Notes: How the Quran was Revealed and Compiled?

Asalamu’alaikum, Recently as a project my Sister and I studied a course online from Shaikh Hamza Yusuf, called: The Foundations of Islam. This was a great course on the basics of Islam and what we believe. It covered the Compilation of the Quran, Pillars of Practice, the Articles of Faith, the Concept of Ihsan and the Day of Judgement. We really enjoyed this and learned so much.

I am sharing my notes with you on the first topic, which is the Revelation and Compilation of the Noble Quran. My Sister, Ivanna, also worked on this, she is going to be posting her essay on the same topic, Insha’Allah. Please look out for that. Once she has it up, I will update this blog.

REVELATION:

1.  There was no other book in Arabia before the Quran, there was oral poetry.
2. The Quran is identified as kitab (book), which comes from the root word “kataba” which means to join 2 things together.
3. Muhammad (SAW) did tahanuth (parting from polytheism) in the cave of Noor or Jabir al-Noor.
4. Jibril (as) came in a human form to the Prophet Mohammad (SAW) and said the following verses:“Recite in the name of your Lord who created. Created man from a clinging substance. Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous. Who taught by the pen. Taught man that which he knew not” (Surah Al-Iqra:1-5)
5. Waraka ibn Noffel said, “The people will turn against you. I wish I was a young man so I could help you and stand by your side.” But Waraka died before Islam was declared openly.
6. The Quraish said, “he made us look stupid” like when Ibrahim AS broke the idols except the big one and put the axe in its hand, when the people found out, they said, “Ibrahim AS was talking about that, call him.” So they said, “who did this?” He replied, “ask the big one (i.e. the big idol he had left untouched).” They said, “do you think we are stupid, it cant talk!” So he said, “why do worship it then if it cannot do anything for you?” They started to think about what he said and started realizing and reflecting on what they used to do. Then suddenly someone, “Kill him,” so that they snapped out of it and said, “Yeah, kill him”.
7. Muhammad (saw) taught Tawhid for 13 years in Makkah.
8. The Quraysh did many wrong things, which Allah prohibited. Burying baby girls at that time was okay and everyone was doing it, because they were seen as a problem and weight on the men. Suddenly, a man, the Prophet Mohammad (SAW) comes and says this is wrong. And they don’t want to think and say: “who are you to speak like that to us.”
9. The Arab’s did not believe in the hereafter they believed that when someone dies, they become just dust and bones. They would argue and ask, “Is god going to revive us?”
10. The Quran’s relegation did not stop until just before the Prophet Mohammad (SAW) death.

COMPILATION:

1. IN 632 AH A BIG EVENT HAPPENS, THE PROPHET DIED. WHEN THEY CALLED IT OUT, MADINAH WENT PIN DROP SILENT. NO ONE JUST WENT BACK TO WHAT THEY WERE DOING. EVERY ONE WENT BURSTING IN MASJID AL-NABWI. NO ONE, INCLUDING UMAR (RA) COULD BELIEVE THAT THE PROPHET (SAW) DIED AND NO ONE LEFT UNTIL ABU BAKR (RA) SAID THESE FAMOUS WORDS:“O PEOPLE! IF MUHAMMAD IS THE SOLE OBJECT OF YOUR LOVE AND CARE, THEN KNOW THAT HE IS DEAD. BUT, IF IT IS ALLAH YOU WORSHIPED, THEN KNOW THAT HE DOES NOT DIE.”
2. MUHAMMAD (SAW) ARRIVAL AND DEATH IS THE START OF THE END OF TIMES.
3. After the Prophet Mohammad (SAW) died Abu Bakr (RA) became the KHALIFAH. Umar (RA) said to compile the Quran to Abu bakr, because many of the Sahabah who had done Hifd were becoming Shahid in the battles, especially at Yamama. Umar (RA) was afraid that they may lose the Quran if there wasn’t anyone left who had memorized it. Abu Bakr (RA) wasn’t convinced. He didn’t want to do what Prophet himself didn’t do. But at last, during the last few years of his life, he became convinced and finally gave the okay to compile the Quran.
4. Zaid ibn Thabit (RA) was asked to compile the Quran and every verse was witnessed by two Sahabah, except one, whose witness was Uzama (the Prophet Mohammad (SAW) said he was like two witnesses when he acted as a true witness over a business transaction).
5. The Quran was written on bones, wood and leather before it was compiled into a book form by Zaid (RA).
6. This copy was given to Abu Bakr (RA), then Umar (RA) and then finally to Hafsa (RA), who was Umar’s daughter and the wife of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
7. This is where Uthman (RA) took it from to have it copied and later had the accents added as he began to notice and get news that people were mispronouncing the words of the Quran, which was changing the wording of the commandments. He feared, because of so many Arab dialects, this would cause problems later on.
8. If a copy of the Quran was found with mistakes or typos after that day to this day it was burned, because it must be preserved in it’s rightful words as were revealed from Allah SWA.
9. The Quran is a sacred Trust and we must fulfill our duty to it, Insha’Allah. That mean’s we have to read it, understand it and act upon it. In return, we hope that Allah will give us Jannah as He promised, Ameen.