Muhammad, the Qur'an and Islam
Medina: Suras containing addresses to Believers, Jews and
hypocrites.
Suras regulating rituals or laws.Nöldeke relied heavily on Islamic sources and methods together with
Western methods of critical analysis. He also examined the literary style
(including rhyme schemes) and theological content of the Qur'an in giving
his own sura ordering.
Bell:
(taken from The Qur'an Translated, pp. vi-vii)
Aya : "Signs" period with exhortations to worship God.
Qur'an: Period of the last years in Mecca and first two years in
Medina, when the "Qur'an" was recited.
Book: Period after 2 AH, when a "Book" was being compiled.
Bell's system is based on only three words in the Qur'anic vocabulary. He
presumes the Qur'an to have been revealed in the form of verses which
were later compiled somewhat haphazardly, especially in the Medinan
suras. He builds on the research of those before him, but uses far fewer
indicators than were available at the time. Bell saw very few suras as
having been revealed as a unit, and so did not construct his own sura
ordering.
EI² - Welch
(s.v. "al-Kur'an," pp. 414-425):
Welch gives other characteristics of the literary form and style of the
Qur'an, and these can also be used in dating the various passages:
Oaths, "Sign" passages, "Say" passages, Punishment stories,
Prophet stories, Regulations, Last Judgment, Addresses, etc.