Pakistan International School Jeddah English Section

Academic Year: 2021–2022

Islamiyat 0493
Notes and Guidelines

Student Name/ID

Class/ Section

Chapter 4 First Muslim Community

Topics Scribes

The First Islamic Community

 Scribes of the Prophet (SAW)
Guidelines to Attempt the Question

• Main question includes only tasks and importance of scribes as part ‘a’
• Answer must have the outline given in these notes, written paragraph wise for
the ‘tasks of scribes’
• Questions related to the importance/significance of scribes is an analytical
question and it requires a thoughtful response.

Outline
• Introduction
• Background of Quran revelation and description of scribes with reference
• Scribes & their roles (mention the names)
• Mention how Prophet ensured its authenticity & where these recordings were
used later in caliphs’ time
• Sequence of the Text & role of Zayd ibn Thabit

Note: Above mentioned outline of this question requires to be elaborated in

different paragraphs.

The First Islamic Community

 Scribes of the Prophet (SAW)
Part ‘A’ (10 marks Question)
Guidelines:
Students are required to recall, select and present relevant facts from the main elements of the faith
and history of Islam in part ‘A’.

Past Paper Question and Examiner Report

2017 May/June - 12

(a) Outline the tasks performed by the Prophet’s scribes during his lifetime. [10]
Examiner report

This was the least popular of the optional questions with candidates, and had mixed responses
where answers would be very good or satisfactory. Candidates could improve by going beyond
simply writing about the lives of the scribes with little or no reference to their tasks specifically as
scribes. Some candidates wrote about the tasks the scribes had in recording the Qur’an.
However, some did give excellent answers, providing a comprehensive account of their tasks in
recording the Qur’an and also a range of other tasks such as the writing of letters and treaties,
including the names of the companions and their roles.
2014 May/June 12
(a) Write briefly about the tasks carried out by the Scribes of the revelation at the time of
the Prophet [10]
Examiner report
Candidates either wrote briefly about the Prophet narrating the verses to the scribes, or wrote
mainly about the compilation at the time of the Caliphs. Those who answered it well wrote about
the scribes, who they were and the duties they performed, including writing letters, that they
wrote the verses on various materials and that the Prophet verified them.

Names of the Main Scribes

Four Caliphs, Zaid bin Thabit (RA), Abdullah bin Masud (RA), Ubbayy in Kaab,
Muawiyah ibn Abu Sufyan, Maud ibn Jabal, Ubbay ibn Ka’ab

Names of the Prominent Scribes

1. Abu Bakr Siddique (RA) 12. Muaadh bin Jabal (RA)

2. Umar Farooq (RA) 13. Ameer Muaviyah (RA)
3. Uthman Ghani (RA) 14. Abu Ayub Al Ansari (RA)
4. Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA) 15. Abu Suffyan (RA)
5. Zaid bin Thabit (RA) 16. Huzaifa bin Al-Yamaan (RA)
6. Abdullah bin Saad bin Abi Saraha 17. Shurjil bin Hasana (RA)
(RA) 18. Muqa’ab bin Abi Fatima (RA)
7. Zubair bin Awam (RA) 19. Abdullah bin Arqam (RA)
8. Khalid bin Saeed (RA) 20. Abdullah bin Rawaha (RA)
9. Ubaan bin Saeed (RA) 21. Abu Zaid Ahmed (RA)
10. Ubi bin Ka’ab (RA)
11. Hazala bin Al Rabie (RA)

The First Islamic Community

 Scribes of the Divine Revelation
Following is the sequence to attempt the question related to scribes

Outline the tasks performed by the Prophet’s scribes during his lifetime

Key Points

Background

▪ Quran was revealed through Jibreel over the span of 23 years

▪ Revelation started in the month of Ramadhan
▪ Prophet (SAW) was 40 years old at that time
▪ Prophet (SAW) was unable to read and write so he instructed his companions to write
down the revelation when he received it.
▪ Pagans used to persecute Prophet [SAW] saying that he used to write the stories of
ancient people (reference surah Al-Furqan 25:5)

And they say, "Legends of the former peoples which he has written down, and
they are dictated to him morning and afternoon." (Al-Furqan 25:5)

Introduction of Scribes
Scribes of the divine revelations are also known as ‘Katibeen-e-Wahi’. These were the
people who were assigned the duty to write, compile and collect the verses of the Holy
Quran in proper order. They also wrote down treaties, letters & response to the letters.

