[UNDER CONSTRUCTION]
During the prophets lifetime, the verses of the Qur’an were memorized and written down by hundreds of followers. And shortly after his death, during the Caliphate of Uthman, the verses were gathered into a single volume. This was done by the collective effort of a committee started by Uthman. The committee was entrusted with the responsibility to compile and create a standardized copy of the complete text. What they produced came to be known as “al-mus-haf al-Uthmani” (i.e. the Qur’an of Uthamn). Muslims of that generation until the present generation, have all accepted the Qur’an of Uthman as presenting all the verses revealed to Prophet Muhammad.
The Qur’an of today is the exact Qu’ran that existed during the time of the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), over 1400 years ago. There are no disputes among Muslims about the authenticity of it. Muslims believe that God Himself promised to preserve the text and message of the Qur’an from being corrupted or altered.
Of course there will always be people who misinterpret or try to change the meaning of the Qur’an. But the original message of the Qur’an will always be accessible to those who seek its guidance, as God Himself has promised in the Qur’an.
” It is We who have sent down the Reminder (i.e. the Qur’an), and We will most surely preserve it.” Qur’an. Chapter 15 : Verse 9
It is worthy to note that the Arabic word “Qur’an” means “recital” or “a recitation”. The meaning of this word is a testament to the role it plays in Muslim society. Even though the Qur’an was written down during its period of revelation, it is it’s memorization and recital (along with its precise rules of recitation), that are tools which have preserved it to this day. Today, there are tens of millions of Muslims worldwide who have memorized all 6000+ verses of the Qur’an. For most of these memorizers, Arabic is not even their mother tongue. But they are all held in high regard as carrying on an oral tradition that started over 1400 years ago… TBC