Stories from Early Islam — Page 34
34 The Holy Qur’an is the book most often recited and quoted throughout the world. It is obligatory for every Muslim to par- ticipate in five Prayer Services during the day. The greater part of these Prayers is composed of portions of the Holy Qur’an. Thus a Muslim recites a portion of the Holy Book every day. In addition most of them start their day with a recitation from it. During the time of Abu Bakr, the first Khalifah, it was decided to collect the whole Qur’an in one volume. Zaid bin Thabit, a prominent Companion of the Holy Prophet saw was appointed for this purpose. He took great care to compile it in the form of a book, the sequence of which was laid down by the Holy Prophet saw himself. During the time of the third Khalifah, Uthman, an official version of the Holy Qur’an was issued. Seven copies were made, which were then sent to different parts of the Muslim world. These seven became the standard texts from which other copies were made. All Muslims learn to read the Holy Qur’an in Arabic, even though that may not be their own language. Almost every Muslim knows some chapters of the Book by heart and in each generation there are hundreds of thousands of people who can recite the whole Book from beginning to end from their memory. The Holy Qur’an has been translated into all the major lan- guages of the world and the work continues to be carried on. The Qur’an has 114 chapters, called Suras. Each chapter, except