Divine Revelation: A study of the qur’anic sciences

1. Divine Revelation: A study of the qur’anic sciences Lecture 3 February 3 2013 Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

2. Preservation and Transmission of the qur’an Chapters 2.1-3.1 Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

3. Oral preservation • The books of the previous nations were preserved through writing. That is why they are known as Ahlal-Kitāb • The Prophet ﷺdescribed his own followers, however, as an unlettered nation (qawmunummīyyun) (Bukhārī) • Allah has told the Prophet ﷺ: “I have sent you a book that cannot be washed away by water” (Muslim) • This means that the mode of this book’s preservation will not be writing • The Quran is preserved primarily through oral tradition Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

4. Advantages of oral preservation • In previous nations, piety was linked with literacy because to access the holy books, one had to be literate. For the Muslims, however, closeness to Allah is more easily attainable • Through oral preservation, Allah took the power to change the book away from the scholars (as the Rabbis of the Jews had done, for example) • Oral preservation allowed for quick distribution of the Quran in unlettered Arabian society. Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

5. Stage 1: during life of prophet ﷺ Preservation by the Prophet (S) لَا تُحَرِّكْ بِهِ لِسَانَكَ لِتَعْجَلَ بِهِ إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا جَمْعَهُ وَقُرْآنَهُ فَإِذَا قَرَأْنَاهُ فَاتَّبِعْ قُرْآنَهُ ثُمَّ إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا بَيَانَهُ • Reciting to Jibrīl (A) every Ramaḍān, and twice in the last Ramaḍān • Preservation of the meaning through practice in daily life Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

6. Stage 1: during life of prophet ﷺ Preservation by the Companions • Memorization is linked with social rank • Leader of prayer is the one that knows most Quran • Some sahabiyatconsidered teaching of Quran a sufficient dowry • Preservation of the meaning through practice • Ibn Umar spends six years memorizing ṢūratBaqarah • Culture of frequent recitation • Recitation in masjid was so loud that Prophet (S) told people to quiet down for fear of mistakes • When a person migrated to Madīnah, the Prophet paired him up with an Anṣārī who would be charged with teaching him Quran Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

7. The Huffaz of the sahabah(partial list) • Abu Bakr • Umar • Uthman • Ali • Talhah • Sa’ad • Abdullah ibnMas’ud • Huzayfah bin Yaman • SalimMaulaAbiHuzayfah • Abu Hurayrah • Abdullah bin Umar • Abdullah bin Abbas • Amr bin ‘Aas • Mu’awiyah • Abdullah bin Zubayr • Abdullah bin Sa’ib • Aishah • Hafsa • Umm Salamah • Umm Warqah • Ubayy bin Ka’b • Mu’az bin Jabal • Abu Halimah • Zayd bin Thabit • Abu Darda • Mujamma bin Jariyah • Muslimah bin mUkhallad • Anas bin Malik • Aqabah bin Amir • TamimDarami • Abu Musa Ash’ari • Abu Zayd Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

8. How newly revealed ayat were written down Zayd b. Thābit narrates in Ṭabarānī and Majma al-Zawā`id: I used to write down the words of the revelation to the Prophet (S). When revelation would come to him, he would feel intense heat, and beads of perspiration would drop from his head like pearls. When this state would cease, I would bring a piece of leather or a shoulder-bone of an animal and write what the Prophet (S) dictated (while supporting the writing utensil on my thigh). As I would write, the weight would become so heavy that I thought it would break my thigh, to the extent that I told myself that I would never walk again. Then the Prophet (S) would have me read back what I had written, and if there were shortcomings in the writing, the Prophet (S) would rectify them. Then I would be permitted to present the new revelation to the people. Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

9. Inscription • Some Companions had their own copies of the Quran which contained whichever verses they had heard, often alongside explanatory notes of the verses. • Materials Used for Recording: • Stone tablets ; Leather parchment; Date branches; Bamboo; Tree leaves; Animal bones; Paper (relatively rare) • Uthmān reports: Soon after revelation, the Prophet (S) would instruct the writer to place the newly-revealed verse next to another verse in a specific Ṣūrah. Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

