– Journal of Islamic Sciences vol.1 issue.
1 June 14, 2013
Qur’an Preservation and Compilation during the Prophet’s Lifetime
Waqar Akbar Cheema
Abstract:
One very important question that is raised when
it comes to the Noble Qur‟an is: how well was
it preserved? This is not just important to the
enemies of Islam – who seek to disprove its
beautiful message – but this is very significant
to Muslims as well. If Islam is your religion,
then you should want to know how your Divine
Message was maintained throughout the years
because you want to know if what you are
reading is actually the words of Allah- your
Lord. Moreover, there are some claims that the
Qur‟an was compiled many years after the life
of the Prophet, but this is a misconception that
will be cleared to show that not only was it
compiled during the lifetime of the Prophet, but
it was done with his supervision. This article
will cover some of the concerns that have been
raised when it comes to the preservation of the
Message, and it will prove – without a doubt –
that the Qur‟an is indeed the exact words of
Allah, unchanged throughout the years.
1- Introduction
Some have spoken against the Qur‟an in their
bid to create confusion about its impeccable
preservation. Here we briefly study the process
of the Qur‟an‟s preservation and compilation
during the lifetime of the blessed Prophet - may
the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
2- Memorization: The Primary Means of the
Qur‟an‟s Preservation
One thing that ought to be kept in mind
regarding the preservation of the Qur‟an is that
it was done more through memory than through
writing. There was and is great wisdom in this.
We see that in the case of earlier prophets
whose teachings were not committed to
memory were lost. Sometimes the invaders
destroyed the manuscripts and sometimes the
scribes intentionally or unintentionally made
mistakes. So to avoid the same happening to
the Qur‟an, more emphasis was laid on its
memorization although it was put into writing
as well.
Therefore we read in Sahih Muslim that Allah
Almighty said to the blessed Prophet:
‫وأنزلت عليك كتابا ال يغسلو ادلاء‬
“I have revealed to you a Book that cannot
be washed away with water.”1
This meant that the Qur‟an will not be
preserved only on scrolls but through some
other medium as well. Right from the start,
Muslims gave special attention to memorizing
the Qur‟an so not only the blessed Prophet
himself but scores of his Companions learned
the complete Qur‟an by heart. They include
Abu Bakr, „Umar, „Uthman, „Ali, „Abdullah
bin Mas„ood, Talhah, Sa„d, Hudhayfah, Ubayy
bin Ka„b, „Abdullah bin „Abbas, „Abdullah bin
Zubayr, „Abdullah bin Say‟b, Zaid bin Thabit,
Abu Hurayrah, Abu ad-Darda, Mu„adh bin
Jabal, Anas bin Malik, Abu Moosa al-„Ashari,
Mu‟awiyyah, Sayyidah „Aishah, Sayyidah
1
Muslim bin Hajjaj, as-Sahih, Hadith 7207
30 Qur’an Preservation and Compilation during the Prophet’s Lifetime
Umm Salmah, Sayyidah Hafsah and many
more.2
3- Preservation in writing during the life of
the blessed Prophet
Nevertheless Qur‟an was also written down and
this was done right during the lifetime of the
blessed Prophet. All the later compilations of
the Qur‟an were based on what was dictated by
the blessed Prophet himself. We shall see the
details shortly.
The Qur‟an repeatedly calls itself “al-kitab” i.e.
something written. In fact it is so called right in
the beginning of the scripture.
‫ي‬ ِ ِ ِ ِ ‫ك الْ ِكتاب َال ري‬ِ
َ ‫ب فيو ُى ًدى للْ ُمتَّق‬
َ َْ ُ َ َ ‫ذَل‬
“This is the Book (al-kitab) about which
there is no doubt, a guidance for those
conscious of Allah.”3
“The Qur'an thus at its very beginning declares
itself to be a written, not an oral, Revelation,
passing only from mouth to mouth for
generations. It is 'Book' essentially, and not by
accident.”4
3.1 In Makkah before emigration
The Qur‟an was preserved in writing right from
the beginning. Khalid bin Sa‟eed was one of
the first few people who embraced Islam and
was the first scribe of the Prophet.5
His daughter Umm Khalid relates:
‫أيب أول من كتب بسم اهلل الرمحن الرحيم‬
2
Names of these and other Companions who had
rendered complete Qur‟an to their memory can be
found in an-Nashr fil Qira‟at al-„Ashr of al-Jazri
and al-Ittiqan fi „Uloom al-Qur‟an of Jalal ad-Din
as-Suyuti.
