The Qur'an has been preserved in writing for over 1400 years. Give an account of the way in which it was compiled in the written format.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2017). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. Candidates should give some details on the different stages of compilation, and how it was then brought together into a book.
2. During the time of the Prophet (pbuh) the Qur'an was written on pieces of animal skin and on parts of bone but mainly was memorised by the companions;
3. during Abu Bakr's caliphate, many companions who had memorised the Qur'an died at the Battle of Yamama;
4. 'Umar, worried that the words of the Qur'an would be lost due to companions dying of old age/in battle, suggested to Abu Bakr that the Qur'an should be compiled into one book;
5. Abu Bakr hesitated saying he could not do something the Prophet (pbuh) had not done; he eventually agreed and called Zayd ibn Thabit to collect all the verses that had been written;
6. Zayd was a hafiz himself, yet he only included a verse into the master copy once he had verified its authenticity;
7. ‘Umar was part of the process to get companions to come with any part of the mushaf they had in their possession;
8. the verses were written in the order that the Prophet (pbuh) had given, but the suras were written on separate sheets;
9. this copy was verified by the committee and was kept with Abu Bakr during his lifetime, after which it passed to 'Umar, and then to 'Umar's daughter Hafsa.
10. During 'Uthman's time as caliph, Islam had spread to other areas.
11. Hudhaifa reported to 'Uthman that people were reciting the Qur'an in a different dialect in different parts.
12. 'Uthman called Zayd back and they formed a committee, ordering the companions to compile one book in the Qurayshi dialect, using the mushaf of Hafsa.
13. Zayd ibn Thabit was recalled to check it.
14. 'Uthman then checked and approved the final version.
15. This new copy was sent around the various provinces of the expanding Muslim world.
16. He ordered for any other copies to be collected and burnt.
17. For this he is known as 'Jami al-Qur'an'.
18. Candidates can offer a variety of answers to this question, but marks should be given for the quality of the reasoning given for their answer.
19. Candidates could say that yes it does outweigh the oral tradition because e.g. it gives Muslims around the world access to the Qur'an that they would not otherwise have if they are not in a position to memorise it.
20. Or that old Qur'ans such as the one that was found in Birmingham, allow Muslims to authenticate that the written copies of the early Muslims are the same as the ones now.
21. It gives a greater sense of connection to the faith when you can see things from that time.
22. As Islam has spread, the written Qur'an can be read by those whose first language is not Arabic.
23. Candidates could say that no it does not because the oral tradition was how the Qur'an was revealed and passed on in the beginning and this is a more authentic way of ensuring accuracy.
24. Or Candidates could say that both are equally beneficial for Muslims now because e.g. they both have a role to play now that Islam has spread and covers many different regions and languages.
25. The written tradition gives access to people where they are no longer able to memorise or prefer to read, and the oral tradition gives access to people in places where education is scarce and learning orally from a hafiz also gives them a direct connection back to the Prophet (pbuh).