1.BYMAULANA MUFTI MUHAMMAD SHAFITranslated byProf. Muhammad Hasan Askari, Prof. Muhammad Shamim Revised by Justice Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani Volume 1( S u r a h Al-Fatihah, Al-Baqarah)

2. ...CONTENTS 111 S.NoSubjectPage CONTENTSForeword-xvTransliteration Schemexxiii INTRODUCTIONPrefacexxvWahy and its true nature 1The need for Waby1The modes of descent 4The chronology of the revelation of the QurZil6The verses that came first 7The Makki and ~ a d a nVerses i.8Characteristics of Makki and ada an? Verses9The gradual revelation of the Noble Quran -- 1ISabab al-nuzul:(Cause of revelation)12The seven readings of the Holy QurZn 13The Seven Qaris 17The Preservation of the Holy QurZn:In the days of the Holy prophet=19The writing of Wahy 21Preservation: In the period of SayyidnZ AbG Bakr22Preservation: In the period of Sayyidng Uthmiin26Steps taken to facilitate recitation31Inclusion of dots 31Marks of correct read?ng32Ahzab or Manazil32Ajza or parts32Akhmas and Ashar: The sets of Fives and Tens 33Ruku or section33Rumuz al-Awqaf: Stop signs34The printing of the Holy Quran 36An introduction to the science of ~ a f s i r 36The sources of ~ a f s i r38The Glorious Quran 38The ~ a d i t h 38The reports from the SahZbah -39The reports from the Tgbiin or Successors39The Arabic Language 40Deliberation and deduction40 3. CONTENTS iv S.NoSubjectPageThe rules relating to Israelite reports 41A misconception about the tafsir of Quriin 42Famous Commentaries of the QurZn 43Tafsyr ibn ~a;r 46Tafsir ibn Kathir 46~ a f s iA l - ~ u r t u b i r46Al-~afsiral-Kabir 47Tafsir al-Bahr al-Muhit 48Ahkam al-QurZn by al-Jassgs48TafsG al-Durr al-Manthur48Al-Tafsyr al-rvlazhar:49RGh al-Maani 49Surah Al-FZtihahThe merits and peculiarities of the Siirah 53Bismillah is a verse of the Holy Quran54The merits of Bismilldz55Commentary 57Injunctions and related Considerations 60SErah Al-Fatihah 62The Day of requital is real and rational:67Who is the Master? 68The prayer for guidance -71The Implications of Guidance-72The meaning of Hidayah or guidance 72The first degree of guidance 72The second degree of guidance74The third degree of guidance 74A cumulative view of guidance75Guidance: Some notes of caution75Which path is straight?77The key to the straight path 79The conclusion 81Why the Schism?81Injunctions and related Considerations 81The proper way of Praying to Allah 81Praising Allah is mans natural demand 82Self-praise is not permitted 84Rabb is the exclusive attribute of Allah 85Seeking help from Allah85Seeking Allahs help directly and indirectly 87Key to success in this world and in the Hereafter91 4. CONTENTS v S.NoSubjectPageSurah Al-BaqarahThe name and the number of verses95The period of revelation 95The merits of SZrah Al-Baqarah 96Verses 1- 597Who are the God-fearing 101The Definition of Iman 101The meaning of Establishing SalZh 102Spending in the way of Allah: Categories103The distinction between Iman and Islam 104An argument to the Finality of Prophethood109The God-fearing have faith in the Hereafter 110Faith in the Hereafter: A revolutionary belief111Verses 6 -7 113What is Kufr? (Infidelity)115The meaning of Zndhar (warning) by a Prophet 116Favour withdrawn by Allah is a punishment 117A dnubt is removed118Verses 8 - 20 119Injunctions and related Considerations125Removal of a doubt128Lying is contemptible 128Misbehaving Prophets is to misbehave with Allah 128The curse of telling lies 128Who are reformers and mischief-makers 129Verses 21 - 22131Commentary133The Doctrine of Tauhid : A source of peace in human life138Verses 23 - 24139The miraculous Quran i s a proof of prophethood of ~ u h a m m a d * 140The Holy QurEn is a living miracle 142Qualities that make the QurZn a miracle143Answers to some doubts147Verse 25 - 27 149QurZnic parables Test and guidance 152Who is fassrq?152Living by the covenant with Allah 153Islamic concern about relationship to others153Verses 28 - 29154The life in Barzakh (The period between death and resurrection) - 156Verses 30 - 33158 5. CONTENTS vi S.NsSubjectPageThe creation of Adam - 159Why Allah discussed Adams creation with angels? 160Allah is the creator of the language 164 anis the viceregent of Allah on the earth 164The Holy Prophet &A$$ was the last Caliph of Allah on earth165The issue of Caliphate after the Holy Prophet167Verse 34 170Angel, prostration before Adam 171Verses 35 - 36 175Adam grid Hawwa in Paradize 177The Prophets are innocent of all sins179Verses 37 - 39 181Adams prayer to Allah 181Descension of Adam was not a punishment182The obedient are freed of worries185Verses 40 - 42 187Injunctions and related considerations 190Verses 43 - 46 196Salah with Jamaah: (congregation)-201An admonition to preachers without practil e 204Khushu: The humbleness of heart 206Verses 47 - 48 209A doctrinal point2 10Verse 49 - 5 1 2 10A doctrinal point212Verses 52 - 58 213The meaning of IhsEn 2 18Verse 59 2 18Injunctions and related Considerations 219Verse 60 222An answer to a doubt about the Israelites223Verses 61 - 66 223Injunctions and related Considerations 233Verses 67 - 73 235Injunctions and related consideration238Verses 74 - 89 238Knowledge is not enough for %man 253Verses 90 - 103253What is magic? Definition and effects269Magic and charms 269Sihr or magic: The Islamic view270 6. CONTENTS vii-S.NoKinds of magicSubject Page 271The difference between miracle and magic 274Miracle and Magic: How to distinguish between them?275Magic and Prophets 276Injunctions of the ~hariahwith regard to magic -276A doctrinal point278Verses 104 - 107 278What is Naskh? (Abrogation)282The kinds of abrogation282The terminology of the Naskh 285Verses 108 - 115 287The differences between the Jews and the Christians291Injunctions and related Considerations 296The sanctity of the Mosque 297Verses 116 - 123 300Verse 124309The great trials put to Ibriihyrn309Verse 1253 18The History of Kabah3 18Ibrahim migrated to Makkah 3 19Some injunctions related to the Haram -_ 322The ~ a ~ a r n - e - I b r a h i r n -324Verses 126 - 128 326The prayers of 1brahirn326The Ibrahimic wisdom 328Verse 129331The prayer of Ibrahim for the Holy Prophet & 332Verses 130 - 132 343illa at-e-1br5hym (The Ibrahimic Way)344Verses 133 - 134 348 Injunctions and related considerations351 Verses 135 - 138352 The definition cif %an354 The terms Z i l l ~ and Buruzz are not valid355The Colour of Allah356Verses 139 - 141 357 Verse 142 360 The orientation of Qiblah 361 Verse 143 ... 366 The most moderate of all people 367 The universal man 368 7. CONTENTS viii S.NoSubjectPageThe universal community370Moderateness: A comparative view 371Injunctions and related Considerations 374Verse 143 continued375The History of the Qiblah375Injunctions and related injunctions377Verse 144382The orientation to Qiblah382Injunctions and related Considerations 383Verse 145 - 150388The change of Qiblah 392Injunctions and related considerations 395Verses 151 - 152 397The Merits of Dhikr (Rememberance) 399Verse 153400The patience and the SalZh.400A remedy to all problems 402Verses 154 - 157 403The Martyrs are not dead 404Patience in hardship: The way to make it easy406A formula of peace in hardship 406Verse 158407Some terms and their meanings408~ a between Safa and Marwah is Obligatory?408Verses 159 - 162 409The duty of spreading the Islamic Knowledge410The ~ a d s is equal to the Quriin by implicationh412The evil consequences of some sins 412Cursing an individual is not permissible 413Verses 163 - 164 413Understanding Tauhid, the Oneness of Allah, in the wider sense-4 14Verses 165 - 169 416The meaning of the words 419 Injunctions and Rulings 420 Verses 170 - 171420 Comments on the nature of Taqlid- 42 1 Verses 172 - 173423 The effects of eating Hula1 and Haram 424 Injunctions about the dead animal 426 Injunctions and Rulings --426 The blood 428 8. CONTENTS 1x S.No Subject PageBlood Transfusion429The swine is forbiddan 430The consecrated animals43 1The offering for anyone other than Allah 435Injunctions i n situations of compulsion 435Special Note 436Using the forbidden as a cure, in necessity436Using the forbidden as a cure without necessity437The conclusion 438Verses 174 - 176 438Earning money against the Faith439Verse 177440The chapters of Birr(the.virtures) 441Commentary 442Special Note 444Verses 178 - 179 445There is life in Qisas 446Rulings447Verses 180 - 182 449The Quranic view of making will 450Rulings452Verses 183 - 184 453Commentary 453Past communities and the injunction to fast454Fasting when sick454Fasting when in travel 455Ruling 455Making Qada of the missed fast 456Ruling 456The Fidyah or Ransom for a missed Fast 456The amount of Ransom and other rulings 458Ruling 1. ~- 458Ruling 2.458Verse 185458The merits of the month of Ramadan 459Rulings460Note:462Verse 186462Allah is near His servants 462Verse 187463Commentary 464 9. CONTENTS x S.No Subject PageEating Sehri:465Ruling:467The worship of Itikaf 468Ruling 468Observe the limits of Allah469Verse 188469Commentary 470The criterion of good and evil in earnings 470The virtues of the Islamic economic system 470The background of revelation 473Halal brings blessings; Haram produces evil: 475Questions man must answer on the Day of Resurrection 476Verses 189 - 191 477Commentary 479The lunar calendar is the Islamic choice 480Ruling 482Jzhad: To fight in the way of Allah482Rulings485Verses 192 - 195 485Commentary 486Ruling 486Spending for JzhZd --487Verses 196 - 203 489Injunctions concerning Hajj and Umrah 491The injunctions about Umrah 492Rules concerning Ibrarn492Shaving in the state of Ihram? 