The linguistic meaning of At-Tawaatur is At-Tataabu’ (successiveness, consecutiveness).

The Istilaahi (terminological) meaning of At-Tawaatur is: The transmission of a group (Jamaa’ah) from a group from a group in which it is impossible for there to be any collusion or connivance upon a lie (i.e. that the possibility for a lie to be colluded is eliminated).

This Tawaatur occurred in respect to the transmission of the Qur’aan which Allah Ta’Aalaa has guaranteed to be protected and safeguarded.

Allah Ta’Aalaa said:

The preservation of the Qur’aan took place as follows:

1) Every time Aayaat of the Qur’aan Al-Kareem were revealed upon the Messenger of Allah (saw) he would recite them to his companions and they would then memorise it exactly as they received it from him. They would then recite the Aayaat in their Salaah and at the same time he would command (the selected) recorders of the Wahi to write them upon skins and hides amongst other materials that were written upon at that time. Then prior to his passing (saw) he recited it (in its entirety) to Jibreel (as).

2) When the Messenger of Allah (saw) passed away the whole Qur’aan had been written on materials and had been memorised within the breasts of the Sahaabah (rah). Therefore, the number of those who had memorised it had reached the level of Tawaatur for every Aayah from the Aayaat of the Qur’aan.

3) At the time of Abu Bakr (ra) the ordering and gathering together of the Qur’aan was completed in accordance to what was Tawqeefiy (set by Allah) exactly as it had been transmitted from the Messenger of Allah (saw). This was undertaken by a committee led by the one who had most preserved it, Zaid Bin Thaabit (ra), who had been one of the writers of the Wahi as it descended. And so its Aayaat and Suwar (Soorahs) were ordered and organised. The Aayaat and Suwar were put and brought together and then tied by string. Then Abu Bakr (ra) gave it the name of Al-Mushaf and this Mushaf has been adopted by the Ummah by way of a consensus (Ijmaa’) upon it whilst all that is in it has been affirmed by way of Tawaatur (definite reports).

4) In the time of ‘Uthmaan Ibn ‘Affaan (ra), one of the Sahaabah (Hudhaifah Bin Al-Yamaan) said to ‘Uthmaan: “Take hold of this Ummah before they differ in respect to the Kitaab (i.e. the Qur’aan) like the differing of the Jews and the Christians (in respect to their books before them)”. So ‘Uthmaan (ra) communicated to Hafsah (ra) for her to send to him the Mushaf which had been collected and compiled at the time of Abu Bakr (ra). Then ‘Uthmaan appointed Zaid Bin Thaabit, Abdullah Ibn Zubair, Sa’eed Ibn Al-‘Aas and Abdur Rahman Bin Al-Haarith over this matter. They then made four copies and he (‘Uthman) sent a single copy to each of Al- Koofah, Al-Basrah, Ash-Shaam whilst keeping one copy with him in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah.

5) The Qur’aan Al-Kareem was then memorised by a number reaching the level of Tawaatur in every generation until our current day.

The Tawaatur of the Qur’aan alongside it having been written down makes it Qat’iy Ath-Thuboot (definite in transmission) in regards to it being the Qur’aan that Allah Ta’Aalaa revealed upon the Messenger Muhammad (saw).

Nothing apart from the Mutawaatir is considered to be Qur’aan. Therefore, the reading of Abdullah Ibn Mas’ood (ra) in regards to the Kaffaarah (expiation) of the orphan:

But whoever does not have the means, then he should fast for three (consecutive) days Is not considered to be Qur’aan because the word ‘consecutive’ (متتابعات (was not transmitted by way of Tawaatur and it was not written in the Masaahif (plural of Mushaf) which were copied at the time of ‘Uthmaan Ibn ‘Affaan (ra).

Finally, there has never been a book in this Dunyaa that has received the amount of care, attention and study as the Qur’aan Al-Kareem received.

The purpose behind the ‘I’jaaz (miraculous nature and inimitability) is to convince the people that the one who came with the Mu’jizah (miracle) is a Messenger who has been sent by Allah Ta’Aalaa (to them).