Message #2616

[N. Truth Seeker]

As-salam Alaiykum and lots a thanks for this sister.  A very illuminting piece of writing, Alhumdulilah. 

On compilation of the Noble Quran I would also like to share the views of Nadir Aqueel Ansari who has much the same thoughts as Mansur Alaam.  This was sent to me through one of those circular emails by a cousin.

History of Compilation of the Qur'an by N.A. Ansari

During the first thirteen years of his ministry at Mecca, the Prophet Muhammad used to read out the revealed passages to the small group of his followers and non-believers.  His followers used to commit the revelation to their hearts. There is evidence that the revealed verses or chapters were also written down on whatever writing material was available.

It is reported that when Umar, learnt that his sister and her husband had converted to Islam, he hurried to her sister's house in anger. When he arrived at her house, she hid the part of Qur'an she was reading. When Umar expressed his eagerness to see what they were reading, his sister told her to wash before touching the scripture.  This shows that as early as the sixth year of the Prophet's ministry, the Qur'an was being written down, in addition to being learnt by heart.

[ii] When the Prophet migrated to Medina and established a state, he made elaborate arrangements under the state machinery for the preservation and large scale dissemination of the Qur'an. He constituted a committee of about forty of his literate companions who were assigned the task of recording the Holy Book.

[iii] Zaid was the full time Secretary of the Committee of the Scribes. On receiving a verse or verses from Allah, the Holy Prophet used to call one of the members of the committee and get it dictated. Then the written passage was read out to the Prophet and was corrected and approved by him. It was then issued for all. People used to copy it and memorize it. Given the swelling number of his followers after Migration, the Qur'an was learnt and recorded by a large number of his followers.

[iv] The Qur'an was being revealed in accordance with the needs of the different stages of the prophetic mission. It was however not compiled in the chronological order of its revelation. While compiling and arranging it, the Qur'an was given a new order, which was to have a meaningful coherence for the readers in future. Whenever the Prophet dictated a newly revealed passage of the Qur'an to the Scribes, he used to direct them regarding the placement of that passage in the Qur'an as well. This means that not only was the Qur'an being recorded and memorized as it was being revealed piecemeal, it was also being compiled and given a new order under the personal supervision of the Prophet. The Prophet in turn was being instructed by Allah about the placement of passages in the desired order.

[v] Thus the entire Qur'an was systematically recorded and arranged on written material during the lifetime of the Prophet. However the Qur'an was recorded not in one volume but on tanned hides, stone tablets, wooden tablets, piecesof cloth  etc. One complete set of the Qur'an was with the State authorities, i.e. with the Holy Prophet. It was placed in the Mosque of the Prophet (Masjid-e-Nabavi) from where any one was free to make a copy for himself or to refer to it in case he wished to memorize it. It however appears that apart from this centrally placed copy, a number of other copies also existed. A few of them must have been complete copies whereas in case of others, portions of the Qur'an were in possession of a number of Companions of the Prophet.

[vi] It appears that the Official Copy, although complete, checked, and approved by the Prophet was available in the life of the Holy Prophet, yet it was not bound in one volume (bain al lawhayn). The entire Qur'an was memorized by the Prophet himself and numerous other companions.

The Holy Qur'an constituted the life blood of the early Muslim community during the life of Prophet. It was recited five times a day, people used to commit it to their hearts and used to study it with utmost care and concentration. People were graded and appreciated on the basis of their knowledge and the extent of the Qur'an that they had memorized. All affairs of the state as well as the social life of Arabia were governed in the light of the provisions of the Qur'an. All civil servants, military commanders and judges used to seek guidance from the Qur'an. During the Prophet's life time, when he used to send governors and judges to far off places, he used to instruct them that they have to govern and decide in the light of the Qur'an. These facts show that Qur'an was alive in that society not because of written manuscripts but as a necessity of faith and an inevitable source of guidance for social, political and legal affairs.

It is therefore incorrect to suggest that the Holy Qur'an was compiled and written in the days of Caliphs Abu Bakr or Uthman. It was preserved under the personal supervision of the Holy Prophet in his lifetime. It is also natural to believe that he could not neglect the task of its preservation. One of the primary missions of the Holy Prophet was to deliver the Divine Message to mankind. This Message consisted of the Holy Qur'an. He could not shift this responsibility to later generations.