History of the Qur’ān

The written preservation of the Qur'ān is a tradition that began at the time of the Prophet ﷺ.

For, while the primary method of preserving the Qur'ān was memorisation, the Prophet ﷺ never neglected the recording of the Qur'ān. He entrusted the supreme task to a number of scribes among his ﷺ companions. Our masters ʿUthmān ibn Affān, ʿAlī ibn Abū Tālib, ʿUbayy ibn Kaʿb and Zayd ibn Thābit were among them.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ placed such great importance on recording the Qur'ān that he ﷺ forbade his Companions from recording anything other than the Qur'ān during his lifetime. In the blessed penmanship of his ﷺ scribes, the Qur'ān was written on natural materials, including parchment, leather, palm leaves and bones. These were available to the Companions but not as a complete compilation. Nevertheless, the Prophet ﷺ ensured the Qur'ān was completely recorded in his lifetime. And a number of the companions memorised the Qur'ān in its entirety, preserving it in their hearts.

So, when a significant number of Companions who had memorised the Qur'ān were martyred during the caliphate of Abū Bakr, ʿUmar urged him to collect the Qur'ān in one book. Abū Bakr was initially hesitant but agreed and entrusted this momentous task to Zayd ibn Thābit, who himself hesitated before accepting and undertaking the tremendous responsibility. And thus the first Mushaf was compiled under the leadership of Abū Bakr.

The first copy of the Mushaf was held in the precious care of the Mother of the Believers, Hafsah bint ʿUmar and remained the only one until the caliphate of ʿUthmān. The Companions would teach their students the Qur'ān from memory, as they had received it from the Prophet ﷺ. As time passed, the different readings that were present began to cause disputes among the students, and so ʿUthmān decided to gather the believers on the original revelation: the one recorded by Zayd ibn Thābit.

Zayd was put in charge of this endeavour. Together with ʿAbdullah ibn Zubayr, Saʿid ibn al-ʿĀs and others, they meticulously transcribed a number of copies. These were sent to different countries - each with a Qur'ān teacher - and an order was given to burn anything else that remained. And thus, for the first time, a copy of the Mushaf existed in different parts of the Muslim world: from Mecca and Medina to Damascus and Kufa.

It was from the master copy of the Mushaf that these few originals were copied, ensuring that all Mushafs that were later transcribed, printed and reprinted did not divert from the original script lovingly preserved on pages by the blessed Companions in the company of the Prophet ﷺ.

Throughout history, the Qur'ān has been transcribed as an act of worship and an act of love. The Companions began this tradition by order of the Prophet ﷺ and many of our righteous predecessors have followed in their footsteps.

And so it is today, in an age of print where there are fewer opportunities to participate in this revered sunnah, that we grasp the opportunity to be a part of this great legacy: preserving the Qur’ān - The Guide, The Wisdom and The Remembrance - on pages and in hearts, until the end of time. By The Will of Allah.