k. How was it established that these two verses were from the Quran? From the apparent sense of the first tradition, and from the clear statement of traditions ٩ and
٢١, it was established on the testimony of a single person. According to the clear statement of number ٨, Uthman testified [as a second witness] with him; and accord‌ ing to the clear statement of number ١١, Umar was the one who testified [as a sec‌ ond witness] with him.
I. Whom did Uthman appoint to write the Quran and to dictate it? Tradition ٢ states explicitly that Uthman appointed Zayd, Ibn al-Zubayr, SaId, and Abd al-Rai:J.man for writing, whereas number ١٥ states explicitly that he appointed Zayd for writing and SaId for dictating. Tradition ١٦, however, asserts that he appointed a person from the tribe of Thaqif to write, and another from the tribe of Hudhayl to dictate. But tradition ١٨ states clearly that the writer was not from the Thaqif, and that the one who dictated was not from the Hudhayl. Tradition ١٩ states explicitly that the person who dictated was Ubayy b. Kab, and that SaId b. al-Avocalized what Zayd wrote, in accordance with the rules of Arabic grammar. This is asserted also by tradition ٢٠, with the addition of Abd al-Rai:J.man b. al-I:Iarith to oversee the vocalization with SaId.

The Contradiction among the Traditions in Their Account of the Collection of the Quran

All these traditions are contradicted by information that indicates that the Quran was collected and recorded during the lifetime of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his progeny). This information has been transmitted by a number of people, including Ibn Abi Shayba, Ibn I:Iabban, al-I:Iakim, al-Bayhaqi, and al-I;:>iya al-Maqdisi, all reporting on the authority of Ibn Abbas, who said:

I asked Uthman b. Affan: "What made you turn to SUrat al-Anfal [sura ٨, "The Spoils"], which is one of themathanfsuras,٥ and to SUrat al-Baraa [sura ٩], which is one of the mifn suras,٦ and put them next to each other without writing between them the basmala invocation [In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate]? What made you do that?" Uthman replied: "There were times when [long] suras with numerous [verses] used to come down to the Messenger of God. And when something was revealed to him, he would call for one of those who used to transcribe for him and say, Include these verses in the sura in which this and that is mentioned. More verses would come down to him and he would say: Include these in the sura in which this and that is mentioned. Al-Anral was among the first of the revelations in Medina, and al-Baraa was among the last revelations of the Quran. The contents of al-Baraa resembled those of al-Anfa\, so I assumed that it belonged to it. The Prophet died without clarifying for us that it was part of it. It is for this reason that I put them together without writing the line bism Allah al-Rabman, al-Ra/:lfm [i.e., the basmala], and I placed them among the seven long suras."٧

In another tradition, related by al-Tabarani and Ibn Asakir, al-Shabi says:

The Quran was collected, during the lifetime of the Messenger of God, by six indi‌ viduals from the An$ar (Helpers): Ubayy b. Kab, Zayd b. Thabit, Muadh b. Jabal, Abu al-Darda, Sad b. Ubayd, and AbU Zayd. Moreover, Majma b. Jariya had col‌ lected [all of the] Quran except for two or three suras.٨