Editing Abu Bakr (section)

=== Preservation of the Quran ===
{{Main|History of the Quran}}

Abu Bakr was instrumental in preserving the [[Quran]] in written form. It is said that after the hard-won victory over Musaylimah in the [[Battle of Yamama]] in 632, [[Umar]] saw that some five hundred of the Muslims who had [[Hafiz (Quran)|memorised the Quran]] had been killed in wars. Fearing that it might become lost or corrupted, Umar requested that Abu Bakr authorise the compilation and preservation of the scriptures in written format. The caliph was initially hesitant, being quoted as saying, "how can we do that which the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless and keep him, did not himself do?" He eventually relented, however, and appointed [[Zayd ibn Thabit]], who had previously served as one of the scribes of Muhammad, for the task of gathering the scattered verses. The fragments were recovered from every quarter, including from the ribs of palm branches, scraps of leather, stone tablets and "from the hearts of men". The collected work was transcribed onto sheets and verified through comparison with Quran memorisers.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fernhout |first1=Rein |last2=Jansen |first2=Henry |last3=Jansen-Hofland |first3=Lucy |title=Canonical Texts. Bearers of Absolute Authority. Bible, Koran, Veda, Tipitaka: a Phenomenological Study |year=1994 |page=62 |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Rodopi]] |isbn=9051837747 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BIIk_73ImdsC&pg=PA62}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Herlihy |first=John |title=Islam for Our Time - Inside the Traditional World of Islamic Spirituality |date=2012 |page=76 |publisher=[[Xlibris|Xlibris Corporation]] |isbn=9781479709977 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lcb5AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA76}}</ref> The finished codex, termed the ''[[Mus'haf]]'', was presented to Abu Bakr, who prior to his death, bequeathed it to his successor Umar.<ref>{{cite book |last=Azmayesh |first=Seyed Mostafa |author-link=Seyed Mostafa Azmayesh |title=New Researches on the Quran - Why and how two versions of Islam entered the history of mankind |date=2015 |publisher=Mehraby Publishing House |page=75 |isbn=9780955811760 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ED1lCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA75}}</ref> Upon Umar's own death, the ''Mus'haf'' was left to his daughter [[Hafsa bint Umar|Hafsa]], who had been one of the wives of Muhammad. It was this volume, borrowed from Hafsa, which formed the basis of [[Uthman]]'s legendary prototype, which became the definitive text of the Quran. All later editions are derived from this original.<ref>{{harvtxt|Herlihy|2012|page=76–77}}</ref>{{NoteTag|Many early sources, especially but not exclusively [[Shia|Shi'ite]], believe that there was also a version of the Quran which had been compiled by Ali, but which has since been lost.<ref>{{harvtxt|Herlihy|2012|page=77}}</ref>}}