When was the first copy of the Qu'ran written down in text. How many years after Muhhamed's death was this.

Origin of Islam: According to Secular History

The origin of Islam can be traced back to 7th century Saudi Arabia. Islam is thus the youngest of the great world religions. The prophet Muhammad (circa 570-632 A.D.) introduced Islam in 610 A.D. after experiencing what he claimed to be an angelic visitation. Muhammad dictated the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, which Muslims believe to be the preexistent, perfect words of Allah.

Origin of Islam: According to Islam

The origin of Islam is generally accredited to the prophet Muhammad but to the devout Muslim, Islam began long before Muhammad ever walked the earth. The Qur'an was dictated by Muhammad but, according to the Qur'an, it did not originate with Muhammad. The Qur'an testifies of itself that it was given by God through the angel Gabriel to the prophet Muhammad. "This is a revelation from the Lord of the universe. The Honest Spirit (Gabriel) came down with it, to reveal it into your heart that you may be one of the warners, in a perfect Arabic tongue" (Sura 26:192-195). "Say, 'Anyone who opposes Gabriel should know that he has brought down this (the Qur'an) into your heart, in accordance with God's will, confirming previous scriptures, and providing guidance and good news for the believers'" (Sura 2:97).

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According to an Islamic site:

During the time of Othman, the third Caliph, Islam spread fast and many companions moved out of Arabia. Amongst the many countries and provinces that accepted Islam were Syria and Iraq, but their language was not Arabic. One of Prophet's companions, Hothaifah-ibn el-Yaman, during his visit to Syria and Iraq learnt that people were reciting the Qur'an in different modes or style. This disturbed him very much and upon his return, he requested Othman to reproduce and distribute copies of the Qur'an that would help Muslims read or recite the Qur'an in a single consistent manner to avoid any conflict.

Othman appointed twelve members, headed by Zaid to write the Qur'an in the mode of the Quraish, the one used by the Prophet in his recitation.

Zaid along with the other companions, reproduced a number of copies based on the original volume produced during the time of Abu Bakr (refer to previous section). The handwriting was to agree with the Arabic dialect of the Quraish. These copies maintained the order of the Surah and the Ayat (verses) within the Surah as laid down by the Prophet and memorized by the Qur'an bearer. Of the completed official copies Othman ordered three to be sent to Syria, Iraq and Mecca respectively and one to be kept in Medina. The original manuscript was returned to Hafsah.

Othman then ordered that all the other Qur'anic materials whether written in fragmentary manuscripts or whole copies be burnt. This was a precautionary measure taken to prevent any future conflict in the mode of recitation or otherwise. Thus preventing the Qur'an from fabrication or corruption

Read more by clicking the Answers button @ http://web.express56.com/~bromar/

there are a lot of quraan copis( abo baker's , othamn's,.... ) but when othan was the khalifah he burnt them all to stop the attak of the non muslim towerd the different copies of the quraan. so he left only one copy out of 9. it is the current one now and it is called othamns reading. it is full of contriductions with the other copies and the quraaan is really untrusted. by the way i was muslim and i know what is quran... iam now enjoying the light of the love of Jesus Christ in christianity

First Quran is not words of Muhammad .it is word of God...read this dialouge about Quran..and you will anderstand how Quran written and saved from 1400 years without any changing or errors....read that pleas

Islamonline Live Dialogue Editing Desk..

Name Jalal - Bangladesh

Profession

Question What is the difference between the Qur'an and the Bible ?

Answer Assalamu alaikum Brother Jalal,

Thank you for your question.

There are a number of differences between the Qur’an and the Bible.

First of all, the Bible is a collection of writings done in different periods of history, by different writers. The various denominations of Christianity are not in agreement on the canon of the Bible (i.e a list of books accepted by the Church as authoritative or divinely inspired). While most of these books are accepted by most Christians, there are some that are not universally accepted.

About the earliest existing texts of the Bible too, there is a lot of confusion. The oldest extant manuscript of the Bible is believed to be the Codex Vaticanus, which is slightly older than the Codex Sinaiticus, both of which were transcribed in the 4th century.

As for the story of Jesus, there were at least some fifty gospels written in the first and second century C.E. Four of them (Mark, Matthew, Luke and John) were included in the official canon during the 4th century C.E, and are found today in every Bible. All the original copies of the gospels were lost. What we have now are based on hand-written copies which are an unknown number of replications removed from the originals.