3
Qur‟an 2:2
4
Daryabadi, Abdul Majid, Tafsir-ul-Quran-
Translation and Commentary of the Holy Qur‟an,
Vol.1, p.7 n.30
5
al-Ansari, Jamal ad-Deen Ibn Hadidah, Misbah al-
Mudi fi Kuttab an-Nabi al-Ummi, Vol.1, 90
“My father was the first one to write
„Bismillahi ar-Rahman ar-Raheem.‟”6
Also we know the incident of conversion of
„Umar. He came out to go to the Prophet with
an evil design. On his way he met Nu„aym bin
„Abdullah who warned him against any
misadventure and to divert his attention asked
him to take care of his own sister and brother-
in-law who had embraced Islam.
‫ وعندىا خباب بن األرت معو‬،‫فرجع عمر عائدا إىل أختو فاطمة‬
.‫صحيفة فيها " طو " يقرئها إياىا‬
“„Umar then returned to his sister Fatima
where Khabbab b. al-Aratt was; he had with
him a manuscript of surat Taha that he was
reading to her.”7
Other reports tell us that the manuscript also
had Surah at-Takweer.8
All that was revealed in Makkah was put into
written record even though Muslims were
collectively under pressure. Ibn „Abbas stated:
‫إذا نزلت فاحتة سورة مبكة فكتبت مبكة‬
“When the beginning of a surah was
revealed in Makkah it was written in
Makkah.”9
In fact there is categorical proof that whatever
was revealed before Hijrah (Emigration to
Medina) was put into writing.
Quoting from az-Zubayr bin Bakkar‟s Akhbar
al-Madina Ibn Hajr al-„Asqalani (d. 852 AH)
records the following statement reported by
„Umar bin Hanzala;
6
as-Sajistani, Ibn Abi Dawud, al-Ba‟th wal Nushur,
Narration 10
7
Ibn Kathir, al-Sira al-Nabawiyya, Vol.2, 21
8
as-Suhayli, Abul Qasim „Abdur-Rahman, Rawd
al-Unf fi Sharh Seerat al-Nabawiyya li-Ibn Hisham,
Vol3, 167
9
Ibn ad-Durays, Fada‟il al-Qur‟an, 33
 Journal of Islamic Sciences vol.1 issue 1
‫وأ ّن رافع بن مالك دلا لقي رسول اللَّو صلّى اللَّو عليو وآلو وسلّم‬
‫ فقدم بو‬،‫بالعقبة أعطاه ما أنزل عليو يف العشر سني اليت خلت‬
‫ مث مجع قومو فقرأ عليهم يف موضعو‬،‫رافع ادلدينة‬
“When Rafi‟ bin Malik met the Messenger
of Allah –may the peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him- at al-„Aqabah, he
handed him whatever was revealed in the
previous decade. Rafi‟ took the same to
Madinah, gathered them in their place and
recited it to them.”10
It must be noted that if this was all possible in a
city where the whole mission was rather
secretive and Muslims were being suppressed
and oppressed how much more would have
been done later in Madina where Muslims were
free and sovereign.
With this fact recorded, one can see how absurd
is Jeffery‟s assertion that, “That certain of
these amanuenses were at times called upon
to write out special pieces of revelation is not
at all impossible.”11
If all the verses revealed in entire decade were
put to written record how can then one justify
the statement that scribes were called “at times”
and that too only to write “special pieces” of
revelation?
Besides everything else the Jeffery‟s expression
here is noteworthy. The pseudo-emphasis in the
phrase “not at all impossible” is actually not
even a hesitant acceptance of the well recorded
fact. This is indeed a „wonderful‟ way to avoid
making a positive statement even when it is
imperative. Later Orientalists especially Watt
championed this deliberate and cunningly
meaningful expression.
3.2 After emigration to Madina
10
al-„Asqalani, Ibn Hajr, al-Isabah fi Tamayyiz as-
Sahabah, Vol.2, 370
11
Jeffery, Arthur, Materials for the History of the
Text of the Qur‟an, 6 n.1 (Emphasis Mine)
31
When the Prophet migrated to Madina and
established a city state, special arrangements
were made for writing the Qur‟an as and when
some part was revealed.
In Madina, it appears from different reports;
initially the responsibility was mainly on the
emigrants (muhajirin). At-Tabari (d. 310 AH)
reports.
