The earliest compilation of Al Quran
Musailamah, who was a
liar, called himself a prophet even during the lifetime of Nabi SAW.
After the death of Nabi SAW, people of weak faith, especially among
the travelling Arabs, began to leave Islam and become rebels and non
Muslims. Musailamah took advantage of the situation and succeeded in
causing a large number of people to follow him. Sayidina Abu Bakr RA
decided to put a stop to this attack on Islam. A fierce battle was
fought with Musailamah, in which the Muslims won with the help of
Allah and Musailamah was killed. However, a good number of
Sahabah , including many Huffaz, lost their lives.
After this battle,
Hadhrat Umar went to Hadhrat Abu Bakr and said: "Many Huffaz
have been killed in this battle. I am afraid that we are likely to
lose a good portion of the Qur’an if we have to fight a few more
battles and suffer a loss of Hufaaz at this rate. I therefore suggest
that the Qur’aan may be collected and safeguarded in the form of
one complete book."
Hadhrat Abu Bakr stated:
"How can I undertake something that was not done in the lifetime
of Nabi SAW ?" However Hadhrat Umar was firm on his point so
much so that Hadhrat Abu Bakr agreed to it.
He sent for Zaid
bin Thabit RA and informed him of what had been discussed between him
and Sayidina Umar RA and then said:
"You are young and
intelligent. Everybody considers you trustworthy. Moreover, you were
chosen by Nabi SAW with the writing of the Qur’aan during his
lifetime. I therefore request you to go to the people and collect the
Qur’aan from them and compile it in a book form."
Zaid RA says: "By
Allah, if Abu Bakr RA had asked me to shift a mountain from one place to
another, it would not have been so hard for me as the compilation of
the Qur’aan. I said, 'How do you both dare to take up something
which was not done by Nabi SAW? They explained to me their point,
till Allah made the truth dawn on me, and I also was certain of the
importance of the task. I then started going to the people and collecting
the Qur’aan from those who had written it and from those who had
learnt it by heart, till the final collection was ready."
Look at the spirit of the
Sahabah with regards to how strictly they followed Nabi SAW. Shifting
of a mountain from itsposition was not as difficult for them as doing
a thing that they had not seen Nabi SAW doing. Allahgave them the
honor of providing the greatest service to Islam by collecting the
Qur’aan, which is the source-book of Islam. Zaid RA was so
particular and careful that he would only accept the verses when
these were proved to be written during the lifetime of Nabi SAW and
only after they were duly confirmed by the recitation of those who
had memorized the Qur’aan.
Al Quran Compilation
Thanks to the efforts of Zaid RA . No doubt, he had to go from door to door and person to
person, before Allah made it possible for every word revealed to be
collected and compiled. Zaid RA was always assisted by Ubayy bin Ka'ab RA , whom Nabi SAW had declared a great expert in
Qur'anic knowledge. The Muslims of all times are highly grateful to
the Sahabah for their wonderful achievement.
Compilation
of the Qur’aan
Musailamah,
who was a liar, called himself a prophet even during the lifetime of
Nabi SAW. After the death of Nabi SAW, people of weak faith,
especially among the travelling Arabs, began to leave Islam and
become rebels and non Muslims. Musailamah took advantage of the
situation and succeeded in causing a large number of people to follow
him. Sayidina Abu Bakr RA decided to put a stop to this attack on
Islam. A fierce battle was fought with Musailamah, in which the
Muslims won
with the help of Allah and Musailamah was killed.
However,
a good number of Sahabah , including many Huffaz, lost their lives.
After this battle, Hadhrat Umar went to Hadhrat Abu Bakr and said:
"Many Huffaz have been killed in this battle. I am afraid that
we are likely to lose a good portion of the Qur’an if we have to
fight a few more battles and suffer a loss of Hufaaz at this rate. I
therefore suggest that the Qur’aan may be collected and safeguarded
in the form of one complete book."
Hadhrat
Abu Bakr stated: "How can I undertake something that was not
done in the lifetime of Nabi SAW ?" However Hadhrat Umar was
firm on his point so much so that Hadhrat Abu Bakr agreed to it. He
sent for Hadhrat Zaid bin Thabit and informed him of what had been
discussed between him and Hadhrat Umar and then said:
"You
are young and intelligent. Everybody considers you trustworthy.
Moreover, you were chosen by Nabi SAW with the writing of the
Qur’aan during his lifetime. I therefore request you to go to the
people and collect the Qur’aan from them and compile it in a book
form."
Hadhrat
Zaid says: "By Allah, if Abu Bakr had asked me to shift a
mountain from one place to another, it would not have been so hard
for me as the compilation of the Qur’aan. I said, 'How do you both
dare to take up something which was not done by Nabi SAW? They
explained to me their point, till Allah made the truth dawn on me,
and I also was certain of the importance of the task. I then started
going to the
people and collecting the Qur’aan from those who had written it and
from those who had learnt it by heart, till the final collection was
ready."
