FROM THE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

similarly the Prophet also recited to Gabriel the entire Quran twice. This final presentation is called al-Arz al-Akhirah in the books of Hadith. (Fathul Bari) In this way, when the Quran was fully arranged by the help of angel Gabriel, the Prophet recited it to his Companions on different occasions in the order with which we are familiar today. The Quran was thus preserved in its present order in the memory of tens of thousands of the Companions during the lifetime of the Prophet himself. In 632 AD, when the Prophet died at the age of 63 years, the Quran existed in two forms: one, in the memory of the several thousand Companions, since they repeated the Quran daily on different occasions, having learned it by rote in what is now its present order; two, in writing—on pieces of paper and other materials used for writing in those days. These scriptures were preserved by the Companions. Although not in their present order, all the parts of the Quran existed at that time in written form. After the death of the Prophet, Abu Bakr Siddiq was appointed the first Caliph. It was during his caliphate that the compilation of the Quran was carried out. Zaid Ibn Thabit, the Prophet’s foremost scribe, and an authority on the Quran was entrusted with this task. His work was more a process of collection than of compilation. The scattered bits and pieces of the Quran in written form were collected by him, not so that they could be assembled and bound in one volume, but so that they could be used to verify the authenticity of the Quran as memorized by countless individuals and passed on in oral tradition. Once this exact correspondence between the oral and written forms of the Quran had been established beyond any doubt, Zaid proceeded to put the verses of the Quran down on paper in their correct order. The volume he produced was then handed over to the Caliph, and this remained in the custody of the Prophet’s wife Hafsa. The third Caliph Uthman arranged for several copies of this text to be sent to all the states and placed in central mosques where people could prepare further copies. In this way, the message of the Quran spread further and further, both through oral tradition and handwritten copies until the age of the press dawned. When printing press was established in Muslim countries, It is the Quran's desire that when one initiates any undertaking one should begin by uttering the name of God. One is thus always reminded of God's attributes of benevolence and compassion.