Baada ya kifo cha Mtume (ﷺ), zilijitokeza makundi matatu makuu yaliyopinga Uislamu katika Rasi ya Uarabuni:

After the death of the Prophet (ﷺ), there arose three main groups opposed to Islaam in the Arabian peninsula:

Kundi la kwanza lilikuwa la watu waliouamua kutotoa zakaah ya Kiislamu kwa yeyote isipokuwa Mtume ﷺ. Hawakuiona zakaah kuwa nguzo ya Uislamu kama swalah, saumu na hijja. Badala yake waliiangalia zakaah kama kodi ya kutoa kwa aliyewashinda; aina ya ushuru unaolipwa kwa yule aliyewateka. Kwa hiyo, Mtume ﷺ alipofariki, walihisi kwamba hawakuwa tena na wajibu wa kuilipa. Abu Bakr alipokuwa kiongozi wa dola ya Kiislamu, kundi hili lilikataa kutoa zakaah na likatuma majeshi kuelekea mji mkuu, Madinah, ili kuiangusha dola ya Kiislamu. Walidai wasamehewe kulipa zakaah, la sivyo wangeshambulia na kuharibu vituo vya Uislamu.71

1. The first group was made up of those who decided that they did not want to pay the Islaamic tax, zakaah, to anyone other than the Prophet (r). They did not feel that zakaah was a pillar of Islaam like salaah, sawm and hajj. They instead looked at zakaah as a tribute; a kind of tax paid to the one who conquered them. So, when the Prophet (r) died, they felt that they were no longer required to pay it. When Aboo Bakr became the leader of the Muslim state, this group refused to pay the zakaah and sent armies to the capital, Madeenah, in order to topple the Muslim state. They demanded to be excused from paying zakaah, or else they would attack and destroy the centers of Islaam.71

2. Kundi la kwanza lilijiunga na wale walioingia katika Uislamu ili kukimbia kushindwa, pamoja na wale waliotaka tu kuwa upande wa washindi. Kundi hili halikumwamini Allah na Mjumbe Wake hata kidogo. Walitaka kuuharibu Uislamu ili wawe huru kufanya chochote walichotaka kufanya. Kwa kuwa majeshi ya wale waliokataa kulipa zakaah yalionekana kuwa na nguvu, wanafiki wengi wao walijiunga nao.

2. The first group was joined by those who had entered Islaam in order to escape defeat, as well as those who simply wanted to be on the winning side. This group did not believe in Allaah and His Messenger at all. They wanted to destroy Islaam so they could be free to do whatever they wanted to do. Since the armies of those who refused to pay zakaah appeared strong, many of these hypocrites joined them.

Kundi la tatu lilikuwa na idadi ya manabii wa uongo na manabii wa kike wa uongo pamoja na wafuasi wao. Huko Najd, katika eneo la Yamaamah, Mwarabu kutoka kabila la Banoo Haneefah aliyeitwa Musaylamah alidai kuwa ni nabii. Upande wa kusini wa Arabia, Mwarabu mwingine kutoka kabila la ‘Ans aliyeitwa al-Aswad alidai pia kuwa ni nabii, akaiteka Najraan na Yemen. Kaskazini mwa Arabia, mwanamke aitwaye Sajaah kutoka kabila la Banoo Tameem naye alidai kuwa ni nabii na kuinuka kwa silaha dhidi ya dola ya Kiislamu.72 Manabii hao wote wa uongo waliwaalika watu waache Uislamu kwa madai kwamba Allaah amewateremshia sheria mpya zinazohalalisha mambo mengi ambayo Allaah aliyaharamisha kupitia Nabii Muhammad (ﷺ).

3. The third group was made up of a number of false prophets and prophetesses and their followers. In Najd, in the region of Yamaamah, an Arab from the tribe of Banoo Haneefah named Musaylamah claimed prophethood. In the southern part of Arabia, another Arab from the tribe of ‘Ans called al-Aswad claimed prophethood and took over Najraan and Yemen. In northern Arabia a woman named Sajaah from the Banoo Tameem tribe also claimed prophethood and rose in arms against the Muslim state.72 These false prophets all invited people to leave Islaam by claiming that Allaah had revealed new laws to them making allowable most of the things which were forbidden by Allaah through Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).

