Abu Bakr sent for me owing to the large number of casualties in the battle of Al-Yamama, while `Umar was sitting with him. Abu Bakr said (to me), `Umar has come to my and said, 'A great number of Qaris of the Holy Qur'an were killed on the day of the battle of Al-Yamama, and I am afraid that the casualties among the Qaris of the Qur'an may increase on other battle-fields whereby a large part of the Qur'an may be lost. Therefore I consider it advisable that you (Abu Bakr) should have the Qur'an collected.' I said, 'How dare I do something which Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) did not do?' `Umar said, By Allah, it is something beneficial.' `Umar kept on pressing me for that till Allah opened my chest for that for which He had opened the chest of `Umar and I had in that matter, the same opinion as `Umar had." Abu Bakr then said to me (Zaid), "You are a wise young man and we do not have any suspicion about you, and you used to write the Divine Inspiration for Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). So you should search for the fragmentary scripts of the Qur'an and collect it (in one Book)." Zaid further said: By Allah, if Abu Bakr had ordered me to shift a mountain among the mountains from one place to another it would not have been heavier for me than this ordering me to collect the Qur'an. Then I said (to `Umar and Abu Bakr), "How can you do something which Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) did not do?" Abu Bakr said, "By Allah, it is something beneficial." Zaid added: So he (Abu Bakr) kept on pressing me for that until Allah opened my chest for that for which He had opened the chests of Abu Bakr and `Umar, and I had in that matter, the same opinion as theirs. So I started compiling the Qur'an by collecting it from the leafless stalks of the date-palm tree and from the pieces of leather and hides and from the stones, and from the chests of men (who had memorized the Qur'an). I found the last verses of Sirat-at-Tauba: ("Verily there has come unto you an Apostle (Muhammad) from amongst yourselves--' (9.128-129) ) from Khuza`ima or Abi Khuza`ima and I added to it the rest of the Sura. The manuscripts of the Qur'an remained with Abu Bakr till Allah took him unto Him. Then it remained with `Umar till Allah took him unto Him, and then with Hafsa bint `Umar.
Historical Context of Compilation
This narration from Sahih al-Bukhari 7191 details the momentous decision to compile the Qur'an into a single manuscript (mushaf) following the Battle of Yamama during Abu Bakr's caliphate. The preservation was necessitated by the martyrdom of numerous Qur'an memorizers (huffaz), creating legitimate concern about potential loss of divine revelation.
Divine Inspiration in Decision Making
Both Abu Bakr and Zaid ibn Thabit initially hesitated, noting the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ had not compiled the Qur'an in this manner during his lifetime. However, through sincere consultation and divine guidance (what Zaid describes as "Allah opened my chest"), they recognized this as a necessary act of preservation (maslaha) for the Muslim ummah.
Methodology of Collection
Zaid employed rigorous verification, collecting verses from written fragments on date palm stalks, leather pieces, stone tablets, and through oral testimony from memorizers. Each verse required two written sources and corroboration from those who had directly heard it from the Prophet ﷺ.
The Last Verses of Surah Tawbah
The final two verses of Surah at-Tawbah (9:128-129) were found with only Khuza'ima al-Ansari, whom the Prophet ﷺ had granted the testimony of two men. This exception demonstrates the meticulous standards applied while acknowledging special circumstances authenticated by prophetic practice.
Chain of Preservation
The compiled manuscript remained with Abu Bakr until his death, then with Caliph Umar, and subsequently with his daughter Hafsa - establishing an unbroken chain of custody that ensured the authenticity of the text until the official standardization under Uthman ibn Affan.