Introduction to the Study of The Holy Quran — Page 263
263 some tribes or families, being accustomed to pronounce certain verbs in particular declensions in a certain manner, were permitted to do so. Reciters of the Quran In addition to the four principal teachers of the Quran who had been trained by the Holy Prophet himself there were certain other well-known reciters who had committed the whole of the Quran to memory. Among these were: (1) Zayd bin Thabit, who was also one of the recorders of the revelation. (2) Abu Zayd Qays bin As-Sakan, an Ansari, who belonged to the Banu Najjar, which was the tribe of the Prophet’s mother. 337 (3) Abu Darda’ Ansari. 338 (4) Abu Bakr, concerning whom also it is related that from the very beginning he was in the habit of committing the Quran to memory. (5) ‘Ali not only knew the Quran by heart but shortly after the Holy Prophet’s death undertook to arrange the Quran in the order in which it had been revealed. (6) Nasa’i relates that ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar also knew the Quran by heart and used to recite the whole of it in the course of one night. When the Holy Prophet got to know of this he told him to complete the recitation in the course of a month and not to attempt to recite the whole of the Quran in one night as this might prove burdensome for him. (7) Abu ‘Ubayd relates that out of the Muhajirin the following had committed the Quran to memory: Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, ‘Ali, Talhah, Sa‘d bin Mas‘ud, Hudhayfah, Salim, Abu Hurayrah, ‘Abdullah bin Sa’ib, ‘Abdullah bin Umar and ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas. And out of the women: Ayesha, Hafsah and Ummi Salamah. Most of these had committed the Quran to memory during the Prophet’s lifetime and some of them after his death. Ibn Abi Dawud relates in his book, the Ash-Shariah , that Tamim bin Aws ad-Dari and ‘Uqbah bin ‘Amir from among the Muhajirin had also committed the Quran to memory. Other historians include in this list ‘Amr bin al-‘As and Abu Musa Ash‘ari. From among the Ansar those who were well-known to have committed the Quran to memory were: ‘Ubadah bin Samit, Mu‘adh, Majma‘ bin Harithah, Fudalah bin ‘Ubayd, Maslamah bin Mukhallad, Abu Darda’, Abu Zayd, Zayd bin Thabit, Ubayy bin Ka‘b, Sa‘d bin ‘Ubadah, and Ummi Waraqah. The Quran Committed to Memory In actual fact it is well-known that a very large number of the Companions of the Holy Prophet had committed the Quran to memory. As has been related in the