Waislamu wa kweli chini ya uongozi wa Khalifa Abu Bakr walilazimika kupigana na makundi haya matatu ili kurejesha Uislamu katika rasi nzima ya Kiarabu.

True Muslims under the leadership of Caliph Aboo Bakr were forced to fight these three groups in order to reestablish Islaam throughout the Arabian peninsula.

Wakati wa vita hivi, vinavyojulikana kama Riddah (kuritadi), wengi wa wale waliokuwa wamehifadhi sehemu kubwa ya Qur'aan waliuawa.73 Waislamu waliokuwa na Qur'aan nyingi mioyoni mwao walijua vizuri thawabu ambazo Allaah (SWT) ameahidi wale wanaopigana kwa ajili ya Uislamu, hivyo daima walikuwa mstari wa mbele katika vita vyote.

During these wars, known as the Riddah (apostasy), many of those who had memorized large portions of the Qur’aan were killed.73 Those Muslims who had a lot of Qur’aan in their hearts knew well the rewards which Allaah has promised those who fight for Islaam, so they would always be in the front lines of all the battles

ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb alitambua hatari ya yaliyokuwa yanatokea na aliogopa kwamba, ikiwa hatua hazitachukuliwa mara moja, Qur-aan ingepotea kwa vizazi vijavyo vya Waislamu. Alimwendea Khalifa Abu Bakr na kumshauri aandikwe Qur-aan yote katika kitabu kimoja ili ihifadhiwe isipotee. Abu Bakr mwanzoni alikataa kufanya hivyo, kwa kuwa Mtume ﷺ hakuwaamuru kufanya hivyo. Aliogopa kuleta jambo jipya katika dini, kwa sababu Mtume ﷺ alikuwa amewaonya juu ya kubadilisha dini. Alijua kwamba Wakristo walikuwa wamepotea kabla yao kwa kubadilisha dini ambayo Nabii ʿIsa alikuwa ameileta baada ya kuondoka kwao, hivyo Abu Bakr alipinga sana kufanya mabadiliko yoyote katika dini kama alivyoachwa na Mtume Muhammad ﷺ.

‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab realized the danger of what was happening and feared that if something was not done immediately, the Qur’aan would be lost to future generations of Muslims. He went to Caliph Aboo Bakr and advised him to have the whole Qur’aan written down in one book in order to preserve it from being lost. Aboo Bakr at first refused to do so, as the Prophet (ﷺ) had not told them to do it. He was afraid of bringing anything new into the religion, because the Prophet (ﷺ) had warned them about changing the religion. He knew that the Christians had gone astray before them by changing the religion which Prophet ‘Eesaa had brought after he left them, so Aboo Bakr was very much against making any changes in the religion as it had been left by Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).

Hata hivyo, baada ya kufikiri kwa makini kuhusu hali hiyo, alifahamu kwamba ushauri wa ‘Umar ulikuwa sahihi na kwamba hiyo haikuwa mabadiliko ya kweli katika dini. Mtume (ﷺ) alikuwa amewaamuru waandike aya mbalimbali na sura za Qur’aan wakati ilipokuwa ikiteremshwa, ili kusaidia kuihifadhi. Kukusanya yote yaliyoandikwa kuwa kitabu kimoja kamili kulikuwa basi kukamilisha kile ambacho Mtume (ﷺ) alikuwa amekianza.

However, after thinking over the situation carefully, he came to realize that ‘Umar’s advice was right and that it was not really a change in the religion. The Prophet (ﷺ) had ordered them to write down the various verses and chapters of the Qur’aan while it was being revealed in order to help preserve it. Compiling all of what was written into one complete book was then only the completion of what the Prophet (ﷺ) had begun.

