Indeks
The Quran is
the book containing the speech of God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad in
Arabic and transmitted to us by continuous testimony, or tawatur [1] .
Literally the Quran means `recitation' or `reading'; it is the very words of
God conveyed by the angel Gabriel to Muhammad (peace be upon him) :
"And truly, this (Quran) is a revelation
from the Lord of the `Alamin (worlds) which the trustworthy `Ruh' (Gabriel) has
brought down; upon your heart (O Muhammad) that you may be one of the warners."[ash-Sh`ara
26: 192-194].
Arabic Quran:
Arabic is
the description of the words of the Quran: "And
thus We have inspired into you an Arabic Quran."[Ash-Shura
42:7; see also Az-Zumar 39:28; Az-Zukhruf 43:3]. Evidently Arabic
is the description of the words of the Quran and not its meaning, because the
meaning of words are universal and not restricted to the Arabs. For this reason
the scholars of Islam have held that a translation of the Quran into another
language cannot be considered as the Quran. The Quran, unlike the Hadith, is
the words and meaning of God. Hadith consists of the Prophet conveying in his
own words the meaning or concepts inspired by God.
The Miracle (Al-Mu'jizah):
The Quran is
the Miracle (mu`jizah) of the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and
the proof of his prophethood. "And if you
are in doubt concerning that which We have sent down to Our Servant Muhammad
then produce a chapter (surah) of the like thereof and call your witness
besides God, if you are truthful."[al-Baqarah 2:23];
see also 10:37-38; 28:49;17:88; and 11:13]. In the words of Imam Tabari,
"there is no clear discourse more eloquent, no wisdom more profound, no
speech more sublime, no form of expression more noble, than [this] clear
discourse and speech with which a single man challenged a people at a time when
they were acknowledged masters of theart of oratory and rhetoric, poetry and
prose, rhymed prose and soothsaying. He reduced their fancy to folly and
demonstrated the inadequacy of their logic. He dissociated himself from their
religion and summoned all of them to follow him, accept [his mission], testify
to its truth, and affirm that he was the Messenger sent to them by their Lord.
He let them know that the demonstration of the truth of what he said, the proof
of the genuineness of his prophethood, was the bayan - the clear
discourse, the hikma - the wisdom, the furqan - the discriminator
between truth and falsehood, which he conveyed to them in a language like their
language, in a speech whose meanings conformed to the meanings of their speech.
Then he told them all that they were incapable of bringing anything comparable
to [even] a part of [what he had brought], and that they lacked the power to do
this. They all confessed their inability, voluntarily acknowledging the truth of
[what he had brought], and bore witness to their own insufficiency.".[2]
Compilation of Quran (Jam' ul-Quran):
The Quran
was revealed piecemeal over a period of 23 years: "It is a Quran We have divided into parts in order that you
may recite it to people at intervals: We have revealed it by stages."
[Bani Israil 17:106]."The
unbelievers say, why has not the Quran been sent down to him [Muhammad] all at
once. Thus [it is revealed] that your hearts may be strengthened, and we
rehearse it to you gradually, and well arranged." [al-Furqan
23:32] When the Quran descended upon the Prophet (peace be upon him and his
family) he would order his companions (may God be pleased with them) to
memorise it in their hearts and to put it down in writing on such materials as
was available, such as flat stones, parchments, bones and pieces of wood. As a
consequence during the lifetime of the Prophet (saw) the text of the Quran was
preserved in the memories of the companions and on numerous inscriptions. It is
an article of faith for the Muslim to believe that the Quran with us today is
the same authentic text as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him). "Falsehood comes not to it from
before it nor from behind it; a sending down from One All-wise,
All-laudable." [41:42]. It is the Book of God "wherein is no doubt."[al-Baqarah
2:2]."We have, without doubt, sent down the
Message; and we will assuredly guard it (from corruption)."[al-Hijir
15:9]. "This is indeed a glorious Quran,
inscribed on a well-guarded tablet" [al-Buruj
85:21-22]. The authenticity of the entire text of the Quran is proven by
universally accepted testimony, in Arabic known as tawatur. The
revelation had been completed during the lifetime of the Prophet. The last
verse to be revealed being either "Today I
have perfected your religion for you and completed my favour toward you, and
chosen Islam as you religion." [al-Ma'idah 5:3], or
"Fear the day when you will be brought back
to God; then every soul will be paid in full according to what it has earned, and
they will not be treated unjustly." [al-Baqara
2:281] [3]. The unanimity of the companions of the Prophet, known in Arabic as ijma
as-sahaba, confirms that all the verses (ayat) of the Quran had been
written during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).Abdul
Aziz bin Rafii' has narrated that he and Shadad bin Maqil went to
see Abdullah bin Abbas, and Shadad asked ibn Abbas
"Did the Messenger of God leave something behind?" Ibn Abbas
replied Only that which is between these two covers (i.e., the Quran)." he
further added "Then I entered to see Muhammad bin Hanafiah, and we
asked him the same question, he replied "He left nothing but what is
between these two covers." In surah al-Bayinah (The Clear Proof)
God says: "A Messenger from God reciting
purified pages." [98:2], which means the companions during
the lifetime of the Prophet were reciting from written texts. Abdullah bin
Masud has narrated that the Prophet said: "Do
not write anything from me except Quran." [Muslim]. Two
years after the death of Muhammad (peace be upon him), during the khilafah
of Abu Bakr (ra), many of the companions of the Messenger of God were
being killed in the battle of al-Yamama fighting the false prophet Musailama.
