Sahih al-Bukhari 4986

Hadith text

Narrated Zaid bin Thabit:Abu Bakr As-Siddiq sent for me when the people of Yamama had been killed (i.e., a number of the Prophet's Companions who fought against Musailima). (I went to him) and found `Umar bin Al- Khattab sitting with him. Abu Bakr then said (to me), "`Umar has come to me and said: "Casualties were heavy among the Qurra' of the Qur'an (i.e. those who knew the Qur'an by heart) on the day of the Battle of Yamama, and I am afraid that more heavy casualties may take place among the Qurra' on other battlefields, whereby a large part of the Qur'an may be lost. Therefore I suggest, you (Abu Bakr) order that the Qur'an be collected." I said to `Umar, "How can you do something which Allah's Apostle did not do?" `Umar said, "By Allah, that is a good project." `Umar kept on urging me to accept his proposal till Allah opened my chest for it and I began to realize the good in the idea which `Umar had realized." Then Abu Bakr said (to me). 'You are a wise young man and we do not have any suspicion about you, and you used to write the Divine Inspiration for Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). So you should search for (the fragmentary scripts of) the Qur'an and collect it in one book." By Allah If they had ordered me to shift one of the mountains, it would not have been heavier for me than this ordering me to collect the Qur'an. Then I said to Abu Bakr, "How will you do something which Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) did not do?" Abu Bakr replied, "By Allah, it is a good project." Abu Bakr kept on urging me to accept his idea until Allah opened my chest for what He had opened the chests of Abu Bakr and `Umar. So I started looking for the Qur'an and collecting it from (what was written on) palme stalks, thin white stones and also from the men who knew it by heart, till I found the last Verse of Surat at-Tauba (Repentance) with Abi Khuzaima Al-Ansari, and I did not find it with anybody other than him. The Verse is: 'Verily there has come unto you an Apostle (Muhammad) from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty..(till the end of Surat-Baraa' (at-Tauba) (9.128-129). Then the complete manuscripts (copy) of the Qur'an remained with Abu Bakr till he died, then with `Umar till the end of his life, and then with Hafsa, the daughter of `Umar

Zaid bin Thabit bataate hain: Yamama ke logon (Musailima ke khilaaf jang mein maare gaye Nabi ke sahaaba) ke qatl hone ke baad Abu Bakr As-Siddiq ne mujhe bulwaaya. (Main unke paas gaya) aur Umar bin Al-Khattab ko unke saath baitha paaya. Abu Bakr ne (mujhse) kaha, 'Umar mere paas aaye aur kaha, "Jang-e-Yamama ke din Quran ke Qurra (zabaani yaad karne walon) mein bhaari nuqsaan hua hai, aur mujhe dar hai ke doosre maidan-e-jang mein bhi Qurra mein bhaari nuqsaan hoga, jiski wajah se Quran ka bada hissa zaaya ho jaayega. Isliye main sujhaav deta hoon ke aap Quran ko jama karne ka hukm dein." Maine Umar se kaha, "Aap wo kaam kaise kar sakte hain jo Allah ke Rasool (SAW) ne khud nahi kiya?" Umar ne kaha, "Allah ki qasam, ye ek achha kaam hai." Umar mujhe manaate rahe yahaan tak ke Allah ne mera seena is kaam ke liye khol diya aur mujhe bhi wahi bhalaai samajh aayi jo Umar ko samajh aayi thi.' Phir Abu Bakr ne (mujhse) kaha, 'Tum ek samajhdaar jawaan aadmi ho aur humein tum par koi shak nahi, aur tum Allah ke Rasool (SAW) ke liye wahi likha karte the. Isliye tumhein Quran (ke bikhre hue tukdon) ko dhoondh kar ek Kitaab mein jama karna chaahiye.' Allah ki qasam, agar mujhe kisi pahaad ko uski jagah se hataane ka hukm diya jaata, to wo mujhe Quran jama karne ke hukm se zyaada bhaari nahi lagta. Phir maine Abu Bakr se kaha, 'Aap wo kaam kaise kar sakte hain jo Allah ke Rasool (SAW) ne nahi kiya?' Abu Bakr ne jawab diya, 'Allah ki qasam, ye ek achha kaam hai.' Abu Bakr mujhe manaate rahe yahaan tak ke Allah ne mera seena bhi usi tarah khol diya jaise usne Abu Bakr aur Umar ka khola tha. To maine Quran ko dhoondhna aur jama karna shuru kiya - khajoor ke patton ki daalon, safed patthar ke tukdon, aur un logon se jo ise zabaani yaad karte the - yahaan tak ke mujhe Surah At-Tauba ki aakhri Aayat Abi Khuzaima Al-Ansari ke paas mili, mujhe wo kisi aur ke paas nahi mili. Wo Aayat hai: 'Beshak tumhaare paas tum mein se hi ek Rasool (Muhammad) aaya hai. Use tumhaari takleef aur mushkilaat par bahut dukh hota hai...' (Surah Bara'a/At-Tauba ke aakhir tak) (9:128-129) Phir Quran ka wo mukammal nuskha Abu Bakr ke paas raha yahaan tak ke unka intekaal ho gaya, phir Umar ke paas unki zindagi ke aakhir tak, aur phir Umar ki beti Hafsa ke paas raha.

Sahih al-Bukhari 4986 · Book 66, Hadith 8