عندما تلا جبريل على النبي ﷺ أول مرة جزءاً من القرآن، حاول النبي ﷺ أن يكرره وراءه كلمة بكلمة. ثم أمره الله تعالى عن طريق جبريل ألا يفعل ذلك، وأُمر بدلاً من ذلك أن يستمع إلى القرآن بعناية. ولما فعل النبي ﷺ ذلك، جعل الله تعالى له القدرة على حفظ كل شيء دون أي جهد منه. قال الله تعالى في القرآن:

When Jibreel first recited a part of the Qur’aan to the Prophet (ﷺ), the Prophet (ﷺ) tried to repeat it after him, word for word. Allaah later had Jibreel tell him not to do so. He was told instead to listen to the Qur’aan carefully. When the Prophet (r) did that, Allaah caused him to be able to remember everything without any effort on his part. Allaah said in the Qur’aan,

كان من الأهمية البالغة أن يحفظ النبي ﷺ كل ما أُنزل عليه، لأنه كان لا يقرأ ولا يكتب.

It was very important that the Prophet (r) remember all that was revealed to him, because he could neither read nor write.

توفي النبي ﷺ بعد أن نقل القرآن كله إلى أصحابه. وقد استعمل عدة طرق مختلفة ليتأكد من أنهم حفظوه وسجلوه تماماً كما تلقاه.

The Prophet (ﷺ) passed on all of the Qur’aan to his companions before he died. He used a number of different ways to make sure that they memorized and recorded it exactly as he learned it.

1. كان النبي ﷺ يجهر بقراءة أجزاء مختلفة من القرآن في الصلوات (الصلوات الجماعية)، وبذلك كان أصحابه يسمعون أجزاءً من القرآن كل يوم.69

1. The Prophet (ﷺ) used to recite aloud various parts of the Qur’aan in the salaahs (congregational prayers). In that way, his followers used to hear parts of the Qur’aan daily.69

٢. كان كل من يدخل في الإسلام يُعلَّم أجزاءً من القرآن يحتاج إليها في صلواته اليومية. وهكذا كان المسلمون دائمًا يتعلمون أو يعلّمون أجزاءً مختلفة من القرآن.

2. Everyone who entered Islaam would be taught parts of the Qur’aan that they would have to use in their daily prayers. Thus, Muslims were always learning or teaching various parts of the Qur’aan.

3. أخبر النبي ﷺ أصحابه أن خيرهم من تعلّم القرآن وعلّمه. فشجّعهم ذلك على بذل جهد أكبر في حفظ القرآن وتعليمه للآخرين.

3. The Prophet (ﷺ) informed his followers that the best of them were those who learned and taught the Qur’aan. This encouraged them to make even greater efforts to memorize the Qur’aan and teach it to others.

4. كان النبي ﷺ يأمر من كان يُحسن القراءة والكتابة بأن يكتبوا أقسام القرآن كلما نزلت. وكان النبي ﷺ يُخبرهم بالترتيب الذي ينبغي أن يُسجَّل به الآيات. فقد ذكر البراء بن عازب أنه لما نزلت الآية: {لَا يَسْتَوِي الْقَاعِدُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ غَيْرُ أُولِي الضَّرَرِ وَالْمُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ}، قال النبي ﷺ: «ادعُ فلانًا». فجاء بدواةٍ ولوحٍ أو كتفٍ، فقال النبي ﷺ: «اكتب: {لَا يَسْتَوِي الْقَاعِدُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ...}».70

4. Those who were able to read and write were told by the Prophet (ﷺ) to write down the various sections of the Qur’aan as they were revealed. The Prophet (ﷺ) would tell them the order in which they should record the verses. Al-Baraa’ ibn ‘Aazib stated that when the verse, “Those believers who sit (at home) are not equal with those who strive,” was revealed, the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Call So-and-so.” He came with an inkpot and a wooden board or a shoulder blade. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Write: ‘Those believers who sit (at home) are not equal with those who strive in the cause of Allaah...’ ”70