Look
at the spirit of the Sahabah with regards to how strictly they
followed Nabi SAW. Shifting of a mountain from itsposition was not as
difficult for them as doing a thing that they had not seen Nabi SAW
doing. Allahgave them the honor of providing the greatest service to
Islam by collecting the Qur’aan, which is the source-book of Islam.
Hadhrat Zaid was so particular and careful that he would only accept
the verses when these were proved to be written during the lifetime
of Nabi SAW and only after they were duly confirmed by the recitation
of those who had memorized the Qur’aan.
Thanks
to the efforts of Hadhrat Zaid . No doubt, he had to go from door to
door and person to person, before Allah made it possible for every
word revealed to be collected and compiled. Hadhrat Zaid was always
assisted by Hadhrat Ubayy bin Ka'ab , whom Nabi SAW had declared a
great expert in Qur'anic knowledge. The Muslims of all times are
highly grateful to the Sahabah for their wonderful
achievement.
The
Qur'an is the Holy Book of Islam. It is the word of God revealed to
the Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, over a period of
23 years (from 610 to 633 CE) through the angel Jibreel (Gabriel).
The Qur'an is still in its original form as it was revealed to
Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam.During
the time of Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, the
Qur'an was mainly preserved through memorization. Hundreds of
Companions of the Prophet, were huffaz, or memorizers of the whole
Qur'an and had memorized the Qur'an without any mistakes. But the
Qur'an was also preserved through writing.Prophet
Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, made special arrangements to
have it written down. When Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa
sallam, used to receive a revelation, he dictated it to a Companion,
who wrote it down on anything that was available: bark, stone, bones,
leaves, etc. The companion then read, what he had written, to the
Prophet. If there were any mistakes, Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu
alayhi wa sallam, would correct it and then let it be brought before
everyone. Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, also told
the order of the verses, etc, and they were written accordingly.So,
in the days of the Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, one copy of
the Qur’an existed of what he had gotten written under his personal
supervision. It was not in book form but in different parchments.
Other Companions also had collections of the Qur'an for their
personal record but no standard copy of the Qur'an in book form
existed.
Hadith
About Reading From a Transcript
Some
people argue that the Qur'an was not written at all during the time
of Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam. This is not true
as there are many Hadith, or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad,
Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, that indicate that the Qur'an did exist
in written form during the time of Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu
alayhi wa sallam. For example, the Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa
sallam, has said:
“If
anyone recites the Qur'an without seeing the transcription, the
reward is one thousand times, and if he reads it from the
transcription, the reward is two thousand times.”This
Hadith shows that Companions did possess written copies of the Quran
during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa
sallam.
Compilation
in the Khilafah of Abu Bakr
After
Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, died in 633 CE,
Sayyidna Abu Bakr, Radi-Allahu anhu, became the Khalifah (caliph).
The need of the compilation of the whole Qur’an in the form of a
Book was seen. In the battle of Yamamah and other battles, many
huffaz were martyred. Sayyidna Umar, Radi-Allahu anhu, noticed this
and went to the Khalifah, and told him about this matter. At first
Sayyidna Abu Bakr, Radi-Allahu anhu, hesitated in doing something
that the Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, hadn’t
done but then, seeing the importance of this, he agreed.
Then
Sayyidna Zayd bin Thabit, Radi-Allahu anhu, was called. Hazrat Zayd
bin Thabit, Radi-Allahu anhu, used to write the Qur'an for the
Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, during his time. At first,
Sayyidna Zayd, Radi-Allahu anhu, refused to do so but then, he, too,
agreed.
The
compilation of the Qur'an started, with Sayyidna Zayd bin Thabit,
Radi-Allahu anhu, in charge. Lots of companions, including himself
had memorized the whole Qur'an and so the Qur'an could have easily
been written down from memory. There were also complete collections
of the verses of the Holy Qur'an available with many companions. But
Sayyidna Zayd bin Thabit, Radi-Allahu anhu, knew he had to be
careful. He used both methods by collecting verses that were written
during the time of Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam and
also using memory. He followed four steps.
First
he verified the verse with his own memory. Sayyidna
Umar, Radi-Allahu anhu, who was a Hafiz, was also in charge of the
project and he verified it, too. Then,
before the verse could be accepted, the two reliable witnesses had
to testify that it was written in the presence of Prophet Muhammad
Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam.
After
that, written verses were collated with the collections of different
Companions. The
purpose of this method was so that the utmost care be taken in the
transcription of the Qur'an, and rather then rely on memory, it
should be transcribed from verses that were written in the presence
of the Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam.
It
was this way that the Qur'an was compiled. In this copy, all Surahs
were written separately. The purpose of this transcription was to
prepare an organized document with the endorsement of the whole Ummah
so that reference could be made to it when required. The transcripts
stayed with Sayyidna Abu Bakr, Radi-Allahu anhu. After his death in
634 CE they were passed on to the second Khalifah Sayyidna Umar,
Radi-Allahu anhu. And after Sayyidna Umar, Radi-Allahu anhu, they
were given to his daughter, Hazrat Hafsah, Radi-Allahu anha.
