Revelation and Compilation of the Quran

The Quran

According to established Muslim tradition the Quran is a book that was sent to the whole of Mankind as a means of Guidance and Mercy. It is the final revelation of the books from Allah (swt) and was revealed through the final Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). There are variations of spelling of the word “Quran” in English, including “Qur’an” and “Koran”.

The word “Quran” comes from the root word Iqra which means to read or to recite. The majority of Muslim authorities hold the origin of the word is ķara`a (Arabic: قرأ), itself, among the earliest meanings of the word Quran is the “act of reciting.” So we can see that the word “Quran” can mean to recite, to read. In the large majority of contexts, usually with a definite article (al-), the word is referred to as the “revelation” (tanzīl), that which has been “sent down” at intervals.

The Revelation To The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)

The Quran (the book of Allah) was first written and kept in safe custody in Looh-e-Mehfooz. It was first sent down to Bait-ul-Mamoor by Allah (swt) which is considered to be situated within the first level of heaven (first sky).

“It is a Glorious Quran, on a well-preserved tablet”.

Surah Al-Buruj 85:21-22

From there, it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) on earth via the angel Gibraeel. The first revelation took place on Lailat-Ul-Qadr (The night of power) which is widely agreed by many scholars to fall in the month of Ramadhan and in particular the last 10 odd nights of Ramadhan.

Hazrat Aisha Radi’Allah Anha stated that Rasool-ul-Allah peace be upon him said, “Look for Lailat-Ul-Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadhan.” (Bukhari)

First Revelation

The first Wahy (Revelation) of the Quran revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) were the following verses:

“Read! In the name of your Lord , Who created, created man out of a clot. Read! And your Lord is most bountiful; He who taught (the use of) the pen; taught man that which he knew not”.

The Holy Quran, Surah Alaq (96, Verse 1-5)

These verses were revealed to the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) in the cave of Hira, when he was 40 years old (610CE) by the angel Gibraeel. The Quran was revealed over a further period of 23 years at different locations, periods of time and at certain events.

This is the account, as reported in the Sahih of Bukhari:

Aisha the mother of the faithful believers narrated:  The commencement of the divine inspiration to Allah’s apostle was in the form of good dreams which came like bright daylight (i.e. true) and then the love of seclusion was bestowed upon him.

He used to go in seclusion in the Cave of Hira’, where he used to worship (Allah alone) continuously for many days before his desire to see his family. He used to take with him food for the stay and then come back to (his wife) Khadija to take his food likewise again, till suddenly the truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira.

The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet replied ‘I do not know how to read’. The Prophet added, ‘The angel caught me (forcibly) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied, “I do not know how to read”. Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read, but again I replied, “I do not know how to read” (or what shall I read?). Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me, and then released me and said: “Read, in the name of Your Lord, who created, created man from a clot. Read! And Your Lord is the most bountiful” – [Bukhari, I, No. 3; VI, No. 478; Muslim I, No. 301.]

The narration goes on to tell us that the Prophet (peace be upon him) went back to his wife Khadija and recounted to her his experience. She comforted him and both of them consulted Waraqa, Khadija’s relative and a learned Christian, about it. Waraqa told Muhammad (peace be upon him) that he had encountered the one ‘whom Allah had sent to Moses’ and that he would be driven out by his people.

The first revelation that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) received is in the first verses from Surah al-‘alaq (96:1-3, according to others verses 96:1-5):

‘Read in the name of your Lord, who created, created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is most bountiful. (He who taught) the use of the pen taught man which he knew not.’

The remainder of Surah 96, which now has 19 ayat, was revealed at a later occasion.

How Revelation Came

The mother of the faithful believers Aisha narrated: Al-Harith bin Hisham asked Allah’s apostle: ‘O Allah’s apostle. How is the divine inspiration revealed to you?’ Allah’s apostle replied, ‘Sometimes it is “revealed” like the ringing of a bell, this form of inspiration is the hardest of all and then this state passes off after I have grasped what is inspired. Sometimes the Angel comes in the form of a man and talks to me and I grasp whatever he says’. [Bukhari, I, No. 2.]

Final Revelation

Many Muslim scholars agree that the last revelation was Surah 2 (The Cow), verse 281:

‘And fear the day when ye shall be brought back to God. Then shall every soul be paid what it earned and none shall be dealt with unjustly.’

