Compilation of the Qur’an — Seal of the Prophets Vol. 2
Introduction
In this discourse from The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 2), Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra) details the historical events and scholarly insights surrounding Compilation of the Qur’an.
Book Series: The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 2)
Author: Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra)
Section: IX – Repeated Treachery of the Jews, Compilation and Sequence of the Holy Qur’an, Marriage of Hadrat Zainab (ra), the Great Calumny and Mischief of the Hypocrites
Pages: Book pp. 390–393 (PDF pp. 414–417)
Navigation: Book Table of Contents | « Previous: [Personal Scribe of the Holy Prophet (sa) and Learning Hebrew] | Next: [Sequence of the Holy Qur’an] »
Historical Account
We have already written above that Zaid bin Thābit Anṣārīra collected and copied the Holy Qur’ān in the Khilāfat of Ḥaḍrat Abū Bakrra in the form of a manuscript. This does not mean that prior to this the Holy Qur’ān had not already been collected. Rather, the truth is that as the Holy Qur’ān was gradually revealed to the Holy Prophetsa, he would not only arrange it under
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divine inspiration and memorize it himself, but would instruct many other Companions to commit it to memory as well. Moreover, the Holy Prophetsa had assigned the duty to such Companions as were more skilled in this respect, to teach others as well.1 As a further act of precaution, he would also have it committed to writing along the way. As such, it is ascertained from the Aḥādīth that the very same Zaid bin Thābitra, who later compiled the Holy Qur’ān in the form of a single volume, and who was a man of extraordinary intelligence, was commissioned to record Qur’ānic revelation in the era of the Holy Prophetsa.2 In addition to him, other Companions would also render this service. For example, there was Ḥaḍrat Abū Bakrra, Ḥaḍrat ‘Umarra, Ḥaḍrat ‘Uthmānra, Ḥaḍrat ‘Alīra, Zubair bin Al-Awwāmra, Sharjīl bin Ḥasanahra, ‘Abdullāh bin Sa‘d bin Abī Sarah, Ubayy bin Ka‘bra, ‘Abdullāh bin Rawāḥahra, and others.3 Therefore, the actual task of compilation and arrangement had already taken place in the very life of the Holy Prophetsa under his own guidance. This is not merely conjecture; rather, it is explicitly mentioned in the Aḥādīth. A narration is related by ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Abbāsra, that Ḥaḍrat ‘Uthmān bin ‘Affānra, the third Khalīfah, would state:
“It was a practice of the Holy Prophetsa that when a revelation would be received by the Holy Prophetsa, the Holy Prophetsa would summon one of his scribes and instruct him to record it and would also instruct that it should be placed in the following Sūrah at the following place. In this manner, the Holy
…..continued total number of days which span the prophetic era of the Holy Prophetsa, which according to the lunar system, equate to approximately 7,970 days, this equals 0.78, i.e., less than one verse per day. This is the very explanation of ً( , رَتَّلْنَاہُ تَرْتِیْلاSūrah Al-Furqan, Verse 33), meaning, ‘We did not send down the Qur’ān at once, rather, revealed it slowly and gradually in parts.’ 1 * Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābu Faḍā’ilil-Qur’ān, Bābu Kāna Jibrīlu Ya‘ridul-Qur’āna ‘Alan-Nabiyyisa, Ḥadīth No. 4997, 4998
- Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābu Faḍā’ilil-Qur’ān, Bābul-Qurrā’i Min Aṣḥābin-Nabiyyisa, Ḥadīth No. 4999, 5003, 5004 2 Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābu Faḍā’ilil-Qur’ān, Bābu Kātibin-Nabiyyisa, Ḥadīth No. 4989-4990 3
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Fatḥul-Bārī Sharḥu Ṣaḥīḥil-Bukhārī, By Al-Imām Aḥmad bin Ḥajar Al-‘Asqalānī, Volume 9, p. 27, Kitābu Faḍā’ilil-Qur’ān, Bābu Kātibin-Nabiyyisa, Ḥadīth No. 4990, Qadīmī Kutub Khānah, Ārām Bāgh, Karachi
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Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 4, p. 559, Fī Imrā’ihī Wa Rasūlihī Wa Kuttābihī….., Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)
Prophetsa would arrange the various Sūrahs himself.”