‫ فإن‬،‫ كانا يكتبان الوحي‬،‫على بن اىب طالب و عثمان بن عفان‬
‫غابا كتبو أيب بن كعب وزيد بن ثابت‬
“„Ali bin Abi Talib and „Uthman bin „Affan
used to write the revelations. And if they
were both absent Ubayy bin Ka‟b and Zaid
bin Thabit used to write it.”12
Among the Ansar (the Helpers) at Madina,
Ubayy was the first scribe of the Prophet.13
The blessed Prophet had more than 40
Companions who usually worked as scribes.
The names of these Companions have been
mentioned in various authentic works.14
The arrangement was so special that a person
was supposed to replace any of the regular
scribes in his absence. al-Jahshari (d. 331 AH)
writes;
‫و كان حنظلة بن الربيع خليفة كل كاتب من كتاب النىب إذا غاب‬
‫عن عملو‬
“Hanzala bin Rabi‟ was the successor of
every scribe of the Prophet when he was not
available to write.”15
12
at-Tabari, Abu Ja‟far Ibn Jareer, Tarikh al-Rusul
wal Malook, Vol.6, 179
13
Ibn Sayyid an-Nas, „Uyun al-Athar, Vol.2, 382
14
Muhammad Mustafa al-A‟zmi‟s book Kuttaab
an-Nabi is comprehensive work on the subject. In it
he has given good deal of information about 48
scribes of the blessed Prophet - may the peace and
blessings of Allah be upon them all.
15
al-Jahshari, Abu „Abdullah Muhammad, al-
Wuzara wal Kuttaab, 9
32 Qur’an Preservation and Compilation during the Prophet’s Lifetime
In defiance to these clear historical proofs A.
Jeffery said, “It is difficult to take seriously,
however, the theory that considers them as a
body of prepared scribes waiting to take
down revelations as they were uttered.”16
While no one claims that some people were
always having writing material in their hands,
yet the idea of having someone nominated as
ready replacement of an absent scribe does
show that it was indeed no casual an
arrangement even if not a body of “prepared
scribes” - whatever that means.
After the initial years in Madinah Zaid bin
Thabit seems to have gradually risen to the
status of the primary scribe of the Prophet. He
lived in the neighborhood of the Prophet and
was called for whenever a revelation came. He
himself reported:
‫كنت جار رسول اهلل صلى اهلل عليو وسلم فكان إذا نزل الوحي‬
‫أرسل إيل فكتبت الوحي‬
“I was the neighbor of the Messenger of
Allah. Whenever a revelation came down he
called for me and I wrote it down.”17
3.2.1 The Prophet dictated and checked for
possible scribal errors
How the Qur‟an was written and how it was
checked by the Prophet is evident from the
following example:
‫ كنت أكتب الوحي لرسول اهلل صلى اهلل‬:‫عن زيد بن ثابت قال‬
‫ وعرق عرقا‬،‫ وكان إذا نزل عليو أخذتو برحاء شديدة‬،‫عليو وسلم‬
‫ فكنت أدخل عليو بقطعة‬، ‫ مث سري عنو‬،‫شديدا مثل اجلمان‬
16
Jeffery, Arthur, Materials for the History of the
Text of the Qur‟an, 6 n.1
17
as-Sajistani, Ibn Abi Dawud, al-Masahif, Hadith
5-6. Also see,
a) Ibn Sa‟d, Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir, Vol.1,
428
b) at-Tabarani, Abul-Qasim Suleman, Mu‟jam al-
Kabir, Hadith 4882. al-Haithmi classified it as
hasan (good) in Majma‟ al-Zawa‟id (Hadith
14199)
‫ فما أفرغ حىت تكاد‬،‫ فأكتب وىو ميلي علي‬،‫الكتف أو كسرة‬
‫ ال أمشي على رجلي‬:‫ وحىت أقول‬،‫رجلي تنكسر من ثقل القرآن‬
،‫ فإن كان فيو سقط أقامو‬،‫ فأقرؤه‬، »‫ «اقرأه‬:‫ فإذا فرغت قال‬،‫أبدا‬
‫مث أخرج بو إىل الناس‬
Zaid bin Thabit, one of the chief scribes,
relates: “I used to write down the revelation
for the blessed Prophet - may the peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him. When the
revelation came to him he felt intense heat
and drops of perspiration used to roll down
his body like pearls. When this state was
over I used to fetch a shoulder bone or a
piece of something else. He used to go on
dictating and I used to write it down. When I
finished writing the sheer weight of
transcription gave me the feeling that my leg
would break and I would not be able to walk
anymore. Anyhow when I finished writing, he
would say, ‘Read!’ and I would read it back to
him. If there was an omission or error he used
to correct it and then let it be brought before
the people.”18
This is a categorical proof that Companions
used to write Qur‟an in the supervision of the
blessed Prophet and got it checked from him
before making it public.