Angels are also considered scribes of Holy Quran as Allah has mentioned in the Qur’an
that Quran is preserved in Luh ul Mahfooz by the angels who are just, pious & honorable.
(Reference – Abasa 18: 13- 16)

“[It is recorded] in honored sheets, Exalted and purified, [Carried] by the hands
of messenger-angels, Noble and dutiful.” (Abasa 18: 13- 16)

▪ Quran was written in its entirety during the Prophet’s time even though it was not
compiled in as one copy. The scribes wrote down the verses on the materials like
parchments, bone, dried leaves and on animal skin etc.

The First Islamic Community

Scribes & their Roles

Prophet [SAW] had 40 scribes but each one of them was not required to remain present on
every occasion of the revelation. Following were the main scribes who were always present
near the Holy Prophet to ensure the revelation was written down promptly.
Scribes from Makkah
❖ Four caliphs
❖ Abdullah ibn Masud
❖ Muawiyah ibn Abu Sufyan

Scribes from Madinah

❖ Zaid ibn Thabit
❖ Maud ibn Jabal
❖ Ubbay ibn Ka’ab

Reference of Hadith reported by Qatadah

▪ Qatadah narrated, “Who collected the Quran at the time of the Prophet?” He
replied, Four, all of whom were from the Ansar: Ubay bin Ka’ab, Muad bin Jabal,
Zayed bin Thabit and Abu Zayd” (Sahih Bukhari)
▪ Some were official scribes who wrote down letters and responded to the letters for
Prophet (SAW) like Ubbay ibn Ka’ab & Abdullah ibn Masud
▪ Ali was an important scribe and wrote treaties for the Prophet. (e.g., Treaty of
Hudaybiyah)
▪ Zayd ibn Thabit was told by Prophet (SAW) to learn how to write Hebrew & Syriac to
appoint him as an interpreter & also to write treaties when dealing with non-Arabs
▪ Some became scribes as they kept their own personal copies of the revelation for
example Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Al’Aas. He once sought Prophet (SAW)’s specific
permission asking, ‘May I write down everything I hear from you in the states of
contentment and anger?’ He replied, ‘Yes, for I speak nothing but the truth.”

Stages of preserving Quran

▪ Prophet (SAW) had the revelation imprinted on his heart after receiving it – then he
dictated it to his companions
▪ The revelation could be revealed at any time so he always used to have one scribe
near him to write down the revealed text

Instruction of Prophet:

▪ The prophet (PBUH) used to instruct his scribes about the shape of the letter and cut of
the pen point The Prophet (SAW) used to instruct his scribes about the shape of the
letters & cut of the
pen point.
▪ The Prophet used to instruct the scribes about the sequence in which a revealed
verses were to be placed in a particular Sura (chapter)
▪ In this manner, the Prophet arranged the text of the Qur’an in a systematic order till the
end of the chain of revelations.
Zayd ibn Thabit reported, “We used to compile the Qur’an from small
manuscripts in the presence of the Messenger of God”

The First Islamic Community

 Ensuring Authenticity of Quran

▪ After writing the scribes used to read it back to Prophet (SAW) to ensure the
authenticity of what they have written & he used to correct if there were any errors.
▪ Some companions, who did not write down the revelations, had memorized them
instead and their versions were used to verify the written copies after the Prophet’s
death.

▪ Companions who kept a private record of the text of the Qur'an satisfied themselves as
to the purity of their record by reading it out to the Prophet, these texts were later used
to verify the one copy in the time of Abu Bakr.

Role of Zayd ibn Thabit

▪ Zaid (RA) played a vital role as a scribe. He is remembered because of his knowledge
and his great contribution as a scribe of the divine revelation. He concentrated in
acquiring knowledge and memorization in Quran. Once Prophet Muhammad (SAW)
listened to what he had memorized, and was pleased with his recitation. He was told by
Prophet (SAW) to learn how to write Hebrew & Syriac to appoint him as an interpreter &
also to write treaties when dealing with non-Arabs.
▪ Later, the Prophet (PBUH) entrusted Zayed with the responsibility of writing the Divine
Revelation.
He learned the Quran directly from the Prophet
▪
▪ Zayd ibn Thabit reported, “We used to compile the Qur’an from small manuscripts
in the presence of the Messenger of God”

▪ Zayd bin Thabit, one of the chief scribes relates:

"I used to write down the revelation for the Holy 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. 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."