In fact, it is an extreme position held only by some Christian groups (the Fundamentalist churches) that the Bible – in its entirety - is the revealed word of God. But the presence of so many contradictions and patently questionable ideas makes this claim untenable.

In comparison, the Qur’an’s claim as the Record of the Word of God dictated to His Prophet, is borne out by the following facts: The speaker in the Qur'an is God talking directly to man. The Qur’an repeatedly says that it is the word of God. It has self-reference; that is to say, it names itself 70 times as the Qur'an.

The verses of the Qur’an were revealed to Muhammad (peace be on him), in the course of 23 years of his life, as and when the events in the unfolding development of the Religion of God called for Divine Guidance. As soon as the Prophet received these verses, he dictated them to his disciples, who not only wrote them down, but also learned them by heart. In short from the beginning, the Qur’an was in the hands and hearts of the people.

And before the death of the Prophet, the whole of the Qur’an was written down, examined and verified by the Prophet himself. From that time onwards, it has remained safe from corruption as several copies of it were in the possession of the Muslims. So it was not possible to make any changes to its verses, even if someone wanted to do so.

One of the foremost reasons for the Qur’an’s continued incorruptibility is that it has been preserved in its original language, unlike the Bible. No one in the Muslim world has ever thought to supersede it with a translation. Thus the Qur’an we have today is the same Qur’an that the Prophet received from God. Its authenticity and genuineness therefore, is unimpeachable.

One of the miracles of the Qur'an, which was revealed 14 centuries ago is the fact that it can be read and understood by the Arabic-speaking people living today. Every language undergoes changes as time passes, and a hundred or two hundred years is long enough for a language to undergo substantial changes. Thus anyone who knows the rudiments of the history of languages knows that logically it should be impossible for the Arabic-speaking peoples of today to read and understand a book fourteen centuries old. And yet, everyday, every hour, every minute, in fact every second of the 24 hours of the 365 days of every year of the past centuries has been alive with the reading and study of the Qur'anic verses. And it goes on into the future. The volume and scope of it multiplies in every imaginable way with the coming of the multimedia. This had started at the time of the Prophet and it has continued unceasingly till the present day, making this the ever-present miracle of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), rivaling all other miracles so far.

Allah says: “This is the Book; in it is Sure Guidance, no doubt, for those who are God-conscious….(Qur’an 2:2)

“And say: “The Truth has arrived, and Falsehood perished; for Falsehood is bound to perish.” (Qur’an 17: 81)

And Allah knows best.

Name Kabir - Nigeria

Profession

Question The uniqueness of the Holy Qur'an can not never be disputed. The only Book that stands the test of time, the only that can be fully memorised by heart even for a 6 year old. For it to be the the total guidance for Humanity, the whole of the Muslim Ummah should try to imbibe its teaching.Practicality is the only way to make It accepted by even Its ardent enemies- the West and their Freemasonic allies. So dont you think it is time to start imbibing thr culture of the Qur'an in totality and call others by example?

Answer Dear Kabir,

Assalamu alaikum

Thank you for your question.

You are right in saying that no sensible person can question the uniqueness of the Holy Qu’an. And again you are right in saying that we Muslims must imbibe the teachings of the Qur’an in their totality to call others by example. Because, the first step of Da’wah (Call to Islam) is to live by the Qur’an, which is the Last Testament of God. Ideally the whole of humanity must imbibe the teachings of the Qur’an. At any rate it is the Muslims of the world who should prove themselves to be genuinely committed to the Qur’an. And there is no doubt that the commitment of those who accept the Qur’an as God’s Complete Guidance for mankind must be total and unquestioning.

And Allah knows best.

Name Anver - Indonesia

Profession

Question Assalamu alaikum

Thanks for your Dialogue. I believe that Qur'an is the Book of Allah; but I don't understand why some enemies of Allah could easily mistreat His Book, without any problem. Please answer my question.

Answer Dear Anver,

Assalamu alaikum

Thank you very much for your question.

