Brief History of the Compilation of Quran Based on aHadith
Quran Talk Blog · Article · August 30, 2022
Below is a brief history of the compilation of the Quran based on Hadith literature. This is not meant to be taken as fact, but merely to understand the history of the compilation of the Quran based on compilers of Hadith.
During Muhammad’s Life
During Muhammad’s life, it is stated in Hadith that he had multiple scribes to write down the Quran as well as a personal written copy of the Quran for himself that he would keep. Additionally, it is also stated that four other people had also gathered the Quran during his life.
After Muhammad’s Death
It is stated that when the prophet died, he left only the Quran, while another narrative states that he also left a piece of paper that condemned Hadith. More details regarding that Hadith can be found here.
During the Caliphate of Abu Bakr (Suhuf)
After the Battle of Yamma there were concerns that since a number of the memorizers of the Quran, Qurra, were lost that this could impact the preservation of the Quran. So because of this, Aub Bakr and Umar commissioned Zaid bin Thabit to compile the Quran into a written copy in the order described by the prophet.
Zaid bin Thabit undertook this process by collecting all the verses of the Quran from all the written fragments and from the chest of the people who memorized the verses of the Quran. It was during this process that it was discovered that the only soul that knew of 9:128-129 was Khuzaima. This implies that no one else at the time could have claimed to have memorized the entire Quran, as no one else knew these two verses.