493Combining Hajj and Umrah during Hajj months 494Al-Tamattu and Al-QirZn;the two kinds of Hajj 495The warning against violation of rules 495The Hajj Months: Prohibitions495The eloquence of the Qur5.n 499Trading or earning during the Hajj 500Staying in Arafat and Muzdalifah: 501Human equality in practice 504The prohibition of Jahzlr customs at MinZ504Moderation in religious and worldly pursuits 506The emphasis on remembering Allah in Minx508Verses 204 - 210 511Commentary 512Special note 516 10. CONTENTSxi S.NoSubject PageVerses 211 - 214517Commentary519Verse 215 527Commentary528Rulings 530Verses 216 - 218531Explanation in brief532Injunctions and related Considerations533The Injunction relating to fighting in the sacred months536The evil consequences of Apostasy 537Verse 219 539Commentary539The prohibition of wine, and related injunctions539The gradual forbiddance of wine 541The matchless obedience of the blessed Companions 543Islamic strategy for a social change544The good and evil of wine 545The forbiddance of wine: A complete view546The Unlawfulness of Gambling548Social ill-effects of gambling550Some juristic rules and related notes 553Verses 219 - 221554Inter-Marriage between Muslims and Kcfirs is Prohibited 555Special notes from Bayan al-Quran559Verses 222 - 223560No sexual intercourse during menstruation 560Verse 224 - 227 561Notes:562Verse 228 564A great verse defining the status of man and woman564The place of women in Islam 564The status of women in pre Islamic society565Mans guardianship is essential for peace and order 567A conflict and its Resolution 568Mans higher position over woman is for discipline only 569Verses 229 - 230572Commentary573Marriage, divorce and the rules governing them573Detailed injunctions regarding three divorces at a time 578Three divorces given unlawfully are effective 583The action taken by Sayyidn5 F5ruq A l - ~ z a m586 11. CONTENTS xii S.NoSubjectPageVerses 231 - 232 591Commentary 591Special instructions for revocation of divorce or annulmentof marriage -592Do not make a marriage and divorce a plaything 595The basic rules of giving a divorce596Rules of the remarriage of the divorced women597The Quranic strategy about the enforcement of law600Verse 233602The injunctions of suckling the children by the mothers602Suckling of children is an obligation of the mother603The total period of suckling 603Responsibilities of mothers and fathers604The standard of wifes liabilities 605Forcing or not forcing a mother for suckling 605Wages of suckling for a divorced woman 605The responsibility of suckling an orphan 606The injunctions of weaning 607Injunctions of suckling by a nurse 607Verses 234 - 235 608Some injunctions relating to Iddah609Verses 236 - 237 609Commentary 610Verses 238 - 239 612Commentary 612Verses 240 - 242 613Verse 241: The divorced women deserve a benefit614Verses 243 - 244 615Commentary 615Relating Injunctions and Rulings 619Divine decree overcomes human planning 619Rules pertaning to the place of epidemic 619Some Exceptions622Verses 245 - 251 624Commentary 624Verse 248: The story of T&t and Jaliit 628Verse 252 - 255629Commentary 630The merits of Ayat-a1 Kursi633Verses 256 - 258 637Injunctions and related Considerations 64 1 12. ...CONTENTSXlllS.NoSubjectPage403. Verses 259 - 260 64 1404. Commentary 642405. Some related questions and their answers 645406. Verses 261 - 266 647 Commentary 649 A similitude of spending in the way of Allah 650 Conditions that make charity a worship 65 1 Conditions that make charity go in vain652 Verses 267 - 274 656 Commentary 658 Injunctions relating to Injunctions relating to the lands, liable to Ushr659 Al-Hikmah: Meaning and Explanation 660 Verses 275 - 281 664 The Prohibition of Riba665 Some additional details about Rib6 684 Summing up the discussion690 The wisdom behind the prohibition of riba69 1 Economic drawbacks of ribE or interest 694 The design for deception 698 A doubt and its answer 70C The obligation of ZakEh ensures progress in business 701 Interest: The spiritual ills:701 Is i t impossible to run a business without interest?702 Sayings of the Holy Prophet & about R ~ b a Interest: or 705 Verses 282 - 283 708 The QurSnic injunctions on Loan 709 The rules of witnessing711 The number of witnesses711 The qualifications of witnesses7 12 Refusing the act of witnessing is a sin712 Witnesses should not suffer7 12 Verse 284 - 286714 Commentary 719 13. Foreward xv FOREWORD by Justice Maulana Muhammad Taqi UsmaniMaariful-Quran is the name of a detailed Urdu commentary of theHoly Quran written by my father Maulan5 Mufti Muhammad ~ h a f i ( ~ J J I He was one of the eminent scholars who served a s a~ ~ ) .professor and a s a grand Mufti of Darul-Uloom Deoband, thewell-known university of the Islamic Sciences in the sub-continent ofIndia. In 1943, he resigned from Darul-Uloom, due to his activeinvolvement in the Pakistan movement, and when Pakistan came intoexistence, he migrated to Karachi where he devoted his life for thisnew homeland of the Muslims and served the country in differentcapacities. He also established Darul-Uloom Karachi, an outstandinginstitute of Islamic Sciences on the pattern of Darul-Uloom Deoband,which is regarded today as the biggest private institute of higherIslamic education in Pakistan.He was a prolific writer who left behind him about one hundredbooks on different Islamic and literary subjects. Maariful-Qu~iinwasthe last great work he accomplished four years before his demise. The origin of Maariful-Quriin refers back to the third of Shawwal1373 A.H. (corresponding to the 2nd of July 1954) when the authorwas invited to give weekly lectures on the Radio Pakistan to explainselected verses of the Holy Quriin to the general audience. Thisinvitation was accepted by the author on the condition that he wouldnot accept any remuneration for this service and that his lectureswould be broadcast without any interference by the editingauthorities. The permanent title of this weekly programme was 14. Forewardxvi"Maariful-Quran" (The Wisdom of the Holy Quran) and it wasbroadcast every Friday morning on the network of Radio Pakistan. This series of lectures continued for ten years upto the month ofJ u n e 1964 whereby the new authorities stopped the programme forreasons best known to them. This series of lectures contained adetailed commentary on selected verses from the beginning of the HolyQuran upto the SGrah 1br~hYmS i r a h no. 14).( This weekly programme of Radio Pakistan was warmly welcomedby the Muslims" throughout the globe and used to be listened to bythousands of Muslims, not only in Pakistan and India but also inWestern and African countries. After the programme was discontinued, there was a flood ofrequests from all over the world to transfer this series in a book-formand to complete the remaining part of the Holy Quran in the shape ofa regular commentary. These requests persuaded the esteemed author to revise theselectures and to add those verses which were not included in theoriginal.lectures. He started this project in 1383 A.H. (1964) andcompleted the commentary of Surah al-Fatihah in its revised form andstarted the revision of Surah al-Baqarah. However, due to hisnumerous involvements he had to discontinue this task, and i tremained unattended during the next five years. In Shawwal 1388 (1969) the esteemed author suffered from anumber of diseases which made him restricted to his bed. It wasduring this ailment that he restarted this work while on bed andcompleted Surah al-Baqarah in the same condition. Since then hedevoted himself to the "Maariful-Quran". Despite a,large number ofobstacles in his way, not only from the political atmosphere of thecountry and the difficult responsibilities he had on his shoulders indifferent capacities, but also from his health and physical condition, henever surrendered to any of them and continued his work with amiraculous speed until he accomplished the work in eight volumes(comprising of about seven thousand pages) within five years only. After appearing in a regular book-form, Mahriful-Quran washighly appreciated and widely admired by the Urdu-knowing Muslimsthroughout the world. Thousands of copies of the book are stillcirculated every year, and the demand for the book is so increasing 15. Foreward xviithat it has always been a problem for its publisher to satisfy thedemand to its optimum.A Few Words about the present EnglishTranslation of Maariful-QuranLet me say a few words about the present English translation ofthe Maariful-Quran.Although a large number of English translations of the HolyQuran is available in the market, yet no comprehensive commentaryof the Holy Quran has still appeared in the English language. Somebrief footnotes found with some English translations cannot fulfil theneed of a detailed commentary. Besides, they are generally written bythe people who did not specialize themselves in the Quranic sciences,and their explanatory notes do not often reflect the authenticinterpretation of the Holy Quran. Some such notes are based on anarbitrary interpretation having no foundation in the recognizedprinciples of the exegesis of the Holy Quran, and are thus misleadingfor a common reader.On the other hand, during the last few decades, the Muslimpopulation has increased among the English speaking countries inenormous numbers. These people and their new generations need adetailed commentary of the Holy Quran which may explain to themthe correct message of the last divine book with all the relevantmaterial in an authentic manner which conforms to the recognizedprinciples of tafsFr (the exegesis of the Holy QurSn).Since Maariful-Quriin was the latest book written on these linesand was proved to be beneficial for a layman as well as for a scholar, itwas advised by different circles that its English translation may fulfillthe need.I t made me look for a person who might undertake the task, notonly with his professional competence, but also with his commitmentto serve the Holy Quran.Fortunately, I succeeded in persuading Prof. Muhammad HasanAskari, the well-known scholar of English literature and criticism, to undertake the translation. In the beginning he was reluctant due tohis strong sense of responsibility in the religious matters, but when I assured him of my humble assistance throughout his endeavor, he not 16. Forewardxviiionly agreed to the proposal, but started the work with remarkabledevotion. Despite my repeated requests, he did never accept anyhonorarium or a remuneration for his service. He was a chain-smoker.But he never smoked during his work on Maariful-Quran, whichsometimes lasted for hours.In this manner he completed the translation of about 400 pages ofthe original Urdu book and 156 verses of the Surah al-Baqarah, butunfortunately, his sudden demise discontinued this noble effort.Strangely enough, the last portion he translated was the commentaryof the famous verse:~ I A I , yrii YI, J I ~ Y I @ t&~tv. , v. e~ + I&, O j*lJJI i;b B i;I IJU ire. ,++Lo1 Iil &UI O , L Iydi & And surely, We will test you with a bit of fear and hunger and loss i n wealth and lives and fruits. And give good tidings to the patient who, when they suffer a calamity, say, We certainly be- long to Allah and to Him we are bound to return.Prof. Askari passed away in 1977, and due to my overwhelmingoccupations during the next 12 years, I could not find out a suitableperson to substitute him. It was in 1989, thatprof. MuhammadShamim offered his services to resume the translation from whereProf. Askari had left it. I found in him the same sincerity, commitmentand devotion I had experienced in the late Professor. Moreover, he haddecided to devote the rest of his life to the service of the Holy Quranwithout any financial benefit. Here again I tried my best to persuadehim to accept some kind of honorarium, but it was in vain. He startedhis work from the Verse 158 of Surah al-Baqarah and has nowcompleted the translation of the first two volumes of the originalMaariful-Qur7anand is working on the third volume.Both Prof. Muhammad Hasan Askari and Prof. MuhammadShamim have insisted that their translations must be revised by mefrom the religious point of view. For this purpose, I have gone throughthe typescript of the translations of both of them and suggested someamendments where it was necessary.The translation of Prof. Askari had been started a t a time whenthe esteemed author of Maariful-Quran was still alive. We werefortunate to receive some guide-lines from the author himself. He had 17. Forewardxixadvised the translators not to be too literal in translation to sacrificethe natural flow of the text. Moreover, he had emphasized that whilerendering his book into English, the requirements of English must be kept in mind. Some discussions