Compilation
in the Khilafah of Sayyidna Uthman
When
Sayyidna Uthman, Radi-Allahu anhu, became Khalifah in 644 CE, Islam
had spread to far areas such as Iran and Byzantine. People who
accepted Islam learned how to read the Qur'an from Muslim soldiers,
traders and other Muslims. There are seven different ways to recite
the Qur'an and different Companions had learned it from the Holy
Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, in different recitals. People
though that only their way of reciting was correct and started
disputing with other people. Sayyidna Uthman, Radi-Allahu anhu,
accomplished the feat of making the Qur'an’s recitation standard.First,
Sayyidna Uthman, Radi-Allahu anhu, borrowed the first copy of the
Holy Qur'an from Hafsah, Radi-Allahu anha. He then formed a group of
four companions, Sayyidna Zayd bin Thabit, Abdullah bin Zubayr, Saeed
ibn al Aas, and Abdur Rahman bin Harith Radi-Allahu anhuma. The group
had the task of making transcripts of the original copy and also to
put the Surahs in sequence. Other companions were also called upon to
help them.After
having these standard transcripts prepared, all other transcripts
were burnt, so that all copies of the Qur'an become uniform in script
and the sequence of Surahs, leaving no room for differences. The copy
produced by Sayyidna Uthman, Radi-Allahu anhu, is still extant. All
copies of the Qur'an available today in the world are exactly
identical to the Uthmani Version, which was completed less than
twenty years after the death of Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi
wa sallam.
Later
some improvements were made in the Arabic script, like the adding of
dots and diacritical marks, to make it easier for non-Arabs to read,
but of course, the text of the Qur'an has remained, and will remain
the same forever.
|
| The earliest compilation of Al Quran |
| Al Quran Compilation |
Thanks to the efforts of Zaid RA . No doubt, he had to go from door to door and person to
person, before Allah made it possible for every word revealed to be
collected and compiled. Zaid RA was always assisted by Ubayy bin Ka'ab RA , whom Nabi SAW had declared a great expert in
Qur'anic knowledge. The Muslims of all times are highly grateful to
the Sahabah for their wonderful achievement.
Compilation
of the Qur’aan
Musailamah,
who was a liar, called himself a prophet even during the lifetime of
Nabi SAW. After the death of Nabi SAW, people of weak faith,
especially among the travelling Arabs, began to leave Islam and
become rebels and non Muslims. Musailamah took advantage of the
situation and succeeded in causing a large number of people to follow
him. Sayidina Abu Bakr RA decided to put a stop to this attack on
Islam. A fierce battle was fought with Musailamah, in which the
Muslims won
with the help of Allah and Musailamah was killed.
However,
a good number of Sahabah , including many Huffaz, lost their lives.
After this battle, Hadhrat Umar went to Hadhrat Abu Bakr and said:
"Many Huffaz have been killed in this battle. I am afraid that
we are likely to lose a good portion of the Qur’an if we have to
fight a few more battles and suffer a loss of Hufaaz at this rate. I
therefore suggest that the Qur’aan may be collected and safeguarded
in the form of one complete book."
Hadhrat
Abu Bakr stated: "How can I undertake something that was not
done in the lifetime of Nabi SAW ?" However Hadhrat Umar was
firm on his point so much so that Hadhrat Abu Bakr agreed to it. He
sent for Hadhrat Zaid bin Thabit and informed him of what had been
discussed between him and Hadhrat Umar and then said:
"You
are young and intelligent. Everybody considers you trustworthy.
Moreover, you were chosen by Nabi SAW with the writing of the
Qur’aan during his lifetime. I therefore request you to go to the
people and collect the Qur’aan from them and compile it in a book
form."
Hadhrat
Zaid says: "By Allah, if Abu Bakr had asked me to shift a
mountain from one place to another, it would not have been so hard
for me as the compilation of the Qur’aan. I said, 'How do you both
dare to take up something which was not done by Nabi SAW? They
explained to me their point, till Allah made the truth dawn on me,
and I also was certain of the importance of the task. I then started
going to the
people and collecting the Qur’aan from those who had written it and
from those who had learnt it by heart, till the final collection was
ready."
Look
at the spirit of the Sahabah with regards to how strictly they
followed Nabi SAW. Shifting of a mountain from itsposition was not as
difficult for them as doing a thing that they had not seen Nabi SAW
doing. Allahgave them the honor of providing the greatest service to
Islam by collecting the Qur’aan, which is the source-book of Islam.
Hadhrat Zaid was so particular and careful that he would only accept
the verses when these were proved to be written during the lifetime
of Nabi SAW and only after they were duly confirmed by the recitation
of those who had memorized the Qur’aan.
Thanks
to the efforts of Hadhrat Zaid . No doubt, he had to go from door to
door and person to person, before Allah made it possible for every
word revealed to be collected and compiled. Hadhrat Zaid was always
assisted by Hadhrat Ubayy bin Ka'ab , whom Nabi SAW had declared a
great expert in Qur'anic knowledge. The Muslims of all times are
highly grateful to the Sahabah for their wonderful
achievement.
