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reyannn · 2 years ago

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Qur'an Preservation and Compilation during the Prophet's Lifetime

Introduction

Some have spoken against the Qur‟an in their bid to create confusion about its impeccable preservation. Here we briefly study the process of the Qur‟an‟s preservation and compilation during the lifetime of the blessed Prophet - may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

Memorization: The Primary Means of the Qur'an's Preservation:

One thing that ought to be kept in mind regarding the preservation of the Qur'an is that it was done more through memory than through writing. There was and is great wisdom in this. We see that in the case of earlier prophets whose teachings were not committed to memory were lost. Sometimes the invaders destroyed the manuscripts and sometimes the scribes intentionally or unintentionally made mistakes. So to avoid the same happening to the Qur'an, more emphasis was laid on its memorization although it was put into writing as well.

Therefore, we read in Sahih Muslim that Allah almighty said to the blessed Prophet:

“I have revealed to you a Book that cannot be washed away with water.”

This meant that the Qur'an will not be preserved only on scrolls but through some other medium as well. Right from the start, Muslims gave special attention to memorizing the Qur'an so not only the blessed Prophet himself but scores of his Companions learned the complete Qur'an by heart. They include Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, Abdullah bin Mas'ood, Talhah, Sa'd, Hudhayfah, Ubayy bin Ka'b, Abdullah bin 'Abbas, Abdullah bin Zubayr, Abdullah bin Say'b, Zaid bin Thabit, Abu Hurayrah, Abu ad-Darda, Mu'adh bin Jabal, Anas bin Malik, Abu Moosa al-Ashari, Muawiyyah, Sayyidah ,Aishah, Sayyidah Umm Salmah, Sayyidah Hafsah and many more.

Preservation in writing during the life of the blessed Prophet:

Nevertheless Qur'an was also written down and this was done right during the lifetime of the blessed Prophet. All the later compilations of the Qur'an were based on what was dictated by the blessed Prophet himself. We shall see the details shortly.

The Qur'an repeatedly calls itself “al-kitab” i.e. something written. In fact it is so called right in the beginning of the scripture.

“This is the Book (al-kitab) about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah.”

“The Qur'an thus at its very beginning declares itself to be a written, not an oral, Revelation, passing only from mouth to mouth for generations. It is 'Book' essentially, and not by accident.”

In Makkah before emigration:

The Qur'an was preserved in writing right from the beginning. Khalid bin Sa'eed was one of the first few people who embraced Islam and was the first scribe of the Prophet.

His daughter Umm Khalid relates:

“My father was the first one to write Bismillahi ar-Rahman ar -Raheem.”

Also we know the incident of conversion of Umar. He came out to go to the Prophet with an evil design. On his way he met Nu'aym bin Abdullah who warned him against any misadventure and to divert his attention asked him to take care of his own sister and brother-in-law who had embraced Islam.

“Umar then returned to his sister Fatima where Khabbab b. al-Aratt was; he had with him a manuscript of surat Taha that he was reading to her.”

Other reports tell us that the manuscript also had Surah at-Takweer.

All that was revealed in Makkah was put into written record even though Muslims were collectively under pressure. Ibn Abbas stated:

“When the beginning of a surah was revealed in Makkah it was written in Makkah.”

In fact there is categorical proof that whatever was revealed before Hijrah (Emigration to Medina) was put into writing.

Quoting from az-Zubayr bin Bakkar's Akhbar al-Madina Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani (d. 852 AH) records the following statement reported by Umar bin Hanzala;

“When Rafi bin Malik met the Messenger of Allah –may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him- at al-Aqabah, he handed him whatever was revealed in the previous decade. Rafi took the same to Madinah, gathered them in their place and recited it to them.”

It must be noted that if this was all possible in a city where the whole mission was rather secretive and Muslims were being suppressed and oppressed how much more would have been done later in Madina where Muslims were free and sovereign.

With this fact recorded, one can see how absurd is Jeffery's assertion that, “That certain of these amanuenses were at times called upon to write out special pieces of revelation is not at all impossible.”

If all the verses revealed in entire decade were put to written record how can then one justify the statement that scribes were called “at times�� and that too only to write “special pieces” of revelation?