may be dispensedwith. Similarly, many paragraphs may be condensed in the Englishversion in order to avoid repetition.The esteemed author had authorised me for suitable decisions inthese matters. Both the learned translators, despite their earnesteffort to reflect the original text a s accurately as possible, havefollowed, in consultation with me, the said advices of the authorhimself. However they have never tried to sacrifice the originalconcept of the text for the beauty of language alone. Particularly, inthe juristic discussions of the book, they have been very strict in thetranslation, lest some change in the style should creep in and distortthe accurate connotation of the Islamic injunctions. In such places, thereader may feel some difficulty. However, a more concentrate readingcan easily remove it.Translation of the Holy QuranThe original Urdu MaZriful-Quran had not given a newtranslation of the Holy QurGn itself. Rather, the esteemed author hadadopted the Urdu translations of Maulana Mahmoodul-Hasan(Shaikhul-Hind) and Maulana Ashraf Ali T h ~ n a von which he basedihis commentary. While rendering the book into English, we had threeoptions about the translation of the Holy Quran:(a) To adopt any one of the already available English translationsof the Holy Quran, like those of Arberry, Pickthall or Abdullah~ o u s u Ali.f(b) To translate the Urdu translations used in the Maariful-Quraninto English. (c)To provide a new translation of our own. After a great deal of consideration and consultation, we elected towork on the third option, i.e. to prepare a new translation of the HolyQuran. The reasons behind this decision were manifold which neednot be detailed here. In short, we wanted to prepare a translationwhich may be closer to the Quranic text and easier to understand. Forthis purpose, we formed a committee with the following members: 18. Forewardxx1.Prof. Muhammad Shameem.2. Mr. Muhammad Wali Raazi.3. This humble writer.This committee has accomplished the translation of the HolyQuriin upto the Surah Yiisuf and is still going on with this project.The committee has all the famous available translations of theHoly text before it, and after a deep study of the relevant materialfound in the classical Arabic commentaries, lays down the newtranslation in as simple expressions as possible, While doing so, wehave tried our best that the different possible interpretations of theQuranic text remain undisturbed, and the new translationaccommodates as many of them as practicable. We have tried not toimpose on our reader a particular interpretation where severalinterpretations were equally possible. However, where the translationcould not accommodate more than one connotation, we have followedthe one adopted by the majority of the classic commentators includingMaulanZ Ashraf ~ l ? h a n a v i on whose translation t h e ~Maariful-Quran is based. Despite all these sincere efforts, one cannot avoid the admissionthat the exact translation of the Holy QurGn is impossible. One cannotconvey the glory and the beauty of the divine expression in any otherlanguage, let alone the English language which, despite its vastvocabulary, seems to be miserable when it comes to the expression ofspiritual concepts. Therefore, even after observing all the precautionsa t our command, we feel that we were trying to translate a text whichis - as Arberry has rightly put it - totally untranslatable. However, this is another humble effort to convey the basic messageof the Holy Quran to a common reader in a simple manner. How farwe have succeeded in this effort? Allah knows best.The Scheme of the Translation Now, here are some points to be kept in mind while consulting thetranslation. 1. Although the translators have tried their best to preserve notonly the literal sense of the Holy text, but also the order of words andsentences, yet, while translating the idiomatic expressions, it is 19. Foreward xxifelt that the literal translation may distort the actual sense or reduce the emphasis embodied in the Arabic text. At such places effort has been made to render the Quranic sense into a closer English expression.2. Both in the translation of the Holy Qur7Zn and i n the commentary, a uniform scheme of transliteration has been adopted. The scheme is summarized in the beginning pages of the book.3. The names of the prophets have been transliterated according to their Arabic pronunciation, and not according to their biblical form. For example, the biblical Moses has been transliterated as Muss A+ ry-11 , which is the correct Arabic pronunciation. Similarly, instead of A+ biblical Abraham, the Quranic Ibrahim ,=KJl and instead of Joseph, the Qurgnic Yiisuf rUlA+ has been preferred.However, in the names other than those of prophets, like Pharaoh, their English form has been retained.4. A permanent feature of the original Urdu Maariful-Quran is its "Khulasa-e-Tafseer"(Summary). Under every group of verses, the esteemed author has given a brief summary of the meaning of the verses to help understand them in one glimpse. This summary was taken from Bayiin-ul-QufSn, the famous commentary of Maulan; Ashraf ~ 1 i a n a vAi AIJI ~h & . He has set up this summary by addingi,J some explanatory words or sentences within brackets to his Urdu translation. The esteemed author of Maariful-Quriin has reproduced this summary (after simplification in some places) with the heading o f - ~ h u l a s a - e - ~ a f s Lu before his own commentary to the ir - K;relevant group of verses.While translating Maariful-Quran into English, it was very diffi- cult, rather almost impossible, to give that summary in the same fash- ion. Therefore, the translators have restricted themselves to the com- mentary of Maariful-Quran and have not translated the Khulasa-e- Tafsir 1 - However, where they found some additional points in ;US. the summary which are not expressly mentioned in the commentary, they have merged those points into the main commentary, so that the English reader may not be deprived of them.It is only by the grace of Allah Almighty that in this way we could be able to present this first volume of this huge work. The second 20. Forewardxxiivolume is already under composing, and we hope that Allah Jk, L;&-will give us tawfiq to bring the next volumes a s soon a s possible.Acknowledgments a r e due to all those who contributed theirefforts, advices and financial support to this work. Those deservingspecial reference a r e Prof. Abdul-Wahid Siddiqi, Dr. Zafar IshaqAnsari, Mr. Abubakr Varachia and Mr. Shuaib Umar (both of SouthAfrica) Dr. Muhammad Ismail (of U.S.A), and Mr. Altaf Barkhurdaria. My elder brother Mr. Muhammad Wali Raazi has been associatedwith the work right from its beginning, and has always been a greatsource of guidance, support and encouragement. He is a member of thecommittee set up for t b translation of the Holy Quran and his re-markable contributior,, not only to the translation of the Holy Quran,but also to the translation of the commentary is unforgettable. He, too,h a s been contributing his valuable time and effort to this project foryears just for the sake of Allah. May Allah approve his contributionswith His pleasure and bless him with the best of rewards both hereand hereinafter. As for Prof. Muhammad Shameem, the original translator ofMaariful-Quran after the demise of Prof. Muhammad Hasan Askari,all the formal words of acknowledgment seem to be miserably deficientfor the valuable service he has rendered to this project. He has notonly translated the book with precaution and love, but also devoted hiswhole life to the Holy Quran and spared no effort to bring this volumeinto light. Out of his commitment to the cause, he did not restricthimself to the work of a translator, but also undertook the function ofa n editor and a proof reader and supervised all other minute details ofthe publishing process. His devotion, sincerity and hardwork is beyondany amount of admiration. May Allah grant him the best reward ofHis absolute approval for his noble work. Amin. With these few words I am honoured to present this first volume tothe readers. May Allah approve this effort and make it beneficial tothe Ummah. Amin. Muhammad Taqi UsmaniDarul-Uloom, Karachi-1410 Safar 14169 July 1995 21. TRANSLITERATION SCHEMEArabic Letter Name of Letter English Transliteration I 1 -- Alifa U 4-- bab 3 .L- -- tat 3 .k. tha.-th C -- jim j C L -.hah i +Lj.-- khgkh 3 JI,-- dgld > JIi-- d h ddh J "J -- ra-r j db -- za z-- sin-- shin-- sad-- dad-- ta-- za-- ayn-- ghayn-- fii-- qGf-- kaf-- lam ,+ --mim b+ -- nun lb-- ha $3 -- W ~ W +!-- Hamzah .L.-- ya: Fathah: Kasrah: Dammah: Shortened Alif: Maddah Alif: Maddah YZ: Maddah WZw:&if and Yii aY: Alif and Waw aw (also au i n some cases) 22. PREFACE This is a n introduction comprising of some basic informationsabout the Holy Quran its revelation, the history of its descention andpreservation and similar other subjects. This introduction was writtenby me on the direction of my father, the esteemed author of MaGriful-QurZn. -He wanted to write this introduction himself, but due hismany other involvements and his deteriorating health, he could not doso. At this stage he directed me to write on these subject. When I start-ed writing the introduction, it became a lengthy volume itself and itwas not proper to include it in the Maariful-Quriin as an introduction.Therefore, the book was published separately under the title of"Uloom-ul-Qursn" and I condensed its discussions to the present in-troduction, which was published in the beginning of the second editionof~ aa r i f u l - ~ u ra n. This introduction is translated into English by Prof. MuhammadShameem after he accomplished the translation of the first volume ofMaariful-Quran. My book "Uloom-ul-Quran" is now available inEnglish also. Those who like detailed discussions on these subjectsmay refer to it.Muhammad Taqi UsmZni11Safar 1416 A.H. 23. Introduction1 Wahy and its true nature Since the Holy Quriin was revealed to our beloved prophetSayyidn2 Muhammad al-Mustafa+,Ljs JJI& by means of W a h y(revelation), a n understanding of some particulars about Wahy isimperative a t the very outset.The need for WahyEvery Muslim knows that Allah Almighty has sent man into thisworld a s a matter of test, and in return for his being obligated withcertain duties, the whole universe has been placed a t his service. Forthis reason man, once he is in the world, must do two things: 1.He should make the best use of this world, and of things created in it. 2. While using this world to his advantage, he should keep theinjunctions of Allah Almighty in sight and do nothing that goesagainst His will and pleasure.For these two functions man needs knowledge. Therefore, unlesshe knows the reality of this world, the properties of different thingsand the manner in which they can be put to use, he cannot useanything in this world to his advantage. Likewise, unless and until heknows the will of Allah Almighty as to what pleases Him and whatdispleases Ilim, it will be impossible for him to lead a life in line withthe will of Allah Almighty.So Allah Almighty, along with the creation of man, has createdthree things through which he could continue receiving knowledge ofthe above-mentioned matters of concern. These are: 24. Introduction2 1. Mans senses, that is, the eyes, the ears, the nose, the mouth, thehands and the feet. 2. The reason. 