Some scholars also say that it was 2:282 or 2:278. [Kamal, Ahmad ‘Adil: ‘ulum al-Qur’an, Cairo, 1974, p.18.]

It has also been suggested that all three verses were revealed on one occasion. The Prophet passed away nine nights after the last revelation.

Others hold that Surah 5 (Al-Maida – the table spread) :4 was the last to be revealed:

‘This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.’

The opinion that this verse was the last revelation is not sound according to many scholars, since it was revealed during the last pilgrimage of the Prophet (pbuh).

This information is based upon a hadith from Umar (RA). Suyuti explains concerning the verse in Surah 5 that after it nothing concerning ahkam and halal and haram was revealed, and in this sense it is the ‘completion’ of religion. However, revelation reminding man of the coming day of judgement continued and the last such revelation is the above verse. [Sabuni, tibyan pp. 18-9].

Makkan and Madeenan Revelations

As part of studying the revelation of the Quran, the Muslim scholars have categorised the Surahs (chapters) of the Quran and their verses according to the time or era of their revelation. This is the subject that came to be known as the Makkan and Madeenan division, or revelation, of the Quran. This division is logical since the Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him) received revelation over twenty-three years, thirteen of them of which were spent in Makkah and ten in Madinah.

The correct and well-established definition of Makkan and Madeenan Quran is the one in which the chapters and verses that were revealed prior to the Hijrah or emigration of Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) from the city of Mecca to the city of Madinah, are known as ‘Makkan’. All other Chapters and verses that were revealed after this time are termed ‘Madeenan’. 

Makkan Surahs generally consist of short verses, they stress the Unity and Majesty of Allah, the Most Exalted, Most High , denounce idol worship, promise paradise for the righteous and warn wrongdoers of their punishment in hellfire, confirm the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him), and remind humanity of past Prophets and events of their time.

The Madinan Surahs are lengthy and the verses outline ritualistic aspects of Islam such as Zakah, Fasting, and Hajj, lay down moral and ethical codes, criminal laws, social, economic, and state policies, and give guidelines for foreign relations, rules and regulations for battle and the treatment of captives of war. They also confirm that the process of Prophethood and revelation is complete, so that no Prophet will come after Muhammad (peace be upon him), no new book will be revealed, and Allah’s religion is completed through the Quran. So here Allah (swt) exhorted the followers of truth to make Al-Quran their only guide.

The Makkan Chapters are 85 in number, and the Madeenan are 28, the total of which is 113, where it should be 114. The reason for missing a Chapter is the fact that the first Chapter in the Mushaf, which is Al-Faatihah, or the Opening Chapter. This Chapter has been reported as having been revealed twice, one time in Makkah and another in Madinah. Therefore, it has not been included in either of them.

The revelation was revealed over a period of 23 years, there are various reasons that the scholars cite for this, some of which are:

• To stabilize the heart of Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him).

• To ease the process of the revelation of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him).

• To graduate the process of legitimising the divine rules.

• To ease the process of memorising and understanding of the Quran.

• Some parts of the Quran were revealed after some events. To make easy the process of getting rid of past bad habits for those newly converted to Islam

Compilation Of The Quran

Scribing

As the Prophet (pbuh) received Wahy (revelation) his companions would scribe what was revealed and hence the Quran was written down as it was transmitted. These scribes would write down the revelation on whatever they could find e.g. tablets of stones, leather, pieces of cloth, bark, parchments, shoulder blades and even the ribs of a camel. The companions would then read back what they had written to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and if there were any errors he would correct it at the time.

Some of the main scribes that the Prophet (peace be upon him) chose to scribe were Ali Ibn Abi Talib, Mu’awiyah Ibn Abi Sufyan, Ubey Ibn Ka’ab, Zayd ibn Thabit

Most of the scribes would have their own copy of the Quran, the chief scribe Zayd ibn Thabit remarks:

“Whenever any verse was revealed, the Prophet sent for me, I went to him and wrote it down for him.”

It can be noted from above that the Quran was in written form during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace be upon him) be it in different parchments rather than one complete book.

