Describe the ways in which Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and ‘Uthman were involved in the compilation of the Qur'an.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2016). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [10] (a) The main focus of the answer should be on the roles of the three companions. During the time of the Prophet, the Qur'an was written on pieces of animal skin and on parts of bone but mainly was memorised by the companions; during Abu Bakr's caliphate, many companions who had memorised the Qur'an died at the Battle of Yamama; '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; Abu Bakr hesitated saying he could not do something the Prophet had not done; he eventually agreed and called Zayd bin Thabit to collect all the verses that had been written; Zayd was a hafiz himself, yet he only included a verse into the master copy once he had verified its authenticity; a committee was set up, and ‘Umar was part of this committee; the verses were written in the order that the Prophet had given, but the suras were written on separate sheets; 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. During 'Umar's caliphate, he took steps to ensure the Qur'an was taught and memorised to ensure it was not corrupted. During 'Uthman's time as caliph, Islam had spread to other areas. Hudhaifa reported to 'Uthman that people were reciting the Qur'an in a different dialect in different areas. 'Uthman ordered the companions to compile one book in the Qurayshi dialect, using the mushaf of Hafsa. 'Uthman checked and approved the final version. This new copy was sent around the various provinces of the expanding Muslim world. He ordered any other copies to be collected and burnt. For this he is known as 'Jami al-Qur'an'.
2. [4] (b) Candidates can agree or disagree but they have to give valid reasons for why they have chosen that answer. If they agree, they could say, e.g. that Muslims should not do something that the Prophet had not done as it sets a precedent for the future where Muslims can do things that were not done at the time of the Prophet. If they disagree, they could say, e.g. that Muslims benefit from the written Qur'an as not everyone is able to memorise it easily, or that Abu Bakr was the rightly guided caliph and so his decision is not against the teachings of the Prophet. It was written, but was not against the recited entity. Whatever they say, they should be credited as long as they are able to give reasons for their answer.