The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page cccxiv
GENERAL INTRODUCTION Most of these had committed the Quran to memory during the Prophet's lifetime and some of them after his death. Ibn Abū Dāwūd relates in his book, the Ash-Shari'ah, that Tamīm bin Aus ad-Dārī and ‘Uqba bin ‘Āmir from among the Muhājirīn had also committed the Quran to memory. Other historians include in this list ‘Amr bin al-'As and Abū Mūsā Ash'arī. From among the Anṣār those who were well known to have committed the Quran to memory were: 'Ubadah bin Ṣāmit, Muʻādh, Majmma' bin Ḥārithah, Fudālah bin ‘Ubaid, Maslamah bin Mukhallad, Abū Dardā', Abū Zaid, Zaid bin Thābit, Ubayy bin Ka'b, Sa'd bin ‘Ubādah, and Umm 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 biographical portion with reference to the incident of Bi'r Ma'unah, the Holy Prophet in the fourth year of the Hijrah despatched seventy of his Companions as instructors for certain tribes and every one of them knew the Quran by heart. Those who had committed the Quran to memory spent the greater part of their time in reciting it to others at all hours of the day and night. Ḥāfiz Abū Ya'lā relates that the Holy Prophet was informed on one occasion that Abū Mūsā was instructing the people in the recitation of the Quran in his house. The Prophet asked to be led to some part of the house where he could listen to Abū Mūsā without his presence becoming known to the assembled company. He was led to such a place and having heard Abū Mūsā recite the Quran he approved of his recitation and was much pleased with it and observed: "He recites the Quran in the beautiful manner of the Prophet David" (Muslim, Kitābus-Ṣalāt). This shows that the Holy Prophet took pains to supervise the recitation of the Quran by people other than the four whom he had appointed as the principal teachers of the Quran and was anxious to see that no error should creep into their recitation. Imām Aḥmad Hanbal relates on the authority of Jabir bin 'Abdullāh that on one occasion when the Holy Prophet came to the mosque he found people reciting the Quran and he said: "Recite the Quran and recite it well and strive to win the pleasure of God through it, before the time comes when people will recite the Quran correctly but with the object of making it a means of earning their livelihood rather than a means of the purification of their hearts (Musnad, Vol. 3). Jābir bin 'Abdullāh relates that the company that was engaged in the recitation of the Quran on this occasion comprised not only the Muhajirin and the Anṣār but also desert dwellers and non-Arabs. cclxxxviii