you) from riba (usury) (from now on), if you are (truly) believers.}

[Al-Baqarah 2:278]

Al-Bukhari related that on the authority of Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both).

The second opinion: The last verse to be revealed was (in meaning):

{And be afraid of the Day when you shall be brought back to Allah. Then every person shall be paid what he earned and they shall not be dealt with unjustly.}

[Al-Baqarah 2:281]

Al-Nisa'i related this on the authority of Ibn `Abbas and Sa`id ibn Jubair.

The third opinion: The last verse to be revealed was The Verse of the Debt.

{O you who believe! When you contract a debt for a fixed period, write it down. Let a scribe write it down in justice between you. Let not the scribe refuse to write as Allah has taught him, so let him write. Let him (the debtor) who incurs the liability dictate, and he must fear Allah, his Lord, and diminish not anything of what he owes. But if the debtor is poor of understanding, or weak, or is unable himself to dictate, then let his guardian dictate in justice. And get two witnesses out of your own men. And if there are not two men (available), then a man and two women, such as you agree for witnesses, so that if one of them (the two women) errs, the other can remind her. And the witnesses should not refuse when they are called on (to testify). You should not become weary to write it (your contract), whether it be small or big, for its fixed term; that is more just in the Sight of Allah, more solid of evidence, and more convenient to prevent doubts among yourselves, save when it is a present trade which you carry out on the spot among yourselves; then there is no sin on you if you do not write it down. But take witnesses whenever you make a commercial contract. Let neither scribe nor witness suffer any harm, but if you do (such harm), it would be wickedness in you. So be afraid of Allah; and Allah teaches you. And Allah is the All-Knower of each and everything. }

[Al-Baqarah 2:282]

It has been related on the authority of Sa`id ibn al-Musayyib that he was informed that the latest part of the Qur'an revealed from the throne was the verse of the debt.

These three opinions could be combined by saying that these verses were sent down, all at once, in the order they appear in the Qur'an, so each one related some of what was sent down as though it were the last part to be revealed.

The fourth opinion: The last verse of the Qur'an was the Saying of Allah Most High (in meaning),

{This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed my Favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. But as for him who is forced by severe hunger, with no inclination to sin (such can eat the previously mentioned meats), then surely, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.}

[Al-Ma'idah 5:3]

There are also other opinions, one of which is [that the last verse sent down was] the verse of the kalalah (those who die leaving neither ascendants nor descendants), as related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim, on the authority of Al-Baraa' ibn `Aazib (may Allah be pleased with them both).

One of the best things said on the matter of this difference is the opinion of whoever said, "None of these opinions are traceable to the Prophet (saws), for it might be that whoever said that was making ijtihad and said what he overwhelmingly believed, or it could be that each of them said the last verse they heard from the Prophet (saws) on the day he died or shortly before his final illness. It could also possibly be that this verse, meaning the last verse that the Messenger of Allah (saws) recited, was sent down along with other verses, so he ordered those that were sent down with it to be recorded after it was written, so it was thought that the last verse written down was the last verse revealed; and Allah Almighty is more Exalted and more Knowledgeable.

Just as the people of knowledge hold different opinions on which verse was the last to be revealed, they differ over which chapter was the last to be revealed. One of these opinions is that the last chapter to be sent down was Surat al-Nasr:  

{When comes the Help of Allah and the conquest…} [110:1]

This is the opinion of Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him). Muslim related (3024) on the authority of `Ubaid-Allah ibn `Abd-Allah ibn `Utbah, who said that Ibn `Abbas asked him, "Do you know which was the last chapter of the Qur'an to be sent down all at once?" I said, "Yes, {When comes the Help of Allah and the conquest…} He said, "You are right."

This is supported by what is correctly reported on the authority of `Umar and Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that this chapter indicated the end of the Prophet's life (saws) and announced his own death to him. Imam al-Bukhari (4970) related on the authority of Ibn `Abbas, who said that `Umar used to bring him in with the old men [veterans of the Battle] of Badr and it was as though some of them felt slighted by that, so he said, "Why do you let this one in with us though we have sons like him?" So `Umar replied, "You know who he is." So he invited him one day and let him in with them and I didn't think that he invited me that day except to show them. He asked, "What do you say about the Saying of Allah [in meaning], {When comes the Help of Allah and the conquest…}?" So some of them said, "We were ordered to praise Allah and to seek His Forgiveness when we are aided and made victorious," and others remained silent, not saying anything. Then he asked me, "Is that what you say, son of `Abbas?" So, I said, "No." He asked, "Then, what do you say?" I said, "It is the end of the life of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He (Allah) taught it to him; He said [in meaning], {When comes the Help of Allah and the conquest…} and this is a sign that your life is coming to an end, {So glorify the praises of your Lord and seek His forgiveness; verily, He is the One Who accepts repentance and forgives.}" `Umar said, "I do not know more about it than that which you say." 

Another opinion is that the final chapter to be revealed was Surat Al-Tawbah. Al-Baraa' ibn `Aazib (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "The last chapter to be sent down was Bara'ah (another name for Surat al-Tawbah)." [Related by Al-Bukhari (4329) and Muslim (1618), on the authority of Al-Baraa' ibn `Aazib, who said, "The last chapter which was sent down was Bara'ah and the last verse which was sent down was, {They ask you for a legal verdict. Say: "Allah directs (thus) about the kalalah (those who leave neither descendants nor ascendants).}[Al-Nisaa' 4:176]

Still another opinion is that the last chapter to be sent down was Surat al-Ma'idah. `A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said, "The last chapter to be sent down was Al-Ma'idah." [Related by Ahmad (25588), on the authority of Jubair ibn Nufair, who said, "I entered in on `A'ishah and she said, 'Do you read Surat al-Ma'idah?' I said, 'Yes.' She said, 'It was the last chapter sent down, so whatever you find permissible in it, deem it permissible and whatever you find prohibited in it, deem it prohibited.' I asked her about the character of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and she said, 'The Qur'an.' The hadith was judged authentic by Shu`aib al-Arna'oot in Tahqiq al-Musnad.

There is no hadith established on the authority of the Prophet (saws) clearly stating which chapter of the Qur'an was the last to be sent down, which is why the Companions differed and each one said that to which his individual juristic judgment (ijtihad) led him.

And Allah Almighty is more Exalted and more Knowledgeable.