By Abu Bakr
The Muslim sources are thus quite clear that Abu Bakr and `Umar were responsible for the first collection of the Qur’an texts following the death of the Muhammad.
Discordant voices were nonetheless heard, Abu Bakr died and the Qur’an had not been collected; `Umar was killed and the Qur’an had not been collected.’ (p. 229)
Zaid reports,
'Abu Bakr sent for me on the occasion of the deaths of those killed in the Yemama wars. I found Umar b. al Khattab with him. Abu Bakr said, "Umar has just come to me and said, ‘In the Yemama fighting death has dealt most severely with the qurra’ and I fear it will deal with equal severity with them in other theatres of war and as a result much of the Qur’an will perish [d h b].
I am therefore of the opinion that you should command that the Qur’an be collected.’" Abu Bakr added, “I said to Umar, 'How can we do what the Prophet never did?' Umar replied that it was nonetheless a good act. He did not cease replying to my scruples until God reconciled me to the undertaking.”
Abu Bakr continued, “Zaid, you are young and intelligent and we know nothing to your discredit. You used to record the revelations for the Prophet, so pursue the Qur’an and collect it all together.” By God! had they asked me to remove a mountain it could not have been more weighty than what they would now have me do in ordering me to collect the Qur’an.
I therefore asked them how they could do what the Prophet had not done but Abu Bakr insisted that it was permissible. He did not cease replying to my scruples until God reconciled me to the undertaking as He had already reconciled Abu Bakr and `Umar.
I thereupon pursued the Qur’an collecting it all together from palm-branches, flat stones and the memories of men. I found the last verse of sura al Tawba in the possession of Abu Khuzaima al Ansari, having found it with no one else, “There has now come to you…” to the end of the sura.
The sheets [suhuf] that Zaid prepared in this manner remained in the keeping of Abu Bakr.
On his death, they passed to Umar who then bequeathed them on his death to his daughter Hafsa. (p. 118-119, Ahmad b. Ali b. Muhammad al `Asqalani, ibn Hajar, “Fath al Bari”, 13 vols, Cairo, 1939/1348, vol. 9, p. 9. Also Sahih Bukhari vol. VI:509, 510)
Zuhri reports that when slaughter befell the Muslims in the Yemama it was Abu Bakr who feared that many of the qarra’ would perish.
(p. 120, Ahmad b. Ali b. Muhammad al Asqalani, ibn Hajar, “Fath al Bari”, 13 vols, Cairo, 1939/1348, vol. 9, p. 12)
It is said that upward of 700 Companions fell in the Yemama. Sufyan reports that when Salim was slain Umar hastened to Abu Bakr. (p. 120, Ahmad b. Ali b. Muhammad al `Asqalani, ibn Hajar, “Fath al Bari”, 13 vols, Cairo, 1939/1348, vol. 9, p. 9)
The first to collect the Qur’an between two covers was Abu Bakr. awwal man jamaa al Qur'an baina lawhain. (p. 122, Abu Bakr Abdullah b. abi Da’ud, “K. al Masahif”, ed. A. Jeffery, Cairo, 1936/1355, p. 6)
Ali said, 'God bless Abu Bakr! He was the first to collect the Qur'an between two covers', (p. 122, Abu Bakr Abdullah b. abi Da’ud, “K. al Masahif”, ed. A. Jeffery, Cairo, 1936/1355, p. 6)
And again, ‘the greatest reward in respect of the masahif will fall to Abu Bakr for he was the first to collect the text between the two covers.’
(p. 122, Abu Bakr `Abdullah b. abi Da’ud, “K. al Masahif”, ed. A. Jeffery, Cairo, 1936/1355, p. 5)
Hisham b. 'Urwa reports his father as saying,
‘Abu Bakr collected the Qur’an after the death of the Prophet.’
(p. 122, Abu Bakr `Abdullah b. abi Da’ud, “K. al Masahif”, ed. A. Jeffery, Cairo, 1936/1355, p. 6)
Elsewhere we are assured that Zaid first wrote out the Qur’an for Abu Bakr on scraps of leather and on palm-branches. On the death of Abu Bakr, Umar appointed Zaid to transcribe his materials into the sahifa which remained in Umar’s possession.
(p. 123, Ahmad b. Ali b. Muhammad al Asqalani, ibn Hajar, “Fath al Bari”, 13 vols, Cairo, 1939/1348, vol. 9, p. 12)
Zaid says that they had been accustomed to organising the Qur’an from these scraps in the presence of the Prophet.
(p. 123, Jalal al Din Abdul Rahman b. abi Bakr al Suyuti, "al Itqan fi ulum al Qur’an", Halabi, Cairo, 1935/1354, pt 1, p. 57)
Abu Bakr ordered Umar and Zaid to sit in the gate of the mosque and to include in the mushaf only what was vouched for by the testimony of two men. (p. 125, Ahmad b. Ali b. Muhammad al `Asqalani, ibn Hajar, “Fath al Bari”, 13 vols, Cairo, 1939/1348, vol. 9, p. 11)