Umar bin al-Khattab (ra) went to see Abu Bakr (ra) and said to
him: "The Companions of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and
grant him peace, are flocking to al-Yamama like moths plunging into a flame,
and I fear that they will not see their homes again, but will fight and be
killed. Now these men are the bearers of the Quran [i.e., those in whose
memories it is preserved], so the Quran will be lost and forgotten. What if you
were to gather it together and write it down?"
Abu Bakr
(ra)
disliked this suggestion and said: "Should I do what the Messenger of
God, may God bless him and grant him peace, never did?" So they argued
about this matter. -Abu Bakr then sent word to Zaid bin Thabit,
and [this is how Zaid narrated the sequel]:- "I went to see Abu
Bakr, and Umar was sitting there very tense and alert. Abu Bakr
said: `This man has invited me to do something which I have refused to do. You
[Zaid] are the "scribe" of the revelation. If you agree with
me, I shall not do it.' Abu Bakr recounted what Umar had said,
while Umar kept silent.
I did not like
what I heared, and said:`Should we do what the Messenger of God, may the
blessings and peace of God be upon him, never did?' Whereupon Umar
said the words:`What could be held against you two if you were to do this?'
So we turned it over in our minds, and [coming to the same conclusion] said:
`Nothing, by God! What could be held against us for doing this?' So Abu
Bakr ordered me to gather the Book together and write it down. I wrote it
on page-size pieces of hide, small pieces of scapula and palm leaves."
When Abu
Bakr died, and Umar became khalif, all this was written down
again on a single scroll and deposited with him. When he died, the scroll
remained with his daughter, Hafsa, the wife of the Prophet, may God
bless him and grant him peace.
Then, when Hudhaifa
bin al-Yaman returned from a military expedition to the Armenian steppes,
before he even entered his home, he went straight to Uthman bin Affan
(ra) and said: "O Commander of the Faithful, you must attend to the
people!" `Uthman said:`What is the matter?' ` I took
a military expedition to the Armenian steppes,' he said, `and people
from Iraq and Syria took part. Since the Syrians recited [in their prayers]
according to the recitation of Ubaiy bin Ka'b and uttered what the
people of Iraq had never heard before, the people of Iraq called them infidels.
And since the people of Iraq recited according to the recitation of Ibn
Masud and uttered what the Syrians had never heard before, the Syrians
called them infidels.'
Uthman
bin Affan
ordered Zaid to write out a definitive scroll for him, saying: "I
will send in to work with you an intelligent man whose Arabic is pure; when you
are in agreement on something write it down. But if you disagree on something,
refer it to me." Uthman assigned Aban bin Said bin al-As
to Zaid. When they reached "The sign
of his kingship is that the Ark (al-tabut) will come to you"
[al-Baqarah 2:248], Zaid said al-tabuh and Aban bin
Said said al-tabut, so they refered the matter to Uthman, who
wrote al-tabut. When Zaid finished he reviewed the text, but
could not find [in written form] the verse"Among
the believers are men who were true to their covenent with God; some of them
have fulfilled their vow by death, and some are still awaiting, and they have
not changed in the least."[al-Ahzab 33:23]. Zaid
sought out the Muhajirun, and asked them about this, but he could find
no written copy with them. So he sought out the Ansar, and asked them
about it, but he could find no trace of it with them. Finally, he found it with
Khuzaima bin Thabit, and Zaid wrote it down.
Zaid then made another
revisison, and this time failed to find the verses: "Now there has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves;
grievous to him is your suffering; anxious is he over you, gentle to the
believers, compassionate. So if they turn their backs, say: `God is enough for
me. There is no god but He. In Him have I put my trust. He is Lord of the
Mighty Throne.' [at-Tauba 9:128-129] So Zaid
sought out the Ansar and asked them about it, but he could find no trace
of it with any of them. Finally he found the written verse with another man
called Khuzaima and he set these verses at the end of al-Bara'a
(another name for at-Tauba, sura 9).
Zaid then made a third
revision of the text and found nothing missing. Then Uthman sent word to
Hafsa asking her to give him the scroll, making a promise to her that he
would return it. She handed it over to him, and he compared the book Zaid
and Aban compiled and found no difference between them. Then Uthman
returned it to her. He was pleased and ordered people to copy several books
from the master copy. When Hafsa died, a strict order was sent to her
bother Abdullah bin Umar for the scroll, and he gave it to them. The
parchment was then given a thorough washing to efface what was written on it.