Making a revelation public also deserves to be
highlighted because this ensured people
immediately memorized and recorded it in their
personal masahif.
Zaid was not the only one to be dictated by the
Prophet. In a narration about Qur‟an
compilation efforts during the time of Uthman
we read;
‫ حىت مجع من ذلك‬،‫وكان الرجل جييء بالورقة واألدمي فيو القرآن‬
‫ مث دخل عثمان فدعاىم رجال رجال فناشدىم لسمعت‬،‫كثرة‬
‫ نعم‬:‫رسول اهلل صلى اهلل عليو وسلم وىو أماله عليك؟ فيقول‬
18
at-Tabarani, Mu‟jam al-Awst, Hadith 1913;
authenticated by al-Haithami in Majma‟ az-
Zawa‟id, Hadith 13938
 Journal of Islamic Sciences vol.1 issue 1
“One would come with a parchment or a
scrap of leather with a Qur'an verse on it
until there was gathered great store of
such.‟Uthman adjured them one by one,
„You heard the Prophet recite this while he
dictated it to you?‟ They would answer that
that was so.”19
This shows the Prophet personally dictated so
much that a “great store” was gathered and that
people to whom he dictated were not few.
It is pertinent to mention here that above
translation of the narration is by John Burton20
with the significant difference that he left out
the most important phrase underlined above.
While the words Burton did not translate are
there on the very page of A. Jeffery‟s edition of
Kitab al-Masahif21 that he referred to22, it is
difficult to accept it as an honest mistake.
3.2.2 Qur‟an writing and compilation
sessions
There is evidence that it was not only
individually that people wrote the Qur‟an in
front of the Prophet rather there used to be
sessions in which rather large number of people
copied and compiled the Qur‟anic text in his
presence..
‫ كان الرجل يأيت‬،‫ " كانت ادلصاحف ال تباع‬:‫عن ابن عباس قال‬
‫بورقة عند النيب صلى اهلل عليو وسلم فيقوم الرجل فيحتسب‬
" ‫ مث يقوم آخر فيكتب حىت يفرغ من ادلصحف‬،‫فيكتب‬
Ibn „Abbas stated: “The masahif were not
sold. A person would come to the Prophet,
may the peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him, with a parchment and someone
19
as-Sajistani, Ibn Abi Dawud, al-Masahif, Hadith
82. Ibn Kathir classified it as sahih (sound) in
Fada‟il al-Qur‟an, 84
20
Burton, John, The Collection of the Qur‟an, 145
21
Jeffery, Arthur (editor), Kitab al-Masahif, 24
22
Burton, John The Collection of the Qur‟an, 242,
254
33
would stand and write it for him voluntarily.
Then another person would stand up and
write until the mushaf was complete.”23
In another report we read;
‫ كنا عند رسول اهلل صلى اهلل عليو وسلم‬:‫ قال‬،‫عن زيد بن ثابت‬
‫نؤلف القرآن من الرقاع‬
Zaid bin Thabit said: "We were with the
Messenger of Allah collecting the Qur'an on
pieces of cloth.”24
Mark the plural pronouns here. This shows
multiple people used to sit in the company of
the Prophet and compile the Qur‟anic verses on
parchments.
