History of the Qur'an

Since Muhammad could not write, tradition holds that the angel Gabriel made him repeat and memorize each revelation, so that it could be shared with his followers. These verses would later be jotted down on anything that was available, such as leather hides or palm leaves. But as the revelations continued, Muhammad began to understand that these were not ad hoc exhortations but the beginning of a comprehensive body of religious ethics that together would become a book of scripture. It is then that his followers began to memorize the text, and directly write it down, aided by the rhythmic jambs and rhyme of the verses.

The word Qur'an, derived from the verb qara'a, literally means that which is recited and rehearsed. In fact, the Qur'an is meant to be declaimed -- to be recited out loud. Among Muhammad's followers or 'companions,' there were many who were able to recite the entire Book by heart. The ability to recite volumes of data from memory was also the primary way the Torah and the Gospel of Jesus were transmitted among peoples of ancient cultures. Even today, there are thousands of scholars and imams who can declare the text from start to finish. Such a person is called a hafiz.

Abu Bakr, the first caliph to succeed Muhammad as leader of the Muslim community after Muhammad's death, ordered a complete written copy of the revelations, even though the Qur'an continued to be disseminated mostly through oral recitation. By 650, however, the original circle of companions who knew the Qur'an by heart was dying out. What's more, the vastly expanded Empire required an authoritative edition that would be used throughout the Islamic world.

Caliph 'Uthman ibn Affan thereupon ordered all still existing oral traditions to be harmonized with the Abu Bakr version. It is generally accepted that 'Uthman's scholars were able to comprise virtually all of the revelatory traditions, regardless of any redactions that may have taken place. Most Islamic scholars claim that redactions and editing were based on various inflections and pronunciations of terms in the Qur'an, and not on content.