How the Quran was kept safe
A fair question about any old book: is what we read today what was first said? Here is what Muslims point to.
Heart and page, from day one
Two ways it was kept in the Prophet's lifetime
Memorized
He recited each new passage, and many companions learned it by heart.
Written
Scribes, such as Zayd ibn Thabit, wrote it on parchment, bones and palm stalks.
Gathered into one book
After the Prophet
Under Abu Bakr
After many who had memorized the Quran died in battle, the first caliph (leader), Abu Bakr, had Zayd gather everything into one set of pages, checked against what people knew by heart.
Under Uthman
People in far regions were reading it in different ways. The third caliph, Uthman, had standard copies made from those pages and sent them to the main cities.
Today
Muslims say every Quran printed now follows that same written text.
Sources inside Islam for this story
The account of Abu Bakr, Zayd and Uthman comes from Sahih al-Bukhari, a collection of reports that Muslims hold in very high regard. Its reports are linked at the bottom of this page.
Millions know it by heart
Still passed on person to person
Hafiz
A hafiz is someone who has memorized the whole Quran. There are millions, including children.
A chain of teachers
Muslims learn recitation by listening to a teacher, who learned from a teacher, back to the Prophet.
One text
Copies from different countries match, apart from a few recognized reading styles.
The Quran also says of itself:
Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian.
Quran 15:9 (Saheeh International translation)
The challenge
The Quran invites doubters to try something. Muslims see this as part of why they trust it.
And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our Servant [Muhammad], then produce a surah the like thereof and call upon your witnesses other than Allah, if you should be truthful.
Quran 2:23 (Saheeh International translation)
Muslims point to the beauty of its Arabic, and say no one has produced a chapter like it. You can judge for yourself, and others will judge differently. You are free to read it and decide what you think.
What did the Muslims do under Uthman?
Muslims say the Quran was memorized and written from the start, gathered under Abu Bakr and copied under Uthman, and is still memorized by millions.
Next: if you ever feel ready, what becoming Muslim actually involves.
