Salam brothers Joseph Islam and Truthseeker,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. It is true that every ayah is the Qur'an. This is obvious from the verse 7:204 brother Joseph quoted. That's why sometimes the Quranic quotes are referred to as, for example, al-Quran 30:18 etc, when what is meant is just an ayah. So when I say that I am reading the Quran, it would not mean that I am reading the entire Quran. I think this would be clear to most people. It is in this light that I understand all the verses you quoted and more 7:204 being just one example-- that show the commonly understood the presumed incompleteness of the Quran. However, when God says that He revealed the Quran in the month of Ramadan on a particular nightof power/destiny (97:1) and also as the blessed night (44:3), to me, that is a momentous event of humongous proportions. It, at least to me, would not mean began to be revealed (as is often quoted in Islamic history) because if it had been so, God would have specified it. As an example, if I say I lived in Hawaii for 5 years, someone might ask you mean the state of Hawaii, or the islam of Hawaii?, but when I say Hawaii became a part of the US in 1959, I would only mean the state of Hawaii and not the island of Hawaii.
In all the three verses 97:1, 44:3, and 2:185, we see the clear meaning Quran was revealed on a blessed or powerful night with no indication whatsver of began to be revealed or some verses were revealed, etc.
Now, coming back to br. Truthseekers point of apparent contradiction between 25:32 and 17:106, and 97:1, 44:3, 2:185 and 53:10-- that he thinks needs to be avoided--I do think that--- may be not in the past---but TODAY, we can understand the congruity between the verses 97:1, 44:3, 2:185 and 53:10, and 25:32 by invoking the concept of downloaded to the heart of the Prophet in computer lingo where one can download a file but the individual components of this file can be read or retrieved as needed/required. I also think that the perhaps the prophet was aware of this download but did not know the contents of all of its components until a time when one of them was needed. Perhaps that why we see the phrase when they ask thee, say.. so often used in the Quran, or the argumentation of the distressed lady who was divorced by dhiaar 58:1-5 . I note here that I do understand that these same verses can, in fact, be presented to strengthen the piecemeal mode of revelation as well but I mention them here because the piecemeal mode of revelation is exactly how the rejecters (or even the believers) may have viewed the whole revelatory affair of the Prophet.
I look at the verses that invoke rooh-al-ameen 26:193 With it came down the spirit of Faith and Truth, Rool-al-qudus---16:102, and Jibreel 2:97 perhaps all of these meaning Jibreel, they do seem to support a one-time event more than they support a repetitive protocol for revelation.
Heres why I believe the verse sequence 53:1-11 lays open the whole 'video' of one-time revelatory event: These verses (53:1-11) are giving us the account of crash revelation in a way that is difficult to ignore. Let me put this event in perspective:
53:1 By the Star when it gs down,-
53:2 Your Companion is neither astray nor being misled.
53:3 Nor ds he say (aught) of (his own) Desire.
53:4 It is no less than inspiration sent down to him:
53:5 He was taught by one Mighty in Power,
53:6 Endued with Wisdom: for he appeared (in stately form);
53:7 While he was in the highest part of the horizon:
53:8 Then he approached and came closer,
53:9 And was at a distance of but two bow-lengths or (even) nearer;
53:10 So did ((Allah)) convey the inspiration to His Servant- (conveyed) what He (meant) to convey.
53:11 The (Prophet's) (mind and) heart in no way falsified that which he saw.
53:12 Will ye then dispute with him concerning what he saw? Notice the ayah 53:4 talks about the revelation that the Prophet (sws) received. The next two verses (53:5-6) tell us that this revelation was taught to him by someone who is mighty in power and endued with stately wisdom (meaning perhaps Jibreel) so we should not consider that an ordinary visual artifact. The verse 53:7-9 portrays someone (perhaps Jibreel) approaching in a dramatic way from a far-off distance, making his closest approach to the Prophet (sws) at two bows length, and then "reveals what he had to reveal". The next verse (53:11) talks about the state of the mind/heart of the prophet that witnessed and verified with certainty this unique and gorgeous event.
Along similar lines, there is this other question of repeatedly visiting of Jibreel. May be there is, but to be candid with you, I did not see any indication of Jibreels repeated visits to the prophet---or any other prophet for that matter-- anywhere in the Quran. In fact, the verse 53:13 (For indeed he saw him at a second descent) seems to make it clear that the Prophet saw him (which, to me, means Jibreel) only two timesone time described in 53:7-11 and the second time indicated in 53:13.
I am not sure if I have made a convincing case for the Quran as a "ONE TIME" revelation affair, but this is how I feel I can reconcile perhaps all the verses that seem paradoxically contradictory.
Irfan