Last verse 9:127

Another narration found in Kitab Al Masahif Ibn Abu Dawud reports that even the scribes, when compiling the Quran, believed that verse 127 was the last verse of Sura 9.

Narrated Abdullah, he said: Abdullah bin Muhammad bin al-Nu'man narrated to us, saying: Muhammad narrated to us, saying: Abu Ja'far narrated to us from al-Rabi' (1) from Abu al-'Aliya that they collected the Qur'an into a single book during the caliphate of Abu Bakr. There were men who wrote it and Ubayy ibn Ka'b dictated to them. When they reached this verse from Surat al-Bara'ah (S 9: 127) "Then they turned away; Allah has turned their hearts away because they are a people who do not understand," they thought this was the last of what was revealed from the Qur'an. Ubayy said, "Indeed, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) recited to me after them two more verses {There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful. * But if they turn away, say, 'Sufficient for me is Allah; there is no deity except Him. On Him I have relied, and He is the Lord of the Great Throne.'} [S 9:128-129]." He said: This is the last that was revealed from the Qur'an. Thus, the matter was concluded with what it began with, by Allah's statement {And We sent not before you any messenger except that We revealed to him that, 'There is no deity except Me, so worship Me.'} [S 21:25].

حدثنا عبد الله قال: حدثنا عبد الله بن محمد بن النعمان قال: حدثنا محمد قال: حدثنا أبو جعفر عن الربيع (١) عن أبي العالية أنهم جمعوا القرآن في مصحف في خلافة أبي بكر، فكان رجال يكتبون ويملي عليهم أبي بن كعب. فلما انتهوا إلى هذه الآية من سورة براءة (س ٩: ١٢٧) ‏ثم انصرفوا صرف الله قلوبهم بأنهم لا يفقهون‏‏ فظنوا أن هذا آخر ما أنزل من القرآن فقال أبي إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قد أقرآني بعدهن آيتين {لَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُم بِٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ * فَإِن تَوَلَّوْاْ فَقُلْ حَسْبِىَ ٱللَّهُ لاَ إِلَـٰهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَهُوَ رَبُّ ٱلْعَرْشِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ} [س ٩: ١٢٨-١٢٩]‏ قال: فهذا آخر ما أنزل من القرآن فختم الأمر بما فتح به بقول الله جل ثناؤه {وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا نُوحِى إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لا إِلَـٰهَ إِلاَّ أَنَا۠ فَٱعْبُدُونِ} [س ٢١: ٢٥].

Kitab Al Masahif Ibn Abu Dawud p. 15

It is worth noting that this narration attributes the compilation of the Qur'an to the reign of Abu Bakr, while mentioning Ubayy ibn Ka'b as one of the compilers instead of Zaid ibn Thabit. This is notable because Ubayy ibn Ka'b is more commonly associated with the compilation of the Qur'an during Uthman's caliphate. Another point supporting this view is the use of the term "mushaf" (مصحف) to refer to the "bound book," which is linked to the Uthmanic compilation. In contrast, the term "suhuf" (صحف) "pages" was used for the initial compilation under Abu Bakr. For background: During Abu Bakr's time, the compiled text was referred to as "suhuf," whereas the standardized version compiled under Uthman is called "mushaf." This terminology difference suggests that the narration might be referring to the later, more comprehensive compilation process under Uthman rather than the earlier one under Abu Bakr.

Narrated Abdullah: Ya'qub bin Sufyan narrated to us: Abu Ja'far Ahmad bin 'Umar al-Makki narrated to us: Abdullah bin Abi Ja'far al-Razi narrated to us from his father from al-Rabi' bin Anas from Abu al-'Aliyah from Ubayy bin Ka'b that they compiled the Qur'an from Ubayy's manuscript. He (Ubayy) would dictate to them. When they reached the verse in Surah Bara'ah (S 9:127) "Then turn away, Allah has turned their hearts away because they are a people who do not understand," they thought this was the last verse revealed in the Qur'an. Ubayy bin Ka'b said, "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) recited to me two verses after this: 'There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful.' to the end of the Surah. He said, 'This is the last part revealed in the Qur'an.'" He concluded the matter with what Allah opened it, "There is no deity except Allah" Allah says (21:25) "And We did not send any messenger before you except that We revealed to him that there is no deity except Me, so worship Me."

حدثنا عبد الله قال: حدثنا يعقوب بن سفيان قال: حدثنا أبو جعفر أحمد بن عمر المكّي، حدثنا عبد الله بن أبي جعفر الرازي، عن أبيه، عن الربيع بن أنس، عن أبي العالية، عن أبي بن كعب، أنهم جمعوا القرآن من مصحف أبي فكان يملِي عليهم أبي بن كعب فلما انتهوا إلى الآية التي في سورة براءة (س ٩ آية ١٢٧) "ثم انصرفوا صرف الله قلوبهم بأنهم قوم لا يفقهون" فظنوا أن هذه الآية آخر ما أنزل من القرآن، فقال أبي بن كعب: إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قد أقرَأني بعد هذا آيتين "لقد جاءكم رسول من أنفسكم عزيز عليه ما عنتم حريص عليكم بالمؤمنين رءوف رحيم" إلى آخر السورة، قال فهذا آخر ما نزل من القرآن، قال فختم الأمر بما فتح الله به بلال إله إلا الله يقول الله تعالى (س ١٢١ آية ٢٥١) "وما أرسلنا من قبلك من رسول إلا نوحي إليه أنه لا إله إلا أنا فاعبدون".

Kitab Al Masahif Ibn Abu Dawud p. 38

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