There is no doubt that the Holy Qur’an is the Book of Allah the Almighty. He revealed it to His Prophet Muhammad, peace be on him, and meant it as His perfect Guidance for mankind for all time. It is on the basis of what Allah teaches us through His Book and His Prophet that we must seek the answer to all questions. And this is what we understand by way of an answer to your question:

Allah created all humans as free beings. But Allah has sent His Guidance also to tell humans how they should properly use that freedom for their own welfare. But most men are arrogant; they imagine that they are independent and self sufficient, and so they do not need any God to guide them. And in this arrogance they commit many iniquities forgetting or ignoring the warnings given by the prophets of Allah: They invade sovereign nations; occupy lands to which they have no right; they enslave humans with a different skin color; they rob other people’s wealth; and sink below the level of beasts and perpetrate atrocities and injustices such as the desecration of the Book of God. Does not God see this all? Certainly,He does, as He is Ever Watchful; but He has said in His Holy Book that He has given respite to these people for a time, and in the end, he catches these people by the forelock and throws them into the flames of hell. Until then, respite is given, as Allah says:

“Let not the strutting about of the Unbelievers through the land deceive thee: Little is it for enjoyment: Their ultimate abode is Hell: what an evil bed (To lie on)!” (3:196,197)

And Allah knows best.

Name Ali - Nepal

Profession

Question Sallam brother...

I'm a Muslim, but i don't know how to study or understand the Quran by myself.please give me an advice in how to start

Answer Hello Ali,

Assalamu alaikum.

Thank you for your question.

You haven’t told me whether you have learned the basics of Arabic that will help you to read the Qur’an. If so, I suggest you make use of a copy of the Qur’an with Arabic verses and their English translations. You can acquire one and straightaway start.

And if you do not know Arabic, get the help of some teacher or knowledgeable person to teach you Arabic. Now a number of online courses are also available.

Another point is to read some good introductions to the Holy Qur’an by scholars. And then you can straightaway go to the translations for a verse-by-verse study of the Qur’an. And what is most important is the earnest desire to learn; and pray to Allah the All-Merciful to guide you and help you. Insha Allah, you will be successful.

Name TD - United Kingdom

Profession

Question What is the difference between the Quran and other holy texts, Torah for instance?

Answer Hello T.D,

Peace be with you!

Thank you very much for your question.

There are a number of vital differences between the Qur’an and other scriptures like the Torah and the Gospel:

1. From the moment of the first revelation to the Prophet (pbuh), the believers were learning the Qur’an by heart, and recording it correctly. It is obligatory that every Muslim must learn at least a portion of the Book by heart. There are thousands and thousands of Muslims all over the world, who have learned the whole Qur’an by heart; and no other book has such an honor.

From the very beginning, the Qur’an has been in the hearts and hands of the people; and no other book can make that claim.

2. The Qur’an is the Last Testament of God for Man; it is Divine Guidance perfected and preserved from corruption; and it is the only Book that calls itself “a Guidance for the God-fearing” and “a Healing and a Mercy for the believers” most emphatically; and repeatedly it is stated that it is from the One and Only God of the universe. Neither the Torah, nor the Gospel does this.

3. The Qur’an is the completion and confirmation of all the truth in the previous scriptures; it verifies and affirms the truth in all the Books of God and recognizes all the prophets of God before it, including Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus, peace be on them all. No other scripture does this.

4. The Qur’an is a complete Guidance to man, and Muslims must order their lives in accordance with the norms given in the Qur’an in all walks of their life; while other communities do not make such a claim about their scriptures.

5. The Qur’an is the most frequently read book in the world, as its verses are recited five times daily in the prayers all over the world; and all pious Muslims read at least a few verses from it every morning. This has been happening without break for over fourteen centuries. Is their any other book like this?

6. A whole month of fasting and prayer is held in commemoration of the Descent of the Qur’an to the earth; no other book has such an honor.

7. The Qur’an is the only scripture that remains intact in its original form, in a living language, namely Arabic. And what is more, it is still understood by the Arabic speaking peoples; because the Qur’an has been keeping all through the centuries its unchallenged sway over the grammar and syntax of literary Arabic; whereas the original languages in which all other scriptures were revealed or composed are dead languages now.

Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:

“If there were a Qur’an with which mountains were moved, or the earth were cloven asunder, or the dead were made to speak, (this would be the one!) But, truly, the command is with Allah in all things! Do not the Believers know, that, had Allah (so) willed, He could have guided all mankind (to the right)? But the Unbelievers,- never will disaster cease to seize them for their (ill) deeds, or to settle close to their homes, until the promise of Allah come to pass, for, verily, Allah will not fail in His promise.” (13:31)

Name Jon -

Profession

Question In the Bible Adam and Eve are kicked out of the garden as a punishment. Do they get kicked out of the garden in the Qur'an as well, and is it as a punishment?

