Penyampaian wahyu secara lisan berdasarkan hifz atau hafalan, dan Nabi Muhammad ﷺ sendiri adalah orang pertama yang menghafal sesuatu wahyu setelah Malaikat Gabriel menyampaikannya kepadanya:

Oral transmission of the revelation was based on hifz or memorization and the Prophet Muhammad himself was the first to commit a revelation to memory after the Angel Gabriel had brought it to him:

Janganlah engkau gerakkan lidahmu tentang (Al-Qur'an) untuk tergesa-gesa membacanya. Sesungguhnya tanggungan Kamilah untuk mengumpulkannya dan membacakannya. Maka apabila Kami telah membacakannya, ikutilah bacaannya.' (75: 16-19)

'Move not thy tongue concerning the (Qur'an) to make haste therewith. It is for Us to collect it and promulgate it; but when We have promulgated it, follow thou its recital' (75: 16-19)

"... seorang rasul dari sisi Allah, yang membacakan lembaran-lembaran yang suci" Note: the rule requires "God" be rendered as the Malay word for God, not "Allah", so the correct translation is: "... seorang rasul dari Tuhan, yang membacakan lembaran-lembaran yang suci"

'... an apostle from God, rehearsing scriptures, kept pure and holy ...' (98: 2)

Nabi kemudian mengumumkan wahyu tersebut dan memerintahkan para Sahabatnya untuk menghafaznya. Kes Ibn Mas'ud, yang merupakan orang pertama yang membaca Al-Qur'an secara terbuka di Makkah, menunjukkan bahawa walaupun pada fasa awal umat Islam, bacaan wahyu daripada ingatan telah diamalkan oleh para Sahabat:

The Prophet then declared the revelation and instructed his Companions to memorise it. The case of Ibn Mas'ud, who was the first man to publicly recite the Qur'an in Makka, shows that even in the very early phase of the Islamic umma recital of the revelation from memory was practised by the Companions:

'... orang pertama yang membacakan Al-Qur'an dengan lantang di Makkah selepas Rasulullah ﷺ ialah 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud. Para Sahabat Nabi ﷺ berkumpul dan menyebut bahawa orang Quraisy tidak pernah mendengar Al-Qur'an dibacakan dengan jelas kepada mereka ... Apabila (Ibn Mas'ud) tiba di maqam, dia membaca "Dengan nama God Yang Maha Pemurah lagi Maha Penyayang", sambil meninggikan suaranya. "Yang Maha Pemurah, yang telah mengajarkan Al-Qur'an ..." (55:1) ... Mereka bangkit dan mula memukul mukanya; namun dia terus membaca setakat mana God kehendaki dia membaca ... [Guillaume, E.: The Life of Muhammad (disingkatkan sebagai Ibn Hisham), London, 55, hlm. 141-2; Ibn Hisham: Sirah al-Nabi, Cairo, t.t., 1, hlm. 206.] Turut dilaporkan bahawa Abu Bakr biasa membacakan Al-Qur'an secara terbuka di hadapan rumahnya di Makkah. [Sira Ibn Hisham, The Life of Muhammad]

'... the first man to speak the Qur'an loudly in Makka after the apostle was 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud. The Prophet's Companions came together and mentioned that the Quraish had never heard the Qur'an distinctly read to them ... When (Ibn Mas'ud) arrived at the maqam, he read "In the name of God the Compassionate the Merciful", raising his voice as he did so. "The Compassionate who taught the Qur'an ..." (55:1) ... They got up and began to hit him in the face; but he continued to read so far as God willed that he should read ... [Guillaume, E.: The Life of Muhammad (abbr. as Ibn Hisham), London, 55, pp. 141-2; Ibn Hisham: Sira al-nabi, Cairo, n.d., 1, p.206.] It is also reported that Abu Bakr used to recite the Qur'an publicly in front of his house in Makka. [Sira Ibn Hisham, The Life of Muhammad]

