(interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Qur'aan)
and surely, We will guard it (from corruption)"
[al-Hijr 15:9] Ibn Jareer al-Tabari said in his Tafseer, 14/8:
Allaah is saying, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (Reminder),
i.e. the Qur'aan, and We will guard the Qur'aan against anything false
being added to it that is not partof it, or anything that is part of
it being taken away, whether that has todo with rulings, hudood
punishments or matters having to do with inheritance.
Al-Sa'di said in his Tafseer (p. 696):
It is We Who have sent down the Qur'aan in which there is mention of
all issues and clear evidence, and in which Weremind those who want
tobe reminded.
"and surely, We will guardit" means, when it is beingrevealed and
after it has been revealed. When it is revealed, We protect it from
the tampering of every accursed devil, and after it has been revealed
Allaah instilled it in the heart of His Messenger. Allaah protected
the words from being changed and from anything being added or taken
away, or from its meanings being distorted. So no one can attempt to
distort its meanings but Allaah will guide someoneto explain the truth
of the Qur'aan. This is one of the greatest signs of Allaah and His
blessing to His believing slaves. Another aspect of this protection is
that Allaah protects the people of the Qur'aan against their enemies,
andno enemy can overpower them and eliminate them.
The Qur'aan was revealed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) in stages over aperiod of twenty-three years. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And (it is) a Qur'aan which We have divided (into parts), in order
that you might recite it to men at intervals. And We have revealed it
by stages"
[al-Isra' 17:106]
al-Sa'di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
This means, We have revealed this Qur'aan in stages, to differentiate
between guidance and misguidance, between truth and falsehood.
"in order that you might recite it to men at intervals" means,
slowly, so that they may ponder and think about its meanings, and
understandthe different branches of knowledge contained therein.
"And We have revealed it by stages" means, gradually, over a period
oftwenty-three years.
Tafseer al-Sa'di, p. 760.
Secondly:
Literacy was not widespread among the Arabs. Allaah described them in
such terms when He said (interpretation of the meaning):
"He it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger (Muhammad)
from among themselves"
[al-Jumu'ah 63:2]
They used to memorize the Qur'aan by heart, and a few of them used to
write down some verses or soorahs on animal skins, thin white stones
and the like.
Thirdly:
At first the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
forbade the writing of anything other than the Qur'aan, and he forbade
them to write down his words for a while, so that the Sahaabah would
focus on memorizing the Qur'aan and writing it down, and so that the
words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would
not be confused with the words of Allaah, and so the Qur'aan was
protected from anything being added or taken away.
Fourthly:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) appointed a
group of his companions who were trustworthy and knowledgeable to
write down the revelation.They are known in their biographies as those
who wrote down the Revelation, such as the four Caliphs, 'Abd-Allaah
ibn 'Amr ibn al-'Aas, Mu'aawiyah ibn Abi Sufyaan, Zayd ibn Thaabit and
others – may Allaah be pleased with them all.
Fifthly:
The Qur'aan was revealed in seven dialects as was narrated in the
saheeh hadeeth of 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with
him) fromthe Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). This
was narrated by al-Bukhaari (2287) and Muslim (818); these were the
dialects of the Arabs which were known for their eloquence.
Sixthly:
The Qur'aan continued to be preserved in the hearts of the Sahaabah
who had memorized it, and on the skins and other materials until the
time of the caliphAbu Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with
him). During the Riddah wars many of the Sahaabah who had memorized
the Qur'aan were killed, and Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him)
was afraid that the Qur'aan would be lost. So he consulted the senior
Sahaabah about compilingthe Qur'aan in a single book so that it would
remain preserved and would not be lost. He entrusted this mission to
the chief of memorizers Zayd ibn Thaabit (may Allaah be pleased with
him).....
--
- - - - - - -