▪ Conclusion

The Quran exists in its present form because of diligence & devotion of these scribes.

The First Islamic Community

 Part ‘B’ (4 marks Question)
This Part is analytical and requires thoughtful answers with the current day examples

Past Paper Question and Examiner Report

(b) The scribes had the Prophet as a source of information. How useful is the internet as
a source of information about Islam? [4]

Examiner report

This was the one that the candidates engaged most with providing some interesting and
thoughtful answers. Candidates wrote about the advantages of the internet in imparting
knowledge about Islam, through online Qur’an, Tafseer or hadith books. Some wrote about
social media or blogs and vlogs where Muftis would give fatwas online, making it easier for
Muslims to access Islamic knowledge and education.
Many offered the opinion that although the internet can be a good source of knowledge, it can
also be dangerous as it may contain wrong information, there is no way to know if what you
are reading is reliable, and that there are many anti-Islam sites that attack Islam and misinform
people about the religion. Others maintained that Qur’an which is the word of Allah is the most
reliable source of information and could never be replaced by the internet.
Many of the weaker answers focused on this point of the Qur’an being the most authentic
source, and did not engage their answer with the role of the internet.

Key points

You can say that it is a useful source of information because;

• there is a lot of information easily available on the internet so it is possible to do a few
searches and find a lot of sources available for you to read on a subject.
• The Qur’an and most hadith books are all online now, so people can easily access the
information they need.
• People who may not have access to books about Islam can learn about it online, and
would be useful for those interested / new to Islam.

You could say that it is not useful because;

• the internet has a lot of information about Islam that is questionable, and it would be
difficult to know which sites are presenting the material in the correct way / giving the
correct information about an issue.

• Prophet said, “go to those who know”, meaning that people should learn from scholars
who have studied in a traditional way, as they would provide an understanding that a
person would not necessarily get from the internet.
• Those interested in Islam may be put off by the sites that present Islam inaccurately,
and it can also lead to people hating Islam / Muslims because they have read
information that is not true.

The First Islamic Community

(b) Explain the importance of the principles employed by the compilers of the Qur’an at
the time of the Caliphs. [4]

Examiner report

For this part candidates tended to give a narration of the events surrounding the compilation of
the Qur’an rather than the importance of the principles employed, e.g., compiling it in the dialect
of Quraysh to ensure authenticity or checking written copies with those who had memorized the
Qur’an.

Key points

• After the Prophet’s death there was deemed a need to compile to Qur’an into a book form.
• Various principles were employed, all of them to ensure authenticity to the original
message.
• The Qur’an was compiled in the dialect of Quraysh because it was the Prophet’s dialect
other dialects could have been fabricated or distorted. Mention if they would not have put
effort, the essence of Holy Book would have lost.

• Zayd bin Thabit gathered written materials from various companions, and checked all
these versions with those who had committed the Qur’an to memory – this was to ensure
that none of the written copies had anything added or omitted and so that the Qur’an
remained authentic to the way the Prophet had received it.

• The order of the suras was not complied in the order that the Prophet had received
revelation, but generally in order of descending length – this was due to the belief that the
order of the suras was divinely ordained and the main scribes would have known this.

Candidates can offer other reasons or principles, but they should explain the significance
of their answers.

The First Islamic Community

(c) Describe the part played by Zaid bin Thabit in preserving the revelations after the
Prophet’s death.

Examiner report

Answers to part (c) would have given full factual accounts of the important work of Zayd, at the
time both of Abu Bakr and of ‘Uthman. The best answers would have explained how his work
under these Caliphs differed, in that he acted alone under Abu Bakr but with a group of
Muslims under ‘Uthman, and would also have included something about the methods he and
his colleagues employed. While most answers included the essential facts, it appeared evident
that the majority of candidates did not have a firm grasp of the traditional Muslim accounts of
the collection of the Qur’an that would enable them to provide a complete narrative of what
happened from the time the revelations were given to the time of the ‘official’ collection under
‘Uthman, or to explain the parts played by key individuals.

Key points

• He was one of the chief Scribes.

• He was asked by Abu Bakr to make a first collection.
• This was after many memorisers, huffaz, had been killed in Yamama.
• ‘Uthman asked him to make a final collection.
• He was assisted by a group of senior Muslims.
• He took trouble to collect all the fragments he could.
• These included the mushaf which were kept by Hafsa.
• He consulted other Muslims about the correctness of his collection.

The First Islamic Community