Transmission Of The Qur'aanic Revelation

Submitted by admin on Thu, 27/07/2006 - 07:19. Tafseer

Allaah is the Protector of the Book

Allaah has declared that He Himself will protect the Qur'aan from any corruption or
alterations: "Verily it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Qur'aan) and surely,
We will guard it (from corruption)" [Soorah Al-Hijr Aayah 9]. This stands as an assurance
from Allaah to every person who reads the Qur'aan.

Allaah also wished to make the task of recitation easy to Prophet Muhammad (r) and the
following verse explains it: "Move not thy tongue concerning (Qur'aan) to make haste
therewith. It is for Us to collect it and give you the ability to recite it: but when We have
recited it, follow you its recital." [Soorah Al-Qiyaamah, Aayaat 16 - 18].
But in the case of books of previous religions, this task was entrusted to the priests of
those previous religions. "And the rabbis and the priests [too judged the Jews by the
Tauraah after those prophets] for to them was entrusted the protection of Allaah's Book
and they were witnesses thereto". [Soorah Al-Maa'idah Aayah 44]

The Stages Of Transmission

1) Oral Transmission Through Memorization and Recitation
The Prophet (r) himself was the first to commit a revelation to memory after the Angel
Jibreel ('alaihi salaam) had brought it to him. When a Qur'aanic verse(s) was revealed, the
Prophet (r) declared the revelation and instructed his companions (radiAllaahu 'anhum) to
memorize it.
There are numerous ahadeeth giving account of various efforts and measures taken by the
Prophet (r) to ensure that the revelation was preserved in the memory of his companions
(radiAllaahu 'anhum).

Narrated Uthmaan bin Affaan (radiAllaahu 'anhu): The Prophet (r) said: "The most
superior among you (Muslims) are those who learn the Qur'aan and teach it."- Al-
Bukhaari.
In order to safeguard the Qur'aan from any alteration, Angel Jibreel ('alaihi salaam) used
to review it with the Prophet (r) in the nights of Ramadhan. During the last year of the life
of Prophet (r) angel Jibreel ('alaihi salaam) visited him to study the Qur'aan twice. This
was reported by Muslim.
It is well known that the recital of the Qur'aan during daily prayers is required and hence
several hundreds of companions (radiAllaahu 'anhum) repeatedly heard passages from the
revelation, memorized them and used them in prayer.

Ibn Mas'ood (radiAllaahu 'anhu) was the first man after the Prophet (r), to publicly recite
the Qur'aan in Makkah, for which he was beaten by the kuffaar (disbelievers) of Makkah.
This event shows that even in the very early phase of Islaam, recital of the revelation from
memory was practiced by the companions (radiAllaahu 'anhum).

The Prophet (r) also liked to listen to the recitation of the Qur'aan by his companions
(radiAllaahu 'anhum). Abdullah bin Mas'ood (radiAllaahu 'anhu) was asked by the Prophet
(r) to recite the Qur'aan, and he started reciting Soorah An-Nisaa. When he reached the
verse, "How (will it be) then when We bring from each nation a witness and We bring you
(O Muhammad) as a witness against these people?" [Soorah An-Nisaa Aayah 41] the
Prophet (r) said "Stop", and his eyes were shedding tears.

2. Qur'aanic Teachers and Readers

The Prophet (r) used to send teachers to communities in other places so that they might
receive instruction in Islaam and Qur'aan. This was done even before the Hijrah.
When these men (of the first pledge of 'Aqaba) left (for Madina) the Messenger of Allah
sent with them Musa'ab bin Umair ...and instructed him to read the Qur'aan to them and
to teach them Islaam and to give them instruction about religion. In Madina Musa'ab was
called the reader. Reported by Ibn Hisham.
3. Recording of Qur'aanic manuscripts.
When each passage of the Qur'aan was received and recited by the Prophet (r) it was
immediately set down in writing by the scribes on any suitable object within reach such as
the leaves of trees, pieces of wood, parchment or leather, flat stones, shoulder blades and
so on. Thus it will be seen that the recording of the Qur'aan was completed during the
lifetime of the Prophet (r)). This shows that in addition to memory in the minds of the
Prophet (r) and his companions (radiAllaahu 'anhum), there were also written records kept
for the benefit of future generations.

