Wakati Jibril alipomsomea kwa mara ya kwanza sehemu ya Qur'ani, Nabii (ﷺ) alijaribu kurudia maneno yake kwa neno kwa neno. Baadaye Mwenyezi Mungu alimwagiza Jibril amwambie asifanye hivyo. Badala yake aliambiwa asikilize Qur'ani kwa makini. Nabii (ﷺ) alipofanya hivyo, Mwenyezi Mungu alimjaalia kukumbuka kila kitu bila juhudi yoyote kwa upande wake. Mwenyezi Mungu amesema katika Qur'ani,

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,

Ilikuwa muhimu sana kwa Mtume ﷺ kukumbuka yote yaliyofunuliwa kwake, kwa sababu hakuweza kusoma wala kuandika.

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

Mtume (ﷺ) alimfundisha Qur'ani yote kwa maswahaba zake kabla ya kufa kwake. Alitumia njia kadhaa tofauti ili kuhakikisha kwamba wanaikariri na kuiandika kama alivyoipokea hasa.

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. Mtume (ﷺ) alikuwa akisoma kwa sauti kubwa sehemu mbalimbali za Qur'ani katika swala (sala za jamaa). Kwa njia hiyo, wafuasi wake walikuwa wakisikia sehemu za Qur'ani kila siku.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. Kila mtu aliyeingia katika Uislamu alifundishwa sehemu za Qur'ani ambazo angelazimika kuzitumia katika sala zake za kila siku. Hivyo, Waislamu daima walikuwa wakijifunza au wakifundisha sehemu mbalimbali za Qur'ani.

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. Mtume (ﷺ) aliwafahamisha wafuasi wake kwamba walio bora miongoni mwao ni wale waliojifunza na kufundisha Qur’aan. Hili liliwatia moyo kufanya juhudi zaidi katika kuhifadhi Qur’aan na kuwafundisha wengine.

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. Wale waliokuwa na uwezo wa kusoma na kuandika waliagizwa na Mtume (ﷺ) kuandika sehemu mbalimbali za Qur’aan kadiri zilivyoteremshwa. Mtume (ﷺ) alikuwa akiwaambia mpangilio ambao wanapaswa kuandikia aya. Al-Baraa’ ibn ‘Aazib alisema kwamba aya, "Wale waumini walio kaa (nyumbani) hawalingani na wale wanaopigania," ilipoteremshwa, Mtume (ﷺ) alisema, "Mwiteni Fulani." Alikuja na chupa ya wino na ubao wa mbao au mfupa wa bega. Mtume (ﷺ) alisema, "Andika: 'Wale waumini walio kaa (nyumbani) hawalingani na wale wanaopigania katika njia ya Allaah...'"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

Kwa kuwa hapakuwa na karatasi huko Arabia wakati huo, Qur'aan iliandikwa juu ya chochote kilichopatikana. Maswahaba waliandika aya za Qur'aan juu ya majani ya mtende, mawe bapa, gome la miti, mbao, ngozi kavu za wanyama, na hata mifupa ya mabega ya kondoo au ngamia. Hivyo, aya za Qur'aan zilihifadhiwa mioyoni mwa Waislamu, pamoja na kuandikwa, wakati wa uhai wa Mtume ﷺ. Kwa kuwa watu waliingia katika Uislamu katika nyakati mbalimbali za da'wah ya Mtume ﷺ, ni wachache tu kati yao waliosikia Qur'aan yote moja kwa moja kutoka kwa Mtume ﷺ. Baadhi ya Maswahaba walikuwa na uwezo wa kukariri vizuri zaidi kuliko wengine. Kwa hiyo, ingawa wote walikariri sehemu za Qur'aan, ni wachache tu waliweza kukariri Qur'aan yote wakati wa uhai wa Mtume 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.

Mtume (ﷺ) alipofariki mwaka wa 632 CE, Qur’aan yote haikuwa imeandikwa katika kitabu kimoja kamili. Ilirekodiwa katika vipande mbalimbali vya vifaa vya kuandikia na ilihifadhiwa kwa wafuasi tofauti wa Mtume (ﷺ). Kila mmoja alikuwa na sehemu zake, lakini hakuna aliyekuwa na yote. Kwa sababu aya za Qur’aan ziliendelea kuteremshwa hadi miezi michache kabla ya kifo cha Mtume (ﷺ), maswahaba walikuwa wakijishughulisha zaidi na kuandika na kukariri kuliko kuikusanya yote katika kitabu kimoja. Kwa hiyo, ukusanyaji wa Qur’aan kuwa maandishi moja haukufanyika wakati wa uhai wa Mtume (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).