While I was with Aisha, the mother of the Believers, a person from Iraq came and asked, "What type of shroud is the best?" ʿAisha said, "May Allah be merciful to you! What does it matter?" He said, "O mother of the Believers! Show me (the copy of) your Qur'an," She said, "Why?" He said, "In order to compile and arrange the Qur'an according to it, for people recite it with its Suras not in proper order." ʿAisha said, "What does it matter which part of it you read first? (Be informed) that the first thing that was revealed thereof was a Sura from Al-Mufassal, and in it was mentioned Paradise and the Fire. When the people embraced Islam, the Verses regarding legal and illegal things were revealed. If the first thing to be revealed was: 'Do not drink alcoholic drinks.' people would have said, 'We will never leave alcoholic drinks,' and if there had been revealed, 'Do not commit illegal sexual intercourse, 'they would have said, 'We will never give up illegal sexual intercourse.' While I was a young girl of playing age, the following Verse was revealed in Mecca to Muhammad: 'Nay! But the Hour is their appointed time (for their full recompense), and the Hour will be more grievous and more bitter.' (54.46) Sura Al-Baqara (The Cow) and Surat An-Nisa (The Women) were revealed while I was with him." Then ʿAisha took out the copy of the Qur'an for the man and dictated to him the Verses of the Suras (in their proper order) .  

إِنِّي عِنْدَ عَائِشَةَ أُمِّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ؓ إِذْ جَاءَهَا عِرَاقِيٌّ فَقَالَ أَىُّ الْكَفَنِ خَيْرٌ قَالَتْ وَيْحَكَ وَمَا يَضُرُّكَ قَالَ يَا أُمَّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَرِينِي مُصْحَفَكِ قَالَتْ لِمَ قَالَ لَعَلِّي أُوَلِّفُ الْقُرْآنَ عَلَيْهِ فَإِنَّهُ يُقْرَأُ غَيْرَ مُؤَلَّفٍ قَالَتْ وَمَا يَضُرُّكَ أَيَّهُ قَرَأْتَ قَبْلُ إِنَّمَا نَزَلَ أَوَّلَ مَا نَزَلَ مِنْهُ سُورَةٌ مِنَ الْمُفَصَّلِ فِيهَا ذِكْرُ الْجَنَّةِ وَالنَّارِ حَتَّى إِذَا ثَابَ النَّاسُ إِلَى الإِسْلاَمِ نَزَلَ الْحَلاَلُ وَالْحَرَامُ وَلَوْ نَزَلَ أَوَّلَ شَىْءٍ لاَ تَشْرَبُوا الْخَمْرَ لَقَالُوا لاَ نَدَعُ الْخَمْرَ أَبَدًا وَلَوْ نَزَلَ لاَ تَزْنُوا لَقَالُوا لاَ نَدَعُ الزِّنَا أَبَدًا لَقَدْ نَزَلَ بِمَكَّةَ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ وَإِنِّي لَجَارِيَةٌ أَلْعَبُ {بَلِ السَّاعَةُ مَوْعِدُهُمْ وَالسَّاعَةُ أَدْهَى وَأَمَرُّ} وَمَا نَزَلَتْ سُورَةُ الْبَقَرَةِ وَالنِّسَاءِ إِلاَّ وَأَنَا عِنْدَهُ قَالَ فَأَخْرَجَتْ لَهُ الْمُصْحَفَ فَأَمْلَتْ عَلَيْهِ آىَ السُّوَرِ  

[Machine] Woe to you, what is bothering you? Have you read any passage before? The first chapter that was revealed was a chapter in which the mention of paradise and hellfire was made. Then when people were inclined towards Islam, the revelation of what is permissible and what is forbidden was revealed. If the first thing revealed was "do not drink alcohol," they would have said, "We will not stop drinking alcohol." And if the first thing revealed was "do not commit adultery," they would have said, "We will not stop committing adultery." Indeed, the verse "And the Hour is more disastrous and more bitter" [Quran 54:46] was revealed in Makkah. And I, a slave girl, used to play with Muhammad ﷺ and I was present with him when Surah Al-Baqarah was revealed. So I brought the Qur'an to him and recited the verses to him.  

وَيْحَكَ وَمَا يَضُرُّكَ أَيَّهُ قَرَأْتَ قَبْلُ إِنَّمَا نَزَلَتْ أَوَّلَ مَا نَزَلَ سُورَةٌ مِنَ الْمُفَصَّلِ فِيهَا ذِكْرُ الْجَنَّةِ وَالنَّارِ حَتَّى إِذَا ثَابَ النَّاسُ لِلْإِسْلَامِ نَزَلَ الْحَلَالُ وَالْحَرَامُ وَلَوْ نَزَلَ أَوَّلُ شَيْءٍ لَا تَشْرَبُوا الْخَمْرَ قَالُوا لَا نَدَعُ شُرْبَ الْخَمْرِ وَلَوْ نَزَلَ أَوَّلُ شَيْءٍ لَا تَزْنُوا لَقَالُوا لَا نَدَعُ الزِّنَا وَإِنَّهُ أُنْزِلَتْ {وَالسَّاعَةُ أَدْهَى وَأَمَرُّ} [القمر 46] بِمَكَّةَ وَإِنِّي جَارِيَةٌ أَلْعَبُ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ وَمَا نَزَلَتْ سُورَةُ الْبَقَرَةِ إِلَّا وَأَنَا عِنْدَهُ قَالَ فَأَخْرَجْتُ إِلَيْهِ الْمُصْحَفَ فَأَمْلَتْ عَلَيْهِ السُّوَرَ