Ketika Jibril pertama kali membacakan sebagian Al-Qur'an kepada Nabi (ﷺ), Nabi (ﷺ) berusaha mengulanginya mengikuti beliau, kata demi kata. Kemudian Allah memerintahkan Jibril untuk mengatakan kepada beliau agar tidak melakukan hal itu. Sebaliknya, beliau diperintahkan untuk mendengarkan Al-Qur'an dengan saksama. Ketika Nabi (ﷺ) melakukan hal itu, Allah menjadikan beliau mampu mengingat segala sesuatunya tanpa usaha dari beliau. Allah berfirman dalam Al-Qur'an,

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,

Sangat penting bagi Nabi ﷺ untuk mengingat segala yang diwahyukan kepadanya, karena beliau tidak dapat membaca maupun menulis.

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

Nabi (ﷺ) menyampaikan seluruh Al-Qur'an kepada para sahabatnya sebelum beliau wafat. Beliau menggunakan berbagai cara untuk memastikan bahwa mereka menghafal dan mencatatnya persis sebagaimana beliau mempelajarinya.

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. Nabi (ﷺ) biasa membaca Al-Qur'an dengan suara keras pada bagian-bagian tertentu dalam salat-salat (salat berjamaah). Dengan cara itu, para sahabatnya setiap hari mendengar sebagian dari Al-Qur'an.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

2. Setiap orang yang masuk Islam akan diajarkan bagian-bagian dari Al-Qur'an yang harus mereka gunakan dalam salat sehari-hari. Dengan demikian, kaum Muslimin senantiasa mempelajari atau mengajarkan berbagai bagian dari Al-Qur'an.

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. Nabi (ﷺ) memberitahukan kepada para pengikutnya bahwa sebaik-baik mereka adalah orang yang mempelajari dan mengajarkan Al-Qur’an. Hal ini mendorong mereka untuk lebih bersungguh-sungguh dalam menghafal Al-Qur’an dan mengajarkannya kepada orang lain.

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. Mereka yang mampu membaca dan menulis diperintahkan oleh Nabi ﷺ untuk menuliskan berbagai bagian Al-Qur'an sebagaimana diturunkan. Nabi ﷺ akan memberitahukan urutan ayat-ayat yang harus mereka catat. Al-Baraa' ibn 'Aazib meriwayatkan bahwa ketika ayat, "Orang-orang mukmin yang duduk (di rumah) tidak sama dengan orang-orang yang berjihad," diturunkan, Nabi ﷺ bersabda, "Panggillah Fulan." Ia datang membawa tempat tinta dan sebuah papan kayu atau tulang belikat. Nabi ﷺ bersabda, "Tulislah: 'Orang-orang mukmin yang duduk (di rumah) tidak sama dengan orang-orang yang berjihad di jalan Allah...'"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

Karena di Arab pada masa itu tidak ada kertas, Al-Qur'an dituliskan pada apa pun yang tersedia. Para sahabat menulis ayat-ayat Al-Qur'an pada pelepah kurma, batu pipih, kulit kayu, kayu, kulit hewan yang dikeringkan, dan bahkan tulang belikat domba atau unta. Dengan demikian, ayat-ayat Al-Qur'an terpelihara di dalam hati kaum Muslimin, dan juga dituliskan, pada masa hidup Nabi ﷺ. Karena orang-orang masuk Islam pada berbagai waktu selama masa dakwah Nabi ﷺ, hanya sedikit dari mereka yang mendengar seluruh Al-Qur'an langsung dari Nabi ﷺ. Sebagian sahabat lebih baik dalam menghafal dibandingkan yang lain. Maka, meskipun mereka semua menghafal sebagian dari Al-Qur'an, hanya sedikit yang mampu menghafal seluruh Al-Qur'an pada masa hidup Nabi ﷺ.

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.

Ketika Nabi (ﷺ) wafat pada tahun 632 M, seluruh Al-Qur’an belum dituliskan dalam satu kitab yang utuh. Ayat-ayatnya dicatat pada berbagai bahan tulisan dan disimpan oleh para sahabat Nabi (ﷺ) yang berbeda-beda. Masing-masing memiliki sebagian, tetapi tidak ada seorang pun yang memiliki keseluruhannya. Karena wahyu Al-Qur’an terus turun hingga beberapa bulan sebelum wafat Nabi (ﷺ), para sahabat lebih terfokus pada pencatatan dan penghafalan daripada menghimpunnya dalam satu kitab. Oleh sebab itu, pengumpulan Al-Qur’an menjadi satu naskah tidak dilakukan pada masa hidup Nabi (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).