Bless him and salute him with worthy salutation, and those who pray in the front
ranks." ١٣ This was [how it read] before Uthman changed the text. ١٤

Abu I:Iarb b. Abi al-Aswad related, on the authority of his father:

Abu Milsa al-Ashari sent for the reciters of Basra, and some three hundred personages who had studied the reading of the Quran came together in his presence. He said: "You are the best among the people of Basra and their reciters. Recite it therefore continu‌ ously lest time passes by and your hearts become hardened, as were the hearts of those who were before you [i.e., the people of the Book]. We used to read in the Quran a sura which we used to liken in length and severity of tone to Surat al-Baraa [sura ٩). However, I have forgotten it, except that I remember the [following) verse from it: If the son of Adam had two valleys of wealth, he would have wished for a third one. Nothing fills the belly of the son of Adam except soiL Moreover, we used to read a sura in the Quran which we used to liken to [one of the suras beginning with) sabbi/:١ (magnify). But I have forgotten it except the [following] verse from it: ٠ you who believe, why do you say that which you do not do. This would be written as a testimony on your necks, and you would be asked to account for it on the Day ofResurrection." ١٥

٨. Zarr reported the following:

Ubayy b. Kab asked me "٠ Zarr! How many verses have you read in Surat al-Al_Izab?" I said, "Seventy-three verses." He said, "No, it was equal in length to Surat al-Baqara, if not longer."١٦

٩. Ibn Abi Dawud and Ibn al-Anbari relate that Ibn Shihab said:

We have heard that the Quran was revealed in many verses. But those who knew it were killed at the Battle of Yamama. They were the ones who remembered it. It was not taught, nor was it written after them." ١٧

١٠. Amra reported from Aisha, who said:

Among the verses revealed in the Quran was, "Ten ascertained sucklings make unlaw‌ ful" [a marriage between a boy and a girl who are nursed by the same woman]. Then the verse was abrogated to "five ascertained sucklings." When the Prophet died, the "five sucklings" were still being recited as part of the Quran.١٨

١١. Al-Musawwar b. Makhrama reported the following:

Umar said to Abd al-Rai:Jman b. Awf, "Do you remember that which was [part of the) revealed [text as it was related] to us, Fight as you fought them the first time?‌ for we do not find it [in the codex]." He [Abd al-Rai:Jman] said, "It was removed along with other things that were removed [from the Quran]." ١٩

١٢. It was related by Abu Sufyan al-KhalaI that one day Maslama b. Mukhalladal‌ An ari
codex." They could not inform him, although AbU ai-Kunud Sad b. Malik was among
them. Then Ibn Maslama recited: "Those who believed and migrated and fought in the way of God with their wealth and their lives: Be of good cheer, you are indeed the prosperous ones. And those who sheltered them, supported them, and defended