The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 392
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 392 Prophet sa would arrange the various Sūrahs himself. ” 1 This was a practice of the Holy Prophet sa from the very start of his claim to prophethood. As such, we have written in Volume I of this book that in the early days of Makkah, when Ḥaḍrat ‘Umar ra became a Muslim he was brought towards Islām by a recitation of the Holy Qur’ān, which was being read aloud by Khabbāb bin Al-Arat to the sister and brother-in-law of Ḥaḍrat ‘Umar ra from a written script. 2 Therefore, the Holy Qur’ān was committed to writing, and compiled and collected as it was revealed. Further evidence of this is that the Holy Prophet sa and his Companions would regularly recite portions of the Holy Qur’ān in their Ṣalāt , and at times they would recite very lengthy portions. It is ascertained from a narration that on one occasion, in a single Tahajjud Ṣalāt , i. e. , the voluntary pre-dawn prayer, the Holy Prophet sa recited the first five Sūrahs of the Holy Qur’ān, which collectively equal a fifth portion of the Holy Qur’ān, together and in proper sequence. 3 It was these very lengthy periods of time for which the Holy Prophet sa would stand and his feet would often become swollen. 4 Then, certain narrations state that the Holy Prophet sa would complete a round of the Holy Qur’ān every year in the month of Ramaḍān with Gabriel ra , and in his last year two full rounds. 5 All of these facts categorically establish that the actual task of the arrangement and compilation of the Holy Qur’ān had already taken place in the very life of the Holy Prophet sa. Therefore, all that is inferred by the collection of Zaid bin Thābit ra is that under the instruction and supervision of Ḥaḍrat Abū Bakr ra , the first Caliph, he compiled and wrote the Holy Qur’ān in the form of a manuscript, as a single volume or book, so that an authentic copy of the Holy 1 * Mishkātul-Maṣābīḥ, Volume 2, p. 417, Kitābu Faḍā’ilil-Qur’ān, Bābu Ikhtilāfil-Qirā’āti Wa Jam‘il- Qur’ān, Al-Faṣluth-Thālith, Ḥadīth No. 2222, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2003) * Fatḥul-Bārī Sharḥu Ṣaḥīḥil-Bukhārī, By Al-Imām Aḥmad bin Ḥajar Al-‘Asqalānī, Volume 9, p. 27, Kitābu Faḍā’ilil-Qur’ān, Bābu Kātibin-Nabiyyi sa , Ḥadīth No. 4990, Qadīmī Kutub Khānah, Ārām Bāgh, Karachi * Fatḥul-Bārī Sharḥu Ṣaḥīḥil-Bukhārī, By Al-Imām Aḥmad bin Ḥajar Al-‘Asqalānī, Volume 9, p. 50, Kitābu Faḍā’ilil-Qur’ān, Bābu Ta’līfil-Qur’ān, Qadīmī Kutub Khānah, Ārām Bāgh, Karachi 2 * As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Mālik bin Hishām, p. 252, Islāmu ‘Umar bin Al-Khaṭṭāb. . . . . , Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001) * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 2, p. 6, Islāmul-Fārūq, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 3 Sunanu Abī Dāwūd, Kitābuṣ-Ṣalāt, Bābu Mā Yaqūlur-Rajulu Fī Rukū‘ihī Wa Sujūdihī, Ḥadīth No. 874 4 Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābut-Tahajjud, Bābu Qiyāmin-Nabiyyi sa Bil-Lail. . . . . , Ḥadīth No. 1130 5 Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābu Faḍā’ilil-Qur’ān, Bābu Kāna Jibrīlu Ya‘ridul-Qur’āna ‘Alan-Nabiyyi sa