Stages of Collecting the Holy Quran PDF

2 Lesson Two Stages of the Gathering and Compilation (Jamʿ) of the Holy Qurʾān 1.explain the stages of the gathering and compilation (jamʿ) of the Holy Qurʾān 2.compare between the...

2 Lesson Two Stages of the Gathering and Compilation (Jamʿ) of the Holy Qurʾān 1.explain the stages of the gathering and compilation (jamʿ) of the Holy Qurʾān 2.compare between the efforts of Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq l and those of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān l in the service of the Holy I learn from Qurʾān. this lesson 3. explain the roles of Abū Bakr l and ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān D in to: serving the Holy Qurʾān. I take an initiative to learn I read and answer: Throughout history, humankind has never known a book that has received so much attention, interest and concern for its preservation like what the Holy Qurʾān has. Notwithstanding the fact that Allah Himself i has guaranteed its preservation and protection against distortion and corruption for Allah, , says: i ]9 :‫ﱫ ﮗ ﮘ ﮙ ﮚ ﮛ ﮜ ﮝ ﱪ[الحجر‬ 9. ʾinnā naḥnu nazzalnā dh-dhikra wa-ʾinnā lahū la-ḥāfiẓūna “Verily We: It is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Qurʾān) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption)” (Sūrat al-Ḥijr: 9). d we still find the Messenger and the Companions ! receiving and transmitting it with the care and consideration. In fact, the Companions ! competed with one another in learning and teaching it and in putting it into practice. In addition to this utmost care and consideration for the Holy Qurʾān on the part of the Messenger and the d Companions ! the Archangel Jibrīl (Gabriel) would go over it with the Messenger every year in the d Month of Ramaḍān. After the death of the Messenger d Muslims gave themselves over wholeheartedly to the service of the Holy Qurʾān by memorizing it, writing it down and applying it in their daily lives. - I suggest to my classmates a method that will enable us to memorize the Holy Qurʾān......................................................................................................................................................................................... - I mention three reasons that motivated the Companions to memorize the Holy Qurʾān..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 60  Stages of the Gathering and Compilation (Jamʿ) of the Holy Qurʾān I use my skills to learn First: : Jamʿ (gathering and compiling) the Holy Qurʾān in the time of the Prophet d. The Meaning of Jamʿ (Gathering and Compiling the Qurʾān) in the Prophetic Era: Jamʿ (gathering and compiling the Qurʾān) in the time of the Prophet has two senses in d which it is used: The first of the two senses: jamʿ meaning memorization (ḥifẓ), that is to say learning the Qurʾān by heart; Allah, i , says: ]17 : ‫ﱫ ﯿ ﰀ ﰁ ﰂ ﱪ [القيامة‬ 17. ʾinna ʿalaynā jamʿahū wa-qurʾānahū “It is for Us to gather and collect it (i.e. the Qurʾān)” (Sūrat al-Qiyāmah: 17). that is, to gather and collect it in the heart of the Prophet d and the hearts of the Companions !. The second of the two senses: jamʿ meaning written compilation (kitābah). The Prophet used d to order some Companions ! to write down the revelation and compile it (in the form of a book or scripture). Allah i says: ]‫ﱪ [البينة‬Í ‫ﱫ ﮁ ﮂ ﮃ ﮄ ﮅ ﮆ ﮇ ﮈ ﮉ ﮊ‬ 2. rasūlun mina llāhi yatlū ṣuḥufan muṭahharatan 3. fīhā kutubun qayyimatun 2. A Messenger from God, rehearsing purified pages 3. in which there are scriptures (compiled writings) true and right (Sūrat al-Bayyinah). ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar said: “Allah’s Messenger d prohibited travelling with the Qurʾān to the land of the enemy” (Narrated by al-Bukhārī). The prohibition here relates to travelling to the land of the enemy with with the Qurʾān in written form not the Qurʾān memorized (in the bosoms of men). I reflect and argue: - I formulate my answer in response to someone who claims that the jamʿ of the Qurʾān in the Prophetic era was restricted to memorization only and did not include writing............................................................................................................................................................. Permission to write down the Holy Qurʾān: The Prophet d permitted all the Companions to write down the Holy Qurʾān as mentioned in the ḥadīth of Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī: “Do not write anything from me; whoever has written anything from me other than the Quʾrān let him erase it” (Narrated by Muslim). However, the Prophet d did not rely on the writings of the Companions; rather, he appointed special scribes to write down the revelation; they would write down the Qurʾān as soon as it was revealed. It has been reported on the authority of al-Barāʾ ibn ʿĀzib that he said: “When the verse ]95 :‫ﱫ ﭑ ﭒ ﭓ ﭔ ﭕﱪ [النساء‬ (lā yastawī l-qāʿidūna mina l-muʾminīna … )“Not equal are those of the believers who sit (at home)” (Sūrat al-Nisāʾ: 95) was revealed, the Prophet called Zayd and had it written down. Then Ibn Umm Maktūm came and complained about his handicap, and Allah revealed ]95 :‫“ ﱫﭖ ﭗ ﭘ ﱪ [النساء‬except those who are handicapped” (Sūrat al-Nisāʾ: 95)” (Narrated by al-Bukhārī). The entire the Qurʾān was written down in the presence of the Prophet d and by order from him and under his supervision since the beginning of the revelation and until the very last verse of the Holy Qurʾān was revealed. 