Besides everything else the Jeffery's expression here is noteworthy. The pseudo-emphasis in the phrase “not at all impossible” is actually not even a hesitant acceptance of the well recorded fact. This is indeed a "wonderful" way to avoid making a positive statement even when it is imperative. Later Orientalists especially Watt championed this deliberate and cunningly meaningful expression.

After emigration to Madina:

When the Prophet migrated to Madina and established a city state, special arrangements were made for writing the Qur‟an as and when some part was revealed.

In Madina, it appears from different reports; initially the responsibility was mainly on the emigrants (muhajirin). At-Tabari (d. 310 AH) reports;

“Ali bin Abi Talib and „Uthman bin Affan used to write the revelations. And if they were both absent Ubayy bin Ka'b and Zaid bin Thabit used to write it.”

Among the Ansar (the Helpers) at Madina, Ubayy was the first scribe of the Prophet.

The blessed Prophet had more than 40 Companions who usually worked as scribes. The names of these Companions have been mentioned in various authentic works.

The arrangement was so special that a person was supposed to replace any of the regular scribes in his absence. al-Jahshari (d. 331 AH) writes;

“Hanzala bin Rabi was the successor of every scribe of the Prophet when he was not available to write.”

In defiance to these clear historical proofs A. Jeffery said, “It is difficult to take seriously, however, the theory that considers them as a body of prepared scribes waiting to take down revelations as they were uttered.”

While no one claims that some people were always having writing material in their hands, yet the idea of having someone nominated as ready replacement of an absent scribe does show that it was indeed no casual an arrangement even if not a body of “prepared scribes” - whatever that means.

After the initial years in Madinah Zaid bin Thabit seems to have gradually risen to the status of the primary scribe of the Prophet. He lived in the neighborhood of the Prophet and was called for whenever a revelation came. He himself reported:

“I was the neighbor of the Messenger of Allah. Whenever a revelation came down he called for me and I wrote it down.”

The Prophet dictated and checked for possible scribal errors:

How the Qur'an was written and how it was checked by the Prophet is evident from the following example:

Zaid bin Thabit, one of the chief scribes, relates: “I used to write down the revelation for the blessed Prophet - may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. When the revelation came to him he felt intense heat and drops of perspiration used to roll down his body like pearls. When this state was over I used to fetch a shoulder bone or a piece of something else. He used to go on dictating and I used to write it down. When I finished writing the sheer weight of transcription gave me the feeling that my leg would break and I would not be able to walk anymore. Anyhow when I finished writing, he would say, ‘Read!’ and I would read it back to him. If there was an omission or error he used to correct it and then let it be brought before the people.”

This is a categorical proof that Companions used to write Qur'an in the supervision of the blessed Prophet and got it checked from him before making it public.

Making a revelation public also deserves to be highlighted because this ensured people immediately memorized and recorded it in their personal masahif.

Zaid was not the only one to be dictated by the Prophet. In a narration about Qur'an compilation efforts during the time of Uthman we read;

“One would come with a parchment or a scrap of leather with a Qur'an verse on it until there was gathered great store of such.‟Uthman adjured them one by one, You heard the Prophet recite this while he dictated it to you?‟ They would answer that that was so.”

This shows the Prophet personally dictated so much that a “great store” was gathered and that people to whom he dictated were not few.

It is pertinent to mention here that above translation of the narration is by John Burton with the significant difference that he left out the most important phrase underlined above. While the words Burton did not translate are there on the very page of A. Jeffery's edition of Kitab al-Masahif that he referred to, it is difficult to accept it as an honest mistake.

Qur'an writing and compilation sessions:

There is evidence that it was not only individually that people wrote the Qur'an in front of the Prophet rather there used to be sessions in which rather large number of people copied and compiled the Quranic text in his presence.

Ibn Abbas stated: “The masahif were not sold. A person would come to the Prophet, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, with a parchment and someone would stand and write it for him voluntarily. Then another person would stand up and write until the mushaf was complete.”

In another report we read;

Zaid bin Thabit said: "We were with the Messenger of Allah collecting the Qur'an on pieces of cloth.”

