Quran in Our Hands: Understanding its History
The Quran has and will continue to be a part of our daily lives till our last breaths on this earth. The holy book which is so central in our lives has always been accessible in its physical form. The advent of technology has stretched accessibility to it for anyone and everyone with an internet connection.
Thus, whether consciously or otherwise, we have long taken for granted what we have in our palms. The 114 chapters (surahs) which we can easily access through our mobile phones in our app, such as the Muslim Pro , do not drop into our laps in one fell swoop. It was a long process; a collective effort of the ummah from another generation that with determination provided us, more than 1.5 billion muslims of today’s global ummah, to be blessed with such reward.
However, how many of us actually could memorise it all beyond the basic requirements warranted for our daily prayers?
This is where understanding and learning history would help to illuminate and deepen our understanding which could only buttress our appreciation of the Quran.
It was first revealed to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in 610 CE. How was the prophet then able to continue his preaching, based on the word of Allah SWT, till his passing in 632 CE without what we have grown accustomed to today – the holy book?
What we have to understand is that historical context is key to unlocking the complications in association to the compilation of the holy book. During that period, literacy was not a skill of the majority. Thus, such revelations were memorised instead, which stemmed from the oral traditions that permeated widely then. Nevertheless, there were disparate records of surahs from time to time on a range of materials encompassing pieces of leather to palm leaves.
Subsequently, Caliph Abu Bakr played a pivotal role in expediting the compilation of the holy book. When 70 people who could recite the Quran by heart were killed in the Battle of Yamama, the urgency to produce a compilation was felt. From the collection of written verses to recitations by the companions, thus began the long and arduous but much needed process – of verification that involved issues such as dialects and pronunciations – and compilation.
With foresight, old copies were destroyed; this was to prevent any conflicts from arising based on disputations. Later around 650 CE, Caliph Uthman sent the official version to various cities for it to be copied. Therefore, subsequent generations until today are able to live life according to the word of God, partly contributed by the effort of Muslims of bygone eras.
Let’s not waste any more precious time and start to appreciate more and actively ensure that the Quran continues to breathe light and blessings in our daily lives.
Dawah is highly needed in many areas of society and also penal system. I wish some one from the Shura Council Committee would delegate a entourage to collectively send educated sound minded mu’meens to our frontiers and highlight their God Given Talent by sharing it with the people whose less fortunate and not able to fend for themselves on a daily basis. Alhamdulillah
Ma Sha Allah, Jazakal’Allah khair
Assalamualaikum wrwb brother the above message is full of wisdom foresight knowledge and underdtanding and an eye opener a valuable gift for new generation Allah SWTA has mentioned this holy book Quran will be preserved till the last as it will not be changed as it happened with earlier books but this article is very informative and preservation of Islam in the form of Quran the holy book of course with the advent I do technology it has been transformed to our palms in our mobiles what a blessing JazakAllah khairan for writing this post and sending it through the medium of Muslim pro it’s as treasure house of knowledge in Islam these are precious diamonds and pearls as ur article can be compared to it’s a right direction to Muslims of present generation May Allah SWTA reward u for this effort and guide us all on the right path of Deen Ameen YaRabbul aalameen from sister kauser fatims
Is the only book
Ma Sha allah much appreciated. The source of the Quran is so important so we appreciate and become memories even if 1 verse at a time. Ameen
Ma sha Allah. Keep on reminding us about deen and inspiration. Jazakh Allah.
Subhanallah ????
Assalam aliaykum
My brother I am deeply angry because I am try to restore my Muslim pro for a long time but nobody care to help me .
I am a member of Muslem pro for a long time.
Can anyone help me to get my restore back ?
With my best regards
Wagazkum Allah kaer
Ma Sha Allah, Great information & well written… JAk
Salaam.
Thanks for sharing.
Can you please recommend an authentic source document for the material in your article, preferably a book in English (or an English translation) on this subject that is still available for purchase?
JAk
Does any one know, has access or can recommend where to find the full history of Qura’n please?
Ashalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa Barkatahu