'In the ancient times, when
writing was scarcely used,
memory and oral
transmission was exercised
and strengthened to a
degree now almost
unknown'
Michael Zwettler. (Oral tradition of Classical
Arabic Poetry, p.14. Ohio State Press: 1978
[O prophet!] Do not move
your tongue swiftly to
acquire this [Qur’an].
Verily, upon us is its
collection and recital. So
when we have recited it,
follow this recital [of
ours]. Then upon us is to
explain it [wherever need
be]. (Qur’an, 75:16-19)
'Gabriel used to repeat the
recitation of the Qur'an
with Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) once
a year, but he repeated it
twice with him in the year
he (Prophet) died'
Abu Hurayrah, collected in
Sahih Al-Bukhari, 6.520
'Some of the companions
who memorized the Quran
were: 'Abu Bakr, Umar,
Uthman, Ali, Ibn Masud, Abu
Huraira, Abdullah bin Abbas,
Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As,
Aisha, Hafsa, and Umm
Salama'. Jalal al-Din Suyuti,
'Al-Itqan fi-ulum al-Quran,
Vol. I, p. 124
'Allah Messenger
(Muhammed) said to me
(Abdullah bin Mas'ud):
"Recite (of the Quran) to
me". I said: "Shall I recite it
to you although it had been
revealed to you?!" He Said: "I
like to hear (the Quran) from
others". Sahih Al-Bukhari,
6.106
"…Quranic schools were set up
everywhere. In the second Muslim
generation, Ibn 'Amir, was the judge of
Damascus under the caliph Umar Ibn 'Abd
al-Aziz. It is reported that in his school for
teaching the Qur'an there were 400
disciples to teach in his absence".
[Ibn al Jazari, Kitab al-Nash fi al-Qir'at al-Ashr, Cairo, al-Halabi,
n.d._ vol. 2, p. 254
The number of Katatib
and similar schools in
Cairo (Egypt) alone at
one time exceeded two
thousand. Labib as-Said,
The Recited Koran, 1975,
pg. 59.
Muslim Community Center, Chicago
IIF at Elgin
Islamic Center, Chicago
Jame’ Masjid, Chicago
Northside Mosque, Chicago
Masjid Hameedia, Chicago
Masjid e Rahmat, Chicago
Masjid e Noor, Chicago
Masjid Al-Taqwa, Chicago
Masjid e Kausar, Chicago
100s of Quranic Memorization
schools exist in USA, a non-Muslim
country. 1000s of these schools
exist in Muslim countries.
"The method of transmitting the
Quran from one generation to the
next by having he young memorize
the oral recitation of their elders had
mitigated somewhat from the
beginning the worst perils of relying
solely on written records…"
The fact of hifz (Quranic
Memorization) has made the Qur'an
a present possession through all the
lapse of Muslim time and given it a
human currency in every generation
never allowing its relegation to a
bare authority for reference alone".
John Burton, An Introduction to the
Hadith, Edinburgh University Press:
1994, p. 27.
Kenneth Cragg, The Mind of the
Qur'an, George Allan & Unwin: 1973,
p.26.
Conclusion - Memorization
Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh) commanded his
companions: ‘do not
write anything from
me except the Qur’an.’
Compiled by Muslim
Prophet Muhammad (s) did not knew
how to read and write, thus he used to
call his scribes to write down the Quran
for him whenever he received a new
revelation from Allah (The God)
Narrated by al-Bara': There
was revealed 'Not equal are
those believers…’ (4:95). The
Prophet said: 'Call Zaid for me
and let him bring the board,
the ink pot and scapula bone.'
Then he (Prophet) said:
'Write: Not equal are those
believers…‘Bukhari, 6.512
Above is an example of Prophet
Muhammad (s) calling one of his
scribes when he received a
revelation
Narrated Yazid bin Al Ubaid”
’I used to accompany Salama bin
Al-Akwa' and he used to pray
behind the pillar which was near
the place where the Qur'ans were
kept. I said, "O Abu Muslim! I see
you always seeking to pray behind
this pillar." He replied, "I saw Allah's
Apostle always seeking to pray
near that pillar.“Bukhari 1.481
The above narration confirms the fact
that the written copy of the Quran was
present in a book form during the
lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (s)
So, What is the significance of having
the whole written Quran during the
lifetime of Prophet Muhammed (s)?
 Prophet Muhammed (s) authenticated this written copy.
 Any mistake in writing the original can be checked and
corrected by Prophet Muhammad (s)
 Copies were made from this original by people who were
memorizers, thus preserving its purity.
 No previous religious personality can verify the holy scripture
written about him (example Prophet Jesus was not around
when the first Gospel was written down. Prophet Moses was
not around when the Torah (first 5 books of the Bible were
written, obituary of Moses is present in Duet. 34, Moses
cannot have writen his own obituary!)
So, What is the significance of having the
whole written Quran during the lifetime of
Prophet Muhammed (s)?