Memorisation Of The Quran

The Prophet (peace be upon him) would memorise the Quran as it was revealed. The complete Quran would be read in the correct order as opposed to the order that it was revealed to the angel Gibraeel every Ramadhan and was recited twice in the last Ramadhan prior to the Prophet (peace be upon him) passing away. There are three sahih hadith from Bukhari which testify to this and can be found in Vol 6 No. 518, 519 and 520.

Although the Quran was preserved via the written form it was also preserved via memorisation of the whole Quran by the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

Compilation Of The Complete Quran In A Book Form

After the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) passed away in 633 CE, Sayyidna Abu Bakr (Radi-Allahu anhu), became the Khalifah (caliph – leader of the Muslims). The need of the compilation of the whole Qur’an in the form of a book was evident.

In the battle of Yamamah and other battles, many huffaz (memorisers of the Quran) were martyred. Sayyidna Umar (RA) noticed this and went to Hazrat Abu Bakr and told him about this matter. At first Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA), hesitated in doing something that the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) hadn’t done but then, seeing the importance of this, he agreed.

Hazrat Zayd ibn Thabit was commissioned to compile the Quran, he was one of the chief scribes of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Initially Zayd ibn Thabit refused but then, he, too, agreed.

Even though Zayd ibn Thabit was a hafiz (one who has memorised the entire Quran) and was present during the last recitation of the whole Quran in the month of Ramadhan by the Prophet (peace be upon him) he was careful regarding the process of compiling the Quran. The four steps he used were:

1. Verify the verses with his own memory.

2. Hazrat Umar (RA), the second caliph of Islam was also a hafiz and he would also verify it too.

3. Then, before the verse could be accepted, two reliable witnesses had to testify that it was written in the presence of the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him).

4. After that, written verses were collated with the collections of different companions.

You can see that this was a thorough process to ensure the accuracy of the Quran by verifying the Quran via accounts according to memory as well as written records.

The compilation of the Quran was documented surah (chapter) by surah separately and spanned a number of years due to the importance of this task. It started during the reign of the Caliphate of Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) and this work was then passed onto Hazrat Umar (RA) in 634 CE.

After the death of Hazrat Umar (RA) the written copy of the Quran was passed onto Hazrat Hafsa the daughter of Umar (RA) and who was also one of the wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

It should be noted that Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) was handed over the first authenticated copy of the Quran. Which was eventually passed onto Hazrat Hafsa. For this reason, that copy of Quran got the name of Mushuf-e-Hafsa.

This copy of Quran was accepted and approved by the Ummah (community of Muslims).

The final compilation of the Quran was completed during the reign of Hazrat Uthman (RA) which started in 644 CE.

Hudhayfa bin Al Yaman approached Hazrat Uthman (RA) and said that the people of Syria and Iraq were in the course of conquest of Armenia and Azerbaijan; he was shocked to notice the difference in the recitation of Quran by these people and he said to Hazrat Uthman “O Commander of the Believers! Rescue this Ummah before they differ over the Book the way the Jews and Christians differed.”

Hazrat Uthman (RA) responded by tasking a team to produce a perfect copy of the Quran and where differences in the way it was recited would be resolved by ensuring it was written in the Quraishi dialect and this would take the preference over other dialects as it was revealed in this dialect.

A copy of the authenticated Quran was borrowed from Hazrat Hafsa and this was passed onto a task force of 4 companions, these were Sayyidna Zayd ibn Thabit, Abdullah ibn Zubayr, Saeed ibn al Aas, and Abdur Rahman bin Harith Radi-Allahu anhuma. The group had the task of making transcripts of the original copy and also to put the surahs in sequence. Other companions were also called upon to help them.

Once the standard text scripts were produced all other transcripts were burned and copies were sent to all parts of the Islamic world. The original script was returned to Hazrat Hafsa (RA).  Upon the death of Hazrat Hafsa her copy was also burnt and according to another narration it was washed, ripped and burnt so that only the Quran written under the guidance of Hazrat Uthman (RA) would remain.

The reason why the transcripts were burnt was to ensure that one copy of the Quran was read in uniformity of script and also in the correct sequence. This also allowed for the fact that there was now no room for error going forward. Today we can still find copies from Hazrat Uthman’s time in Istanbul, Turkey and Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Further Enhancements To Ease Reading Of The Quran

Summary