3. The Wahy.Consequently, man finds out many things through his senses,many others through reason, and the knowledge of things he cannotget through these two sources are bestowed upon him through Wahy.The arrangement between these three sources of knowledge is suchthat each one has its limits, and a particular sphere of activity beyondwhich it does not work. In natural sequence, the knowledge of thingsman collects through his senses cannot be deduced through blandreason. For instance, you know by seeing a wall with your eyes that itscolour is white. But, should you close your eyes and try to find out thecolour of that wall on the sole strength of your reason, this will then beimpossible. Similarly, the knowledge of things that comes throughreason cannot be discovered by senses alone. For instance, you cannotfind out a s to who made that wall by simply seeing it with your eyes ortouching it with your hands. Not a t all, you rather need reason toarrive a t that conclusion.In short, reason gives no guidance as far as the five senses workefficiently, and when the five senses become helpless, reason startsfunctioning. But, even the guidance given by this reason is notunlimited. This too stops a t a certain limit. Then there are things theknowledge of which can neither be acquired through senses northrough reason. For instance, to find out about this very wall, as towhat manner of its use will please Allah Almighty and what mannerof its use will displease Him, is possible neither through senses northrough reason. In order to give man the answer to such questions, thesource that Allah Almighty has prescribed is what is known as Wahy.And the method it follows is that Allah Almighty selects one of Hisservants, ordains him a s His messenger and to him He reveals HisWord. This Word is Wahy.This makes it clear that Wahy is the highest source of knowledgefor man which offers to him the answer to questions about his Iifewhich cannot be solved by means of reason and senses, but, he still 25. Introduction3has to have that knowledge. This further explains that reason andperception alone are not enough to show man the way. It is rather allthe more necessary, almost inevitable, that the Divine Wahy be therefor his guidance. Since Wahy is basically needed where reason does notwork, it is, therefore, not necessary that everything communicatedthrough Wahy be compulsively comprehended through reason. On thecontrary, as reason is no help in finding out the colour of some objectsince t h a t is the job of the senses, so is the knowledge of manyreligious beliefs, the gracious giving of which is the sole prerogative ofWahy and not of reason. Furthermore, trusting reason alone for theircomprehension is not sound and correct. To begin with, it is totally senseless to discuss the issue of Wahywith a person who, God forbid, does not accept the very existence ofGod. But, for a person who believes in the existence of Allah Almightyand has faith in His perfect power, it is not a t all difficult tounderstand that Wahy is a rational need, that it is possible and that itis there for real. If you have faith in the fact that this universe hasbeen created by an absolutely powerful entity, He is the One who hassent man down here to accomplish some particular mission, how thenis it possible to imagine that He, after once having created man, wouldleave him off in total darkness, without ever telling him why did hecome into this world, what his duties were, where was he destined togo and how could he realize the purpose of his life? How could aperson, whose sanity is still there, send one of his servants on acertain trip under a designated mission without ever telling him thepurpose of the trip while he is leaving, nor explaining it to him later onthrough some message as to why he has been sent out there and whatduties he is supposed to carry out during the trip? When a man ofordinary reason cannot do something like this, how can something likethis be imagined with respect to the most Holy Lord of the Universeunder Whose ultimate wisdom this whole system of the universe isfunctioning? After all, how is it possible that the Being, that did createsuch a mind-boggling system composed of the moon, the sun, the sky,the earth, the stars and the planets, would remain unable to institutesome arrangement of communication with His servants, throughwhich human beings could be given guidance about the purpose oftheir lives? If there is jrnin or faith in the ultimate wisdom of Allah 26. Introduction 4Almighty, then admitting that He did not forsake His servants in thedark, will become all the more necessary; rather on the contrary, Hehas surely instituted some regular system for their guidance. And so,this very regular system of guidance is known as Waby (Revelation)and Ris&lah (Prophethood).This makes it crystal clear that Waby is not only a religious beliefbut also a rational need the rejection of which amounts to a rejection ofthe ultimate wisdom of Allah Almighty.The Modes of DescentThis sacred sequence of W a h y (revelation) and R i s E l a h(prophethood) came to an end with the last of the prophets,Muhammad al-Mustafa +,&A dl & . Nevermore, shall Wahy descendupon any man, nor there is need for it. Wahy used to come to the HolyProphet + & JJI,in several forms and modes. In a had;th from~ahTh al-Bukhar;, Sayyidah Aishah +d d Jsays that Sayyidna lHiirith ibn Hisham u dl&J once asked the Holy Prophet+,&A &I &as to how did Wahy come to him. The Holy Prophet + cjs d & said ,lthat there are times when I hear something like the chiming of bellsand this mode of W a b y is the hardest on me. After t.hat, when thischime-sequence ends, that which has been said by the sound seems tohave been committed to my memory. And there are times when theangel appears before me in the shape of a man. ( ~ a h y hal-Bukha;, 2/11As regards the likening of the sound of Waby to the sound of bellsin the h a d i t h cited above, Shaykh Muhyy al- in ibn a l -~ r a b hasiexplained it by saying that, in the first place, the sound of W a h y iscontinuous like the sound of a bell which does not break off inbetween; and in the second place, when the bell rings continuously, itgenerally becomes difficult for the listener to determine the directionof its sound because its sound seems to be coming froni all directions.And the Divine Word too carries with it the distinction that it has noone single direction, in fact, the sound gives the impression of beingheard from all directions. A correct realization of this phenomenon isjust not possible without auditory experience, however, in order tobring this happening closer to common comprehension, the HolyProphet & has simply likened it to the sound of bells. (Fayd a l - ~ a r i ,19,2011) 27. Introduction5With the descent of Wahy in this mode, the Holy Prophet +g cameunder very heavy strain. Sayyidah Aishah lg;S JJI & says towards the ,end of this very hadith that she had seen the coming of Wahy to himduring days of extreme winter. When the progression of W a h yceased, his blessed forehead would have already become dripping-wetinspite of the chilly weather. In yet another narration, SayyidahAishah JJIrelates: When Wahy came to him, his breath would >Jseem to stop, the radiant face would change -- turning pale like thebranch of a date palm, the front teeth would shiver from cold and hewould perspire so much that its drops would roll like pearls. ( ~ 1 - ~ t q a n ,1/46) On occasions, so much intensity would be generated in this state ofWahy that the animal he would be riding a t that time would sit down,wilting under his weight. Once, when he was resting his blessed headon the lap of Sayyidnii Zayd ibn Thabit ~ ; &I+,,s there started thedescent of Waby in that very posture. This released so much weight onSayyidna Zayds thigh that it seemed to break. (Zad a l - ~ aa d ,1/18,19) There were times when a low-volumed sound of this W a h y wassensed by others as well. Sayyidna Umar ~ ; &I cr;t, says: When Wahyscame to him, a sound somewhat similar to the buzzing of honey-beescould be heard close to his most bright face. (Tabwib Musnad Ahmad, Kitabal-Sirah al-Nabaviyah, 201212) Under the second mode of W a h y , an angel would come to him insome human form and deliver Allahs message. Generally, on suchoccasions, Sayyidna ~ibrayl &A used to come to him in the form of fX.JlSayyidni Dihyah al-Kalbi L;S JJI . Certainly, a t other times, he hascome in other forms as well. In any case, this mode of the coming ofWahy when it was brought by Sayyidnii Jibrajl fX.JI 4 appearing inhuman form, was the easiest on the Holy Prophet . ( ~ 1 - ~ t q a1/46) n, The third mode of the coming of W a h y used to be thatSayyidnG JibrZil ?UIL~S would appear as he was, without havingtaken on the shape of a man. But this has happened only thrice in hisentire life-time. First of all, it was when the Holy Prophet+, & JJI &had himself wished to see him in his real form and shape. The secondtime, it was in the MirSj (the Ascent to Heaven), and the third time itwas a t Ajyad in Makkah al-Mukarramah during the very early days of 28. Introduction6prophethood. The first two happenings stand proved authentically,however, t h e last one suffers from weak chains of authority and is,therefore. doubtful. iFath a l - ~ a r1118.191 ~The fourth mode is distingu~shed a direct, non-intermediary,bytwo-way conversation with Allah Almighty. This honour w a s bestowedupon the Holy Prophet +, r _ j ~ & only once, that is, in Miriij, while &Iawake. In addition to that, once it was in a dream as well that he wasin a conversing situation with Allah Almighty.Unuer the fifth mode of Waby, it so happened t h a t SayyidnZJibrS7il r~~ ~ j would, without appearing physically In any form swhatsoever, let some words of the message fall into his heart. This istechnically known as t , j G Z (nafth fi al-rau: blowing into the heart) ~ .~(Ibid).The Chronology of the Revelation of the Quran The noble Qur7Zn is, in fact, the Divine Word. It is, therefore,secure in the Preserved Tablet. The noble Quran says: c=i;- :5-=.?.9=, ;l 6 7a 1 94++(Rather, i t is the glorious Quran in the ~ r e g e r v e dTablet).