The Qur'an and Its Study. Adnan Zarzour
the end of Surah 9 with Khuzaymah of the Anṣār, and I could not find it with anyone else. This was the last two verses of the surah: “Indeed there has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves: one who grieves much that you should suffer; one who is full of concern for you; and who is tender and full of compassion towards the believers. Should they turn away, then say to them: ‘God is enough for me! There is no deity other than Him. In Him have I placed my trust. He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne’” (9: 128–129). The complete copy remained with Abu Bakr until his death, then with ‘Umar for the rest of his life, then with Ḥafṣah bint ‘Umar.’98
2.1 This Hadith shows that the reason for collating the Qur’an during Abū Bakr’s reign, on ‘Umar’s advice, was that they feared that ‘much of the Qur’an could be lost’. Arthur Jeffery, the Orientalist we mentioned earlier, did not understand that this apprehension reflected extra care to ensure the Qur’an’s preservation. He thought that it meant that the Qur’an was not committed to writing during the Prophet’s lifetime. This, he thought, was the reason for ‘Umar’s fearing the death of people who memorised the Qur’an. We have already shown that the Qur’an was committed to writing during the Prophet’s lifetime, but we add here that the death of those who knew it by heart was something to fear as it would have serious consequences for the near and long future, this, for two reasons as follows:
First, the Qur’an must be transmitted by large numbers of reporters at every stage, i.e. tawātur, and this can only be done when there are large numbers of people who know it by heart. It is not done through writing it on paper.
Second, the way to deliver the written Qur’an is to teach and recite it. The disappearance of those who memorised the Qur’an during the Prophet’s lifetime and who were under his care would have disrupted this process.
Undoubtedly, the disappearance of these people who had memorised the Qur’an would have worried someone with rational understanding and profound insight like ‘Umar. He was known to lead the way and to be innovative: ‘Rarely was a system of state started in the first Muslim state without him leading the way.’99
As we have already said, the Qur’an relies on both writing and memorisation at the same time. This is confirmed by the system Abū Bakr outlined for Zayd in pursuing the task assigned to him.
2.2 Zayd’s terms of reference required him to rely on two sources: what was written as dictated by the Prophet (peace be upon him), and what the Muslims had learnt by heart. Zayd said: ‘I pursued my task, collecting the Qur’an written on dried date branches and thin stones, and kept in people’s memories.’ Another Hadith says: ‘‘Umar came along and said: “Whoever took something [of the Qur’an] from God’s Messenger should bring it to us.” At Abū Bakr’s advice, ‘Umar helped Zayd in the collation of the Qur’an. They used to write it down on scrolls, tablets and dried date branches. Zayd did not accept any written material unless two witnesses would testify to its authenticity.’ Al-Sakhāwī said: ‘What is meant here is that the two witnesses would testify that the written text was written in the Prophet’s presence.’
Some scholars, however, interpret these two witnesses as relating to memorisation and writing, meaning that one witness would testify to the written text and the other to the memorised one. This is contrary to what the majority of scholars have agreed. Had it been true, Zayd would not have made special mention of the end of Surah 9, in the Hadith quoted above. He said that he found it with Khuzaymah, which means that there was one witness to the written form. Needless to say, his statement, ‘I could not find it with anyone else’, did not mean that he could not find it memorised. He was looking for a couple of verses which he himself had memorised. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of people who also knew these verses by heart. This makes it clear that the two witnesses were required to confirm the authenticity of the written text.
Al-Zarkashī said: ‘Zayd’s statement that he could find it only with Khuzaymah does not mean that the Qur’an could be accepted on the basis of a statement by one person. Zayd had heard these verses and knew their place in Surah 9, as he was instructed by the Prophet. Other Companions also learnt it from the Prophet... His reference to people who memorised the Qur’an was to confirm what he knew, not to learn something he did not know.’100 In other words, Zayd was keen to learn from them so that he could re-confirm what he himself had memorised.
Commenting on Zayd’s words: ‘I could not find it with anyone else,’ Ibn Ḥajar said: ‘He could not find it in written form, because he did not accept what was memorised unless it was supported by writing. That he did not find it at the time does not mean that it was not learnt by many people who might not have learnt it directly from the Prophet. What Zayd was after was to ascertain every text from those people who had taken it directly from the Prophet.’101
Abu Shamah said: ‘Their purpose was that nothing would be taken except what was certain to have been written in the Prophet’s presence, not from memory.’102
Writing is Not a Requirement of Multiple Reporting, i.e. Tawātur
This is certainly true. Why, then, were such witnesses required? Essentially, it was only to reconfirm what was already certain beyond doubt. In other words, it facilitated Zayd’s task. Certainty was established through the large number of the Prophet’s Companions who knew each verse by heart. Hence, the worry expressed by ‘Umar, which is not understood by some Western researchers like Arthur Jeffrey. Tawātur, which means reporting by a large number of reliable people who cannot agree to a falsehood, is essential in the case of the Qur’an. Tawātur cannot be achieved by having two or even four witnesses. Hence, we do not accept what some scholars have said whereby the broad knowledge pertaining among the Prophet’s Companions of the last verses of Surah 9, which Zayd found only with Khuzaymah, served as the other witness confirming that it was written in the Prophet’s presence.103 This is indeed putting the matter in reverse. Tawātur is achieved by showing that what is written corresponded to what the Prophet’s Companions knew by heart, regardless of the number of witnesses, and whether the writing took place in the Prophet’s presence or not. Indeed, having a written text is not a requirement of tawātur in the first place. The Prophet’s Companions agreed to what Abū Bakr initiated and they all accepted the result. We see the collation of the Qur’anic written material as a review exercise by the whole community ‘so that everyone shares in knowing what has been collated and no one who has knowledge of it remains absent. Thus, no one could have any doubt as to what is in the collated copy. They all realise that it was collated in their presence.’104
This collation exercise was carried out by a community that was religious, well-educated and upholding the highest standard of morality. Hence, ‘Alī ibn Abi Ṭālib commented about it: ‘The man who deserves the greatest reward for what he had done with the Qur’an is Abū Bakr. May God bestow His Mercy on Abū Bakr. He was the first to put God’s book together in between two covers.’105
2.3 The Hadith reported by Zayd and quoted above includes several important points,106 but perhaps the most important one is that the collated copy, which we may call the master copy as it was put together between two covers or in several parts, were kept by Abū Bakr, the head of the Muslim state, or the Caliph, as he was called. When he died, this copy was kept by ‘Umar, the second Caliph. After ‘Umar’s death, it was kept by his daughter, Ḥafṣah. They were not given to ‘Uthmān, because ‘Umar did not appoint a successor. Instead, he appointed a committee of six of the Prophet’s Companions, including ‘Alī and ‘Uthmān. It was not seen as right to give the copy to any one of them, because that would have been taken as favouring that person. Moreover, Ḥafṣah was a Mother of the Believers, as she was married to the Prophet, and she was literate107 and had memorised the Qur’an in full. The collated copy remained with her until ‘Uthmān requested it, as we shall presently see.
3. The Copying of the Qur’an During ‘Uthmān’s Reign in year 26 AH, 646 CE
3.1 The collation of the Qur’an by Abū Bakr was an official and public endeavour in which the Prophet’s Companions, and the Muslim community, shared, each giving what they had memorised or written. The purpose