Moreover, this tells us that not only were the
verses written as and when revealed; they were
also compiled in their specified order with the
instructions of the Prophet. al-Bayhaqi writes;
‫ يف سورهتا‬،‫وإمنا أراد تأليف ما نزل من اآليات ادلتفرقة‬
‫ومجعها فيها بإشارة من النيب صلى اهلل عليو وسلم‬
“What is meant is the compilation and
collection of different revealed verses into
surahs according to the instruction of the
Prophet, may the peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him.”25
3.2.2 The Prophet‟s encouragement for
writing the Qur‟an
The reason for large number of people sitting
with the Prophet and compiling the Qur‟anic
verses (revealed up to that time) and making
copies of the same voluntarily for others is that
the Prophet encouraged the people to write the
Qur‟an and leave it after them for the next
generations. Mark the following narration:
23
al-Bayhaqi, Abu Bakr, Sunan al-Kubra, Vol.6, 27
Hadith 11065
24
at-Tirmidhi, Abu „Eesa, al-Jami‟, Translated by
Abu Khaliyl, Hadith 3954; classified as sahih
(sound) by al-Albani
25
al-Bayhaqi, Abu Bakr, Shu‟b al-Iman, Vol.1, 342
34 Qur’an Preservation and Compilation during the Prophet’s Lifetime
‫ إن مما‬:‫ قال رسول اهلل صلى اهلل عليو وسلم‬:‫ قال‬،‫عن أيب ىريرة‬
،‫يلحق ادلؤمن من عملو وحسناتو بعد موتو علما علمو ونشره‬
‫ أو بيتا البن‬،‫ أو مسجدا بناه‬،‫ ومصحفا ورثو‬،‫وولدا صاحلا تركو‬
‫ أو صدقة أخرجها من مالو يف صحتو‬،‫ أو هنرا أجراه‬،‫السبيل بناه‬
‫ يلحقو من بعد موتو‬،‫وحياتو‬
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: “The
Messenger of Allah said: „The rewards of the
good deeds that will reach a believer after
his death are: Knowledge which he taught
and spread; a righteous son whom he leaves
behind; a copy of the Qur’an that he leaves as
a legacy; a mosque that he built; a house that
he built for wayfarers; a canal that he dug;
or charity that he gave during his lifetime
when he was in good health. These deeds will
reach him after his death.‟”26
It is thus clear that blessed Prophet had the
clear motive of not only having the complete
Qur‟an written but also to get the people make
and acquire Qur‟anic manuscripts and leave it
behind them as heirlooms. Such an
arrangement had to be made to see what is now
achieved.
4. Qur‟anic Masahif were well spread during
the life of the Prophet
The efforts of the Prophet in getting the whole
Qur‟an written were greatly successful. Even
though there was no official complete copy of
the Qur‟an yet many companions had varying
sizes of personal masahif. In fact the masahif of
the Qur‟an had become so common in the time
of the Prophet that he had to issue special
instructions regarding them. For instance:
‫ أن رسول اهلل صلى‬:‫عن عبد اهلل بن عمر رضي اهلل عنهما‬
‫اهلل عليو وسلم هنى أن يسافر بالقرآن إىل أرض العدو‬
Narrated „Abdullah bin „Umar: “Allah‟s
Messenger forbade the people to travel to a
26
Ibn Majah, as-Sunan, Hadith 242; classified as
hasan (good) by al-Albani
hostile country carrying (copies of) the
Quran.”27
Likewise, there is evidence for the manuscripts
of the Qur‟an in the instruction of the blessed
Prophet to Hakim bin Hizam when he sent him
to Yemen as a governor. He said:
‫ال متس القرآن إال وأنت طاىر‬
“Do not touch the Qur‟an except when you
are in the state of purity.”28
At one stage the Qur‟anic manuscripts were so
much widespread that Prophet warned people
against laxity in memorizing and practicing
upon it.
‫عن أيب أمامة رضي اهلل عنو يبلغ بو النيب صلى اهلل عليو وسلم قال‬
‫ال تغرنكم ىذه ادلصاحف ادلعلقة إن اهلل تعاىل ال يعذب قلبا وعى‬
‫القرآن‬
Abu Umamah conveyed that the Prophet said:
“Let these hanging masahif not delude you.
Verily Allah does not punish the one who
has memorized (and paid heed to)
Qur‟an.”29
Towards the end of Prophet‟s life writing
Qur‟an had become so widespread that people
wondered as how knowledge can be taken
away from them while they have the masahif.
At the eve of the last sermon when the
Messenger of Allah asked people to acquire
27
al-Bukhari, Muhammad bin Isma‟il, as-Sahih,
Hadith 2990
28
al-Hakim, Mustadrak al-Hakim, Hadith 6051; al-
Hakim classified it as sahih (sound) and adh-
Dhahabi agreed with him
29
at-Tirmidhi, Abu „Abdullah al-Hakeem, Nawadir
al-Usool fi Ahadith al-Rasool, Hadith 1339
The same report is given by ad-Darimi but he traces
its chain back only to Abu Umamah. See,
ad-Darimi, Abu Muhammad „Abdullah, al-Musnad,
Hadith 3362; classified as sahih (sound) by Hussain
Saleem Asad.
