Mishkat al-Masabih 2124

Abu Bakr sent for me after the slaughter of those who fought at al-Yamama and Umar ibn al-Khattab was with him. Abu Bakr told me that Umar had come to him and drawn attention to the extensive slaughter among Qur’an readers at the battle of al- Yamama, saying he was afraid that if readers continued to be killed in large numbers at other battles a large amount of the Qur’an would be lost, and that he therefore thought he should give command that the Qur’an be collected.

He had asked. Umar how he could do a thing which God’s messenger had not done, and Umar, swearing by God that this was best, had kept at him till God made him inclined to do that, and he came to hold Umar’s opinion about the matter.

Zaid told how Abu Bakr said to him, “You are an intelligent young man whom we do not suspect and you have been writing down the revelation which came to God’s messenger, so search for the Qur’an and collect it,” adding: I swear by God that if they had imposed on me the transportation of a mountain it would not have been a heavier load for me than the collecting of the Qur’an which he ordered me to undertake.

I asked how they could do a thing which God’s messenger had not done and Abu Bakr, swearing by God that this was best, kept at me till God made me in­clined to do what He had made Abu Bakr and Umar inclined to do. I therefore searched for the Qur’an and collected it from leafless palm branches, white stones and the breasts of men till I found the end of sura at-Tauba (Qur’an, 9) with Abu Khuzaima al-Ansari, not having found it with anyone else: “A messenger from among yourselves has come to you…” to the end of Baraa* (Qur’an, 9 128-129).

The sheets were deposited with Abu Bakr till God took him, then with Umar during his lifetime, then with Hafsah, Umar’s daughter. *Tauba and Baraa are alternative titles of sura 9. Bukhari transmitted it.