How Was the Quran Compiled After the Death of the Prophet?


Answered by Shaykh Anas al-Musa

Question

How was the Quran compiled after the death of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)?

Answer

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds. Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger sent as a mercy to the worlds, our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, and his Family and Companions.

The Quran During the Time of the Prophet

During the time of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), a large number of the Companions memorized the Quran, committing it to their hearts. These individuals were known as “Hafaza (pl. of Hafiz)” (guardians of the Quran). The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) would direct people to learn the Quran from certain Companions, saying:

“Learn the Quran from four: from ‘Abdullah Ibn Mas‘ud—he began with him—Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfa, Mu‘adh Ibn Jabal, and Ubayy Ibn Ka‘b.” [Bukhari]

The most notable Companions from whom the Quran was taken include seven: “‘Uthman Ibn Affan, ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib, Ubayy Ibn Ka‘b, Zayd Ibn Thabit, ‘Abdullah Ibn Mas‘ud, Abu Darda’, and Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari.” There were many others as well. [‘Itr, ‘Ulum al-Quran]

Therefore, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) did not pass away until the Quran was preserved in the hearts of the Companions.

Written Preservation During the Prophet’s Lifetime

Besides the memorization of the Quran, whenever a portion of the Quran was revealed, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) would summon the scribes of revelation to write it down. They wrote the Quran using the available writing materials at that time, such as parchments, stone tablets, bones, and palm stalks.

As a result, several written copies of the Quran existed among many Companions, including Ubayy Ibn Ka‘b, ‘Abdullah Ibn Mas‘ud, Mu‘adh Ibn Jabal, and ‘Aisha (Allah be pleased with them). A strong indication of the Quran being written down is the saying of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace):

“Do not travel with the Quran, for I do not guarantee that the enemy might seize it.” [Muslim]

The Compilation of the Quran During Abu Bakr’s Caliphate

After the death of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), during the caliphate of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (Allah be pleased with him), a significant number of Companions who had memorized the Quran were martyred during the wars against the apostates, particularly in the Battle of Yamama.

‘Umar Ibn al-Khattab came to Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, saying: “The martyrdom among the Quran reciters has increased on the day of Yamama, and I fear that more reciters may be killed in other battles, resulting in the loss of much of the Quran. I believe it is necessary to command the compilation of the Quran.”

Abu Bakr then summoned Zayd Ibn Thabit, who was one of the guardians of the Quran and a scribe of the revelation for the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). Abu Bakr said to him:

“You are a young and intelligent man, and we do not suspect you of any wrongdoing. You used to write the revelation for the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace), so pursue the Quran and compile it.” Zayd said: “So I sought out and collected the Quran from palm stalks, stone tablets, and the hearts of men.” [Bukhari]

Thus, the Quran was compiled between two covers during the caliphate of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (Allah be pleased with him). This compilation resembled pages found in the house of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace), containing the dispersed portions of the Quran. A compiler gathered them together and tied them with a string to ensure that nothing would be lost. [Zarkashi, al-Burhan; ‘Itr, ‘Ulum al-Quran]

The Standardization During Uthman’s Caliphate

After the deaths of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and ‘Umar Ibn al-Khattab (Allah be pleased with them) during the caliphate of ‘Uthman Ibn ‘Affan (Allah be pleased with him), a new necessity arose for the widespread dissemination of the mushaf compiled during Abu Bakr’s time and its distribution to all regions. This was to ensure the preservation and unity of the Quran, for which great effort and time had been invested.

Hudhayfa Ibn al-Yaman came to ‘Uthman Ibn ‘Affan while engaged in the military campaigns of Armenia and Azerbaijan, along with the people of Sham and Iraq. Hudhayfa was alarmed by the differences in recitation among the Companions, so he said to ‘Uthman:

“O Commander of the Faithful, save this nation before they differ about the Book as the Jews and Christians differed.”

‘Uthman then sent a request to Hafsa, the Mother of the Believers, who was in possession of the original compilation from the time of Abu Bakr, asking: “Send us the pages so that we may copy them into books, and then we will return them to you.” Hafsa sent the pages to Uthman, who then appointed Zayd Ibn Thabit, ‘Abdullah Ibn al-Zubayr, Sa‘id Ibn al-‘As, and ‘Abdur Rahman Ibn al-Harith Ibn Hisham to transcribe them into masahif (codices).

Once completed, Uthman returned the original pages to Hafsa and sent a copy of the newly compiled mushaf to each region, while keeping one copy for himself, known as the “al-Mushaf al-Imam.”

Additionally, Uthman ordered that all other copies of the Quran found in scrolls or codices be burned to eliminate any source of disagreement. All of this was done with the knowledge and approval of the Companions who were present at that time.

Conclusion: The Quran as We Have It Today

Thus, the Quran was compiled into a single book as it is today, with the exception of later complementary and decorative enhancements, such as the addition of diacritical marks (dots for distinguishing letters), vowel signs, and the use of fine paper. These additions were made to improve the quality of recitation and to prevent any confusion.

Finally, all praise is due to Allah, the Quran is now widely available and accessible to everyone. Our responsibility is simply to engage in its recitation and to implement its teachings. Indeed, it has been said: If you want to know how much love you or others have for Allah, then see how much love for the Quran is present in your heart.

May Allah bless the Prophet Muhammad and give him peace, and his Family and Companions.

[Shaykh] Anas al-Musa

Shaykh Anas al-Musa, born in Hama, Syria, in 1974, is an erudite scholar of notable repute. He graduated from the Engineering Institute in Damascus, where he specialized in General Construction, and Al-Azhar University, Faculty of Usul al-Din, where he specialized in Hadith.

He studied under prominent scholars in Damascus, including Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Shaghouri and Shaykh Adib al-Kallas, among others. Shaykh Anas has memorized the Quran and is proficient in the ten Mutawatir recitations, having studied under Shaykh Bakri al-Tarabishi and Shaykh Mowfaq ‘Ayun. He also graduated from the Iraqi Hadith School.

He has taught numerous Islamic subjects at Shari‘a institutes in Syria and Turkey. Shaykh Anas has served as an Imam and preacher for over 15 years and is a teacher of the Quran in its various readings and narrations.

Currently, he works as a teacher at SeekersGuidance and is responsible for academic guidance there. He has completed his Master’s degree in Hadith and is now pursuing his Ph.D. in the same field. Shaykh Anas al-Musa is married and resides in Istanbul.