With the emergence of Islam in the early 7th century and the revelation of the Quran in Arabic, the Arabic book was born. Between the 7th and 10th centuries, the Arabic book developed from a simple codex to being at the centre of a burgeoning book culture. Whilst there is evidence from pre-Islamic Arabia of Arabic writing, inscriptions and a tradition of poetry, Arabs of the 7th century belonged to a predominantly oral culture. The codification and transmission of the Quran in its written form ensured that the history of the Arabic written tradition, and the Arabic script in particular, would be inextricably linked to the history of Quran manuscripts. The Arabic alphabet would also be adopted by other languages including Persian, Ottoman-Turkish, Urdu and Malay. The Quran in its original Arabic continues to have a central place in Muslim life, Arabs and non-Arabs alike. For non-Arabs, it is usually the first exposure to Arabic as they continue to read, recite and commit at least some parts to memory.
According to Muslim tradition, the prophet Muhammad ﷺ would routinely ask one of his scribes to write down verses after they were revealed. This was done on various material including bones, the flat ends of date palm fronds and other boards. As might be expected in a predominantly oral culture, there was a large expectation and desire from the early Muslims to commit the revelation to memory. There are many reports about this period that indicate a large number of the Companions of the prophet Muhammad ﷺ had committed the entire Quran to memory.
Following the death of the prophet ﷺ in 632, Muslim tradition states that his companion and successor Abu Bakr (d.634 CE) became concerned about the long-term preservation of the Quran after a large number of companions who knew the Quran were killed in the battle of Yamama in 633. He commissioned a group of scribes – including the Prophet’s principal scribe, Zayd bin Thābit – to consult those who had memorised the Quran and the existing written records to produce a complete written copy (manuscript) of the Quran.
The caliphate of the second caliph ʿUmar Ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (r.634-644 CE) witnessed the rapid spread of Islam across a vast geographic stretch, which brought with it a challenge greater than the preservation of the Quran as a written codex. There was now a need for the Quranic text to be made available to a large number of people across a wide expanse. There were also some concerns that the authenticity of written copies of the text be preserved. The third caliph, ʿUthmān (d.656 CE) is reported to have consulted Abu Bakr’s muṣḥaf to produce a definitive canonical text from which he ordered all subsequent copies be made and distributed across the Islamic world.
Within a short period, Arabic had become the language of religious and liturgical expression throughout the vast regions that adopted Islam.
[Click on the images below to read more about some of the earliest manuscripts of the Quran that have survived]