61  2 Lesson Two I think and prove: - That the Prophet permitted the Companions to write down the Qurʾān notwithstanding the fact that he had prohibited them from writing down anything taken from him when he said: “Do not write anything from me…”. -.............................................................................................................................................................. - If I had been among the Companions ! and heard the Prophet d permit the writinging down of Divine Revelation. I state what I would have done to serve the Holy Qurʾān. -.............................................................................................................................................................. The Qurʾān was not compiled into a single volume (Muṣḥaf) in the Prophetic era Divine revelation continued to descend in successive fasion upon the Prophet such that some of verses of a sūrah would descend, and then stop with the descension of other verses before or after that sūrah, afterwhich revelation resumes with the verses of the first sūrah, and it continued in this way until the revelation reached completion just before the death of the Prophet. This made it difficult for the Qurʾān to be compiled into d a single codex (muṣḥaf). Nevertheless, the Holy Qurʾān was completely written down in the presence of the Prophet d ; but it was not compiled and placed between the two covers of a single codex (muṣḥaf) nor was it arranged in written in the same order as it was arranged in the hearts of those have memorized it. I infer: I give three reasons why the Qurʾān was not compiled into a single volume (muṣḥaf) during the time of the Prophet. d -.............................................................................................................................................................. -.............................................................................................................................................................. -.............................................................................................................................................................. Second: Jamʿ (gathering and compiling) the Qurʾān during the reign of Abū Bakr l In the Battle of Yamama, many Companions were martyred; among them were seventy of the Holy Qur’an hafizes (Companions who memorized the Qur’an). One of them was Salim Mawla (non- Arab Muslim) Abu Hudhayfa, who was one of those to take the Qur’an from according to the order of the Prophet, peace be upon him. Owing to this Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, hurried to Abu Bakr aṣ-Ṣiddīq and advised him to collect the Qur’an and write it in one book (Mus-haf). I reflect and ponder: the possible scenarios and outcomes had Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq not taken the advice of ʿUmar ibn al- Khaṭṭāb presenting my own viewpoint on the matter. -.............................................................................................................................................................. -.............................................................................................................................................................. -.............................................................................................................................................................. The method of compiling the Holy Qurʾān during the reign of Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq l: When Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq l made the decision to compile the Holy Qurʾān, he charged ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb l and Zayd ibn Thābit l with this great task. One of the most important reasons for choosing Zayd ibn Thābit l was that he had witnessed the final reading or review (by Jibrīl) of the Qurʾān 62 (al-ʿarḍah al-akhīrah) in addition to the credentials mentioned in Abū Bakr's commendation of him when he  Stages of the Gathering and Compilation (Jamʿ) of the Holy Qurʾān said to him: "You are a young and intelligent man, we know nothing to your discredit, and you used to record the revelations for the Messenger of Allah d , so go out in in pursuit of the Qurʾān and compile it (into a single book)" ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb and Zayd ibn Thābit, may Allah be pleased with them, followed a defintive methodology by relying on two sources: 1. What was written in the presence of the Prophet and under his supervision; d 2. What was preserved in the memories of people (who knew it by heart). Zayd ibn Thābit said: “So I went out in pursuit of the Qurʾān compiling and collecting it from parchments, scapula, leaf-stalks of date palms and from the memories of men (who knew it by heart).”