[Mishkātul-Maṣābīḥ, Volume 2, p. 417, Kitābu Faḍā’ilil-Qur’ān, Bābu Ikhtilāfil-Qirā’āti Wa Jam‘il- Qur’ān, Al-Faṣluth-Thālith, Ḥadīth No. 2222, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2003) * Fatḥul-Bārī Sharḥu Ṣaḥīḥil-Bukhārī, By Al-Imām Aḥmad bin Ḥajar Al-‘Asqalānī, Volume 9, p. 27, Kitābu Faḍā’ilil-Qur’ān, Bābu Kātibin-Nabiyyisa, Ḥadīth No. 4990, Qadīmī Kutub Khānah, Ārām Bāgh, Karachi * Fatḥul-Bārī Sharḥu Ṣaḥīḥil-Bukhārī, By Al-Imām Aḥmad bin Ḥajar Al-‘Asqalānī, Volume 9, p. 50, Kitābu Faḍā’ilil-Qur’ān, Bābu Ta’līfil-Qur’ān, Qadīmī Kutub Khānah, Ārām Bāgh, Karachi]
This was a practice of the Holy Prophetsa from the very start of his claim to prophethood. As such, we have written in Volume I of this book that in the early days of Makkah, when Ḥaḍrat ‘Umarra became a Muslim he was brought towards Islām by a recitation of the Holy Qur’ān, which was being read aloud by Khabbāb bin Al-Arat to the sister and brother-in-law of Ḥaḍrat ‘Umarra from a written script. Therefore, the Holy Qur’ān was committed to writing, and compiled and collected as it was revealed. Further evidence of this is that the Holy Prophetsa and his Companions would regularly recite portions of the Holy Qur’ān in their Ṣalāt, and at times they would recite very lengthy portions. It is ascertained from a narration that on one occasion, in a single Tahajjud Ṣalāt, i.e., the voluntary pre-dawn prayer, the Holy Prophetsa recited the first five Sūrahs of the Holy Qur’ān, which collectively equal a fifth portion of the Holy Qur’ān, together and in proper sequence. It was these very lengthy periods of time for which the Holy Prophetsa would stand and his feet would often become swollen. Then, certain narrations state that the Holy Prophetsa would complete a round of the Holy Qur’ān every year in the month of Ramaḍān with Gabrielra, and in his last year two full rounds. All of these facts categorically establish that the actual task of the arrangement and compilation of the Holy Qur’ān had already taken place in the very life of the Holy Prophetsa. Therefore, all that is inferred by the collection of Zaid bin Thābitra is that under the instruction and supervision of Ḥaḍrat Abū Bakrra, the first Caliph, he compiled and wrote the Holy Qur’ān in the form of a manuscript, as a single volume or book, so that an authentic copy of the Holy
[As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Mālik bin Hishām, p. 252, Islāmu ‘Umar bin Al-Khaṭṭāb….., Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001) * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 2, p. 6, Islāmul-Fārūq, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)]
[Sunanu Abī Dāwūd, Kitābuṣ-Ṣalāt, Bābu Mā Yaqūlur-Rajulu Fī Rukū‘ihī Wa Sujūdihī, Ḥadīth No. 874]
[Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābut-Tahajjud, Bābu Qiyāmin-Nabiyyisa Bil-Lail….., Ḥadīth No. 1130]
[Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābu Faḍā’ilil-Qur’ān, Bābu Kāna Jibrīlu Ya‘ridul-Qur’āna ‘Alan-Nabiyyisa]
Qur’ān compiled by the Holy Prophetsa could be safeguarded in one place. It is ascertained from narrations that afterwards, Ḥaḍrat ‘Uthmānra, the third Caliph, used this very same manuscript to produce authenticated copies and sent them to the various regions of the Islāmic world at the time. Then, further publication continued on the basis of these authentic copies. Moreover, in every era, thousands, rather, hundreds and thousands of Ḥuffāẓ have always preserved the Holy Qur’ān in their hearts and provided an additional apparent means for its preservation. In order to determine how eagerly Muslims have always memorized the Holy Qur’ān, the sole narration is sufficient, that on one occasion, for some reason, when Ḥaḍrat ‘Umarra felt a need to survey the number of Ḥuffāẓ, it was ascertained that at the time, there were more than 300 Ḥuffāẓ present in only a single contingent of the Muslim army. Even in the current age, when the inclination towards religion has greatly declined, in the Islāmic world, the number of Ḥuffāẓ definitely runs into the hundreds of thousands.
[Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābu Faḍā’ilil-Qur’ān, Bābu Jam‘il-Qur’ān, Ḥadīth No. 4986, 4987 * Fatḥul-Bārī Sharḥu Ṣaḥīḥil-Bukhārī, By Al-Imām Aḥmad bin Ḥajar Al-‘Asqalānī, Volume 9, pp.]
[Kanzul-‘Ummāl Fī Sunanil-Aqwāli Wal-Af‘āl, By Imām ‘Alā’uddīn ‘Alī Al-Muttaqī bin Ḥusāmid- Dīn Al-Hindi, Volume 2, p. 124, Kitābul-Adhkār….., Bābun Fil-Qur’āni Faṣlun Fī Faḍa’ilil-Qur’āni Muṭlaqan, Ḥadīth No. 4016, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon (2004)]
Book Series: The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 2)
Section: IX – Repeated Treachery of the Jews, Compilation and Sequence of the Holy Qur’an, Marriage of Hadrat Zainab (ra), the Great Calumny and Mischief of the Hypocrites | Navigation: « Previous: [Personal Scribe of the Holy Prophet (sa) and Learning Hebrew] | Next: [Sequence of the Holy Qur’an] »