(85:21-22)Then, from the Preserved Tablet, its descention took place twice.Once, the whole of it had been sent to al-Bayt al-lzzah, the mostexalted House on the firmament of the world. The most exalted House(also known a s al-Bayt al-MamZr) is a House facing Kabah thatexists in the firmament a s the place of worship for angels. Thisdescention took place on the Night of Qadr (rendered as the Night ofPower in English). The second time it used to be revealed to the HolyProphet+,4 &I& gradually a s needed, having reached itscompletion in twenty three years. These two modalities of the Quranicrevelations become clear through the style of the noble QurSn itself.In addition to that, al-Nasai, al-BaihaG and al-Hakim and othershave reported from Sayyidnii Abdulliih ibn Abbas L;S &I crbJ what canbe summed up by saying that the first descention of the noble Quraiito the firmament of the world took place all a t one time and the HolyProphet+,4&I& was blessed with the second descentiongradually. (al-~tqan, I, p. 41) v Explaining the wisdom behind the first descention of the noble 29. ionIntroduct 7QurSn on the firmament facing the world, Inid111 Abu Shanlah hassaid that it aimed at demonstrating the exalted majesty of the nobleQuran, and a t the same time, it was to tell the angels that this wasthe last Book of Allah which is ready for descention for the guidance ofthe people of the earth.Shaykh al-zurq5n: makes yet another point when he says that thistwo-timed descention also aimed a t stressing that this Book is beyondall doubts, and it stands preserved at two more places other than theblessed heart of the Holy Prophet + 4 &I& , that is, in the ,Preserved Tablet, and in the Exalted House. (Manah11 a]-~rfan, p 39).v.1,It is almost agreed by all the scholars that the second gradual de-scention which was on the heart of the Holy Prophet + Lj, JJI ,be-gan when his age was forty years. The beginning of this descention, asauthentically reported, was in the Night of Qudr, and this was thedate on which, some years later, the event of the Battle of Badr cameto pass. However, nothing definite can be said about the exact date ofRamaGiin when this Night fell. There are some reports which identifythat of the seventeenth RBmadan, while others place it on the nine-teenth, and still others which indicate the Night of the twenty-seventh. (Tafsir Ibn Jarir v. 10, p. 7 )The verses that came first It is authentically said that the first verses to come to the HolyProphet + 4 &I , were the verses from which Siirah al-Alaqbegins. As in ~ a h y h a:-~ukhZi< Sayyidah Aishah @ dl pJ whilerelating its background has said that the very first beginning ofrevelations to the Holy Prophet + Ljs &I& actually was through true ,dreams. Following that, came his zeal to worship in seclusion. Duringthis period, he would spend night after night in the Cave of Hira andstay in the state of ItiklEf devoted to his ibadah (worship) when oneday, right there in that cave, there came an angel from Allah Almightyand the very first thing he said was 7$+(lqra: Readt).The Holy ProphetcLLJ & &I said:~,li,z G : I am unable to read. After that, relatingthe event himself, h said that the angel, hearing this answer of mine, ;caught hold of me and embraced me with such force that I had to goJ,through unbearable strain. Then he released me and said: i;il:Readt. Isaid: I am unable to read. Thereupon, he seized me the third time, 30. Introduction8gave a hard embrace and then released me. After that he said: Recite with the Name of your Lord who created, created Man out of a blood-clot. Recite and Your Lord is Most Generous who taught by the Pen, taught Man what he did not know. (96:l-3)These were the first verses to be revealed to him. Thereafter, thecoming of W g h y stayed discontinued for three years. This period isknown a s the period of fatrah, that is, the period when W a h y wasdiscontinued for a short interval of time. Then, it was after three yearsthat the same angel who had visited him in the Cave of Hira becamevisible to him between the heaven and the earth. He read to him theverses of S t r a h al-Muddaththir. Thereafter, the sequence of Wahy wasreactivated.The Makki and Madani Verses While looking a t the titles of the Surahs of the Holy Quran, YOUmay have noticed the entry, M a k k i (or Meccan, Makkan, Makkzyyah)with some SurGhs, and Madan: (Medinan, Medinite, Madan;yyah)with some others. I t is necessary to understand correctly what itmeans. In the terminology of the commentators, the Makk; Eyahn ~ e a n s verse t h a t was revealed to the Holy Prophet +J 4 d & al-earlier t h a n he actually reached m ad in ah by way of h i j r a h(emigration). Similarly, the Madanr7iiyahor the Madani verse meanst h a t it was revealed after he migrated to Madinah. Some people takeMakk? to mean t h a t the verse concerned was revealed in the city ofMakkah, and so the Madan? is supposed to have been revealed i n~ a d h a h This view is not correct because there are several verses.which were not revealed in the city of Makkah, yet are called M a k k ibecause they had already been revealed before hijrah. AS such, theverses that were revealed in Mina, ArZfat, or during the Journey ofAscent ( M ir ~ j are also called ~ a k k i So much so, t h a t the verses ) .revealed during the journey of hijrah enroute e ad in ah are also calledMakk;. Similarly, there are several verses which were not revealed inthe city of Madinah, but they are ~ a d a n r For example, there were.several journeys t h a t the Holy Prophet & had to undertake while 31. Introduction 9going many hundred miles away from Mad:nah, and the versesrevealed at all those places are called Madan: anyway. So much sothat the particular verses that were revealed on the occasion of theConquest of Makkah or the military campaign of ~ u d a ~ b T in ~ a h~ thecity of Makkah proper or its environs are also called m ad an;.Accordingly, the QurZnic verse:Surely, Allah commands you to fulfil trust obligations towardsthose entitled to them. (4:58)is Madan; although it was revealed in Makkah al-Mukarramah. (a]-Burhan, v. 1,p. 88, and Manahil al-Irfan, v. 1,p. 88) Then there are Siirahs which are either totally Makb;, or totally ada an;. For instance, SGrah al-Muddaththir is wholly MakkE andSGrah Al-Imran is wholly ~ a d a n i .But, on occasions, it has sohappened that one or some Madani verses find a place in the Surahwhich is wholly Makk; On other occasions, it has happened just thereverse. For instance, Siirah al-4raf is Makk;, but in it the verses from37 { ~ l SK7 ? .,, cY" ~ +i, : ,&Ier ,,,7p;, ,-, 5, ,:7 to ,j**y4) W jl; are ada an; Similarly,Siirah al-Hajj is ~ i d a n but fo& of its vgrses, that is, those fromi- o/,,c :G to &.Grx4lkC I>~ l j ! ~ ! juf d ~ ~ " & , i i $ & ~ lu ;;are Makki.+./4 This also makes it clear that the incidence of a Surah being ~ a k k ior Madan; is generally conditioned by the nature of the majority of itsverses and so it happened frequently that the initial verses of a SGrahwhich were revealed before Hijrah were regarded as Makk; althoughsome of its verses may have been revealed later on following Hijrah.(Manahil al-Irfan, v. 1, p. 192)Characteristics of ~ a k kand ~ a d a nverses iiThe scholars of Tafsir, after having made a thorough investigationinto the ~ a k kand ~ a d a n Surahs, have come up with a set of ijcharacteristics that tell right off if a Siirah is Makk; or ~ a d a n iSome .of these characteristics are recognized as universal rules while othershold good most of the time. The universal rules are as follows:- 1.Every Siirah in which the word s ( n e v e r ) appears is Makki. This word has been used 33 times in 15 Siirahs, and all these verses are in the last half of the noble QurZn. 32. Introduction 10 2. Every Siirah in which (according to the Hanafiyyah) there appears a verse of Sajdah is Makk: 3. Every Surah, with the exception of Surah al-Baqarah, in which the story of Adam and 1bGs finds mention is Makk;. 4. Every Siirah in which a permission ofjihiid or a description of itsinjunctions has been given is Madan;. 5. Every verse which mentions the hypocrites is Madan;.The following characteristics are genera1,and mostly frequent, thatis, sometimesthe contrary may happen, but usually and mostly itfollows the said pattern:# 1. In Makki Siirahs, generally, the form of address used is $ G I G5 ,&-/ (0people), and in Madant Surahs it is l&i g+lki (0believers). 2. The M a k k i Ayat (Verses) and Surahs are generally short and brief while the M a d a n ; verses and chapters are long and detailed. 3. The M a k k i SGrahs mostly consist of subjects such as, Oneness of Allah, Prophethood, affirmation of the Hereafter, the panoramaof the Resurrection, words of comfort for the Holy Prophet $&and events relating to the past communities, and in these, thenumber of injunctions and laws taken up is much less a scompared with the Madan: Surahs where family and social laws,injunctions of jihad and expositions of limits and duties appearfrequently. 4. In ~ a k k Siirahs, most of the confrontation is against idolaters i while in ~ a d a n Siirahs it is against the people of the Book and z the hypocrites. 5. The style of M a k k i Siirahs is more majestic. It has profusion of metaphors, similies and allegories, and the vocabulary used is extensive. Contrary to this, the style of the Madani SLurahs is comparatively simple. This difference in the style of M a k k i and ad an; Surahs initiallyowes its origin to a variety of conditions, circumstances andaddressees. Muslims had to deal mostly with the idolaters of Arabiaduring their Makkan life. No Islamic state was born yet. Therefore, 33. Introduction11during this period, more emphasis was laid on the correction of beliefs,reform of morals, logical refutation of the idolaters and the miraculousnature of the noble Quran. Contrary to this, an Islamic state had risenin the Holy city of Madinah. People were rushing into the fold ofIslam, group after group. Idolatery stood refuted intellectually. Theideological confrontation was now wholly against the people of theBook. Therefore, greater attention was paid to education i ninjunctions, laws, limits and duties, and on the refutation of the peopleof the Book. The style adopted matched these objectives.The Gradual Revelation of the Noble Quriin As said earlier, the noble Quran was not revealed to the HolyProphet + A& &I , suddenly and simultaneously. On the contrary, itwas revealed, little by little, over a span of nearly twenty three years.At times, ~ i b r ai +Il A& would come with a small verse, or even withsome unit of a verse. Then, there were times when several verseswould be revealed at one time. The smallest portion of the QurSnwhich was revealed as such is ,GI~ 2 %(al-NisZ: 4:94)which formspart of a long verse. On the ot6er hand, the whole of Surah al-Adamwas revealed at one time. (Ibn Kathir, v. 2, p. 122)Rather than being revealed all a t once, why was the Q ~ ri i nrevealed little by little? The polytheists of Arabia had themselves putthis question to the Holy Prophet +, 4 JJI . Allah Almighty hastaken it upon Himself to answer the question in the following words: The disbelievers said, "Why has the Quran not been sent down upon him all at once?" "(We did) like this, so that We may strengthen your heart thereby, and We have recited it very distinctly. They bring not to thee any similitude but that We bring thee the truth, and better in exposition" (25:32-33) It is sufficient to understand a gist of the wisdom behind thegradual revelation of the Holy Qurai as stated by Imam a l - ~ i i G hisinexplanation of this verse. He says: 1. The Holy Prophet f ~ , ~ J J ~ ummiyy, that is, being wasunlettered, he did not read or write. So, had the entire Qura5 been 34. Introduction12revealed a t one time, it would have been difficult to remember anddocument. Contrary to this, SayyidnZ Mus5 ?