Answer Hello Jon,

Peace be with you!

Thank you very much for your question.

Just as in the Bible, the Holy Qur’an too speaks of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden as a punishment. But it is clearly stated that our grandparents repented and returned to God; so God forgave them.

But the Christian mythology popularized by Paul and company later on gave a twist to the whole story:

To the Christians even after the expulsion of Adam and Eve, God does not relent: He insists that every one of their children for generations to come bears this Original Sin. And so the whole of mankind is doomed, except for the lucky Christians who glibly claim that the Son of God was punished in their place some two thousand years ago, and so every thief, fornicator and murderer in Christendom is saved from hell fire.

On the other hand, the Muslims believe that life on earth where Adam’s children find themselves is a testing ground for them: which means that we are answerable for our actions. No son of God comes to take away our dirty sins. We have to repent and reform to save ourselves.

The Holy Qur’an says: “No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another”. That is to say, we need to build our own heaven and hell for ourselves.

And Allah knows best.

Name kareem - United States

Profession student

Question Salamualaikum! Can you discuss specifics of the Holy Quran, God's very words, that makes it loved by the believers. I indeed love the eloquence and power and beauty and miraculous flow and truth of God's words. But concerning the Arabic language in particular, as I am not a fluent speaker of arabic, can you describe any other aspects of God's literary style that moved the hearts of the native speakers of arabic and how even the smallest surah to them was and will forever be unmatched? Thanks and may God have mercy on you in this life and the next as well as the entire Islamonline staff. Salam!

Answer Dear Abdul Kareem,

Assalamu alaikum.

Thank you very much for your question.

One unique feature of the Holy Qur’an is the use of the Arabic language to its maximum potential. We see in the Holy Qur’an a unity of content, style and a resonating rhythm, “a spell-binding magic”, as it were, that captivates the soul of man. Its verses move men to raptures or tears of ecstasy.

We know Arabic is only one of the several languages of humans; but this language has developed over the centuries its own genius that perfectly suited Divine Discourse.

As for the Qur'an's literary style, most noteworthy are the verses in the short chapters; where we find human language shattering beneath the Power of Divine Message, as noted by an eminent scholar.

All that we can say in praise of the language of the Qur’an is poor and insufficient in view of its supreme transcendent beauty; and only a person who knows the Arabic language can appreciate its powerful charm properly. And of course words fail me.

And Allah knows best.

Name Elias - United States

Profession

Question I was wondering if there are any historical sources that confirm the Qur'an was compiled during the time of Muhammad from outside sources other than from Muslims themselves? Perhaps from Jewish or Chisitian records of the revelation of the Qur'an coming into play during Muhammad's time? I ask because we non Muslimsmust accept or trust Muslims alone in their claim that the Qur'an came down when it did and what it is about. How do we not know that a entire group of great poets didn't compile the Qur'an and create a whole reigion on their own for purposes? So, are there any sources other than that of Muslims that speak of the Qur'an and about Muhammad during 610 CE or around Muhammad's lifetime?

Answer Hello Elias,

Peace be with you!

Thank you for your question.

First, there is no record whatever that points to the charge that the Qur’an was compiled from outside sources.

The Qur’an’s claim as the Record of the Word of God dictated to His prophet, is borne out by the following facts:

The speaker in the Qur'an is God talking directly to man. [The Sayings of the Prophet, called hadiths are in other books.] The Qur’an repeatedly says that it is the word of God. It has self-reference; that is to say, it names itself 70 times as the Qur'an. {And remember the Bible does not have self-reference}

The verses of the Qur’an were revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him), in the course of 23 years of his life, as and when the events in the unfolding development of the Religion of God called for Divine Guidance. As soon as the Prophet received these verses, he dictated them to his disciples, who not only wrote them down, but also learned them by heart. There were so many people who had memorized the Qur’an, that we can say that from the first day of its revelation as it were, the Qur’an was in the hands and hearts of the people. You cannot say this of the Bible or of any other scripture.

Before the death of the Prophet, the whole of the Qur’an was written down, examined and verified by the Prophet himself. From that time onwards, it has remained safe from corruption as several copies of it were in the possession of the Muslims. So it was not possible to make any changes to its verses, even if someone had wanted to do so. Moreover, God has promised in the Holy Qur’an: “Certainly, it was We Who revealed the Reminder (the Qur’an) and certainly We shall preserve it.” (Holy Qur’an 15:9)

At the time of the Prophet’s death, a number of the Prophet’s Companions already had assembled the portions of the Qur’an with them into a volume. It was during the time of the first Khalifah Abu Bakr that a leading scholar and scribe of the prophet, Zayd ibn Thabit was appointed to compile an official version. After meticulous work, he prepared the official collection (mushaf).

