Sahih al-Bukhari 7191

Hadith text

Narrated Zaid bin Thabit:Abu Bakr sent for me owing to the large number of casualties in the battle of Al-Yamama, while `Umar was sitting with him. Abu Bakr said (to me), `Umar has come to my and said, 'A great number of Qaris of the Holy Qur'an were killed on the day of the battle of Al-Yamama, and I am afraid that the casualties among the Qaris of the Qur'an may increase on other battle-fields whereby a large part of the Qur'an may be lost. Therefore I consider it advisable that you (Abu Bakr) should have the Qur'an collected.' I said, 'How dare I do something which Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) did not do?' `Umar said, By Allah, it is something beneficial.' `Umar kept on pressing me for that till Allah opened my chest for that for which He had opened the chest of `Umar and I had in that matter, the same opinion as `Umar had." Abu Bakr then said to me (Zaid), "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)." Zaid further said: By Allah, if Abu Bakr had ordered me to shift a mountain among the mountains from one place to another it would not have been heavier for me than this ordering me to collect the Qur'an. Then I said (to `Umar and Abu Bakr), "How can you do something which Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) did not do?" Abu Bakr said, "By Allah, it is something beneficial." Zaid added: So he (Abu Bakr) kept on pressing me for that until Allah opened my chest for that for which He had opened the chests of Abu Bakr and `Umar, and I had in that matter, the same opinion as theirs. So I started compiling the Qur'an by collecting it from the leafless stalks of the date-palm tree and from the pieces of leather and hides and from the stones, and from the chests of men (who had memorized the Qur'an). I found the last verses of Surat-at-Tauba: ("Verily there has come unto you an Apostle (Muhammad) from amongst yourselves--' (9.128-129) ) from Khuza`ima or Abi Khuza`ima and I added to it the rest of the Sura. The manuscripts of the Qur'an remained with Abu Bakr till Allah took him unto Him. Then it remained with `Umar till Allah took him unto Him, and then with Hafsa bint `Umar

Zaid bin Thabit bataate hain: Al-Yamama ki jang mein bahut zyaada nuqsaan ki wajah se Abu Bakr ne mujhe bulwaaya, jabke Umar unke paas baithe hue the. Abu Bakr ne (mujhse) kaha, 'Umar mere paas aaye aur kaha, "Al-Yamama ki jang ke din bahut se Quran ke Qaris (haafiz) qatl kiye gaye, aur mujhe dar hai ke doosre jang ke maidaanon mein Quran ke Qaris ka nuqsaan aur badh sakta hai, jispar Quran ka ek bada hissa kho sakta hai. Isliye main ye salaah deta hoon ke aap (Abu Bakr) Quran ko jama karwaayein." Maine kaha, "Main aisi cheez kaise kar sakta hoon jo Allah ke Rasool (SAW) ne nahi ki?" Umar ne kaha, "Allah ki qasam, ye ek faayde-mand kaam hai." Umar mujhpar isi baat ka zor daalte rahe yahaan tak ke Allah ne mera seena us baat ke liye khol diya jiske liye usne Umar ka seena khola tha, aur mujhe is maamle mein wahi raay thi jo Umar ki thi.' Abu Bakr ne phir mujhse (Zaid se) kaha, 'Tum ek samajhdaar jawaan aadmi ho aur humein tumpar koi shak nahi, aur tum Allah ke Rasool (SAW) ke liye Ilaahi Wahi likha karte the. Isliye tumhein Quran ke bikhre hue hisson ko dhoondhna chaahiye aur use (ek Kitaab mein) jama karna chaahiye.' Zaid ne aage kaha: Allah ki qasam, agar Abu Bakr mujhe kisi pahaad ko ek jagah se doosri jagah hilaane ka hukm dete, to wo mujhe Quran jama karne ke is hukm se kam bhaari nahi lagta. Phir maine (Umar aur Abu Bakr se) kaha, 'Aap kaise wo cheez kar sakte hain jo Allah ke Rasool (SAW) ne nahi ki?' Abu Bakr ne kaha, 'Allah ki qasam, ye ek faayde-mand kaam hai.' Zaid ne izaafa kiya: To wo (Abu Bakr) mujhpar isi baat ka zor daalte rahe yahaan tak ke Allah ne mera seena us baat ke liye khol diya jiske liye usne Abu Bakr aur Umar ka seena khola tha, aur mujhe is maamle mein unki hi raay thi. To maine Quran ko jama karna shuru kiya, khajoor ke bina-patton ke danthal se, chamde aur khaal ke tukdon se, aur pattharon se, aur un logon ke seenon se (jinhone Quran yaad kiya hua tha). Maine Surah At-Tauba ki aakhri Aayaten ("Beshak, tumhaare paas ek Rasool (Muhammad) aaye hain tum mein se..." (9:128-129)) Khuzaima ya Abi Khuzaima ke paas payi aur maine ise Surah ke baaki hisse mein jod diya. Quran ke naskhe Abu Bakr ke paas rahe jab tak Allah ne unhein apne paas nahi bulaaya. Phir wo Umar ke paas rahe jab tak Allah ne unhein apne paas nahi bulaaya, aur phir wo Hafsa bint Umar ke paas rahe.

Sahih al-Bukhari 7191 · Book 93, Hadith 53