ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Collection and Preservation of the Qur'an Their Conflict with Reason The greatness of the Qur'an itself, and the painstaking effort by the Prophet (‘s) to arrange for its memorization and reading, and the inclination of the Muslims to do the same with reverence and expectation of being rewarded by Allah, all point to the fact that the Qur'an could not have been compiled in the haphazard manner shown in the reports.

The Qur'an itself has an inherent quality which would make it absolutely imperative for Muslims to preserve it and to make it known popularly by all, even the ladies and the children. These qualities are: (a) The Eloquence and Rhetoric of the Qur'an The Arabs had a tendency of preserving their glorious lit­erature, like the famous poems and speeches of pre‑Islamic era.

The Qur'an should receive all the more attention because it challenged all the existing fine literature, surpassing them all in excellence. The result was that it captured the attention of all, believers and disbelievers alike. A Muslim committed it to memory driven by his faith, while the disbeliever tried to remember it so that it could be eventually opposed or refuted.

(b) The Prophet's inclination to preserve the Qur'an As is known, he had an absolute control over his people, and when such a leader expresses a desire that a particular book be read or preserved, it becomes a popular handbook among the followers, especially if the book is meant to be for earning the pleasure of Allah, here and hereafter. (c) Memorization Those who committed the Qur'an to memory were held in high esteem by the people, and this is very well evidenced in the history of Islam.

This was a strong impetus which motivated many to memorize the Qur'an fully or even partially. (d) Rewards The reward and the blessings from Allah upon those who recite or memorize the Qur'an was perhaps the greatest incen­tive for Muslims to preserve it. In fact, the Muslims revered the Qur'an, and valued it much more than their own souls, wealth and families. We have reports which indicate that even some of the ladies had compiled the whole Qur'an. Ibn Sa'd says in al‑Tabaqat: "Al‑Fadhl b.

Dakin informed us through al‑Walid b. Abdillah b. Jami', who reported from his grandmother that Ummu Waraqah bint Abdillah b. Harith was frequently visited by the Prophet (‘s), and he called her a Shahidah. She had compiled the Qur'an.