How did the Noble Quran descend before it was given to Jibreel (upon him be peace)?

The scholars mentioned three opinions regarding the descent of the Holy Quran from the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfudh) to the lowest heaven. The soundest and most famous of these is that it descended all at once on the Night of Qadr (Laylat al-Qadr). The second opinion is that it descended over twenty, twenty-three, or twenty-five Nights of Qadr. The third opinion is that its revelation began on the Night of Qadr, and then it descended gradually thereafter. Al-Suyuti added a fourth opinion, attributed to Al-Mawardi, stating that the Quran descended all at once from the Preserved Tablet, then the guardian angels transmitted it to Jibril over twenty nights, and Jibril then transmitted it to the Prophet, peace be upon him, over twenty years. The first opinion is the most correct and relied-upon, and Ibn Kathir narrated a consensus on it.