Transmission Of The Qur'anic Revelation

[umm Zachariah]

Bismillah


Part 2.


TRANSMISSION OF THE WRITTEN TEXT


The Written Text at the Time of Prophet Muhammad, saws



What is meant by Jam' al-Qur'an?


The general meaning of jam' al-qur'an is to 'bring together the Qur'an'. This was done and has to be understood in twoways:


- Bringing together the Qur'an orally, or in one's mind (hifz).


- Bringing together the Qur'an in written form, or on sheets, or in a book.


Jam' al-qura'n therefore, in the classical literature, has various meanings:


- To learn the Qur'an by heart.


- To write down every revelation.


- To bring together those materials upon which the Qur'an has been written.


- To bring together the reports of people who have memorised the Qur'an.


- To bring together all such sources, both oral and written.


The ordering of the Qur'an and the arrangement of the suras, was fixed by the Prophet, saws himself and safeguarded through oral transmission.


Stages of Collection



As far as the written text is concerned, one may distinguish three stages:


1. In the time of the Prophet, saws - in the hearts of men (memorisation) and on writing materials


2. In the time of Abu Bakr.


3. In the time of 'Uthman.


Writing down the Revelation



'And thou (O Muhammad) wast not a reader of any scripture before it, nor didst thou write it with thy right hand, for then might those have doubted who follow falsehood'
(29:48).


The Qur'an written during the Prophet's, saws Lifetime



There is no doubt that the Qur'an was not only transmitted orally by many Muslims who had learned parts or the whole of it, but that it was also written down during the lifetime of the Prophet, saws.


The Qur'an Dictated by the Prophet, saws



The Qur'an was not only written down by those Companions who did so on their own initiative. Indeed, the Prophet, when a revelation came, called for the scribe and dictated to him. The Prophet, saws while in Madina had several such scribes, among whom Zaid bin Thabit was very prominent.


(M. M. A'zami, in his book Kuttab al-Nabi (Beirut, 1393/1974) mentions 48 persons who used to write for the Prophet)


Written during the Prophet's, saws Lifetime



When people came to Madina to learn about Islam, they were provided with 'copies


of the chapters of the Qur'an, to read and learn them by heart'.


(Hamidullah, M.: Sahifa Hammam ibn Munabbih, Paris, 1979, p. 64.)


The Qur'anic verse 56:79, read in context, clearly explains that the Qur'an is available to those who receive instruction by revelation, in the form of a book or a piece of writing:


'... this is indeed a Qur'an most honourable, in a book (kitab) well guarded, which none shall touch but those who are clean: a revelation from the Lord of the worlds'
(56: 77-80).


The fact that the Qur'an did exist as a written document in the lifetime of the Prophet is proved by the following ahadith:


From Ibn 'Umar: ... 'The messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: "Do not take the Qur'an on a journey with you, for I am afraid lest it should fall into the hands of the enemy". Muslim, III, No. 4609, also 4607, 4608; Bukhari, IV, No. 233.


The correctness of the assumption that the reference is to a written document is supported by one of the transmitters: Ayyub (i. e. one of the narrators in the chain of transmission of this report) said: 'The enemy may seize it and may quarrel with you over it.' Muslim, III, No. 4609.


To be continued...