[4]
The Quran
had been memorised by the companions during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace
be upon him), Abu Bakr's task had been to collect the written pieces of
the Quran. The criteria used by Zaid bin Thabit in collecting the
written accounts of the Quran was that it must be in the possession of a
companion of the Messenger of God, who wrote it in his presence, confirmed by
two just witnesses and it accorded with the Quran as preserved in the hearts of
the community. Accordingly, Abu Bakr's contribution was only to gather
together all the written pieces of the Quran that had been written during the
presence of the Messenger of God (may God bless him and grant him peace). This
definitive collection of the scrolls passed to Umar bin al-Khattab and,
upon his death, his daughter Hafsa [5].
The Quran
was sent down in seven harfs (dialects) of the Arabic language.
During the lifetime of the Prophet (peace be upon him) some of the companions
disputed with one another over their recitation of the Quran. Umar bin
al-Khattab has narrated that he heared Hisham bin al-Hakim recite
the surah of the Furqan during the lifetime of the Messenger of
God, may God bless him and grant him peace. Umar listerned to him recite
in a manner he had never heared before. So Umar seized him and took him
to the Messenger of God. Umar said: O Messenger of God, I have heared this man
recite the surah of the Furqan in harfs in which you never taught
me to recite it, and it was you yourself who taught me to recite the sura of
the Furqan." The Messenger of God said: "Let him go, Umar; and you, Hisham, recite."
So he recited for him the recitation Umar had heared him recite and the
Messenger of God said: "It was sent down like
that." Then the Messenger of God said: Now you recite Umar." Umar recited it as the
Messenger of God had taught him. Then the Messenger of God said: "It was sent down like that." Then the
Messenger of God said: "Indeed this Quran was
sent down in seven harfs. You should recite which ever comes easily to you."
[6]. When Uthman saw the Muslims calling each other infidel over their
differences in recitation he ordered Zaid bin Thabit, Abdullah bin Zubayr,
Abdul-Rahman bin Harith and Aban bin Said bin al-As to compile one
definitive copy of the Quran in the dialect of the Quraysh, which was the
tongue of the Messeneger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace [7]. Uthman
ordered that all other copies in a variant recitation to be destroyed. Copies
of were made and sent to Makkah, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Basrah, Kufa in Iraq,
and one remained in Medina. Thus, Uthman's task was to unite the
Muslim community over a single recension of the Quran, all other harfs
were therefore abandoned.
When Zaid
had finished his revision of the text, Uthman called for the scrolls
kept by Hafsa, he examined both texts and found no difference between
them. Proof that the copies that Uthman had sent to the various regions
of the Islamic lands were exactly the same as the text revealed by the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) and written down and memorised in his presence.
Following the death of Hafsa, Marwan in his capacity as governor of Medina
ordered the washing of the scrolls. Salim bin Abdullah bin Umar has
reported that Marawan said he did this because he feared a time would
come when the Muslims would doubt whether the Quran in their hands was the same
as the scrolls kept by Hafsa. In destroying the scrolls the Muslims had
no choice but to believe that the Quran in their possession was the same as
that revealed to the Messenger of God.
Al-Tabari in his introduction
to Jami al-Bayan `an ta'wil ay al-Quran, said, "The most
significant excellence which God granted the community of our prophet,
Muhammad, the greatest rank and pre-eminence which He ennobled them above all
other communities, the most resplendent mark of honour He granted them, is the
preservation of His Revelation."
The Muslim
must also believe that the arrangement of the verses within each sura were
ordered by the Messenger of God on the command of God through His messenger Gabriel.
Uthman has narrated that "When the verses descended upon the
Messenegr of God, he would say put them in surah which mentions so and so."
[Muslim, Bukharai] The sequence of the verses are definitive (qati)
and unchangeable (tawqifi), but the arrangement and sequence of the
chapters or surah were the ijtihad (exertion) of the companions. Ahmed,
Sahih Ibn Habban and alHakeem have reported from Ibn Abbas that
he said to Uthman "Why did you not separate sura al Anfal
and surah al-Bara'a with bismi'llahi 'l-rahman 'l-rahim ( In the
name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate)? Othman said: "Al
Anfal was among the earliest to be revealed in Medina, and al-Bara'a
was from the last of the Quran to be revealed, and its contents are similar to al
Anfal, so I thought that al-Bara'a was from al Anfal. The
Prophet died without telling us whether al Bara'a was from al Anfal."