Mark the plural pronouns here. This shows multiple people used to sit in the company of the Prophet and compile the Quranic verses on parchments.

Moreover, this tells us that not only were the verses written as and when revealed; they were also compiled in their specified order with the instructions of the Prophet. al-Bayhaqi writes;

“What is meant is the compilation and collection of different revealed verses into surahs according to the instruction of the Prophet, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.”

The Prophet's encouragement for writing the Qur'an:

The reason for large number of people sitting with the Prophet and compiling the Qur'anic verses (revealed up to that time) and making copies of the same voluntarily for others is that the Prophet encouraged the people to write the Qur'an and leave it after them for the next generations. Mark the following narration:

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: “The Messenger of Allah said: "The rewards of the good deeds that will reach a believer after his death are: Knowledge which he taught and spread; a righteous son whom he leaves behind; a copy of the Qur’an that he leaves as a legacy; a mosque that he built; a house that he built for wayfarers; a canal that he dug; or charity that he gave during his lifetime when he was in good health. These deeds will reach him after his death."”

It is thus clear that blessed Prophet had the clear motive of not only having the complete Qur'an written but also to get the people make and acquire Quranic manuscripts and leave it behind them as heirlooms. Such an arrangement had to be made to see what is now achieved.

Quranic Masahif were well spread during the life of the Prophet:

The efforts of the Prophet in getting the whole Qur'an written were greatly successful. Even though there was no official complete copy of the Qur'an yet many companions had varying sizes of personal masahif. In fact the masahif of the Qur‟an had become so common in the time of the Prophet that he had to issue special instructions regarding them. For instance:

Narrated Abdullah bin Umar: “Allah's Messenger forbade the people to travel to a hostile country carrying (copies of) the Quran.”

Likewise, there is evidence for the manuscripts of the Qur'an in the instruction of the blessed Prophet to Hakim bin Hizam when he sent him to Yemen as a governor. He said:

“Do not touch the Qur'an except when you are in the state of purity.”

At one stage the Qur'anic manuscripts were so much widespread that Prophet warned people against laxity in memorizing and practicing upon it.

Abu Umamah conveyed that the Prophet said: “Let these hanging masahif not delude you. Verily Allah does not punish the one who has memorized (and paid heed to) Qur'an.”

Towards the end of Prophet's life writing Qur'an had become so widespread that people wondered as how knowledge can be taken away from them while they have the masahif

At the eve of the last sermon when the Messenger of Allah asked people to acquire knowledge “before it is taken away”, a Bedouin asked;

“O Prophet of Allah! How knowledge can be taken away from us while masahif are with us and we learn their contents and teach it to our women, children and servants?”

Another observation to be made here is that it was a Bedouin who said “masahif are with us” showing that the practice of writing Qur'an had well spread even outside Madina and with people other than Muhajirin (Emigrants) and Ansar (Helpers) were also used to it.

Complete Qur'an was preserved without any loss whatsoever:

All these arrangements and developments ensured the preservation of the complete Qur'an without any loss whatsoever. Fragmentary Qur'anic manuscripts prepared by various companions under the direct supervision of the blessed Prophet later formed the basis of the official masahif which in turn became the standard unanimously followed by the entire Muslim community. Here is the testimony of a close companion of the Prophet.

Narrated Abdul-Azeez bin Rufai: “Shaddad bin Ma'qil and I entered upon Ibn Abbas. Shaddad bin Ma'qil asked him, "Did the Prophet leave anything (besides the Qur'an)?‟ He replied, "He did not leave anything except what is between the two bindings (of the Qur'an).‟ Then we visited Muhammad bin al-Hanafiyyah and asked him (the same question). He replied, "The Prophet did not leave except what is between the bindings (of the Qur'an).‟”

Claim that the Qur'an was not written completely during the Prophet's time:

Some claim that the Qur'an was not written in full during the lifetime of the blessed Prophet but this is false because the entire Qur'an was indeed written with the supervision of the blessed Prophet though it was not compiled into one collection. This is testified by the statement of Zaid bin Thabit, one of the chief scribes. He said:

“The Prophet passed away while the Qur'an was yet not gathered in anything.”