 Journal of Islamic Sciences vol.1 issue 1
knowledge “before it is taken away”, a Bedouin
asked;
‫ كيف يرفع العلم منا وبي أظهرنا ادلصاحف‬،‫يا نيب اهلل‬
‫ وعلمنا نساءنا وذرارينا وخدمنا؟‬،‫وقد تعلمنا ما فيها‬
“O Prophet of Allah! How knowledge can be
taken away from us while masahif30 are with
us and we learn their contents and teach it to
our women, children and servants?”31
Another observation to be made here is that it
was a Bedouin who said “masahif are with us”
showing that the practice of writing Qur‟an had
well spread even outside Madina and with
people other than Muhajirin (Emigrants) and
Ansar (Helpers) were also used to it.
5. Complete Qur‟an was preserved without
any loss whatsoever
All these arrangements and developments
ensured the preservation of the complete
Qur‟an without any loss whatsoever.
Fragmentary Qur‟anic manuscripts prepared by
various companions under the direct
supervision of the blessed Prophet later formed
the basis of the official masahif which in turn
became the standard unanimously followed by
the entire Muslim community. Here is the
testimony of a close companion of the Prophet.
‫ على‬،‫ دخلت أنا وشداد بن معقل‬:‫ قال‬،‫عن عبد العزيز بن رفيع‬
‫ أترك النيب‬:‫ فقال لو شداد بن معقل‬،‫ابن عباس رضي اهلل عنهما‬
‫ «ما ترك إال ما بي‬:‫صلى اهلل عليو وسلم من شيء؟ قال‬
:‫ فقال‬،‫ فسألناه‬،‫ ودخلنا على حممد ابن احلنفية‬:‫الدفتي» قال‬
»‫«ما ترك إال ما بي الدفتي‬
Narrated „Abdul-„Azeez bin Rufai‟: “Shaddad
bin Ma‟qil and I entered upon Ibn „Abbas.
Shaddad bin Ma‟qil asked him, „Did the
30
With ad-Darimi the report has the words “while
the Book of Allah is with us.” See, Hadith 246;
authenticated by Hussain Saleem Asad.
31
Ahmad bin Hanbal, al-Musnad, Vol.16 Hadith
22191; classified as hasan (good) by Hamza
Ahmad al-Zain
35
Prophet leave anything (besides the
Qur‟an)?‟ He replied, „He did not leave
anything except what is between the two
bindings (of the Qur‟an).‟ Then we visited
Muhammad bin al-Hanafiyyah and asked
him (the same question). He replied, „The
Prophet did not leave except what is between
the bindings (of the Qur‟an).‟”32
6- Claim that the Qur‟an was not written
completely during the Prophet‟s time
Some claim that the Qur‟an was not written in
full during the lifetime of the blessed Prophet
but this is false because the entire Qur‟an was
indeed written with the supervision of the
blessed Prophet though it was not compiled
into one collection. This is testified by the
statement of Zaid bin Thabit, one of the chief
scribes. He said:
‫قبض النيب صلى اهلل عليو وسلم ومل يكن القرآن مجع يف شيء‬
“The Prophet passed away while the Qur‟an
was yet not gathered in anything.”33
Clearly the word used here is jumi„a which
means „gathered‟ and not „written.‟ The
wisdom behind the fact that Qur‟an was
completely written but not compiled at one
place during the life of the blessed Prophet is
explained by al-Khattabi (d. 338 AH). He said:
‫إمنا مل جيمع القرآن يف ادلصحف دلا كان يًتقبو من ورود ناسخ‬
‫لبعض أحكامو أو تالوتو فلما انقضى نزولو بوفاتو أذلم اهلل اخللفاء‬
‫الراشدين ذلك وفاء بوعده الصادق بضمان حفظو على ىذه‬
‫األمة فكان ابتداء ذلك على يد الصديق مبشورة عمر‬
“The Messenger of Allah - may the peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him - did not
gather the Qur‟an in a mushaf because he
had to wait if there was some abrogation of
some commands or recitation but when he
died and the revelation ceased (and thus
32
al-Bukhari, as-Sahih, Hadith 5019
33
al-„Asqalani, Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari, Vol.9, 12
36 Qur’an Preservation and Compilation during the Prophet’s Lifetime
abrogation as well); Allah, to fulfill his True
Commitment of preservation (of Qur‟an) for
this Ummah, put this thought into the hearts
of the Righteous Caliphs. Then this great
task was undertaken by Abu Bakr on the
advice of „Umar.”34
Truly, this should conclusively prove that the
Qur‟an was preserved and compiled during the
lifetime of the blessed Prophet - upon him is
the peace and blessings of Almighty Allah.
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