Said ibn Jabir has narrated from Ibn Abbas that the Messenger of
God did not know the end of a surah until bismi'llahi 'l-rahman
'l-rahim descended. All this means that the sequence of the verses of the
Quran were universally agreed by the companions but the arrangement of the
chapters was the ijtihad of the companions, thus in this regard they
differed. For example, the arrangement of the chapters in Abdullah bin Masud's
copy of the Quran was ordered with al Fatiha first, then al Baqarah
then an-Nisaa, then al -i-Imran. Uthman's arrangement
places al-i-Imran before an-Nisaa. Imam Ali's arrangement was
entirely different. He placed the chapters revealed in Makkah first with
the longer chapters revealed in Medina last, so after al Fatiha
he had al Muddathir, al Qalam, al Muzzammil, an Nabaa,
at-Takweer etc. For this reason the scholars have said that it is not
compulsory to recite the chapters in the order we find them in the Quran, but
they say it is compulsory to recite the verses within each of the chapters in
the order we find them in the Quran. In support of this opinion they quote the
tradition "The prophet (peace be upon him) recited during his prayer in
the night the Sura of an Nisaa before al-i-Imran."
[Muslim]. Some scholars to quote a tradition which prevents reciting the
Quran out of sequence, but the prohibition relates to the order of the verses
and not to the chapters. Some people maintain that the order of the chapters
was dictated by God and quote in support the hadith narrated from Fatima,
the daughter of the Messenegr of God: "The Prophet told me secretly
that Gabriel used to recite the Quran to me and I to him every year, but this
year he recited the whole Quran with me twice, which means my appointed time is
near." [8] Abu Hurayrah has narrated a similar hadith
[9]. Evidently the recitation of the Quran by Gabriel involves reading
it in a sequence; verse by verse and chapter by chapter. However, there is
another tradition narrated by Aysha, the wife of the Prophet, which
would appear to confirm that whilst the verses were arranged upon the
instruction of Gabriel the sequence of the chapters was not: "An
Iraqi came to Aysha (ra) and said: `O Mother of the Believers!
Show me your Quran?' Aysha replied `Why?' He said: `So I can compile the
Quran according to it, because the people recite it without a set order of the
chapters.' Aysha said:`What does it matter which chapter you read
first?'... She then dictated to him the verses of the chapters (in their proper
order) [10]. This confirms that the arrangement of the chapters in the
Quran was the result of the agreement of the companions, otherwise Aysha
would not have said the order of the chapters did not matter.
It has also
been accepted by unanimous testimony of the companions of the Messenger of God
that the way in which the Quran has been transcribed into writing, i.e., the
written characters of the words, cannot be changed. The scribes of the Prophet
wrote down the revelation upon the order of the Messenger of God, peace be upon
him, so we are not allowed to substitute the Quranic form of writing a
word with its conventional form of writing. This applies to the spelling of the
words and not to the style of writing, i.e., calligraphy, which has changed
with time.
The Issue of The Quran Being Eternal (Qadeem) or Created
(Makhlouq):
During the khilafah
of al-Mamun, the Mutazilah held the view that the Quran was
created. Al-Mamun adopted this view as a part of the Muslim creed. Imam
Ahmad bin Hanbal rejected this on the grounds that God's speech is one of
His attributes and therefore there could be no rational discussion about this
question. The Mutazili scholar al-Huayan al-Karabisi put forward
a compromise idea - that the Quran considered, as God's speech was indeed
uncreated but that when it was put into human words it became a created thing. Imam
Ahmad rejected this idea. Al-Karabisi put forward another view, that
the written and spoken Arabic of the Quran was uncreated in so far as it
partook of God's eternal speech. This was also rejected on the grounds that it
is unlawful to speculate about the Quran in this rationalistic way because as
the Quran is an attribute of God to discuss such a question is to discuss the
essence and nature of God which is forbidden. Al-Ashari said the Quran
is eternal and uncreated word of God but that the ink, paper and the Arabic
words of the sacred text were created.
The fact of
the matter is that the question is meaningless. Logic can be applied to the
question to prove that Quran is both created and eternal. Those that argue that
Quran is created say that it is composed of letters arranged and in sequence
and in reality, therefore it exists and is a created thing. Those that argue
Quran is eternal say that Quran is the speech of God. His speech like His
Knowledge, His Will, His Hearing etc. have existed with God from all eternity
therefore the Quran is eternal. The truth of the matter is that logic and
rational argument is not an appropriate tool in this subject area and therefore
the question should not be asked. What needs to be known is that the Quran is
the speech of God, the miracle brought by Muhammad (peace be upon him),
unaltered and preserved in its entirety.
Notes:
1. Kamali,
Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence, p.14.
2. al-Tabari's
introduction to his Commentary on the Quran translated by J. Cooper, pp10-11.
3. According
to Imam Shawkani the Prophet lived twenty-one days after the latter
verse was revealed.
4. Narration
from Zaid bin Thabit quoted by Imam Tabari in his introduction to
his commentary on the Quran, pp.24-26 of J.Cooper's translation.
5. Sahih
al-Bukhari, the Collection of the Quran.
6. al-Tabari's
Introduction to his Commentary on the Quran, p17; Sahih al Bukhari
7. Sahih
al-Bukhari, chapter `The Quran was revealed in the language of Quraysh
and the Arabs'.
8. Sahih
al Bukhari,chapter `Gabriel used to recite the Quran to the Prophet'.