10. Scribes of revelation • Zayd bin Thabit • Abu Bakr • Umar • Uthman • Ali • Ubayy bin Ka’b • Zubayr bin Awwam • Mu’awiyah • Khalid bin Walid • Mughirah bin Shu’bah • Thabit bin Qays • Aban bin Sa’id • Khalid bin Sa’id • HanzalahibnurRab’I • Mu’qib bin Abi Fatimah • Abdullah bin Rawahah • Amir bin Fuhayrah • Amr bin Al ‘Aas • These are the more well-known scribes; the actual number has been counted up to 40 Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

11. Stage 2: abubakr (r) • Many Ḥuffāẓ are martyred in the Battle of Yamāmah, leading to a fear that the Quran might be forgotten. Umar proposes to Abu Bakr that the Quran must be compiled in writing. Abu Bakr: “How can I do that which Allah's Prophet had not done?” Umar: “By Allah, there is nothing but good in this task.” Abu Bakr: “Umar kept trying to persuade me until Allah opened my chest, and I adopted the same opinion as Umar.“ • Abu Bakr appoints Zayd b. Thābit as the head of the project. Initially, Zayd has the same reservations as Abu Bakr had, but both Abu Bakr and Umar eventually convince him of the need. Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

12. Zayd bin thabit "You (Zayd) are a wise, young man, and we have no lack of trust in you. Furthermore, you used to write Revelation for the Messenger of Allah.” ~ Abu Bakr • He entered the service of the Prophet as a teenager • He would learn foreign languages upon the Prophet’s orders in very short periods of time • He was one of the foremost Scribes of the Revelation • He was present during al-arḍat al-akhīrah (the last readings of Jibril (A) to the Prophet (S) Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

13. Zayd’s task • Create one written copy of the Quran which would belong to the Islamic State • Compile this copy by gathering all the verses of the Quran, which were scattered around Madīnah among the Companions • Preserve the Seven Aḥruf in the process of compilation • Assure an untouchable standard of authenticity “By Allah, had Abu Bakr ordered me to move a mountain, it would have been a lighter burden for me.” ~ Zayd b. Thābit Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

14. Zayd’s standards “So I started locating Quranic material and collecting it from parchments, animal bones, date palms, leaves, and from the memories of men.” ~Zayd b. Thābit Each verse must be authenticated by a: • Verbal testimonial that corresponds with the memory of Zayd as well as his committee of Ḥuffāẓ, who collectively knew all the Aḥruf. • Written testimonial accompanied by two witnesses that saw the manuscript being written in the presence of the Prophet (S). Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

15. Surat al-tawbah “I found with IbnKhuzaymahtwo verses of Ṣūrat at-Tawba which I had not found with anyone else (the final two verses).” - Zayd bin Thabit Question: If Zayd admits that he found these verses with only one person, does this mean that the verses are deficient in authenticity? Answer: No. The verses indeed met Zayd’s standards of authenticity. His claim “which I had not found with anyone else” refers to his difficulty in finding a written copy of the verses. Otherwise, the verses were well-known in the memories of the Companions. Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

16. Zayd’s accomplishment: ‘al-umm’ • The manuscript was unbound, consisting of 114 loose sheets (one per Ṣūrah) • Ṣūrahswere not arranged in orders, but the verses in each Ṣūrah were in order • At points of difference between Aḥruf, each variation was listed • It was written in Hijaziscript • Abu Bakr Umar  Hafsah  Marwan bin Hakam (burnt) Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

17. Stage 3: Uthman • During the time of Uthmān(R), Islam spread very far, but the Quran was still permitted to be recited in all the Aḥruf. • Quraniceducation was not centralized. • Syrians followed Ubayy b. Ka;b • Kūfansfollowed Abdullāhb. Mas’ūd. • Differences in recitation was causing great confusion everywhere. • Even in Madīnah, fights broke out occasionally over differences in recitation. Expansion of the Islamic Empire I – Prophet (S) II – Abu Bakr (R) III – Umar (R) IV – Uthmān(R) Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