Clearly the word used here is jumi'a which means "gathered" and not "written.‟ The wisdom behind the fact that Qur'an was completely written but not compiled at one place during the life of the blessed Prophet is explained by al-Khattabi (d. 338 AH). He said:

“The Messenger of Allah - may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him - did not gather the Qur'an in a mushaf because he had to wait if there was some abrogation of some commands or recitation but when he died and the revelation ceased (and thus abrogation as well); Allah, to fulfill his true Commitment of preservation (of Qur'an) for this Ummah, put this thought into the hearts of the Righteous Caliphs. Then this great task was undertaken by Abu Bakr on the advice of Umar.”

Truly, this should conclusively prove that the Qur'an was preserved and compiled during the lifetime of the blessed Prophet - upon him is the peace and blessings of almighty Allah.

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sufismandsufis · 4 years ago

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بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

“Bismillah, ar-Rahman, ar-Rahim”

meaning

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

The Arabic phrase shown above is pronounced as Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim, and is a beautifully poetic phrase which offers both deep insight and brilliant inspiration. It has often been said that the phrase Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim contains the true essence of the entire Qur'an, as well as the true essence of all religions.

Muslims often say this phrase when embarking on any significant endeavor, and the phrase is considered by some to be a major pillar of Islam. This expression is so magnificent and so concise that all but one chapter of the Qur'an begins with the words Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim.

The common translation:

"In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate".

fails to capture either the true depth of meaning or the inspirational message of this beautiful phrase. So, let's look deeper into the meaning of these wonderful words.

Origin and Spelling:

Every chapter of the Qur'an (except the ninth chapter) begins with the Arabic phrase:

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

However, there are many differing views on how this phrase should be transliterated using the English alphabet, as well as differing views on whether or not to include some of the Arabic rules of grammar. Consequently, one may encounter a variety of different transliterations of this glorious phrase, including:

bismillahi al r-rahmani al r-rahim

bismillahi al rahman al rahim

bismillah al rahman al rahim

bismi Allah al rahman al rahim

bismillahi-r rahmani-r rahim

bismillaah ir rahmaan ir raheem

bismillah ir rahman ir rahim

However, regardless of how one may choose write the English transliteration of the original Arabic, it is neither the writing of the words nor their pronunciation which is crucial, but rather we shall each be rewarded according to what is in our heart and how we act in the world.

Those who say these words with thoughts of self-aggrandizement, or selfish gains, or self-centered vain profit in any manner, will receive their just reward... suffering, pain and confusion. Likewise, those who truly dedicate every step of their life to the glory and service of the Ever-present One shall also receive their just reward... peace, love and beauty.

This phrase is truly an ideal to be expressed from the heart, an ideal to be expressed with the utmost sincerity, an ideal which leads us toward sacred purpose, the purpose for which we have been given life.

Let's look at the deeper meaning of each word of this glorious phrase:

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

bismillah

The common translation for bismillah is "In the name of Allah", which is actually an idiom, an expression that really doesn't make much sense on a literal word-by-word basis.

The phrase In the name of is an idiom having the connotation of with the blessings of, under the governance of, as an instrument of, in devotion to, in adoration of, on behalf of, with the support of, or for the glory of. In each of these cases, the idiom In the name of indicates that one is submitting to, honoring or glorifying that which is referred to.

Now, let's take a deeper look into the Arabic roots of this magnificent word bismillah.

The term bismillah, is a combination of three words:

1. The particle bi which can mean by, for, with the aid of, through or by means of and points toward that which happens next.

2. The next word in this phrase is ism, based on the root variously reported to be s-m-w or a-s-m, which indicates the means by which something is distinguished, whether by use of an identifying mark, or by being raised up high so that it may be distinguished, and would include a name, reputation, light or vibration, and points toward the very essence of something, the inherent qualities and signs of the existence of something, the underlying reality of something.

3. The ending of the term is the word Allah, which is the Arabic name of the One. The Semitic roots of the word Allah extend back several thousand years to the Canaanite Elat, Hebrew El and Elohim, and Aramaic Alaha. These roots point toward unity, oneness, the eternal power which includes all of existence and of non-existence. In modern English this would generally be translated as God (which is old English, likely based on the Sanskrit word hu, meaning that which is worshipped, honored or adored).