%dlA knew reading and &writing, therefore, the Torah was revealed to him a t one single time.2. If the entire Quriin had been revealed all a t orice, immediatecompliance of all its injunctions would have become obligatory, andthis would have gone against the wise graduation which has featuredas a matter of concern in the S h a s a h of our Holy Prophet , 4 dl& & ,3. The Holy Prophet+, Ljc d & had to go through ever-new ltortures inflicted by his people. That ~ibrailcame, again andagain, with the words of the nobleQuran, made his stand againstthese tortures bearable, and gave strength to his heart. 4. A large portion of the Quriin is devoted to answers given topeople who posed questions, while some other portion refers to variousparticular events. Therefore, the revelation of those verses wasappropriate a t the time when those questions were asked, or thoseevents came to pass. This increased the insight of Muslims and whenthe Quriin unfolded that which was unseen, its truth became all themore manifest. (al-Tafsir al-Kabir, v . 6, p. 336)Sabab al-nuzul: (Cause of revelation) The verses of the noble Quriin are of two kinds. In the first place,there are the verses that Allah Almighty revealed on His own. Theirrevelation was not caused by some particular event or a question askedby someone. In the second place, there are those verses which wererevealed in answer to some question or with reference to some event.This could be termed a s the background of these verses. Thisbackground is known, in the terminology of the commentators, as thesabab of nuziil (cause of revelation) or the shan of nuziil (thebackground of revelation). For instance, take the verse in Surahal-Baqarah: Do not marry female associators unless they come to believe, and a Muslim slave girl is better than a female associator, even though she is liked by you. (2:221) This verse was revealed in the wake of a particular event. During 35. ~ntroduction13the days of Ignorance, Sayyidna Marthad ibn A b T ~ a r t h a d l - ~ h a n a v iaI;4 &I dlhad a relationship with a woman, named Anaq. Afterembracing Islam, he migrated to Madlnah while that woman stayedbehind in Makkah al-Mukarramah. There was a n occasion whenSayyidna Marthad visited Makkah al-Mukarramah on a certainbusiness. Anaq came to him with a n invitation to sin. SayyidnGMarthad refused flatly and said: Now Islam has come between me andyou, but should you so wish, I can marry you after clearing it with theHoly Prophet , Ljs &I+ . After returning to ~ a d i n s r h Sayyidnii& ,,Marthad sought his permission to marry the woman he said he liked.Thereupon, this verse was revealed, and it prohibited marriage withmushrik women. (Asbab al-Nuzul by al-Wahidi, p. 38) This event is the shan or sabab of nuzul (cause or background ofrevelation) behind the verse mentioned above. The background ofrevelation is, therefore, very important in the exegesis of the nobleQuran. There are many verses the meaning of which cannot becorrectly understood unless the circumstances underlying theirrevelation become known.The Seven Readings of the Holy QuranIn order that the noble Quran becomes easily recitable, AllahAlmighty has blessed the Muslim community with special convenienceby allowing it to read the words of the Quriin in more than one way. Ifthere are situations when a person is unable to pronounce some wordsin one manner, he could recite it in another. It appears in a hadith ofSahih Muslim that the Holy Prophet+, Ljs &I & was once sitting bythe pond of Banu Ghifar while Angel Jibriiyl came and said: AllahAlmighty has commanded you to ask your community to recite theQuran following one method of reading. He said: I seek from AllahHis pardon and forgiveness. My people do not have the ability to do so.Then, Angel Jibrail returned to him and said: Allah Almighty hascommanded you to let your people recite the Quriin following tworeadings. He said: I seek pardon and forgiveness from AllahAlmighty. My people do not have the ability to do even that. Then,Jibrail came the third time and said: Allah Almighty has commandedYOU to let your people recite the Quran following three readings.Again he said: I seek pardon and forgiveness from Allah Almighty. My 36. Introduction14people do not have the ability to do even that. Then he came thefourth time and said: Allah Almighty has commanded you to let yourpeople recite the Quriin following seven readings. So, whichever ofthese they follow to read the Quran, their recitation will be correct.(Manahil al-Irfan, v. 1, p. 33) Accordingly, there is yet another had& where the Holy Prophet&has said:This Quran has been revealed covering seven versions. Sofrom out of these, recite in a way that is easy on you. What is meant by Seven Versions in this saying of the HolyProphet g ? There are several scholarly positions in this connectionbut according to scholars who have conducted painstaking andexhaustive research on the subject, the weightier meaning of thisexpression is that the variations found in different readings of theHoly Quran are of seven types. These are as follows:1. The difference in nouns: This includes the difference con-cerning singular, dual, plural, as well as, masculine and ferninin$. For 7 2?7 . ,*Pland 7 /and @ . //7. The difference caused by manners of reading: It includesvariations in tafkhtm (velarization, making sound heavy), tarq&(making a letter sound soft), imZlah (inclination, bending the sound ofa short vowel), m a d d (prolongation), q a s r (to shorten), h a m z :hamzatation (providing a letter with hamzah), tzhiir (clear pronuncia-tion) and idghiim (assimilation). It means that, by doing these, the ac-tual word does not change but the mode of its pronunciation doeschange. For instance, the word, & is rendered as $2 in one of the:readings. Anyhow, many readings were revealed incorporating these seventypes of different renderings. This difference between them reallymade no difference in meaning. The latitude so given was aimed a tmaking recitation easy.In the beginning, people were not totally used to the style of theQuran, therefore, many readings were permitted within the radius ofthese. seven types. But, it was the blessed practice of the Holy Prophet+ & &I that he would go through the entire revealed QurZn with,~ibra;;l4during the month of Ramadan every year. The year heleft this mortal world, that was the year he did so twice. This daur ormeticulous re-reading of the Quran is called i s 9 1 LJI (last review).On this occasion, many readings were abrogated. Only readingsretained were the ones which continue to stay preserved to this daywith uninterrupted succession.SayyidnZ Uthman L ~ Sj lJ +J , during the period of his khilafah,arranged to have seven copies of the noble Quran prepared in order toremove misgivings regarding the recitation of Quran. He incorporatedall readings in these seven copies by leaving the calligraphed verses ofthe noble Quriin without dots and desinences (the vowel-points) sothat the text could be read in accordance with whichever reading onewished to follow from among the very readings cited. Thus most of the 38. Introduction16readings merged into this script, and the readings t h a t cauld notmerge into the script were saved by him when he elected to have onecopy written according to one reading, and another, in accordance witha n o t h e r reading. The community demonstrated such care a n ddiligence i n having the fondly-remembered readings collected in thesecopies t h a t QirEah developed into a branch of knowledge in its ownright, and there rose hundreds of scholars, reciters and memorizers oft h e Holy Quran who spent their entire spans of life to keep i tpreserved and protected. What actually happened was that when Sayyidna Uthman &Ip,* 5 sent the seven copies of the noble Quran to various areas, he had ;also serlt particular reciters who could teach how to recite them. So,when these revered reciters reached their designated areas, theytaught people to read the QurEn in accordance with their respectivereadings. These different readings spread out among people. At thisstage, some people bequeathed their lives to memorize differentreadings, and in training others to continue the discipline. This is howthe foundation of the science of readings was laid and people fromdifferent parts of the Islamic world started turning to the masters oftlie discipline to achieve t h e highest of excellence in it. Somememorized only one reading, others did two or three or seven, or evenmore than that. In this connection, a standard rule was accepted a snorm throughout t h e u r n m a h a n d i t was invariably followedeverywhere. I t stipulated t h a t only such reading (qiraah) will beaccepted a s being the QurZn which fulfils three conditions: 1. There is room for it in the script of Uthmani copies of t h eQuriiin. 2. I t conforms to the grammar of the Arabic 1angQage. 3. I t should haue, provenly -- with sound authority, originated fromthe Holy Prophet +,+JJI & , and be well-known among themasters of readings, t h a t is, the Imams of Qiraah. A reading which lacks even one of these three requirements cannotbe considered a s part of the Quriin. Thus a large number of readingscontinued to be reported i n uninterrupted succession. Then, a s amatter of convenience, i t so happened t h a t a n Imam started giving 39. Introduction 17instructions in one, or some selected readings, and that particularreading became identified with his name. Then, scholars startedwriting books to collect these readings. So, Imam Abu Ubayd QZsimibn Salliim, Imam Abu Hatim ~ijistsn;, Q Z ~ ; 1smail and Imam AbiiJafar a l - ~ a b a rwere the first among those who compiled books in thisifield which included more than twenty readings. Then came the greatscholar, Abu Bakr ibn Mujahid (died 324 Hijrah) who wrote a book inwhich he had included readings from seven qEr& (reciters) only. Thisbook of his became so popular that these readings from the seven qarisbecame much more famous as compared with those of other qaris. Infact, some people got used to thinking that these are the only soundreadings coming in uninterrupted succession. Although, the truth ofthe matter is that Allamah ibn Mujiihid has collected these sevenreadings in one place just by chance. He never meant that readingsother than these were wrong or unacceptable. This act of Allamah ibnMujahid created yet another misunderstanding when some people be-gan to think thatL, (seven versions) means just these seven read-ings which have been collected by ibn Mujahid. Although, i t has beenexplained earlier that these seven readings are simply a part of soundreadings, otherwise every reading that fulfils the above-mentionedthree conditions perfectly is sound, acceptable and included within theseven versions (HurZfl in which the noble Qurin was revealed.The Seven &ansAnyhow, the seven q ~ r who became most famous as a result of i ~this act of Allamah ibn Mujahid are: 1. Abdullah ibn ~ a t h i a l - ~ a r(died 120 Hijrah). He was fortunater ienough to have seen Sayyidnii Anas ibn Milik, AbdullZh ibn Zubayrand Abu Ayyiib a l - ~ n s i i r i &I d J from among the Companions. Hisreading became more famous in Makkah al-Mukarramah. Well-knownamong