PRESERVATION, UPDATING, DA‘WAH

~ 21 ~ generations has been divided, basically, into three categories: (a) Process of Preservation, (b) Process of Updating, (c) Process of da’wah The goal of the first process is to keep the book brought by the Prophet intact in its original form, generation after generation. There must be no human interpolations and none of its parts should be destroyed. The first major step in the process of preservation was undertaken, after the passing away of the Prophet, during the life of the first Caliph, Abu Bakr Siddiq. At that time tens of thousands of the companions of the Prophet had learnt the complete Qur’an by heart. It was thus completely preserved in human memory. But as far as the writing of the Qur’an was concerned, it existed only in fragments on different kinds of writing materials. The first Caliphs, therefore, engaged scholars of the Qur’an from amongst the companions to prepare a single