Richard Bell, The Qur’ān. Translated, with a critical re-arrangement of the Surahs (1939)

the composition of the Qur’ān as falling into three main periods: (a) an early period from which only fragments survive consisting mainly of lists of “signs” and exhortations to the worship of Allah; (b) the Qur’ān period, covering the latter part of Muhammad’s activity in Mecca, and the first year or two of his residence in Medina, during which he is producing a Qur’ān giving in Arabic the gist of previous revelation; (c) the Book-period, beginning somewhere about the end of the year II., during which Muhammad is definitely producing a Book, i.e. an independent revelation.

The surahs have been kept in their usual order, and only such rearrangements of their contents made as seemed necessary to remove the confusions above referred to. What seemed the natural divisions of the text have been marked from each other by spacing. The numbering of the verses is that of Fluegel. Where his verse-divisions do not correspond to what appears to have been intended, the numbers have been printed in the text instead of on the margin, and the natural verse visions retained. Verses have sometimes been broken up in accordance with older divisions shown by the occurrence of internal rhymes within the present verses.

The alterations, substitutions, and other derangements of the text have been indicated by the setting of the print on the page. Later additions have been set in a space or two from the margin. Where parts of the text are printed in parallel columns, that which stands on the left is taken as the earlier, that on the right as a later substitution for it. Where it seems fairly certain that the one was written on the back of the other a line has been printed between them. Where an addition has been made on the back of a scrap or scraps from elsewhere, these are separated from what precedes and follows by lines, thus. Where there is a presumption that one passage was written on the back of another but a doubt remains, they have been printed consecutively as they stand in the text, and the presumption indicated by a line between them and down the side, thus or: according as the first is considered to be later or earlier than the second. Short additions within a verse have been marked of by spaces. Where it has been found necessary for the sake of clearness to add words in the English which are