9. Sahih al Bukhari.
10. Sahih
al Bukhari, Chapter `The Compilation of the Quran'.
the book containing the speech of God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad in
Arabic and transmitted to us by continuous testimony, or tawatur [1] .
Literally the Quran means `recitation' or `reading'; it is the very words of
God conveyed by the angel Gabriel to Muhammad (peace be upon him) :
"And truly, this (Quran) is a revelation
from the Lord of the `Alamin (worlds) which the trustworthy `Ruh' (Gabriel) has
brought down; upon your heart (O Muhammad) that you may be one of the warners."[ash-Sh`ara
26: 192-194].
Arabic Quran:
Arabic is
the description of the words of the Quran: "And
thus We have inspired into you an Arabic Quran."[Ash-Shura
42:7; see also Az-Zumar 39:28; Az-Zukhruf 43:3]. Evidently Arabic
is the description of the words of the Quran and not its meaning, because the
meaning of words are universal and not restricted to the Arabs. For this reason
the scholars of Islam have held that a translation of the Quran into another
language cannot be considered as the Quran. The Quran, unlike the Hadith, is
the words and meaning of God. Hadith consists of the Prophet conveying in his
own words the meaning or concepts inspired by God.
The Miracle (Al-Mu'jizah):
The Quran is
the Miracle (mu`jizah) of the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and
the proof of his prophethood. "And if you
are in doubt concerning that which We have sent down to Our Servant Muhammad
then produce a chapter (surah) of the like thereof and call your witness
besides God, if you are truthful."[al-Baqarah 2:23];
see also 10:37-38; 28:49;17:88; and 11:13]. In the words of Imam Tabari,
"there is no clear discourse more eloquent, no wisdom more profound, no
speech more sublime, no form of expression more noble, than [this] clear
discourse and speech with which a single man challenged a people at a time when
they were acknowledged masters of theart of oratory and rhetoric, poetry and
prose, rhymed prose and soothsaying. He reduced their fancy to folly and
demonstrated the inadequacy of their logic. He dissociated himself from their
religion and summoned all of them to follow him, accept [his mission], testify
to its truth, and affirm that he was the Messenger sent to them by their Lord.
He let them know that the demonstration of the truth of what he said, the proof
of the genuineness of his prophethood, was the bayan - the clear
discourse, the hikma - the wisdom, the furqan - the discriminator
between truth and falsehood, which he conveyed to them in a language like their
language, in a speech whose meanings conformed to the meanings of their speech.
Then he told them all that they were incapable of bringing anything comparable
to [even] a part of [what he had brought], and that they lacked the power to do
this. They all confessed their inability, voluntarily acknowledging the truth of
[what he had brought], and bore witness to their own insufficiency.".[2]
Compilation of Quran (Jam' ul-Quran):
The Quran
was revealed piecemeal over a period of 23 years: "It is a Quran We have divided into parts in order that you
may recite it to people at intervals: We have revealed it by stages."
[Bani Israil 17:106]."The
unbelievers say, why has not the Quran been sent down to him [Muhammad] all at
once. Thus [it is revealed] that your hearts may be strengthened, and we
rehearse it to you gradually, and well arranged." [al-Furqan
23:32] When the Quran descended upon the Prophet (peace be upon him and his
family) he would order his companions (may God be pleased with them) to
memorise it in their hearts and to put it down in writing on such materials as
was available, such as flat stones, parchments, bones and pieces of wood. As a
consequence during the lifetime of the Prophet (saw) the text of the Quran was
preserved in the memories of the companions and on numerous inscriptions. It is
an article of faith for the Muslim to believe that the Quran with us today is
the same authentic text as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him). "Falsehood comes not to it from
before it nor from behind it; a sending down from One All-wise,
All-laudable." [41:42]. It is the Book of God "wherein is no doubt."[al-Baqarah
2:2]."We have, without doubt, sent down the
Message; and we will assuredly guard it (from corruption)."[al-Hijir
15:9]. "This is indeed a glorious Quran,
inscribed on a well-guarded tablet" [al-Buruj
85:21-22]. The authenticity of the entire text of the Quran is proven by
universally accepted testimony, in Arabic known as tawatur. The
revelation had been completed during the lifetime of the Prophet. The last
verse to be revealed being either "Today I
have perfected your religion for you and completed my favour toward you, and
chosen Islam as you religion." [al-Ma'idah 5:3], or
"Fear the day when you will be brought back
to God; then every soul will be paid in full according to what it has earned, and
they will not be treated unjustly." [al-Baqara
2:281] [3]. The unanimity of the companions of the Prophet, known in Arabic as ijma
as-sahaba, confirms that all the verses (ayat) of the Quran had been
written during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).Abdul
Aziz bin Rafii' has narrated that he and Shadad bin Maqil went to
see Abdullah bin Abbas, and Shadad asked ibn Abbas
"Did the Messenger of God leave something behind?" Ibn Abbas
replied Only that which is between these two covers (i.e., the Quran)." he
further added "Then I entered to see Muhammad bin Hanafiah, and we
asked him the same question, he replied "He left nothing but what is
between these two covers." In surah al-Bayinah (The Clear Proof)
God says: "A Messenger from God reciting
purified pages." [98:2], which means the companions during
the lifetime of the Prophet were reciting from written texts. Abdullah bin
Masud has narrated that the Prophet said: "Do
not write anything from me except Quran." [Muslim]. Two
years after the death of Muhammad (peace be upon him), during the khilafah
of Abu Bakr (ra), many of the companions of the Messenger of God were
being killed in the battle of al-Yamama fighting the false prophet Musailama.