18. Uthman’s decision • While stationed on the Azerbaijani front, Hudhayfah b. Yamān observes people accusing each other of Takfīr due to confusion between recitations. • In a meeting with the senior Ṣaḥābah, Uthmāndecides to compile a standardized Muṣḥaf. The Companions agree by ijmā • Zayd b. Thābit is again commissioned to head the project • Along with Abdullah bin Zubayr, Sa’id bin al-As, and Abdul-Rahman bin Harith (all three were Qurayshis) • “If you differ with Zayd regarding any dialect of the Qur’an, then write it in the dialect of the Quraysh, for the Qur’an was revealed in this dialect.” – Uthman (R) Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

19. Characteristics of the uthmani manuscript • Zaydcompiled it from scratch to reaffirm the authenticity • It was written according to the Qurayshī dialect, in such a way that as many other dialects were preserved as possible • It was bound, with the Ṣūrahs placed in order • Seven copies were made • Makkah • Syria • Yemen • Bahrain • Baṣra • Kūfah • Madīnah • All other manuscripts were burnt because burning was considered a respectful method of destroying Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

20. Steps taken to facilitate recitation of the Qur’an • Dots (I’Jam) • Early Arabs considered the need to use dots on letters insulting. Later, they were added for the convenience of non-Arabs • Who was the first to use dots? Many opinions • AbulAswadDu’ili • Sayyidina Ali (R) • Ziyad bin AbiSufyan • Abdul Malik bin Marwan • Hajjaj bin Yusuf and Hasan Al-Basri • One opinion says that the concept of dots did not exist before the Quran at all, but this is a weak opinion • Whoever placed dots in the Quran was not their inventor Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

21. Steps taken to facilitate recitation of the Qur’an • Diacritical Marks (Tashkil) • Fatha, Kasra, Damma • Who put marks first? • AbulAswadDu’ili – different than today (in dot form) • Under Hajjaj bin Yusuf – current form • Manzil/Hizb • Division of Qur’an into seven parts (complete entire Qur’an in 1 week) • Aws bin Huzayfah asked companions regarding Hizb: • 1: first 3 surahs, 2: next five, 3: next seven, 4: next nine, 5: next eleven, 6: next thirteen, 7: from Surah Qaf until end of Qur’an • Thirty Ajza (Juz) • Originator not known • Purpose to assist children in memorization, and to complete easily in Tarawih prayer • Not arranged by meaning Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

22. Steps taken to facilitate recitation of the Qur’an • Ruku • Originator unknown • Purpose was to tech amount that can be recited in 1 rak’ah • 540 Rukus in Qur’an – 1 Ruku per Rak’ah of Tarawih will allow the hafiz to finish them entirely on 27th night of Ramadan • Fifteen-line Mushaf • Contains fifteen lines per page • Each page ends at the end of an āyah • Each Juzhas exactly twenty pages • One page per Rukᶜah of Tarāwīḥ will allow one to finish the Quran in 30 nights • Four pages read after each daily prayer will allow one to finish the Quran in a month • Rumūz al-Awqāf • Markings that signify places to pause and continue one’s recitation • They were invented by Allamah Abu AbdillāhMuḥammad bin Tayfūral-Sajāwandī Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

23. Printing of the mushaf • Historically, all Muṣḥafs were transcribed by hand by masters of the science of Khaṭṭāṭ (calligraphy) • 1113 AH – The first Muṣḥaf was printed by non-Muslims in Hamburg, Germany, a copy of which is preserved in Dār al-Kutubal-Miṣrīyyah • 1787 CE – The first Muṣḥaf to be printed by a Muslim was completed in St. Petersburg, Russia by Mawlā/MawlayUthmān • 1828 CE – The Quran was printed on stone slabs using lithography in Tehran, Iran • Current day – printing press Qur'anic Sciences - DKI

24. Assignments & Questions • Review Chapters 2 and 3 in Course Manual • Read ahead to Chapter 4 • Recommended supplementary reading: An Approach to the Qur’anic Sciences By Mufti Muhammad TaqiUthmani • Questions? Qur'anic Sciences - DKI