Compilation of Quran

What is Quran?

The word means the writing or the book that is read too much or continuously. The book Quran is defined as:

“The wordings of Allah reveled on Prophet S.A.W through the angel Jibr’il A.S, begins with Al-Khamd and ends with Wan-Naas”

Quran as Book of Guidance:

Allah set Holy Prophet S.A.W as the last messenger and revealed Quran on him as the last Holy Book. The previous three Holy Books i.e Zabur, Taurat and Engeel were the creatures of Allah as Allah made these books with His order by saying KUN (occur) and FA-YAKOON (it occured)

But Quran is not His creature. Quran is the characteristic of allah because Allah has spoken all the words of Quran. As Quran is the guidance for whole ummat either it is ummat-e-da'wat or ummat-e-ijabat, till end of universe and the Holy Prophet S.A.W is the last messenger and similarly Quran is also the last revealed book therefore, against the previous Holy Books, Allah has promised for the protection of Quran in Sura Al Hajar:

Revelations of Quran:

According to the different situations different Quranic verses were revealed on Holy Prophet S.A.W through Hazrat Jibr'el A.S. After completion of every revelation the Prophet S.A.W dictated the revealed verses by Kaatib-e-Wahi. And the Holy Prophet S.A.W himself set the order and sequence of the Quranic Verses and Surat time to time.

Before leaving the world Holy Prophet S.A.W had set all parts of Quran by ordering his Holy Companions R.A. Holy Prophet S.A.W himself recited the Quran for multiple times and with it Holy Companions R.A also did this practice before Holy Prophet S.A.W.

History of Compilation

Quran after Holy Prophet S.A.W

After Holy Prophet S.A.W seven hundred Huffaz were martyred in Yamama Battle according to some traditions. And it is further narrated that Hazrat Umar R.A said to First Righteous Caliph Syedna Abu Bakar Siddiq R.A as a lot of Huffaz had been martyred and if it would be continued Quran might be forgotten so the steps should be taken to compile the Quran as it may not disappear. According to traditions, in those days the Quran was written on different kinds of goods like stones, bones, wood, leather and some papers. But it was not in a single binding in shape of the book.

After discussion between Shaikhain R.A Hazrat Zaid Bin Saabit R.A was directed to collect the Quran from wherever it had been written into a single volume. And such away Hazrat Zaid Bin Saabit R.A collected the Quran from date branches, stone slabs and human memories. (Bukhari)

In regime of Hazrat Usman Bin Affan R.A set the muslims united on Qira’t-e-Quraish so that no doubt may arise.

Doubts on the Compilation

There are a lot of doubts about the compilation in age of Hazrat Abu Bakr R.A and Hazrat Usman R.A.There are many verses in Quran that show the Quran was compiled and existed in shape of book in life of Prphet S.A.W.
The verses in which the word KITAB has been used, show that the Quran was in form of book in Prophet’s life. Further is that only one Qari-e-Quran Saalim Moula Abu Huzaifa R.A was martyred in the battle of Yamama.
In the last time of Hazrat Abu Bakar R.A narrated the things he was leaving but he didn’t mention anything about compiled Quran by Hazrat Zaid Bin Saabit R.A. Similarly Hazrat Umar R.A also didn’t mention anything in this regard at his last time. But in Usmani regime Hazrat Usman got the compiled version of Quran from Umm Ul Muminin Syeda Hafsa R.A to prepare its copies and send these copies to different muslim countries and burnt the volumes due to those any dispute might be arised.

Now here are some confusions:

 That the compiled Quran was the collective property of the public. It was not an individual’s property as it was handed over to Hazrat Hafsa R.A by her father Hazrat Umar R.A in place of saving this compilation in Bait Ul Maal.

 Hazrat Usman R.A burnt the volumes to be saved from any dispute then why Hazrat Abu Bakar R.A not wasted the material on which different parts of Quran were written, after the compilation?

 Why the last verse of Sura’ Tauba was not present in mind of any of the companions R.A?

 It is said that there was lack of paper in Prophet’s age. But it is the reality that Holy Prophet S.A.W wrote the letters to non-muslim rulers to embrace Islam. These letters were written on papers.
 In those days the previous Holy books were existed written on papers. And how it was possible that the paper was not existed to write Quran?

Clarifications

The tradition of the compilation of Quran is only narrated by Ibn-e-Shahab Zohri who took it from Ubaid Bin Sabaaq and Ubaid tood it from Hazrat Zaid Bin Saabit R.A. Hazrat Zaid Bin Saabit R.A was died in 45 hijri or 48 hijri while Ubaid died in 118 hijri in age of 68 years.(Tareekh-e-Kabeer by Imam Muhammad Bin Isma’il Bukhari)
It means Ubaid was born in 50 hijri, after the death of Hazrat Zaid Bin Saabit R.A. The weakest saying about Hazrat Zaid R.A is 55 hijri. If it is trusted in it that Hazrat Zaid R.A died in 55 hijri then Ubaid was only 5 years old that time. Now how is it possible that Hazrat Zaid Bin Saabit R.A expressed the too much important event to only Ubaid who was 5 years child that time?

Just Ibn-e-Shahab Zohri

In fact Zohri was shia person who hid himself and remained among Ahl-e-Sunnat in cloths of Ahl-e-Sunnat. There are many traditions in Furu-e-Kafi that is basic and authentic shia book, of Zohri. Zohri remained among Ahl-e-Sunnat as Ahl-e-Sunnat for his purpose to destroy Islamic teachings as it is written in an authentic Shia book that:

In beginning we remained teachers and pupil of Ahl-e-Sunnat in Hanfi, Malki, Shafi, Hambali’s clothings. We had been getting the traditions from them and similarly we had been telling them the traditions and we were doing or job in curtain of Taqiyya.
Majalis-Ul-Muminin by Qazi Noor Ullah Shostari

Shah Abdul Aziz Muhaddis Dehlvi also has narrated the different plannings of shia using taqiyya in his historical book Tohfa Isna Ashria. If we examine deeply it will be concluded that many disputes between Ahl-e-Sunnat and Shia based upon the traditions reported by Zohri. For example the traditions about compilation of Quran, Caliphate of Hazrat Abu Bakar R.A, Fadak, Ifk, Female witness in Hudood & Qisas reported only by Zohri.

Conclusion

There are a lot of verses and traditions that show the Quran was present in the Book form in life of Holy Prophet S.A.W. And no hadees e Sahih opposes this concept that Quran is now with the sequence and binding as it was in Prophet’s sacred life. And Indian Scholor Allama Abdul Shakoor Luckhnavi has taken back his thinking that Quran was not present in shape of book in Holy Prophet’s life.