Volume 6, Book 60, Number 201:
Narrated Zaid bin Thabit Al-Ansari:
Volume 6 – 1023 / 1700
SAHIH BUKHARI VOLUME 6 > BOOK 60: PROPHETIC COMMENTARY ON THE QUR’AN (TAFSEER OF THE PROPHET (PBUH))
who was one of those who used to write the Divine Revelation: Abu Bakr sent for me after the
(heavy) casualties among the warriors (of the battle) of Yamama (where a great number of Qurra’
were killed). ‘Umar was present with Abu Bakr who said, ‘Umar has come to me and said, The people
have suffered heavy casualties on the day of (the battle of) Yamama, and I am afraid that there will
be more casualties among the Qurra’ (those who know the Qur’an by heart) at other battle-fields,
whereby a large part of the Qur’an may be lost, unless you collect it. And I am of the opinion that you
should collect the Qur’an.” Abu Bakr added, “I said to ‘Umar, ‘How can I do something which Allah’s
Apostle has not done?’ ‘Umar said (to me), ‘By Allah, it is (really) a good thing.’ So ‘Umar kept on
pressing, trying to persuade me to accept his proposal, till Allah opened my bosom for it and I had
the same opinion as ‘Umar.” (Zaid bin Thabit added:) Umar was sitting with him (Abu Bakr) and was
not speaking. me). “You are a wise young man and we do not suspect you (of telling lies or of forget –
fulness): and you used to write the Divine Inspiration for Allah’s Apostle. Therefore, look for the
Qur’an and collect it (in one manuscript). ” By Allah, if he (Abu Bakr) had ordered me to shift one of
the mountains (from its place) it would not have been harder for me than what he had ordered me
concerning the collection of the Qur’an. I said to both of them, “How dare you do a thing which the
Prophet has not done?” Abu Bakr said, “By Allah, it is (really) a good thing. So I kept on arguing with
him about it till Allah opened my bosom for that which He had opened the bosoms of Abu Bakr and
Umar. So I started locating Quranic material and collecting it from parchments, scapula, leaf-stalks
of date palms and from the memories of men (who knew it by heart). I found with Khuzaima two
Verses of Surat-at-Tauba which I had not found with anybody else, (and they were):–
“Verily there has come to you an Apostle (Muhammad) from amongst yourselves. It grieves him
that you should receive any injury or difficulty He (Muhammad) is ardently anxious over you (to be
rightly guided)” (9.128)
The manuscript on which the Quran was collected, remained with Abu Bakr till Allah took him
unto Him, and then with ‘Umar till Allah took him unto Him, and finally it remained with Hafsa,
Umar’s daughter.