Terdapat banyak hadith yang memberikan gambaran tentang pelbagai usaha dan langkah yang diambil oleh Nabi ﷺ untuk memastikan wahyu itu terpelihara dalam ingatan para Sahabat. Yang berikut mungkin merupakan yang paling jelas:

There are numerous ahadith, giving account of various efforts made and measures taken by the Prophet to ensure that the revelation was preserved in the memory of his Com- panions. The following is perhaps the most clear:

'Diriwayatkan daripada 'Uthman bin 'Affan: Nabi ﷺ bersabda: "Orang yang paling utama di antara kalian (kaum Muslimin) ialah mereka yang mempelajari al-Qur'an dan mengajarkannya".' [Bukhari, VI, No. 546.] Juga sudah masyhur bahawa bacaan al-Qur'an dalam solat-solat harian adalah wajib, dan kerana itu ramai para Sahabat berulang kali mendengar ayat-ayat daripada wahyu, menghafalnya, dan menggunakannya dalam solat.

'Narrated 'Uthman bin 'Affan: The Prophet said: "The most superior among you (Muslims) are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it".' [Bukhari, VI, No. 546.] It is also well known that the recital of the Qur'an during the daily prayers is required and hence many Companions heard repeatedly passages from the revelation, memorized them and used them in prayer.

Nabi ﷺ juga mendengar bacaan Al-Qur'an oleh para Sahabat.

The Prophet also listened to the recitation of the Qur'an by the Companions.

Diriwayatkan daripada 'Abdullah (bin Mas'ud): Rasulullah ﷺ bersabda kepadaku: "Bacakanlah (al-Qur'an) untukku." Aku berkata: "Patutkah aku membacakannya kepadamu, sedangkan ia telah diturunkan kepadamu?!" Baginda bersabda: "Aku suka mendengarnya daripada orang lain." Maka aku pun membacakan Surah an-Nisa' sehingga sampai kepada firman-Nya: {Maka bagaimanakah (keadaan mereka) apabila Kami datangkan daripada setiap umat seorang saksi, dan Kami datangkan engkau (wahai Muhammad) sebagai saksi atas mereka itu?} (4:

Narrated 'Abdullah (b. Mas'ud): 'Allah's Apostle said to me: "Recite (of the Qur'an) for me". I said: "Shall I recite it to you although it had been revealed to you?!" He said: "I like to hear (the Qur'an) from others". So I recited Surat-an-Nisa' till I reached: "How (will it be) then when We bring from each nation a witness and We bring you (O Muhammad) as a witness against these people?" ' (4:

41). Kemudian beliau berkata: "Berhenti!" Lihatlah, matanya ketika itu sedang mencucurkan air mata. [Bukhari, VI, No. 106.]

41). 'Then he said: "Stop!" Behold, his eyes were shedding tears then.' [Bukhari, VI, No. 106.]

Nabi ﷺ menghantar guru-guru ke kaum-kaum di tempat lain supaya mereka dapat menerima pengajaran tentang Islam dan al-Quran.

The Prophet sent teachers to communities in other places so that they might receive instruction in Islam and the Qur'an.

Kes Mus'ab bin 'Umair menggambarkan bahawa perkara ini telah berlaku sebelum hijrah lagi.

The case of Mus'ab bin 'Umair illustrates that this was so even before the hijra:

"Ketika orang-orang ini (dari baiah 'Aqabah yang pertama) bertolak (ke Madinah), Rasulullah ﷺ mengutus bersama mereka Mus'ab bin 'Umair ... dan memerintahkannya untuk membacakan al-Qur'an kepada mereka, mengajarkan Islam kepada mereka, dan memberi mereka pengajaran tentang agama. Di Madinah, Mus'ab dipanggil 'si pembaca'." [Ibn Hisyam, hlm. 199.] Satu lagi kes yang terkenal berkaitan Mu'adh bin Jabal, yang diutus ke Yaman untuk mengajar penduduk di sana.

