Preservation of the Quran During the Prophet's Era
The Prophet (PBUH), along with a group of companions, undertook the memorization of Quranic verses for preservation. Additionally, to preserve the Quranic texts, he ordered their transcription through officials, led by Imam Ali (AS). Thus, the Quran was compiled during the time of the Messenger of God (PBUH). Before his passing, the Prophet (PBUH) instructed Ali (AS) to gather this Quran, which was written on papers, in one place so that it would not be lost like the Torah.
Command to Preserve the Quran
Ibn Abbas says:
At the beginning of the Quran's revelation, the Noble Prophet (PBUH) devoted himself to preserving the Holy Quran by utilizing strong memories and encouraging his noble companions to memorize it.
Relying solely on memorization of the Holy Quran could not ensure its complete protection, so the Noble Prophet (PBUH) requested a small number of literate people in Mecca to carefully record and transcribe the Holy Quran.
Writing of the Quran
The Noble Prophet (PBUH), along with a group of companions, undertook memorizing Quranic verses for its preservation. Additionally, to protect the Quranic texts, beyond relying on his own memory and that of the people, he ordered the Quran scribes (writers of revelation), led by Ali (AS), to write down the Holy Quran.[2]
Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) led the revelation scribes, and Abu Bakr, Umar ibn Khattab, Uthman, Zayd ibn Thabit, Ubay ibn Ka'b, Hanzala ibn Rabi, Thabit ibn Qays, and others were among the famous Quran scribes during the time of the Noble Prophet (PBUH). Even during the Prophet's time, some like Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, Ubay ibn Ka'b, Miqdad, and others wrote their own manuscripts.[3]
The Holy Quran was compiled during the time of Allah's Messenger (PBUH). The revelation scribes wrote the verses successively. Imam Sadiq (AS) says: «كان يعرف انقضاء السوره بنزول بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم ابتداء لاُخری؛ The end of each surah was known by the revelation of 'Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem' at the beginning of another.».[4] Thus, the Holy Quran was written under the Prophet's (PBUH) direction.
Ayatollah Khoei writes:
- "By studying the circumstances of the Noble Prophet (PBUH) and his companions, we conclude that the Holy Quran was collected and organized during his era."[5]
Ayatollah Ma'rifat also says: "The compilation and arrangement of the Quran in its current form did not occur at once, but gradually and by different individuals and groups. The arrangement, order, and number of verses in each surah were established during the Prophet's (PBUH) lifetime under his direction and are divine, which must be accepted as an act of devotion."[6]
Imam Ali Tasked with Organizing the Collected Quran
During the Noble Prophet's (PBUH) time and by his order, the Holy Quran was collected by revelation scribes on writing materials, and then Ali (AS) was tasked with organizing it at the Prophet's (PBUH) recommendation. Imam Sadiq (AS) narrates that the Prophet (PBUH) said to Ali (AS): {{arabic|يَا عَلِيُّ الْقُرْآنُ خَلْفَ فِرَاشِي فِي الصُّحُفِ وَ الْقَرَاطِيسِ فَخُذُوهُ وَ اجْمَعُوهُ وَ لَا تُضَيِّعُوهُ كَمَا ضَيَّعَتِ الْيَهُودُ التَّوْرَاةَ|translation=O Ali! This Quran is behind my bed, among the pages and silk and papers, collect the Quran and do not let it be lost as the Jews lost their Torah.}.[7]
References
- ↑ Ṭabarsī, Faḍl ibn al-Ḥasan, Majma‘ al-Bayān fī Tafsīr al-Qur’ān, j 6, ṣ 127; nigāh konīd bih Sūrat al-Qiyāma, āyāt 16–18.
- ↑ Nigāh konīd bih Ma‘rifat, Muḥammad Hādī, al-Tamhīd fī ‘Ulūm al-Qur’ān.
- ↑ Nigāh konīd bih Ṣubḥī Ṣāliḥ, Mabāḥith fī ‘Ulūm al-Qur’ān, ṣ 101.
- ↑ Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir, Biḥār al-Anwār, j 89, ṣ 236.
- ↑ Khū’ī, Abū al-Qāsim, al-Bayān fī Tafsīr al-Qur’ān, ṣ 250.
- ↑ Nigāh konīd bih Ma‘rifat, Muḥammad Hādī, ‘Ulūm-e Qur’ānī, ṣ 119.
- ↑ Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir, Biḥār al-Anwār, j 89, ṣ 48.