One of the foremost reasons for the Qur’an’s continued incorruptibility is that it has been preserved in its original language, unlike the Bible. Thus the Qur’an we have today is the same Qur’an that the Prophet received from God. Its authenticity and genuineness therefore, is unimpeachable.

And add to it the fact that there was no copy of the Bible existing in Arabic at the time of the Prophet. The first Arabic translation of the Bible came into existence only in the 9th century of Christian Era.(And Muhammad, peace be on him died in 632 C.E) So there was no chance of Muhammad plagiarizing the Bible.

Allah says:

“This is the Book; in it is Sure Guidance, no doubt, for those who are God-conscious….(Qur’an 2:2)

“And say: “The Truth has arrived, and Falsehood perished; for Falsehood is bound to perish.” (Qur’an 17: 81)

And Allah knows best.

Name Marco - Canada

Profession

Question Peace Be Upon you and the Mercy of Allah,

I'm an English speaking North American who has embraced Islam. I try my best everyday and as we all know there are only so many hours in a day. My question is do you think that there will ever exist an English Qur'an that will be acceptable to those in the Middle East? Maybe have a comittee of scholars that can agree on a translation. It is an incredible burden to learn Arabic and we all know Islam is for the world. Meaning, most converts that strive to learn the Qur'an in Arabic usually cannot speak the langauge and are just memorizing the Quranic text. I underdtand the Torah and the Bible have been corrupted for this very reason as one loses meaning in a translation. However, isn't it possible to have an English Qur'an that could be close to the intention and truth of the Arabic Qur'an? It just seems like Muslims insist it is for all mankind and that Allah made us different colours and gave us different languages so that we may know one another, yet the Qur'an (the most imporant message on the planet earth) cannot be duplicated in other languages in the sense it would have the same respect as the Arabic translation...

Answer Hello Marco,

Assalamu alaikum

Thank you for your question.

First, please understand that the Qur'an is always the Arabic Qur'an, period.

But this does not mean that you cannot use a translation. Indeed there are a good number of English translations available. You can use any one of them to understand the meanings of the verses. But it is a MUST that you need to learn at least a few short surahs by heart for the ritual prayer, salah, as this MUST BE DONE in Arabic. This is not too much of a task; as you are not asked to learn the whole Arabic language; but only a few verses in Arabic. You can do this easily,as millions of poor Asians and Africans are doing this; you know for them too Arabic is a foreign language.

To live in Islam, learning the basic teachings of islam is essential; and you can do this in English, no problem. In the same way you can learn as much of the meanings of the verses of the Qur'an as you can.

It is true that Allah made us all with different colors and speaking different languages. And Allah knows this; but He revealed the Torah to Moses in Hebrew and Injil to Jesus in Aramaic and the Qur'an to Muhammad in Arabic (peace be on them all). And from our experience we know that all the previous scriptures were corrupted and distorted; and one of the sources of this corruption was the excuse of translation, which always involves an interpretation. Once we relent on this and say that any translation is the Qur'an, human interpretation of Divine Verses will be taken for Divine Verses. And the result will be confusion worse confounded. Probably utter corruption. So, if you think about it you can understand why we insist that the Arabic Qur'an is the Qur'an meant for the whole of mankind.

And Allah knows best.

Name Muslim guy - United Kingdom

Profession

Question Some say that a Quran in English is not the same as a Quran in Arabic as the translation is a meaning of the Arabic words. If, as the Quran says, it is a guide to mankind, then surely as long as the translation of the Quran is accurate, a translated Quran has the same value as the original Arabic?

Answer Hello Muslim Guy,

Assalamu alaikum

Thank you for your question.

Please see my answer to Marco above.

The Qur'an is a guide to mankind; and its ideas can be expressed in any language. So a translation is perfectly acceptable for this purpose.

But one of the most important aspects of the Qur'an, indeed one of its unique characteristics, is its form in Arabic. Please read my answers above where I have spoken of how there is a unity in the Qur'an of content, language and rhythm.This means that there is a big difference between the Arabic Qur'an and any one of its translations.

Hope you understand my point.

And Allah knows best