Fath al-Rabbani

Sayyiduna Zaid bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that after the incident of the martyrdom of the memorizers (huffaz) in the battle of Yamama, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) called me. When I presented myself, Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) was also sitting with him. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: This is Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) who has come to me and says that there have been many martyrdoms of the memorizers of the Qur’an in Yamama. I fear that if the martyrdoms of the memorizers of the Qur’an continue like this, most of the Qur’an will be lost and it will not be preserved. Therefore, in my opinion, an order should be given to compile the Qur’an. But I replied to him: How can I do something which the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not do? But he said: By Allah! This is a good deed. Then he kept insisting on this matter with me until Allah Almighty opened my chest (i.e., convinced me), and I also liked this opinion. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) remained silent. Then Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) said to me: O Zaid! You are a wise young man and a trustworthy person, and you used to write down the revelation for the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), therefore, you must carry out this service. Sayyiduna Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) said: By Allah! If they had tasked me with moving a mountain from one place to another, it would not have been as burdensome upon me as the responsibility they placed on me to compile the Qur’an. So I said: How will you people do something which the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not do? However, after their insistence, I accepted this responsibility.