Abu Bakr As-Siddiq sent for me when the people of Yamama had been killed (i.e., a number of the Prophet's Companions who fought against Musailima). (I went to him) and found `Umar bin Al- Khattab sitting with him. Abu Bakr then said (to me), "`Umar has come to me and said: "Casualties were heavy among the Qurra' of the Qur'an (i.e. those who knew the Qur'an by heart) on the day of the Battle of Yamama, and I am afraid that more heavy casualties may take place among the Qurra' on other battlefields, whereby a large part of the Qur'an may be lost. Therefore I suggest, you (Abu Bakr) order that the Qur'an be collected." I said to `Umar, "How can you do something which Allah's Apostle did not do?" `Umar said, "By Allah, that is a good project." `Umar kept on urging me to accept his proposal till Allah opened my chest for it and I began to realize the good in the idea which `Umar had realized." Then Abu Bakr said (to me). '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." By Allah If they had ordered me to shift one of the mountains, it would not have been heavier for me than this ordering me to collect the Qur'an. Then I said to Abu Bakr, "How will you do something which Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) did not do?" Abu Bakr replied, "By Allah, it is a good project." Abu Bakr kept on urging me to accept his idea until Allah opened my chest for what He had opened the chests of Abu Bakr and `Umar. So I started looking for the Qur'an and collecting it from (what was written on) palme stalks, thin white stones and also from the men who knew it by heart, till I found the last Verse of Surat at-Tauba (Repentance) with Abi Khuzaima Al-Ansari, and I did not find it with anybody other than him. The Verse is: 'Verily there has come unto you an Apostle (Muhammad) from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty..(till the end of Surat-Baraa' (at-Tauba) (9.128-129). Then the complete manuscripts (copy) of the Qur'an remained with Abu Bakr till he died, then with `Umar till the end of his life, and then with Hafsa, the daughter of `Umar.
Virtues of the Qur'an - Sahih al-Bukhari 4986
This narration from Zayd ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) details the momentous occasion when the Qur'an was first compiled into a single manuscript during the caliphate of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him). The wisdom behind this compilation was to preserve the Divine Revelation after many memorizers (huffaz) were martyred in the Battle of Yamama.
Divine Wisdom in Compilation
Initially, both Abu Bakr and Zayd hesitated, noting that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had not undertaken this task. However, through deep reflection and divine inspiration (faith al-sadr), they recognized the necessity of this preservation effort for future generations of Muslims.
The methodology employed was meticulous - collecting verses from written fragments on palm stalks, parchment, and stone tablets, while cross-referencing with reliable memorizers. This ensured the utmost accuracy in preserving the exact wording as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Significance of the Final Verse
The discovery of the final verses of Surah At-Tauba exclusively with Abu Khuzaima Al-Ansari demonstrates the careful verification process. This incident highlights that even a single verse required multiple attestations before inclusion, ensuring the complete authenticity of the compiled text.
Historical Preservation Chain
The manuscript remained with Abu Bakr, then Umar, and finally with Hafsa bint Umar (may Allah be pleased with them all). This careful custodianship established an unbroken chain of preservation that would later serve as the primary reference for Uthman's official standardization of the Qur'anic text.