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Ramadhan 19 Friday Hijrah 1445
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Title – The Message   Preface   Arabian Peninsula the Cradle of Islamic Culture   Arabia before Islam   Conditions of Roman and Iranian Empires   Ancestors of the Prophet   Birth of the Prophet   Childhood of the Prophet   Rejoining the Family   Period of Youth   From Shepherd to Merchant   From Marriage up to Prophethood   The First Manifestation of Reality   The First Revelation   Who were the First Persons to Embrace Islam?   Cessation of revelation   General Invitation   Judgement of Quraysh about the Holy Qur’an   The First Migration   Rusty Weapons   The Fiction of Gharaniq   Economic Blockade   Death of Abu Talib   Me’raj – The Heavenly Ascension   Journey to Ta’if   The Agreement of Aqabah   The Event of Migration   The Events of the First Year of Migration   Some Events of the First and Second years of Migration   The Events of the Second Year of Migration   Change of Qiblah   The Battle of Badr   Dangerous Designs of the Jews   The Events of the Third Year of Migration   The Events of the Third and Fourth years of Migration   The Jews Quit the Zone of Islam   The Events of the Fourth Year of Migration   The Events of the Fifth Year Of Migration   The Battle of Ahzab   The Last Stage of Mischief   The Events of the Fifth and Sixth years of Migration   The events of the Sixth Year of Migration   A Religious and Political Journey   The Events of the Seventh Year of Migration   Fort of Khayber the Centre of Danger   The Story of Fadak   The Lapsed ‘Umrah   The Events of the Eighth Year of Migration   The Battle of Zatus Salasil   The Conquest of Makkah   The Battle of Hunayn   The Battle of Ta’if   The Famous Panegyric of Ka’b Bin Zuhayr   The Events of the Ninth Year of Migration   The Battle of Tabuk   The Deputation of Thaqif goes to Madina   The Prophet Mourning for his Son   Eradication of Idol-Worship in Arabia   Representatives of Najran in Madina   The Events of the Tenth Year of Migration   The Farewell Hajj   Islam is completed by the Appointment of Successor   The Events of the Eleventh Year of Migration   A Will which was not written   The Last Hours of the Prophet  

 

Chapter 2: Inconsistency of the Traditions Regarding the Collection of the Qur’an

 

The traditions contradict each other and, therefore, it is not possible to trust anything in them. It is worth mentioning a number of these contradictions by raising certain questions and answering them.

  1. When was the Qur’an collected into a single codex? The apparent sense of tradition 2, [cited above], suggests that the collection was undertaken during the time of ‘Uthman (644-656). The clear statement of traditions 1, 3, and 4, and the apparent sense of a few others, indicate is that it was undertaken during Abu Bakr’s time. The clear statement of traditions 7 and 12 indicates that it was during ‘Umar’s time (634-644).
  2. Who undertook the task of collecting the Qur’an during Abu Bakr’s time? According to traditions 1 and 22, the person who undertook this task was Zayd b. Thabit, whereas, according to tradition 4, it was Abu Bakr himself, and he asked Zayd only to examine what he had collected from the sheets (kutub). On the other hand, tradition 5, as well as the apparent sense of some other reports, suggests that it was both ‘Umar and Zayd who undertook the task.
  3. Was Zayd delegated to choose which verses would be included in the Qur’an? It appears from tradition 1, or, in fact, it is clear, that Abu Bakr delegated the task to him. What ‘Umar said to Zayd is clear in this regard: “You are a wise young man and we trust you. You used to record the revelation for the Messenger of God. So go and find [all the fragments of] the Qur’an and put them together.” Tradition 5 and a few others mention that the material was included in the text only on the testimony of [at least] two witnesses, to the extent that when ‘Umar came forward with the verse regarding the stoning, it was not accepted from him because he was the only one reporting it.
  4. Did any verse remain unrecorded until the time of ‘Uthman? The apparent sense of many traditions-in facts, their explicit statement-suggests that there was nothing left out until that time. However, tradition 2 clearly states that some verses had been left out and were not recorded until the time of ‘Uthman.
  5. Did ‘Uthman strike out anything that was recorded before him? The apparent sense of many traditions, or, rather, their explicit statement, suggests that ‘Uthman did not strike out anything from the text recorded before him. But tradition 14 explicitly states that he did strike out something that was recorded before him, and that he ordered the Muslims to do the same.
  6. From what source did ‘Uthman collect the codex? Traditions 2 and 4 state explicitly that in collecting the Qur’an he depended on the scrolls (suhuf) collected by Abu Bakr. In contrast, traditions 8, 14, and 15 explicitly state that ‘Uthman collected it on the [basis of the] testimony of two witnesses, and from the reports of those who had heard the verse from the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his progeny).
  7. Who asked Abu Bakr to collect the Qur’an? Tradition 1 says that it was ‘Umar who asked him and Abu Bakr agreed with him after initially refusing to do [the collection]. He then sent for Zayd and asked him to undertake the task. Zayd also agreed with him after initially refusing to do it. Tradition 10 mentions that both Zayd and ‘Umar asked Abu Bakr to do it, and that he agreed with them after consulting the Muslims.
  8. Who collected the first complete version (imam) of the Qur’an and sent copies of it to the different centers of the empire? Tradition 2 states clearly that it was ‘Uthman, whereas tradition 12 also states clearly that it was ‘Umar.
  9. When were the two last verses of “Surat al-Bara’a” appended? Traditions 1, 11, and 22 state clearly that they were appended during Abu Bakr’s time. In contrast, the clear statement of tradition 8 and the apparent sense of other traditions suggest that this was done during ‘Umar’s time.
  10. Who came forward with these two verses? A tradition 1 and 22 state clearly that it was Abu Khuzayma. However, traditions 8 and 11 also state clearly that it was Khuzayma b. Thabit. As mentioned by Ibn ‘ Abd al-Barr, there is no relationship whatsoever between these two men. 4
  11. How was it established that these two verses were from the Qur’an? From the apparent sense of the first tradition, and from the clear statement of traditions 9 and 21, it was established on the testimony of a single person. According to the clear statement of number 8, ‘Uthman testified [as a second witness] with him; and according to the clear statement of number 11, ‘Umar was the one who testified [as a second witness] with him.
  12. Whom did ‘Uthman appoint to write the Qur’an and to dictate it? Tradition 2 states explicitly that ‘Uthman appointed Zayd, Ibn al-Zubayr, Sa’id, and’ Abd al-Rahman for writing, whereas number 15 states explicitly that he appointed Zayd for writing and Sa’id for dictating. Tradition 16, however, asserts that he appointed a person from the tribe of Thaqif to write, and another from the tribe of Hudhayl to dictate. But tradition 18 states clearly that the writer was not from the Thaqif, and that the one who dictated was not from the Hudhayl. Tradition 19 states explicitly that the person who dictated was Ubayy b. Ka’b, and that Sa’id b. al-‘As vocalized what Zayd wrote, in accordance with the rules of Arabic grammar. This is asserted also by tradition 20, with the addition of’ Abd al-Rahman b. al-Harith to oversee the vocalization with Sa’id.
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