Revelation, the scribes and the compilation of the Qur’an

Last time

Before we start: last time, in God’s messengers, you learned these points. Here they are again on one card. Keep them in mind, because today builds on them.

From revelation to the book in our hands

The Qur'an came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, over twenty-three years. It was written down in his lifetime, then gathered into a single book after his death, then copied and standardised. Three questions, three stages: how it came, who wrote it, and how it was compiled. Each is usually a ten plus four mark question.

How revelation came

The Qur'an was revealed over a period of 23 years. After the first revelation in the cave of Hira, revelation stopped for a period, which worried the Prophet, peace be upon him. Once it restarted, it came strongly and frequently. Sometimes the angel Jibril came in the form of a man, and the Companions witnessed this. A few times the Prophet saw the angel in his original form, for example on the night journey, and at the time of the first revelation. Revelation also came in dreams. The most difficult was when it came like the ringing of a bell: it weighed on him so much that his camel could not bear the weight, and it pressed on Zayd's thigh. He sweated even in winter. It was not in his control, as Sura 75.16 to 19 shows, and God safeguarded it. He also received direct revelation on the night journey and ascension.