1. Who wrote the Qur'an? Muslim belief: Muslims believe the Qur'an is the literal Word of God (Allah), revealed in Arabic to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ over a period of 23 years through the angel Jibril (Gabriel). It is not considered the work of any human, including the Prophet himself, who was unlettered (illiterate). Oral transmission and preservation: The Prophet recited each revelation, and his companions (Sahaba) would immediately memorize it. The Qur'an was preserved through an intensive oral tradition, where large numbers of companions became Huffaz (memorizers of the entire Qur'an). This oral preservation was extremely precise: The Prophet instructed not just the words, but the exact placement of verses within each surah (chapter). The verse order within each surah was fixed and memorized during his lifetime. These recitations were repeated constantly in prayer, gatherings, and during Ramadan, ensuring they were deeply ingrained. Written preservation during Muhammad’s lifetime: While the Qur'an was primarily preserved orally, the Prophet also had designated scribes like Zayd ibn Thabit, Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, and others who wrote down verses on materials such as parchment, bones, palm leaves, and leather. These writings were not compiled into one volume during the Prophet's life, but the text was complete and preserved through both memorization and these written fragments. The content was not scattered in the sense of being lost, but rather distributed among various companions in written form. Compilation into a single manuscript: After the Prophet’s death in 632 CE, during the caliphate of Abu Bakr, a major battle (Yamama) resulted in the deaths of many Huffaz. Fearing the potential loss of the Qur'an, Umar ibn al-Khattab urged Abu Bakr to compile it into one manuscript. Zayd ibn Thabit was chosen to lead the effort. He collected the Qur'an from written fragments and living memorizers, ensuring verification through multiple sources for each verse. This compiled copy was kept with Abu Bakr, then Umar, and then with Hafsa bint Umar (the Prophet’s widow). Standardization under Caliph Uthman: Around 20 years later, during Caliph Uthman's leadership, regional dialectal differences in Qur’anic recitation began to cause confusion among new Muslim communities. Uthman ordered the creation of standardized copies based on the manuscript held by Hafsa. A committee (again led by Zayd) reproduced this text in the Qurayshi dialect (the Prophet’s dialect) and distributed it to key Islamic regions. All unofficial personal copies with differing dialects or surah arrangements were ordered to be burned — not because the content differed, but to ensure unity and consistency.