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Using these basic roots, the term bismillah might be translated as:

- By means of the very essence of God

- For the glory of our Creator

- With the light of the One

- With the guidance of The Divine

- As an instrument of the One

- In harmony with Divine Presence

The central idea here is that whatever we do, every step that we take, every breath that we breathe, is done for, because of, and through the essence of, the One who has created us.

It is not us that does the work, it is not us that makes opportunities appear, it is not us that produces fruits from every action. We alone are powerless. The Creator has given us life and has given us the ability to move and think and feel, yet we are totally dependent upon the Creator for the very essence of life itself.

Thus, this beautiful word bismillah is a magnificent reminder of our relationship to our Creator and our relationship to all of creation.

In one simple word bismillah expresses our wonder, awe and thankfulness while it also expresses our innermost prayer that we may have the blessing of another breath, another moment of life, and that we may walk on a path of truth and understanding.

To say bismillah is to humbly offer one's self as a vehicle for the glory and majesty of The One.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

ir rahman ir rahim

These two terms rahman and rahim refer to attributes of the One. While they are often translated simply as Merciful and Compassionate, the roots of the words point to a deeper meaning.

Both rahman and rahim are derived from the Semitic root r-h-m which indicates something of the utmost tenderness which provides protection and nourishment, and that from which all of creation is brought into being. And indeed, the root rhm has meanings of womb, kinship, relationship, loving-kindness, mercy, compassion, and nourishing-tenderness.

Thus, both rahman and rahim point toward that which emerges from the source of all creation, while also conveying a sense of tenderness, loving-kindness, protection and nourishment.

The term rahman is a very emphatic statement, and then the sentiment is echoed by being immediately followed by the use of another form of the same root-word. Such repetition is a joyful celebration of this Divine attribute, much the same as saying "The One who is the Supreme Loving-Kindness, oh such Loving-Kindness".

These two words, rahman and rahim, also express slightly different variations of meaning, as described in the following paragraphs.

rahman:

The term rahman describes that aspect of the source of all creation which is endlessly radiating, endlessly nourishing, regardless of who or what is receiving the endless flow of blessings.

Rahmān conveys the idea of fullness and extensiveness, indicating the great quality of love and mercy which engulfs all of creation without regard to any effort or request on our part.

According to Ibn Qayyum (1350 AD), rahmān describes the quality of abounding Grace which is inherent in and inseparable from the Almighty.

rahim:

On the other hand, the term rahim describes that aspect of the source which is issued forth only in response to the actions and behavior of the recipient. It is in this manner that God takes ten steps toward us when we take even a single step toward God.

Rahīm conveys the idea of constant renewal and giving liberal reward in response to the quality of our deeds and thoughts.

According to Ibn Qayyum (1350 AD), rahīm expresses the continuous manifestation of the Grace in our lives and its effect upon us as a result of our own activities.

ir rahman ir rahim:

Rahman points toward the Beneficent One whose endless outpouring of love and mercy are continually showered upon all of creation, while Rahim points toward the Merciful One whose love and mercy are manifested in that which is received as the consequence of one's deeds.

So, the phrase ir rahman ir rahim is a recognition and honoring of the very source of all existence, the source of all blessings, the source of all compassion, the source of all mercy who gives endlessly to us and who also responds according to our moral integrity, our harmony with all of creation and our love of Allah.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Poetic Renderings:

There is no way for any one translation to capture the many facets of this beautiful phrase Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim. Here are some poetic renderings that attempt to capture some aspects of the meaning without being literal translations:

With every breath that we breathe, may we be act on behalf of the Divine Presence, the Source of all that we receive.

With every step that we take, may we be instruments of the One Light which guides us, the Source and Nourisher of all of creation.

Every moment of this life is filled with your eternal radiance my Beloved, You are the Beneficent One who endlessly showers all of creation with nourishment and blessings, and the One who generously rewards those who live in harmony with Your Divine Will.

Source: https://wahiduddin.net/words/bismillah.htm

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