4. Collection of Scattered Manuscripts - During Abu Bakr's Period

When Abu Bakr (radiAllaahu 'anhu) became the Khaleefah, he sent orders to compile the
Qur'aan in a unified copy with all the ayaat and suwar (verses and chapters) arranged in
the right order, in which they have already been memorized. He had a valid reason to do
so. According to Imam Al-Bukhaari, there were heavy casualties among the Qurraa
(reciters of Qur'aan) in the battle against Musaylimah, which took place in Yamamah. Abu
Bakr (radiAllaahu 'anhu) feared that there would be some more casualties in other places
too and eventually a large part of the Qur'aan may be lost this way. So he consulted Umar
ibn al Khattaab and Zaid bin Thaabit (radiAllaahu 'anhumaa), to collect the Qur'aan. The
formidable task of collecting the Qur'aan in one Mus-haf was entrusted to Zaid bin Thaabit
(radiAllaahu 'anhu), who was one of the official scribes of the Prophet (r) and he was also
present during the last recitation by the Prophet (r) before his death.
Zaid bin Thaabit (radiAllaahu 'anhu) followed strict rules of procedure in the task of
collection of Qur'aan.
1. Zaid took only verses whose recitation had not been abrogated.
2. The selected text must be certified by two witnesses as having been the actual dictation
of the Prophet (r).
3. The text must have been transmitted by numerous persons (tawaatur) and must enjoy
the consensus (Ijmaa') of the Muslim Ummah.
4. It must be in accordance with one of the modes of recitation in which the Qur'aan was
revealed. i.e. one of the seven modes.
This manuscript on which the Qur'aan was collected, and remained with Abu Bakr
(radiAllaahu 'anhu) till he passed away. Then it was kept with Umar (radiAllaahu 'anhu)
during his rule. Finally Umar (radiAllaahu 'anhu) passed the Qur'aan to Hafsah his
daughter (radiAllaahu anhaa) who was also the wife of Prophet (r).

5. Copies.
During the Khilaafah of Uthmaan Ibn Affaan (radiAllaahu ' anhu) the Islaamic state spread
immensely and the Qur'aanic reciters went to different regions with different modes of
reading. So differences in reading the Qur'aan became obvious in these regions. Uthmaan
(radiAllaahu 'anhu) borrowed the suhuf (pages) of Abu Bakr (radiAllaahu 'anhu), that was
kept with Hafsah (radiAllaahu 'anhaa) and gave directives for the preparation of a standard
copy that would be sent to all the regions.

The Order To Collect

According to Anas Ibn Maalik (radiAllaahu 'anhu): People of Syria and the people of Iraq
were waging expeditions to conquer Armenia and Azerbaijan. Hudhayfah Ibn al Yaman who
was afraid of the difference in recitation (of people of Sham and Iraq) of the Qur'aan, came
to Uthmaan bin Affaan and said, "O commander of the faithful! Save the nation before
they differ about the book (Qur'aan) as the Jews and Christians did before."
So Uthmaan (radiAllaahu 'anhu) sent a message to Hafsah (radiAllaahu 'anhaa) saying:
"Send us the manuscripts of the Qur'aan so that we may compile the Qur'aanic materials
in perfect copies and return the manuscripts to you." When Hafsah (radiAllaahu 'anha)
sent it Uthmaan (radiAllaahu 'anhu), he ordered Zaid bin Thaabit, Abdullah Ibn Zubair,
Sa'eed Ibn al-Aas and Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn Haarith Ibn Hisham (radiAllaahu anhum) to re-
write the manuscripts in perfect copies.
Uthmaan (radiAllaahu 'anhu) said to the three Quraishi men, "In case you disagree with
Zaid Ibn Thaabit on any point, then write it in the dialect of Quraish as the Qur'aan was
revealed in their tongue." They did so, and when they had written many copies, Uthmaan
(radiAllaahu 'anhu) returned the original manuscripts to Hafsah (radiAllaahu 'anha).
Uthmaan (radiAllaahu 'anhu) sent every Muslim province one copy of what they have
copied and ordered that all the other Qur'aanic materials, whether written on fragmentary
manuscripts or whole copies be burnt.
Thus Abu Bakr (radiAllaahu 'anhu) made one single copy from various verbal and written
material. Uthmaan (radiAllaahu 'anhu) made several copies prepared from this copy and
sent them to various places in the Muslim world. May Allaah have mercy upon and be
pleased with each and every one of them, ameen.