'When these men (of the first pledge of 'Aqaba) left (for Madina) the apostle sent with them Mus'ab bin 'Umair ... and instructed him to read the Qur'an to them and to teach them Islam and to give them instruction about religion. In Madina Musiab was called "the reader".' [Ibn Hisham, p. 199.] Another well-known case concerns Mu'adh bin Jabal who was sent to Yemen to instruct the people there.

Suyuti [Itqan 1, hlm. 124.] menyebut lebih dua puluh tokoh terkenal yang menghafal wahyu, antaranya Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, 'Ali, Ibn Mas'ud, Abu Huraira, 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas, 'Abdullah bin 'Amr bin al-'As, 'A'isha, Hafsa, dan Umm Salama.

Suyuti [Itqan 1, p. 124.] mentions more than twenty well-known persons who memorized the revelation, among them were Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, 'Ali, Ibn Mas'ud, Abu Huraira, 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas, 'Abdullah bin 'Amr bin al-'As, 'A'isha, Hafsa, and Umm Salama.

Di antara ini, Nabi ﷺ sendiri menganjurkan secara khusus perkara-perkara berikut:

From among these, the Prophet himself recommended especially the following:

Diriwayatkan daripada Masruq: 'Abdullah bin 'Amr menyebut 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud dan berkata: Aku akan sentiasa mencintai lelaki itu kerana aku pernah mendengar Nabi ﷺ bersabda: Ambillah (pelajarilah) Al-Qur'an daripada empat orang: 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud, Salim, Mu'adz dan Ubay bin Ka'b. [Bukhari, VI, No. 521.] Hadith yang lain memberitahu kita tentang para Sahabat yang telah menghafal keseluruhan Al-Qur'an dan mengulanginya bersama Nabi ﷺ sebelum baginda wafat:

'Narrated Masruq: 'Abdullah bin 'Amr mentioned 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud and said: I shall ever love that man for I heard the Prophet saying: Take (learn) the Qur'an from four: 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud, Salim, Muiadh and Ubay bin Ka'b'. [Bukhari, VI, No. 521.] Another hadith informs us about those Companions who had memorized the Qur'an in its entirety and gone over it with the Prophet before his death:

'Diriwayatkan daripada Qatadah: Saya bertanya kepada Anas bin Malik: Siapakah yang mengumpulkan Al-Qur'an pada zaman Nabi ﷺ? Beliau menjawab, Empat orang, kesemuanya daripada golongan Ansar: Ubay bin Ka'b, Mu'adh bin Jabal, Zaid bin Thabit dan Abu Zaid.' [Bukhari, VI, No. 525.] Hakikat bahawa sebahagian daripada laporan sejarah yang paling awal menyebut secara khusus dalam catatan peperangan yang berlaku, tentang orang Islam yang terbunuh yang menghafal (sebahagian) Al-Qur'an, memberikan petunjuk yang jelas bahawa hafalan wahyu dianggap penting dan diamalkan secara meluas sejak awal lagi. [See below, on collection of the Qur'an in Abu Bakr's time.]

'Narrated Qatada: I asked Anas bin Malik: Who collected the Qur'an at the time of the Prophet? He replied, Four, all of whom were from the Ansar: Ubay bin Ka'b, Mu'adh bin Jabal, Zaid bin Thabit and Aba Zaid.' [Bukhari, VI, No. 525.] The fact that some of the earliest historical reports make special mention in the accounts of the battles that were fought, of Muslims killed who knew (something of) the Qur'an by heart, gives a clear indication that memorization of the revelation was considered important and widely practised from the earliest times. [See below, on collection of the Qur'an in Abu Bakr's time.]

Oleh itu, adalah pasti bahawa al-Quran telah dihafal oleh para Sahabat Nabi ﷺ semasa hayat baginda. Tradisi ini berterusan di kalangan para Sahabat selepas kewafatan Nabi ﷺ, kemudian di kalangan para tabi'in dan semua generasi umat Islam yang mengikuti mereka, sehingga hari ini.

It is therefore certain that the Qur'an had been memorized by the Companions of the Prophet during his lifetime. This tradition continued among the Companions after the Prophet's death and, later, among the tabi'un and all generations of Muslims that have followed, until today.