What was the last verse of the Quran revealed?
Many scholars say the last verse of the Quran revealed was 2:281: "And fear a Day when you will be returned to Allah." Early Companions gave a few different answers, though, so there isn't one fully agreed verse. Another famous candidate, 5:3, is better known as the last verse about rulings.
The strongest view: Quran 2:281
Ibn Abbas, one of the Companions most known for understanding the Quran, said the last verse revealed was this one, and that the Prophet ﷺ lived only a short time after it:
It sits right after the verses forbidding riba (interest), which is why some reports describe "the verses of riba" as the last to come down. Many scholars combine these reports: the riba verses and 2:281 came near the end, with 2:281 as the very last.
Other answers from the Companions
- 4:176: al-Bara ibn Azib said the last verse was the final verse of Surah an-Nisa, about inheritance when someone has no parents or children.
- 9:128–129: Ubayy ibn Ka'b is reported to have named the last two verses of Surah at-Tawbah.
- Surah an-Nasr (110): often called the last complete surah revealed. Many Companions understood it as a sign that the Prophet's ﷺ mission was complete.
Scholars explain that each Companion reported the last thing he personally heard, which is why the answers differ.
What about "Today I have perfected your religion"?
This part of 5:3 was revealed on the Day of Arafah during the Farewell Hajj, about three months before the Prophet ﷺ passed away. A Jewish man once told Umar that if this verse had come to them, they would have made that day a festival; Umar replied that he knew exactly when and where it was revealed (Sahih al-Bukhari 45).
Most scholars say no new rulings came after it, but a few verses, like 2:281, were revealed later.
Why it isn't at the end of the book
The last verses revealed sit in chapters 2, 4, 5 and 9, not at the end, because the order was taught by the Prophet ﷺ rather than set by date. See Why isn't the Quran in chronological order? The finished text was collected soon after his death and is the same everywhere today. See Is the Quran the same in every country?
- Ibn Abbas named 2:281 as the last verse revealed; many scholars follow this.
- Other Companions named 4:176 or the end of Surah at-Tawbah.
- 5:3 came at the Farewell Hajj (Sahih al-Bukhari 45) and is seen as the last verse of rulings.
- Surah an-Nasr is often called the last complete surah.
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