. The compilation of the Qurʾān took fifteen months and it was completed before the death of Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq D and it was called ‘al-Muṣḥaf’(Qurʾānic Codex). I infer and decide: - I mention the decision that I would have taken if I were in the position of Zayd ibn Thābit l and give reasons for my decision. -.............................................................................................................................................................. -.............................................................................................................................................................. -.............................................................................................................................................................. - I mention what I conclude from the fact that it took Zayd ibn Thābit l one year and three months to compile the Holy Qurʾān. -.............................................................................................................................................................. -.............................................................................................................................................................. -.............................................................................................................................................................. The main features characterizing the compilation of the Holy Qurʾān during the reign of Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq l The compilation of the Holy Qurʾān during the reign of Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq it was charactrised by l several features, the most important of which were: It was compiled in a single codex (muṣḥaf) with the verses and chapters arranged in order. It conformed to what was confirmed in the final reading or review (al-ʿarḍah al-akhīrah) of the Holy Qurʾān with Jibrīl '. It included the Seven Modes (al-Aḥruf al-Sabʿah) which were confirmed in the final review. Its validity and accuracy were unanimously agreed on by the Companions (ijmāʿ al-ṣahābah). I think and infer: - I give four reasons that led to the Companions ! agreeing unanimously to on the validity and accuracy of the muṣḥaf which was compiled during the reign of Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq. l -.............................................................................................................................................................. -.............................................................................................................................................................. -.............................................................................................................................................................. -.............................................................................................................................................................. 63  2 Lesson Two Third: Copying (naskh) the Holy Qurʾān during the reign of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān l Reason for copying the Qurʾān The Islamic conquests expanded during the reign of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān and the Companions were m scattered in the new territories. The inhabitants of each territory took the recitation of the Qurʾān from those of the Companions ! who travelled to and settle in their territory. This was so because each Companion taught the particular ḥarf (mode) which he had received from the al-Aḥruf al-Sabʿah (Seven Modes) revealed to the Messenger d. Therefore, there were differences in the modes (ḥurūf) of Qurʾānic rendition and ways of Qurʾānic recitation between the various Muslim territories. People began to differ in the way they recited the Qurʾān until it led to a situation where they would reject one another's recitation I read and summarize: - In my own style, I summarize the reason that had prompted ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān l to copy the Holy Qurʾān. - .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Methodology of copying Caliph ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān l specified the steps to be taken in compiling the Holy Qurʾān, namely: 1. Appointing the committee that will compile the Qurʾān headed by Zayd ibn Thābit l because he was the one whom Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq D had charged previously with the task of compiling the Holy Qurʾān. 2. Taking the codex (ṣuḥuf) which Zayd ibn Thābit compiledduring the reign of Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq D as l the basis for making the official copies of the Qurʾān (Muṣḥafs). 3. Direct supervision of the compilation and copying process by ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān l. 4. The Qurʾānic script be written in a form that incorporates that which has been authentically established of the al-Sabʿah al-Aḥruf (Seven Modes) in the final revision (al-ʿardah al-akhīrah). 5. That the committee refer to Caliph ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān before writing down anything that requires checking. 