Khalifa Abu Bakr alimwomba Zayd ibn Thaabit awe msimamizi wa kukusanya na kuandika Qur'aan yote. Zayd mwanzoni alikataa kufanya hivyo kwa sababu zile zile ambazo Abu Bakr alikuwa nazo, lakini baada ya muda pia alitambua kwamba jambo hilo lilikuwa sahihi.74 Zayd alichaguliwa kwa kazi hii kwa sababu zifuatazo:

Caliph Aboo Bakr asked Zayd ibn Thaabit to be in charge of collecting and writing down the whole Qur’aan. Zayd refused to do it at first for the same reasons Aboo Bakr had, but after some time he also came to realize that it was right.74 Zayd was chosen for this task for the following reasons:

1. Alikuwa mmoja wa wasomaji bora wa Qur’aan.75

1. He was one of the best reciters of the Qur’aan.75

Alikuwa mmoja wa wachache waliohifadhi Qur'aani yote wakati wa uhai wa Mtume ﷺ.76

2. He was one of the few who had memorized the whole Qur’aan during the lifetime of the Prophet (ﷺ).76

3. Alikuwa miongoni mwa wale ambao Mtume ﷺ alimwomba waandike Qur-aan.77

3. He was one of those whom the Prophet (r) asked to write down the Qur’aan.77

4. Alikuwa miongoni mwa wachache waliokuwepo wakati Mtume ﷺ alipoisoma Qur'ani yote katika Ramadhani ya mwisho ya maisha yake.78

4. He was one of the few who were present when the Prophet (r) recited the whole Qur’aan during the last Ramadaan of his life.78

Zayd alianza mchakato kwa kukusanya vifaa vyote vilivyoandikwa Qur'aan. Kisha akawakusanya karibu yake wale wote ambao nao walikuwa wamehifadhi Qur'aan yote au sehemu kubwa yake. Kisha alilinganisha kilichoandikwa na kile yeye na wengine walichokuwa wamehifadhi kwa kumbukumbu. Iwapo wote walikubaliana, basi angekiandika kwenye kurasa za ngozi.79 Kwa njia hii Qur'aan yote iliandikwa wakati wa utawala wa Khalifa wa kwanza. Ilipokamilika, Zayd aliikabidhi kwa Khalifa Abu Bakr, ambaye aliihifadhi hadi kifo chake, miaka miwili baada ya kuwa Khalifa.

Zayd began the process by collecting all of the materials on which the Qur’aan had been written. He then gathered around him all of those who had also memorized all of the Qur’aan or large portions of it. He then compared what was written down with what he and the others had memorized. If all agreed, he would then write it down on pages of leather.79 In this way the whole Qur’aan was written down during the reign of the first Caliph. On its completion Zayd turned it over to Caliph Aboo Bakr, who kept it until his death two years after he had become Caliph.

Muda mfupi kabla ya kifo chake, Abu Bakr alimkabidhi ‘Umar nakala ya Qur’aan, aliyemchagua kuwa Khalifa wa pili. ‘Umar alibaki na nakala yake ya Qur’aan hadi alipofariki, miaka kumi baadaye, kwa mkono wa muuaji aliyeitwa Abu Lu’lu’.80

Just before his death, Aboo Bakr turned over the Qur’aan to ‘Umar, whom he had chosen to be the second Caliph. ‘Umar kept his copy of the Qur’aan with him until his death, ten years later, at the hand of an assassin named Aboo Lu’lu’.80

Baadaye Qur'ani ilikabidhiwa kwa binti yake Hafsah, ambaye alikuwa mmoja wa wake wa Mtume ﷺ. Hafsah aliitunza Qur'ani nyumbani kwake Madina, lakini aliifanya ipatikane kwa yeyote aliyetaka kuinakili au kuhakiki usahihi wa alichokuwa amekihifadhi kwa kukariri.81

The Qur’aan was then turned over to his daughter Hafsah, who was one of the Prophet’s widows. Hafsah kept the Qur’aan in her house in Madeenah, but she made it available to anyone who wanted to make copies from it or check the accuracy of what they had memorized.81