those who transmitted hisrendition are ~ a z z and Qambal, lmay Allah have mercy on them all. 2. Nafi ibn Abd Al-Rahman ibn ~ bal-Nuaym (died 169 Hijrah).iHe had the benefit of learning from seventy successors to theCompanions who were direct disciples of SayyidnZ Ubayy ibn Kab,Abdullah ibn .Abb%s and Abii Hurayrah.d l pJ His readingbecame more famous in adi in ah and among those who transmitted 40. Introduction-- - -- 18his rendition, Abii Muss Qaliin (died 220 Hijrah) and Abu ~ $ i dWarsh(died 197 Hijrah) are better known.3. Abdullah a l - ~ i s b ibetter known as Ibn Amir (died 118 Hijrah).,He was fortunate to have seen Sayyidni Numiin ibn ~ a s h i randWgthilah ibn Asqa +C Jfl>J from among the Companions. He hadlearnt the a r t of Qur7Znic reading from Mughirah ibn Shihiiba l - ~ a k h z i i mwho was a disciple of Sayyidna Uthman 115 dl i>J . Hisreading gained currency mostly in Syria, and more famous amongthose who transmitted his rendition are HishZm and DhakwZn.4. Abii Amr Zabbiin ibn al-Ala (died 154 Hijrah). He has reportedhis rendition from SayyidnZi Ibn Abbas and Ubayy ibn Kab + JJI,A&Jthrough MujEhid and Said ibn Jubayr. His reading became fairlywell-known in Basrah. AbG Umar a l - ~ a w r(died 246 Hijrah) and Abii?Shuayb al-sus? (died 261 Hijrah) are among the more famoustransmitters of his rendition.5. Hamzah ibn ~ a b i bal-Zayyat, ex-slave of Ikramah ibn ~ a b i al-?aymi (died 188 Hijrah). He is a disciple of Sulayman al-Amash,who was a disciple of YahyZ ibn WaththZb, who was a disciple of Zirribn vubaysh, and he had the benefit of learning from SayyidniiUthman,~ l and Abdullah ibn MasGd +z &I p . Among hisi,transmitters, Khalf ibn Hisham (died 188 Hijrah) and Khallad ibnKhalid (died 220 Hijrah) are more famous. 6. Agim ibn ~ b al-Najiid al-Asadiyy (died 127 Hijrah). ThroughiZirr ibn Hubaysh, he is a disciple of Abdullah ibn Masiid p(p dl&Jand through Abii Abd al-Rahman %lam? and a l - ~ s a d i he ~is a~ ,disciple of Sayyidna ~1: t ; JJI e.. More famous among thetransmitters of his rendition are Shubah ibn Ayyash (died 193Hijrah) and Haf? ibn SulaymZn (died 180 ~ i j r a h ) Generally, the.recitation of the Holy Quran these days is made following the . .rendition of this very Hafs ibn Sulayrnan. 7. Abu al-Hasan AE ibn Hamzah al-~isiii(died 189 Hijrah).Among his transmitters, AbZ al-varith ~ a m Z i z(died 240 Hijrah) andiAb; Umar a l - ~ a w ; (who is also a transmitter of Abu Amr) are betterknown. The readings of the later three became more common inKifah. 41. Introduction19As it has been submitted earlier that several other readings, otherthan these seven, are sound and have been reported in uninterrruptedsuccession. However, when the misunderstanding that sound readingsare limited to these seven started gaining currency, several scholars(for example, Allamah ~hadh5iand Abii Bakr ibn MihrZn) collected,instead of seven, ten readings in one book. Thereupon, the term,"AZ-qiraital-ashrah" or "Ten Readings" became famous. In these tenreadings, the readings by the following three were also included inaddition to those of the seven mentioned above:1. Yaqiib ibn Iskiq a l - ~ a p r a m(died 205 Hijrah). His renditioni was famous mostly in Basrah.2. Khalf ibn Hishim (died 205 Hijrah) who is also a transmitter of the rendition of Hamzah. His rendition was common mostly in Kiifah.3. Abi Jafar ~ a z i d al-Qaqa (died 130 Hijrah). His renditionibn found wider currency in adi in ah al-Tayyibah.4. Abu al-Faraj shambidhi (died 388 Hijrah) who was a resident of Baghdad. Some scholars have counted Sulayman al-Amash among thefourteen q ~ r T ~ place of shambidhi. Out of these, the first ten inreadings are credited with uninterrupted succession as vouched bysound authority.Other than these are ~ h a d h d h rare or (Manahil alsIrfan w ~ t hreference toMunjid al-Muqnin by ibn al-Jazn). The Preservation of the Holy QuranIn the days of the Holy Prophet & Since the noble Quriin was not revealed all a t once, on thecontrary, different verses from it used to have been revealed as andwhen appropriate, therefore, it was not possible from the verybeginning to write and preserve it in a book form. So, during the initialstage of Islam, major emphasis was laid on memory as a means ofpreserving the noble QurZn. When Wahy used to come in the verybeginning, the Holy Prophet & would tend to repeat its wordsinstantly so that they would be memorized well enough. Thereupon,Allah Almighty directed him through the verses of Surah al-Qiygmah 42. Introduction20that he need not repeat words in a hurry immediately as Wahy came.Allah Almighty woulG Himself endow him with a memory that he willbe unable to forget the words of the Waby once its descention has beencompleted. So it was that the moment the QurZnic verses would cometo him, they would be committed to his memory the next moment.Thus the blessed chest of the Holy Prophet j , was the most protected gvault of the noble Quran, in which there was no chance of even somecommon mistake, editing or alteration. Moreover, as a matter of addi- -tional precaution, he used to recite the Quriin before angel Jibrail &Ar~~ every year during the month of Ramadan; and the year he left thismortal world he completed - cumulative review of Qurznic recita-ation (daur) twice with Jibrail rXlll&A (Sahlh alBukhan mth Fath al-Ban, p 36, v 9) Again, as it was, he would not restrict his teaching of theCompanions to just the meanings of the noble Qurzn, but had themmemorize its words as well. Then, the revered Companions werethemselves so enamoured with the desire to learn and remember thenoble QurGn that everyone of them was anxious to get ahead of theother. There were women who claimed no mahr (dower) from theirhusband except that they would teach the QurZn.Hundreds of Companions, freeing themselves from all other con-cerns, had devoted their whole lives for this purpose. Not only did theymemorize the Quriin but also went on repeating it within their nightlyprayers. When someone migrated from Makkah al-Mukarramahand came to adi in ah al-Tayyibah, says SayyidnG UbZidah ibn SiimitL;S d LPJ , the Holy Prophet & would entrust him to one of us Ansarslso that he could teach Quriin to the newcomer. The Mosque of theProphet was so filled with voices generated by learners and teachers ofthe Qurgn that the Holy Prophet & had to ask them to lower theirvoices so that mistakes are not made (Manahil aLIIrfan,li234)So, within a fairly short time, there was on hand a large group ofthe noble Companions who had the glorious Quriin all committedflawlessly to their memory. Included in this group were, in addition tothe Four Guided Caliphs, persons like SayyidnLa Talhah, SayyidniiSad, $ayyidn5 Ibn Masiid, SayyidnLa Hudhayfah ibn Yaman,Sayyidna Salim Mowla abi Hudhayfah, Sayyidna Abii Hurayrah,Sayyidna Abdulliih ibn Umar, Sayyidna Abdullah ibn Abbis, 43. ~ntroduction 21Sayyidn2 Amr ibn al-A?, SayyidnFi Abdullah ibn Umar, SayyidnaMuZwiyah, Sayyidni Abdullah ibn Zubayr, Sayyidnii Abdullgh ibnal-Siib, Sayyidah kishah, Sayyidah Hafeah, Sayyidah Umm Salmiih,may peace be upon them all.In short, memorization of the QurZn was given more emphasis inearly Islam as this was the only protected and trust-worthy methodgiven the conditions of that time. The reason is that the number ofpeople who could read or write was very limited in those days. Themeans of publishing books, such as the printing press, etc., were notthere. Therefore, in that situation, if writing was taken to besufficient, it would have neither been possible to spread out the Quranon an extensive scale nor to protect it reliably. In its place, AllahAlmighty had blessed the people of Arabia with a memory of suchdimensions that thousands of poetic lines would normally rest in thememory of one person after another. Ordinary, run-of-the-millvillagers would remember by heart their genealogies and those of theirfamilies, and unbelievably enough - even those of their horses!Therefore, this power of memory was well utilized for the conservationand protection of the noble Quran and it was through i t that theverses and chapters of the noble Quriin reached all over into the farcorners of Arabia.The writing of WahyBesides having the QurZn committed to memory, the Holy Prophet+ ~r1111 & made special arrangements to have the Quriin committed,to writing as well. Sayyidna Zayd ibn Thiibit ~ ; JJI d )says: I used to swrite down the words of Waby for him. When Wahy came to him he feltburning with heat a*d the drops of perspiration would start rollingdown on his body likeWhen this state would go away fromhim, I would present myself before him with a shoulder-bone or a piece(of something else). He would go on dictating and I would go onwriting. When I would be finished with writing, the sheer weight ofcopying the QurZn would give me the feeling that my leg is going tobreak and I would never be able to walk. In any case, when I would befinished with writing, he would say: Read. I would read it back tohim. If there was a shortcoming, he would have it corrected and thenlet it be known to people (Majma al-Zawaid with reference to Tabrani Y156). 44. Introduction22 Besides Sayyidna Zayd ibn Thiibit LLS &I+ , there were many ,other Companions who carried out the duty of committing the Wahy towriting. Some of those who can be specially mentioned, in addition to ~the Four Guided Caliphs, are Sayyidnii Ubayy ibn Kab, SayyidnaZubayr ibn Awwam, Sayyidna Muiiwiyah, Sayyidnii ~ u ~ h ; r a hibnShubah, Sayyidnla KhSlid ibn al-Walid, Sayyidnii Thabit ibn al-Qays,Sayyidnii Aban ibn ~ a " iand others iFath a ] - ~ a r i9/18) , Sayyidna Uthman says that it was the blessed practice of the HolyProphet ~ L - ~ j &IJ c that he, soon after the revelation of a certainportion of the QurZn, would pointedly instruct the scribe of the Wahyto write it in such Siirah after such and such verse ( for details see Fathal-Bari, 9/18 and Zad al-Maad 1/30).Since paper was not available in Arabia during those days,therefore, these QurZnic verses were mostly written on stone slabs,parchments, date branches, bamboo units. tree leaves and animalbones. However, a t times, paper pieces have also been used (1bid.; 9/11iThus, there existed, during the times of the Holy Prophet & , acopy of the noble Quran which he had arranged to be committed towriting under his supervision. Although, it was not there as a formallyprepared book, but it certainly was there in the form of various unitsof available writing materials. Along with it, it was also the practice ofsome revered Companions that they would make copies of the Quranicverses and keep them for personal recollection. This practice wascommon since the very early period of Islam. Accordingly, much beforeSayyidnii Umar&I&, embraced Islam, his sister andbrother-in-law had in their possession verses of the QurSin which theyhad written and kept in book form (Sirah ibn Hisham).Preservation: In the period of Sayyidna Abii Bakr -&I&,However, it was characteristic of all copies of the noble QurEnmade during the days of the Holy Prophet + 4 &I & that they were ,either written on different available writing surfaces, for instance, averse would appear on parchment, another on tree leaf and yetanother on a bone; or they were not complete copies. One Companionwould have only a single Siirah in his record while someone else wouldhave five or ten SGrahs and some others will have only a few verses.Then there were Companions having in their possession explanatorysentences a s well along with the text of the verses. 