Umar bin al-Khattab (ra) went to see Abu Bakr (ra) and said to
him: "The Companions of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and
grant him peace, are flocking to al-Yamama like moths plunging into a flame,
and I fear that they will not see their homes again, but will fight and be
killed. Now these men are the bearers of the Quran [i.e., those in whose
memories it is preserved], so the Quran will be lost and forgotten. What if you
were to gather it together and write it down?"
Abu Bakr
(ra)
disliked this suggestion and said: "Should I do what the Messenger of
God, may God bless him and grant him peace, never did?" So they argued
about this matter. -Abu Bakr then sent word to Zaid bin Thabit,
and [this is how Zaid narrated the sequel]:- "I went to see Abu
Bakr, and Umar was sitting there very tense and alert. Abu Bakr
said: `This man has invited me to do something which I have refused to do. You
[Zaid] are the "scribe" of the revelation. If you agree with
me, I shall not do it.' Abu Bakr recounted what Umar had said,
while Umar kept silent.
I did not like
what I heared, and said:`Should we do what the Messenger of God, may the
blessings and peace of God be upon him, never did?' Whereupon Umar
said the words:`What could be held against you two if you were to do this?'
So we turned it over in our minds, and [coming to the same conclusion] said:
`Nothing, by God! What could be held against us for doing this?' So Abu
Bakr ordered me to gather the Book together and write it down. I wrote it
on page-size pieces of hide, small pieces of scapula and palm leaves."
When Abu
Bakr died, and Umar became khalif, all this was written down
again on a single scroll and deposited with him. When he died, the scroll
remained with his daughter, Hafsa, the wife of the Prophet, may God
bless him and grant him peace.
Then, when Hudhaifa
bin al-Yaman returned from a military expedition to the Armenian steppes,
before he even entered his home, he went straight to Uthman bin Affan
(ra) and said: "O Commander of the Faithful, you must attend to the
people!" `Uthman said:`What is the matter?' ` I took
a military expedition to the Armenian steppes,' he said, `and people
from Iraq and Syria took part. Since the Syrians recited [in their prayers]
according to the recitation of Ubaiy bin Ka'b and uttered what the
people of Iraq had never heard before, the people of Iraq called them infidels.
And since the people of Iraq recited according to the recitation of Ibn
Masud and uttered what the Syrians had never heard before, the Syrians
called them infidels.'
Uthman
bin Affan
ordered Zaid to write out a definitive scroll for him, saying: "I
will send in to work with you an intelligent man whose Arabic is pure; when you
are in agreement on something write it down. But if you disagree on something,
refer it to me." Uthman assigned Aban bin Said bin al-As
to Zaid. When they reached "The sign
of his kingship is that the Ark (al-tabut) will come to you"
[al-Baqarah 2:248], Zaid said al-tabuh and Aban bin
Said said al-tabut, so they refered the matter to Uthman, who
wrote al-tabut. When Zaid finished he reviewed the text, but
could not find [in written form] the verse"Among
the believers are men who were true to their covenent with God; some of them
have fulfilled their vow by death, and some are still awaiting, and they have
not changed in the least."[al-Ahzab 33:23]. Zaid
sought out the Muhajirun, and asked them about this, but he could find
no written copy with them. So he sought out the Ansar, and asked them
about it, but he could find no trace of it with them. Finally, he found it with
Khuzaima bin Thabit, and Zaid wrote it down.
Zaid then made another
revisison, and this time failed to find the verses: "Now there has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves;
grievous to him is your suffering; anxious is he over you, gentle to the
believers, compassionate. So if they turn their backs, say: `God is enough for
me. There is no god but He. In Him have I put my trust. He is Lord of the
Mighty Throne.' [at-Tauba 9:128-129] So Zaid
sought out the Ansar and asked them about it, but he could find no trace
of it with any of them. Finally he found the written verse with another man
called Khuzaima and he set these verses at the end of al-Bara'a
(another name for at-Tauba, sura 9).
Zaid then made a third
revision of the text and found nothing missing. Then Uthman sent word to
Hafsa asking her to give him the scroll, making a promise to her that he
would return it. She handed it over to him, and he compared the book Zaid
and Aban compiled and found no difference between them. Then Uthman
returned it to her. He was pleased and ordered people to copy several books
from the master copy. When Hafsa died, a strict order was sent to her
bother Abdullah bin Umar for the scroll, and he gave it to them. The
parchment was then given a thorough washing to efface what was written on it.
