Written Quran
The idea that the Quran was not compiled or put into written form until years after the prophet’s death is entirely false. Even the Hadith literature states that the written Quran existed in written form during the prophet’s life.
According to Hadith, people were prohibited from traveling to hostile territories carrying the Quran. Obviously, this was a written form and not what they had in their chest.
Narrated Abdullah bin Umar: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) forbade the people to travel to a hostile country carrying (copies of) the Qur’an.
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم نَهَى أَنْ يُسَافَرَ بِالْقُرْآنِ إِلَى أَرْضِ الْعَدُوِّ.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2990 https://sunnah.com/bukhari:2990
Other Hadith state that four men collected the Quran during the lifetime of the prophet.
Narrated Qatada: Anas said, “The Qur’an was collected in the lifetime of the Prophet (ﷺ) by four (men), all of whom were from the Ansar: Ubai, Mu`adh bin Jabal, Abu Zaid, and Zaid bin Thabit.” I asked Anas, “Who is Abu Zaid?” He said, “One of my uncles.”
حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ جَمَعَ الْقُرْآنَ عَلَى عَهْدِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَرْبَعَةٌ، كُلُّهُمْ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ أُبَىٌّ، وَمُعَاذُ بْنُ جَبَلٍ، وَأَبُو زَيْدٍ، وَزَيْدُ بْنُ ثَابِتٍ. قُلْتُ لأَنَسِ مَنْ أَبُو زَيْدٍ قَالَ أَحَدُ عُمُومَتِي.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3810 https://sunnah.com/bukhari:3810 See also: https://sunnah.com/bukhari:5003, https://sunnah.com/bukhari:5004, https://sunnah.com/muslim:2465a
Additionally, Ali also had a bound copy of the Quran according to Hadith
Narrated Abdul Aziz bin Rufai’: Shaddad bin Ma’qil and I entered upon Ibn `Abbas. Shaddad bin Ma’qil asked him, “Did the Prophet (ﷺ) leave anything (besides the Qur’an)?” He replied. “He did not leave anything except what is Between the two bindings (of the Qur’an).” Then we visited Muhammad bin Al-Hanafiyya and asked him (the same question). He replied, “The Prophet (ﷺ) did not leave except what is between the bindings (of the Qur’an).
حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ بْنِ رُفَيْعٍ، قَالَ دَخَلْتُ أَنَا وَشَدَّادُ بْنُ مَعْقِلٍ، عَلَى ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رضى الله عنهما فَقَالَ لَهُ شَدَّادُ بْنُ مَعْقِلٍ أَتَرَكَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنْ شَىْءٍ قَالَ مَا تَرَكَ إِلاَّ مَا بَيْنَ الدَّفَّتَيْنِ. قَالَ وَدَخَلْنَا عَلَى مُحَمَّدِ ابْنِ الْحَنَفِيَّةِ فَسَأَلْنَاهُ فَقَالَ مَا تَرَكَ إِلاَّ مَا بَيْنَ الدَّفَّتَيْنِ.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5019 https://sunnah.com/bukhari:5019
Not to mention that it is well established that the prophet had many scribes who were assigned to solely writing only the Quran.
Abu Sa’id Khudri reported that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: Do not write anything about me. And whoever wrote about me other than the Quran then he should erase it. And narrate about me, for there is no harm in it and he who attributed any falsehood to me; and Hammam said: I think he also said: ” deliberately” – he should in fact find his abode in the Hell-Fire.
حَدَّثَنَا هَدَّابُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ الأَزْدِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا هَمَّامٌ، عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ، عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ لاَ تَكْتُبُوا عَنِّي وَمَنْ كَتَبَ عَنِّي غَيْرَ الْقُرْآنِ فَلْيَمْحُهُ وَحَدِّثُوا عَنِّي وَلاَ حَرَجَ وَمَنْ كَذَبَ عَلَىَّ – قَالَ هَمَّامٌ أَحْسِبُهُ قَالَ – مُتَعَمِّدًا فَلْيَتَبَوَّأْ مَقْعَدَهُ مِنَ النَّارِ ” .
Sahih Muslim 3004 https://sunnah.com/muslim:3004
The idea that the Quran was not written and compiled until after the prophet’s death not only contradicts the Hadith corpus but, more importantly, contradicts the Quran itself. The following verses clearly explain that the Quran would be completed and collected during the prophet’s life and that the prophet was obligated to follow such a Quran when this task was complete.
[75:16] Do not move your tongue to hasten it. [75:17] It is we who will collect it into Quran. [75:18] Once we recite it, you shall follow such a Quran. [75:19] Then it is we who will explain it.
(٧٥:١٦) لَا تُحَرِّكْ بِهِۦ لِسَانَكَ لِتَعْجَلَ بِهِۦٓ (٧٥:١٧) إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا جَمْعَهُۥ وَقُرْءَانَهُۥ (٧٥:١٨) فَإِذَا قَرَأْنَـٰهُ فَٱتَّبِعْ قُرْءَانَهُۥ (٧٥:١٩) ثُمَّ إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا بَيَانَهُۥ
Additionally, even the word Quran, as used in the Quran, specifically means to read out loud from a written text, as opposed to utalu ( ٱتْلُ ), which is the more general term for recitation.
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