لَمَّا لَمْ يَكُنْ هُنَاكَ وَرَقٌ فِي جَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِ فِي ذَلِكَ الْوَقْتِ، كُتِبَ الْقُرْآنُ عَلَى كُلِّ مَا كَانَ مُتَاحًا. فَكَتَبَ الصَّحَابَةُ آيَاتِ الْقُرْآنِ عَلَى سَعَفِ النَّخْلِ، وَالْحِجَارَةِ الْمُسْتَوِيَةِ، وَلِحَاءِ الشَّجَرِ، وَالْخَشَبِ، وَجُلُودِ الْحَيَوَانَاتِ الْمُجَفَّفَةِ، حَتَّى أَكْتَافِ الْغَنَمِ أَوِ الْإِبِلِ. وَهَكَذَا حُفِظَتْ آيَاتُ الْقُرْآنِ فِي صُدُورِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، كَمَا كُتِبَتْ، فِي حَيَاةِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ. وَلَمَّا دَخَلَ النَّاسُ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ فِي أَوْقَاتٍ مُتَفَرِّقَةٍ مِنْ رِسَالَةِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ، لَمْ يَسْمَعِ الْقُرْآنَ كُلَّهُ مِنَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ مُبَاشَرَةً إِلَّا قِلَّةٌ مِنْهُمْ. وَكَانَ بَعْضُ الصَّحَابَةِ أَقْدَرَ عَلَى الْحِفْظِ مِنْ غَيْرِهِمْ. فَمَعَ أَنَّ جَمِيعَهُمْ حَفِظَ أَجْزَاءً مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ، لَمْ يَتَمَكَّنْ مِنْ حِفْظِ الْقُرْآنِ كُلِّهِ فِي حَيَاةِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ إِلَّا قِلَّةٌ مِنْهُمْ.

Because there was no paper in Arabia at that time, the Qur’aan was written down on anything that was available. The companions wrote the verses of the Qur’aan on date palm leaves, flat stones, tree bark, wood, dried animal skins, and even the shoulder blades of sheep or camels. Thus, the verses of the Qur’aan were preserved in the hearts of Muslims, as well as written down, during the lifetime of the Prophet (ﷺ). Since people entered Islaam at various points during the Prophet’s mission, only a few of them heard all of the Qur’aan directly from the Prophet (ﷺ). Some companions were able to memorize better than others. So, even though all of them memorized portions of the Qur’aan, only a few were able to memorize all of the Qur’aan during the Prophet’s lifetime. on date palm leaves, flat stones, tree bark, wood, dried animal skins, and even the shoulder blades of sheep or camels. Thus, the verses of the Qur’aan were preserved in the hearts of Muslims, as well as written down, during the lifetime of the Prophet (ﷺ). Since people entered Islaam at various points during the Prophet’s mission, only a few of them heard all of the Qur’aan directly from the Prophet (ﷺ). Some companions were able to memorize better than others. So, even though all of them memorized portions of the Qur’aan, only a few were able to memorize all of the Qur’aan during the Prophet’s lifetime.

عندما توفي النبي ﷺ في سنة 632 م، لم يكن القرآن كله مدوناً في كتاب واحد كامل. كان مسجلاً على أنواع متفرقة من مواد الكتابة، وكان محفوظاً عند صحابة مختلفين من أصحاب النبي ﷺ. كان لكل واحد منهم أجزاء منه، لكن لم يكن عند أحد منهم القرآن كله. ولأن آيات القرآن استمرت في النزول حتى قبل وفاة النبي ﷺ بأشهر قليلة، كان الصحابة أكثر اهتماماً بتدوينه وحفظه من جمعه كله في كتاب واحد. وعليه، لم يتم جمع القرآن في نص واحد في حياة النبي ﷺ.

When the Prophet (ﷺ) died in the year 632 CE, the whole of the Qur’aan was not written down in one complete book. It was recorded on various pieces of writing material and kept in the possession of different followers of the Prophet (ﷺ). Each had sections, but none of them had all of it. Because of the fact that the verses of the Qur’aan continued to be revealed up until a few months before the Prophet’s death, the companions were more concerned with recording and memorizing than putting it all together in one book. Consequently, the gathering of the Qur’aan into one text was not done during the lifetime of the Prophet (ﷺ).