[4]
The Quran
had been memorised by the companions during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace
be upon him), Abu Bakr's task had been to collect the written pieces of
the Quran. The criteria used by Zaid bin Thabit in collecting the
written accounts of the Quran was that it must be in the possession of a
companion of the Messenger of God, who wrote it in his presence, confirmed by
two just witnesses and it accorded with the Quran as preserved in the hearts of
the community. Accordingly, Abu Bakr's contribution was only to gather
together all the written pieces of the Quran that had been written during the
presence of the Messenger of God (may God bless him and grant him peace). This
definitive collection of the scrolls passed to Umar bin al-Khattab and,
upon his death, his daughter Hafsa [5].
The Quran
was sent down in seven harfs (dialects) of the Arabic language.
During the lifetime of the Prophet (peace be upon him) some of the companions
disputed with one another over their recitation of the Quran. Umar bin
al-Khattab has narrated that he heared Hisham bin al-Hakim recite
the surah of the Furqan during the lifetime of the Messenger of
God, may God bless him and grant him peace. Umar listerned to him recite
in a manner he had never heared before. So Umar seized him and took him
to the Messenger of God. Umar said: O Messenger of God, I have heared this man
recite the surah of the Furqan in harfs in which you never taught
me to recite it, and it was you yourself who taught me to recite the sura of
the Furqan." The Messenger of God said: "Let him go, Umar; and you, Hisham, recite."
So he recited for him the recitation Umar had heared him recite and the
Messenger of God said: "It was sent down like
that." Then the Messenger of God said: Now you recite Umar." Umar recited it as the
Messenger of God had taught him. Then the Messenger of God said: "It was sent down like that." Then the
Messenger of God said: "Indeed this Quran was
sent down in seven harfs. You should recite which ever comes easily to you."
[6]. When Uthman saw the Muslims calling each other infidel over their
differences in recitation he ordered Zaid bin Thabit, Abdullah bin Zubayr,
Abdul-Rahman bin Harith and Aban bin Said bin al-As to compile one
definitive copy of the Quran in the dialect of the Quraysh, which was the
tongue of the Messeneger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace [7]. Uthman
ordered that all other copies in a variant recitation to be destroyed. Copies
of were made and sent to Makkah, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Basrah, Kufa in Iraq,
and one remained in Medina. Thus, Uthman's task was to unite the
Muslim community over a single recension of the Quran, all other harfs
were therefore abandoned.
When Zaid
had finished his revision of the text, Uthman called for the scrolls
kept by Hafsa, he examined both texts and found no difference between
them. Proof that the copies that Uthman had sent to the various regions
of the Islamic lands were exactly the same as the text revealed by the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) and written down and memorised in his presence.
Following the death of Hafsa, Marwan in his capacity as governor of Medina
ordered the washing of the scrolls. Salim bin Abdullah bin Umar has
reported that Marawan said he did this because he feared a time would
come when the Muslims would doubt whether the Quran in their hands was the same
as the scrolls kept by Hafsa. In destroying the scrolls the Muslims had
no choice but to believe that the Quran in their possession was the same as
that revealed to the Messenger of God.
Al-Tabari in his introduction
to Jami al-Bayan `an ta'wil ay al-Quran, said, "The most
significant excellence which God granted the community of our prophet,
Muhammad, the greatest rank and pre-eminence which He ennobled them above all
other communities, the most resplendent mark of honour He granted them, is the
preservation of His Revelation."
The Muslim
must also believe that the arrangement of the verses within each sura were
ordered by the Messenger of God on the command of God through His messenger Gabriel.
Uthman has narrated that "When the verses descended upon the
Messenegr of God, he would say put them in surah which mentions so and so."
[Muslim, Bukharai] The sequence of the verses are definitive (qati)
and unchangeable (tawqifi), but the arrangement and sequence of the
chapters or surah were the ijtihad (exertion) of the companions. Ahmed,
Sahih Ibn Habban and alHakeem have reported from Ibn Abbas that
he said to Uthman "Why did you not separate sura al Anfal
and surah al-Bara'a with bismi'llahi 'l-rahman 'l-rahim ( In the
name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate)? Othman said: "Al
Anfal was among the earliest to be revealed in Medina, and al-Bara'a
was from the last of the Quran to be revealed, and its contents are similar to al
Anfal, so I thought that al-Bara'a was from al Anfal. The
Prophet died without telling us whether al Bara'a was from al Anfal."