The above is unlike the New-Testament, Old Testament, Hindu
scriptures, Buddhist scriptures, all were written down AFTER their
main person (founder) left the world, thus the later writers can
interpolate and edit the original sayings.
 Since no other book was memorized and written down as the
Quran, then the check and balance system of correcting the copying
errors is lacking in other scriptures (except the Quran) and resulted in
their defective transmission.
 An altered, defective, less then 100% authentic scripture, cannot be
trusted for our salvation.
 Thus, we can safely set aside all other books for our salvation except
the Quran.
'A list of companions
possessing their own
written copies of the
Qur’an included the
following:
Ibn Mas'ud, Ubay bin Ka'b, Ali, Ibn
Abbas, Abu Musa, Hafsa, Anas bin
Malik, Umar, Zaid bin Thabit, Ibn AlZubair, Abdullah ibn Amr, Aisha,
Salim, Umm Salama, Ubaid bin Umar'.
Ibn Abi Dawud, Masahif, p. 14.
Script
: Kufi Masq
Dimension
: 16 x 33 cm
Copying date : 1st/2nd centuries
Surah (Chapter) name : Surat al-Isra
Verses number : from 20 to 22 and part of 23
Comparing the ancient manuscripts of the Quran with our current copies
No Change in number of chapters, verses or words!
Script
: Italic Kufi
Dimension
: 50 x 36 cm
Copying date : 1st / 2nd centuries
Surah name : Surat al Kahf
Verses number : Part of 17 to 27 and
part of 28
Comparing the ancient manuscripts of the Quran with our current copies
No Change in number of chapters, verses or words!
Script
: Kufi Masahif
Dimension
: 32 x 24 cm
Copying date : 2nd / 3rd centuries
Surah name : Surat al-Nas
Verses number : part of 3 to the end
of the surah
Qur’an Manuscripts
Script
: Kufi Masahif
Dimension
: 16 x 36 cm
Copying date : 1st / 2nd century
Surah name : Surat al- Mumtahina
Verses number : Part of 4 to 8 and
part of 9
Comparing the ancient manuscripts of the Quran with our current copies
No Change in number of chapters, verses or words!
Script
: Kufi Masahif
Dimension
: 39 x 36 CM
Copying date : 2nd Century
Surah name : Surat al Tawba, suratYunus
Verses number : part of 129 from surat al
Tawba to 3 and part of 4 from suratYunus
Comparing the ancient manuscripts of the Quran with our current copies
No Change in number of chapters, verses or words!
Within six months from the coming
into force of the present treaty,
Germany will restore to his majesty
the king of the Hedjaz the original
Koran of the caliph Othman, which was
removed from medina by the Turkish
authorities and is stated to have been
presented to the ex-emperor William
II. http://history.acusd.edu/
gen/text/versaillestreaty/vercontents.
htm[University of San Diego]
In 1919, the Big 4 met in Paris to negotiate the
Treaty Lloyd George of Britain, Orlando of Italy,
Clemenceau of France, and Woodrow Wilson of
the U.S.
Even non-Muslim nations acknowledge that Muslims possess the Original Quran
written down in the time of the companions of Prophet Muhammad (s).
"There is probably no other
book in the world which has
remained twelve centuries
(now fourteen) with so pure a
text".
• ______________
Sir William Muir, Life of
Mohamet, vol.1, Introduction.
(1861 CE)
Quran: Tashkent, Uzbekistan
‘What we have today in
our hands is the Mushaf
(is like the original
manuscript) of
Muhammad.’
John Burton, The Collection Of The Qur'ân, 1977,
Cambridge University Press, pp. 239-240.
'We* (Allah) have,
without doubt, send
down the Message;
and We will
assuredly Guard it
(from corruption)'
Quran 15:9
‘We’ is the plural of authority and respect and not the plural of ‘trinity’ or more
than one.
Conclusion
1. Entire Quran is Preserved through memory in each generation from
Muhammad’s (s) to ours.
2. Written copies copied from the original Quran of Muhammad (s) still exist
for verification and authentication
3. Any copying errors by the copyist is caught and corrected by the
memorizers of the Quran
4. Any mistake in recitation by a memorizer is corrected by fellow
memorizer & by written copies of the Quran
5. Multi-layered system of check and balance to protect Quran from getting
corrupted (this check and balance system is lacking for any other book,
religious or secular!)
6. Quran is recited from memory by Muslims in the daily prayers.
7. Entire Quran is recited and listened to by Muslims once each year during
the month of Ramadan (Fasting)
6. Allah is the ultimate preserver of the Quran
Contact Info. for Islam
 Dr. Sabeel Ahmed
 SabeelDawah@yahoo.com
 http://www.slideshare.net/sabeel
 http://www.iol.ie/~afifi/BICNews/Sabeel/sabe
el3.htm
Obtain a Free Translation of the Quran
Gift from me!
1-800-662-ISLAM
Thank you!
May Allah (God) Provide us Guidance,
Peace and Salvation…Aameen