45. ~ntroduction 23On these grounds, Sayyidnii Abii Bakr ~ ;91 , during his tenuret&Jof Khilafah, thought it necessary to bring together all these scatteredunits of the Quriin and thus have them preserved. The motives andthe methods behind this great achievement of his have been explainedin detail by Sayyidna Zayd ibn Thabit GS dl when he says: "Oneday, soon after the battle of Yamamah, Sayyidna Abii Bakr sent amessage calling me in. When I reached him, Sayyidna Umar waspresent there. Sayyidns Abii Bakr said to me: Umar has come justnow and he tells me that a large group of Huff@ (those who hadcommitted the Quran to memory) have met their death as martyrs inthe battle of Yamcamah. If the Huffliz of the noble Quriin continue tomeet their shahadah (martyrdom) in this manner, I am afraid a largeportion of the Quran may just go extinct. So, in my view, you shouldbegin the task of having the QurEn collected together under yourorder. I said to Umar: How can we do what the Holy Prophet &himself did not do? Umar replied: By God, this is for nothing butgood. After that, this is what Umar continued telling me, until I toostarted seeing the truth, and now, my view was the same as Umars.After that Sayyidna AbG Bakr told me: You are young, and intelligent.We have no doubts about you. You have been working as a scribe of Waby as well under the supervision of the Messenger of Allah & , soyou search and collect the verses of the noble Quriin."Sayyidna Zayd ibn Thabit says: "By God, had these blessed peoplecommanded me to haul some mountain, that would have been muchless weightier than this duty of collecting the Quran. I said to them:How are you doing something that the Holy Prophet+, &A 91 didnot do? Sayyidna Abu Bakr said: By God, this is good, nothing butgoad. After that, this is what Sayyidni Abii Bakr kept saying to meagain and again until Allah Almighty put my heart a t rest for thesame view that was the view of SayyidnZ Abu Bakr and Umar.Consequently, I started searching for the Verses of the Quran and itwas from the branches of date palms, slabs of stones and hearts ofpeople that I finally collected the noble Quriin." (Sahih al-Bukhari, KitabFadail al-Quran)At this point while we are dealing with the process of the collectionof the Quran, we should have a clear perception of the method used by 46. Introduction24.Sayyidnii Zayd ibn Thabit ~ ; &I dJ As mentioned earlier, h e waschimself a Hafiz of the Qur7Zn,therefore, he could have written downthe whole Qur7Zn from his memory. I n addition to that, there werehundreds of Huff62 (memorizers of the Quriin: plural of H a f i ~present)a t t h a t time; the noble Quriin could have still been written down byentrusting the duty to a selected group from out of them.Also, the copies of the noble Q u r 5 n committed to writing duringthe times of the Holy Prophet+,4 &I 3, could have been used bySayyidna Zayd to make his copy of the QurZn. But he, guided by hiscaution a n d concern, did not limit himself to any one of the manymethods available. On t h e contrary, by using all these methodssimultaneously, he did not allow any verse to be included in his mastercopy of the Qur7;?n unless he received written and verbal testimoniesproving i t s uninterrupted succession. In addition to that, the versest h a t the Holy Prophet+, & JJI & had arranged to be written underhis supervision, were still preserved by the Companions. SayyidnaZayd collected them together so that the new copy be made from them.Consequently, a public proclamation was made to the effect t h a tanyone possessing any number of written verses of the noble Quriinshould bring them over to Sayyidna Zayd. When a written verse wasbrought to him by someone, he used to verify its authenticity by thefollowing four methods:(1)To begin with, he tested its reliability against his own memory.(2) Then, Sayyidng Umar too was a qafi? of QurZn, and a s provedby reliable reports, Sayyidna Abu Bakr ~ ; cJJI had assigned him too. pJto work with Sayyidnii Zayd on this project. When someone came withsome verse, Sayyidnii Zayd and Sayyidns Umar used to receive i tjointly (Fath al-Bari with reference to ibn Abl Dawud). (3) No written verse was accepted until such time t h a t twotrustworthy witnesses had testified to the fact t h a t the particularverse was written i n the presence of the Holy Prophet jJI+, + J(al-Itqan, 1/10)(4) After that, these verses in writing were collated with collectionst h a t different Companions had prepared for themselves ( a l - ~ u r h a n Ulurn fial-Quran, by Zarkashi, 11238). If this functional methodology behind the collection of the Quriin 47. ~~troduction25during the period of SayyidnE Abii Bakr AS. dlis kept i n mind, it &Jwould become perfectly simple to understand what Sayyidna Zayd ibnThabit m e a n t when he said: "I found t h e last verses of Sfirah9 974,?9 ,/ , ,al-Bariiah beginning with: I+a J~~~~ s;J with SayyidnZ Abii~ h u d h a y m a h dl uonly. They were not found with anyone else>Jexcept him."This never m e a n s t h a t no person other t h a n Sayyidna AbiiKhudhaymah a dl dJremembered these verses, or somebody else didnot have these i n the written form, or anyone other than him did notknow of their being part of the Quran. On the contrary, it means t h a tthese verses were not found with anyone from among those who werecoming along with different verses written a s dicated by t h e HolyProphet $ . Otherwise, a s far a s the fact of these verses being part of $the Quran is concerned, everyone knew i t i n a n u ~ i i n t e r r u p t e dsuccession. There were hundreds of Companions who remembered i tas well. Moreover, these were available in writing with Companionswho possessed complete collections of the Quranic verses. But, amongthose written separately under the supervision of the Holy Prophet &this verse was found only with Sayyidna Abu Khudhaymah u &Iand not with anyone else (al-Burhan, 11234-45). So, in every way possible, it was with great caution and concernthat Sayyidn: Zayd ibn Thabit u &I , by collecting the Quranicverses, wrote them out in a n organized form on pages of paper (al-~tqan,1/60).But, each Surah was written in separate folios, therefore, this copywas composed of many folios. In the terminology of Quriinic Studies,this copy is called the "Umm" (literally, the mother, meaning theoriginal) and it had the following features: 1. I n this copy, t h e Quranic verses were indeed arranged i naccordance with the order identified by the Holy Prophet , &A , & ,& &Ibut t h e S i r a h s were not so arranged, r a t h e r they were writtenseparately (Ibid). 2. Incorporated i n this copy were all seven Huruf (versions) of theQuriin (which have been explained earlier). (Manhil alIrfan, 11246 and Tarikha]-Quran by al-Kurdi, p. 28) 48. Introduction26 3. Collected here were all verses the recitation of which has notbeen abrogated.4. The purpose of having this copy made in writing was to preparea n organized document with the collective endorsement of the wholeummah, so that, reference can be made to it when needed. These folios committed to writing on the orders of Sayyidnii AbiiBakr ~ ;&I+> remained with him during his life-time. Then, theys.remained with SayyidnZ Umar LS &Iu;.~After the martyrdom ofSayyidna Umar, they were transferred to the custody of Ummal-~umininSayyidah Hafqah L9;5 JJI * J . After the death of Sayyidah. .,Hafsah Le;S JJIdJ Marwan ibn al-Hakam had these burnt since thecopies of Quran ordered by Sayyidna UthmSn ~ ; JJI+J -swere ready a tthat time, and a consensus of the ummah had already been reached tothe effect that following these copies of the Quriin, in script andarrangement of Siirahs, was obligatory. Marwan ibn al-Hakamthought it inadvisable to let any copy which was contrary to this scriptand arrangement remain in existence (Fath a l - ~ a r9/16)~,Preservation: In the period of Sayyidna Uthman ~ ; s l l r l d ~When Sayyidnla Uthmzn u.&Ip became ~ h a l i f a h Islam had ,,grown out of Arabia reaching into the far-flung areas of Byzantiumand Iran. As people from new areas embraced Islam, they would learnthe noble Quran from the ~ u j a h i d i nof Islam or from the tradersbecause of whom they had found the blessing of Islam. On the otherside, you have already read that the noble Quran was revealedincorporating seven versions with various readings, and different$ahtibah (Companions) had learnt it from the Holy Prophet & inaccordance with different readings, therefore, every Companion taughtQuran to his disciples in accordance with that particular readingwhich they had themselves learnt from the Holy Prophet +, JJI .In this manner, this difference in readings reached far-out countries.Until such time that people knew that the noble Quran has been re-vealed incorporating seven Huruf (versions) no harm was done by thisdifference. However, when this difference reached those far-out coun-tries, and the fact t h a t the noble Quran has been revealedincorporating different readings was not fully publicised there,disputes among people started showing up. Some people began toinsist on their reading as correct and that of others as incorrect. On 49. ~ntroduction 27the one hand, these disputes posed the danger that people would fallinto the grave error of declaring the readings of the noble Quriinwhich have followed in uninterrupted succession as incorrect. On theother hand, there was no such standard copy available throughout theIslamic world which could become the rallying authority for the entireummah, except, of course, the copy committed to writing by SayyidnaZayd ibn Thabit 1 ; 4 ~ & I + ~ which was there in adi in ah. Since othercopies were written individually, and in them, there was no provisionto incorporate all the readings, therefore, the only reliable method toresolve these disputes was that copies which incorporate all valid be spread out all over the Islamic world, and then, by seeingthem it could be decided as to which reading is correct and which,incorrect. Sayyidna Uthman LLSLJJICC~J accomplished this veryremarkable feat during the period of his KhilEfah.Details of this feat, as given in hadith narrations, inform us thatSayyidna Hudhayfah ibn Yaman AAG &I &J was engaged in jihad on theArmenian-Azerbaijan front. There he noticed that differences wererising among people about readings of the noble Quran. So, on hisreturn to ~ a d < n a hhe went straight to Sayyidna UthmZn L;S &I +J,and once there, he pleaded: YC ~ m i a l - ~ um i n f n ! Before thisr Ummah falls a prey to differences in the Book of Allah like the Jewsand Christians, you should do something about it. Sayyidni Uthmin asked: What is the matter? In reply, Sayyidna Hudhayfah said: I wason a jihad mission fighting on the Armenian front. There I saw peopleof Syria following the reading of Ubayy ibn Kab which would