Said ibn Jabir has narrated from Ibn Abbas that the Messenger of
God did not know the end of a surah until bismi'llahi 'l-rahman
'l-rahim descended. All this means that the sequence of the verses of the
Quran were universally agreed by the companions but the arrangement of the
chapters was the ijtihad of the companions, thus in this regard they
differed. For example, the arrangement of the chapters in Abdullah bin Masud's
copy of the Quran was ordered with al Fatiha first, then al Baqarah
then an-Nisaa, then al -i-Imran. Uthman's arrangement
places al-i-Imran before an-Nisaa. Imam Ali's arrangement was
entirely different. He placed the chapters revealed in Makkah first with
the longer chapters revealed in Medina last, so after al Fatiha
he had al Muddathir, al Qalam, al Muzzammil, an Nabaa,
at-Takweer etc. For this reason the scholars have said that it is not
compulsory to recite the chapters in the order we find them in the Quran, but
they say it is compulsory to recite the verses within each of the chapters in
the order we find them in the Quran. In support of this opinion they quote the
tradition "The prophet (peace be upon him) recited during his prayer in
the night the Sura of an Nisaa before al-i-Imran."
[Muslim]. Some scholars to quote a tradition which prevents reciting the
Quran out of sequence, but the prohibition relates to the order of the verses
and not to the chapters. Some people maintain that the order of the chapters
was dictated by God and quote in support the hadith narrated from Fatima,
the daughter of the Messenegr of God: "The Prophet told me secretly
that Gabriel used to recite the Quran to me and I to him every year, but this
year he recited the whole Quran with me twice, which means my appointed time is
near." [8] Abu Hurayrah has narrated a similar hadith
[9]. Evidently the recitation of the Quran by Gabriel involves reading
it in a sequence; verse by verse and chapter by chapter. However, there is
another tradition narrated by Aysha, the wife of the Prophet, which
would appear to confirm that whilst the verses were arranged upon the
instruction of Gabriel the sequence of the chapters was not: "An
Iraqi came to Aysha (ra) and said: `O Mother of the Believers!
Show me your Quran?' Aysha replied `Why?' He said: `So I can compile the
Quran according to it, because the people recite it without a set order of the
chapters.' Aysha said:`What does it matter which chapter you read
first?'... She then dictated to him the verses of the chapters (in their proper
order) [10]. This confirms that the arrangement of the chapters in the
Quran was the result of the agreement of the companions, otherwise Aysha
would not have said the order of the chapters did not matter.
It has also
been accepted by unanimous testimony of the companions of the Messenger of God
that the way in which the Quran has been transcribed into writing, i.e., the
written characters of the words, cannot be changed. The scribes of the Prophet
wrote down the revelation upon the order of the Messenger of God, peace be upon
him, so we are not allowed to substitute the Quranic form of writing a
word with its conventional form of writing. This applies to the spelling of the
words and not to the style of writing, i.e., calligraphy, which has changed
with time.
The Issue of The Quran Being Eternal (Qadeem) or Created
(Makhlouq):
During the khilafah
of al-Mamun, the Mutazilah held the view that the Quran was
created. Al-Mamun adopted this view as a part of the Muslim creed. Imam
Ahmad bin Hanbal rejected this on the grounds that God's speech is one of
His attributes and therefore there could be no rational discussion about this
question. The Mutazili scholar al-Huayan al-Karabisi put forward
a compromise idea - that the Quran considered, as God's speech was indeed
uncreated but that when it was put into human words it became a created thing. Imam
Ahmad rejected this idea. Al-Karabisi put forward another view, that
the written and spoken Arabic of the Quran was uncreated in so far as it
partook of God's eternal speech. This was also rejected on the grounds that it
is unlawful to speculate about the Quran in this rationalistic way because as
the Quran is an attribute of God to discuss such a question is to discuss the
essence and nature of God which is forbidden. Al-Ashari said the Quran
is eternal and uncreated word of God but that the ink, paper and the Arabic
words of the sacred text were created.
The fact of
the matter is that the question is meaningless. Logic can be applied to the
question to prove that Quran is both created and eternal. Those that argue that
Quran is created say that it is composed of letters arranged and in sequence
and in reality, therefore it exists and is a created thing. Those that argue
Quran is eternal say that Quran is the speech of God. His speech like His
Knowledge, His Will, His Hearing etc. have existed with God from all eternity
therefore the Quran is eternal. The truth of the matter is that logic and
rational argument is not an appropriate tool in this subject area and therefore
the question should not be asked. What needs to be known is that the Quran is
the speech of God, the miracle brought by Muhammad (peace be upon him),
unaltered and preserved in its entirety.
Notes:
1. Kamali,
Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence, p.14.
2. al-Tabari's
introduction to his Commentary on the Quran translated by J. Cooper, pp10-11.
3. According
to Imam Shawkani the Prophet lived twenty-one days after the latter
verse was revealed.
4. Narration
from Zaid bin Thabit quoted by Imam Tabari in his introduction to
his commentary on the Quran, pp.24-26 of J.Cooper's translation.
5. Sahih
al-Bukhari, the Collection of the Quran.
6. al-Tabari's
Introduction to his Commentary on the Quran, p17; Sahih al Bukhari
7. Sahih
al-Bukhari, chapter `The Quran was revealed in the language of Quraysh
and the Arabs'.
8. Sahih
al Bukhari,chapter `Gabriel used to recite the Quran to the Prophet'.
9. Sahih al Bukhari.
10. Sahih
al Bukhari, Chapter `The Compilation of the Quran'.
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