Page 100 - History of The Quranic Text | Kalamullah.Com

80 THE HISTORY OF THE QUR'ANIC TEXT

one Q/ them should make a mistake, the other could remind her. And the
witnesses mustnotrefuse [to give evidence) whenever thry are called upon. "10

This law of witness played an essential role in the Qur'an's compilation
(as well as in badlth methodology), and constituted the very core of Abu
Bakr's instructions to Zaid. Ibn Hajar relates:

:-'ijJ ~ J\i ~ 4\ 0\ '0..,;\ ,f ,.Jf J. ,u.... J:.)o ,f 4\ .>Jb ~\ w-!\ ~J
.•L,.:S1.; .wI yl::5"<J"''';- ~ Cr.!,u~ W"'.b,. ~ ~\ Y4 ~ l..wi
Abu Bakr told 'Umar and Zaid, "Sit at the entrance to the [prophet's]
Mosque. If anyone brings you a verse from the Book of Allah along
with two witnesses, then record it." II

Ibn Hajar comments on what Abu Bakr may have meant by 'witness':

0\ ~ 01~ ~\ .>\)1 Ji ,yL;SJI ..t2kl1 Cr.!,uW4 .>1)\ 0l5'» :~ 0'1 J\i
J
<J".!..U~ 0i ~ 01~ ~1 .>1)1 J\ ,~.wl JY") ,-?-'i 0;! ~ y p:J.1 .!..U~
~I ,-?-'i 0;! ~ I.A l.J':" <J" ~! ~ ~ 0i r+'".J- 0lS'J ,0T,;JI 4-! Jj .}I •Y'"}I
12 «..t2kl\ .>fi <J" ~ ~
As if what was meant by two witnesses were memory [backed by] the
written word. Or, two witnesses to testify that the verse was written
verbatim in the Prophet's presence. Or, meaning they would testify
that it was one of the forms in which the Qur'an was revealed. The
intention was to accept only what had been written in the Prophet's
presence, not relying on one's memory alone.

The second opinion finds the most favour with me: acceptance of only
those materials which, according to the sworn testimony of two others, had
been written in the Prophet's very presence. Ibn Hajar's statement affirms
this view, that "Zaid was unwilling to accept any written material for con-
sideration unless two Companions bore witness that the man received his
dictation from the Prophet himself.v"
«l>-L.....,. .Ut,;. "--! ~ ~»
According to Professor ShauqI Daif Bilal bin Rabah paced the streets
of Madinah requesting the attendance of any Companion who possessed
verses recorded by the Prophet's own dictation."

10 Qur'an 2:282. The decree of substitutingtwo women for one man may be due
to the former'slesserfluencywith generalbusiness procedures.See Muhammad Asad's
translation of the Qur'an, Sura 2 footnote 273.
II Ibn Abi Dawud, al-McqiiJ;ij, p. 6; see also Ibn Hajar, Fathul Ban, ix:14.
12 Ibn Hajar, Fathul Ban, ix: 14-15.
13 Ibn Hajar, FathulBan, ix:14. Forthe sourcesof collecting materials,seeal-Bukhari,
Sa1J0, hadith no. 4936.
14 Shauqi pall, Kitab as-Sab'a if Ibn Mujiihid, Introduction, p. 6.