Islamiyat · May / June 2024 · Paper 12 · Question 2

Describe the way the Qur’an was compiled and standardised into one book.

Use the AO1 Levels of Response.

Candidates should include some of the following points. All other relevant points must be credited.

During the time of the Prophet (pbuh) the Qur’an was written on pieces of animal skin and on parts of bone but mainly was memorised by the companions.

During Abu Bakr’s caliphate, many companions who had memorised the Qur’an died at the Battle of Yamama.

‘Umar, worried that the words of the Qur’an would be lost due to companions dying of old age or in battle, suggested to Abu Bakr that the Qur’an should be compiled into one book.

Abu Bakr hesitated, saying he could not do something the Prophet (pbuh) had not done; he eventually agreed and called Zayd ibn Thabit to collect all the verses that had been written. Zayd was initially hesitant to accept this enormous task but eventually agreed.

Zayd was a hafiz (a person who has memorised the Qur’an) himself, yet he only included a verse into the master copy once he had verified its authenticity.

He followed a meticulous process to ensure that the transcription of every verse was backed by both direct written testimony of two witnesses and memory.

‘Umar was part of the process of collecting parts of the mushaf from companions.

The verses were written in the order that the Prophet (pbuh) had given, but the suras were written on separate sheets; this copy was verified by the committee and was kept with Abu Bakr during his lifetime, after which it passed to ‘Umar, and then to ‘Umar’s daughter Hafsa.

During ‘Uthman’s time as caliph, Islam had spread to other areas. Hudhaifa, after observing arguments over Iraqi and Syrian dialects, reported to ‘Uthman that people were reciting the Qur’an in a different dialect in areas such as Armenia and Azerbaijan.

‘Uthman summoned Zayd and with other companions they set about compiling one book in the Qurayshi dialect, using the mushaf of Hafsa. ‘Uthman then checked and approved the final version.

From this new copy, five copies were made and were distributed to various provinces of the expanding Muslim world. He ordered for any other copies to be collected and burnt. For this he is known as ‘Jami al-Qur’an’.

In what ways is it beneficial for Muslims to have a written Qur’an? Use the AO2 Levels of Response.

Candidates can give other examples and all relevant answers should be credited.

A written Qur’an has various benefits, mainly in that it becomes accessible for those who are not able to memorise the Qur’an by heart. It works together with memorisation, and huffaz can check there are no mistakes in the text.

Having a book means that Muslims can also take the Qur’an with them and recite it wherever they want, and it is also possible to translate it into other languages and Braille.

Now the Qur’an is also available online, so it adds to the accessibility of the Qur’an. This opens up a lot of information for Muslims, as they can also access translations and commentaries, but it is harder to check whether they are authentic.