6. When the committee members differed on how to write down a particular word they would write it down according the Ḥarf (Mode) of Quraysh. I analyze and anticipate: - What, in my view, would have changed in the methodology of copying the Holy Qurʾān during the reign of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān if modern technology was available to him?l - ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 64  Stages of the Gathering and Compilation (Jamʿ) of the Holy Qurʾān Dispatching the Muṣḥafs to the various Muslim cities: ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān l ordered that the Muṣḥafs be dispatched to the various Muslim cities to put an end to the conflict and controversies in reading the Holy Qurʾān. He sent a Muṣḥaf to every city, ordered all other copies to be burned and kept one copy with himself, which came to be known as the al-Muṣḥaf al-Imām (the Master Copy Muṣḥaf). The Muslim Ummah took great care of these ʿUthmānī Muṣḥafs and took them as master copies for writing and preparing duplicate Muṣḥafs generation after generation. Allah i says: ]42 : ‫ﱫ ﮓ ﮔ ﮕ ﮖ ﮗ ﮘ ﮙ ﮚ ﮛﮜ ﮝ ﮞ ﮟ ﮠﱪ [ف ُِّصل َْت‬ 42. Lā Ya’tīhi Al-Bāţilu Min Bayni Yadayhi Wa Lā MinKhalfihi  Tanzīlun Min Ĥakīmin Ĥamīdin “Falsehood cannot come to it from before it or behind it (it is) sent down by the All-Wise, Worthy of all praise (Allāh)” (Sūrat Fuşşilat: 42). I prove: - that ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān's copying of the Holy Qurʾān into Muṣḥafs prevented conflict and strife from occurring among the Muslims .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... - In cooperation with the members of my group I complete, the following table of comparison: Aspect of Compilation of the Qurʾān during the Copying of the Qurʾān during the comparison reign of Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq l reign of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān l.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Cause...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Resultant.................................................................................................................................. Outcome.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 65  2 Lesson Two I organize my concepts Copying of the Qurʾān Compilation of the Qurʾān during the Caliphate of Dhū Compilation of the Qurʾān during the Caliphate of Abū al-Nūrayn ("the Possessor during the Prophetic Era Bakr al-Ṣiddīq l of the Two Lights"), ʿUthmān l Meaning of compilation (jamʿ) Meaning of compilation (jamʿ) Meaning of copying (naskh) in in this context: in this context: this context:.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. Method of writing (kitābah): Reason for compilation (jamʿ): Reason for copying (naskh):.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. Student Activities I answer by myself: 1. The compilation of the Holy Qurʾān during the Prophetic reign assumed two forms. I specify these two forms explaining the importance of how they mutually complement one another......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2. I compare between the respective efforts of Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān in terms of their service to the Holy Qurʾān as per the table below: During the reign of Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq l During the reign of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān l.................................................................  .................................................................  ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 66  Stages of the Gathering and Compilation (Jamʿ) of the Holy Qurʾān 3. I mention the reason for the order issued by ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān to burn all the Muṣḥafs and l endorse only the Muṣḥaf which he had sent to the Muslim territories despite the fact that the other Muṣḥafs were sound and authentic and free from disrtortion and corruption. ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... I enrich my experience 4. One of the merits of the al-Muṣḥaf al-Imām (Master Copy of the Qurʾān) endorsed by ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān l was that it incorporated the Seven Modes (al-Aḥruf al-Sabʿah) in which the Holy Qurʾān was revealed. I look up the meaning of the al-Aḥruf al-Sabʿah and the difference between them and the Ten Qirāʾāt (Canonical Readings). ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... I assess myself I assess the effect that the lesson “Stages of Compiling the Holy Qurʾān” has had on my conduct and acts of worship: Level of achievement SN Aspect of Application Average Good Excellent I recite my ‘wird’ (fixed portion) of the Holy 1 Qurʾān daily and regularly. I make sure that I don not utter except what pleases 2 Allah i. I always seek to serve the Holy Qurʾān according 3 to specific and well-planned ideas. I emulate Zayd ibn Thābit D in the determination and resoluteness (himmah) he showed in preserving the 4 Book of Allah i and raise my own determination and resoluteness as regards my studies. I take my teacher as my role model, show him 5 respect and acknowledge his worth. 67