The Prophet (ﷺ) remained in Mecca for ten years, during which the Qur'an used to be revealed to him; and he stayed in Medina for ten years.

I was informed that Gabriel came to the Prophet (ﷺ) while Um Salama رضی اللہ عنہا was with him. Gabriel started talking (to the Prophet). Then the Prophet (ﷺ) asked Um Salama رضی اللہ عنہا , "Who is this?" She replied, "He is Dihya (al-Kalbi)." When Gabriel had left, Um Salama رضی اللہ عنہا said, "By Allah, I did not take him for anybody other than him (i.e. Dihya) till I heard the sermon of the Prophet (ﷺ) wherein he informed about the news of Gabriel." The subnarrator asked Abu `Uthman: From whom have you heard that? Abu `Uthman said: From Usama bin Zaid رضی اللہ عنہا.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Every Prophet was given miracles because of which people believed, but what I have been given, is Divine Inspiration which Allah has revealed to me. So I hope that my followers will outnumber the followers of the other Prophets on the Day of Resurrection."

Allah sent down His Divine Inspiration to His Apostle continuously and abundantly during the period preceding his death till He took him unto Him. That was the period of the greatest part of revelation; and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) died after that.

Once the Prophet (ﷺ) fell ill and did not offer the night prayer (Tahajjud prayer) for a night or two. A woman (the wife of Abu Lahab) came to him and said, "O Muhammad ! I do not see but that your Satan has left you." Then Allah revealed (Surat-Ad-Duha): 'By the fore-noon, and by the night when it darkens (or is still); Your Lord has not forsaken you, nor hated you.' (93)

(The Caliph `Uthman رضی اللہ عنہ ordered Zaid bin Thabit, Sa`id bin Al-As, `Abdullah bin Az-Zubair and `Abdur- Rahman bin Al-Harith bin Hisham رضی اللہ عنہم to write the Qur'an in the form of a book (Mushafs) and said to them. "In case you disagree with Zaid bin Thabit رضی اللہ عنہ (Al-Ansari) regarding any dialectic Arabic utterance of the Qur'an, then write it in the dialect of Quraish, for the Qur'an was revealed in this dialect." So they did it.

"I wish I could see Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) at the time he is being inspired Divinely." When the Prophet (ﷺ) was at Al-Ja'rana and was shaded by a garment hanging over him and some of his companions were with him, a man perfumed with scent came and said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! What is your opinion regarding a man who assumes Ihram and puts on a cloak after perfuming his body with scent?" The Prophet (ﷺ) waited for a while, and then the Divine Inspiration descended upon him. `Umar رضی اللہ عنہ pointed out to Ya`la, telling him to come. Ya`la came and pushed his head (underneath the screen which was covering the Prophet (ﷺ) ) and behold! The Prophet's face was red and he kept on breathing heavily for a while and then he was relieved. Thereupon he said, "Where is the questioner who asked me about `Umra a while ago?" The man was sought and then was brought before the Prophet (ﷺ) who said (to him), "As regards the scent which you perfumed your body with, you must wash it off thrice, and as for your cloak, you must take it off; and then perform in your `Umra all those things which you perform in Hajj."

Abu Bakr As-Siddiq رضی اللہ عنہ sent for me when the people of Yamama had been killed (i.e., a number of the Prophet's Companions who fought against Musailima). (I went to him) and found `Umar bin Al- Khattab رضی اللہ عنہ sitting with him. Abu Bakr رضی اللہ عنہ then said (to me), "`Umar رضی اللہ عنہ has come to me and said: "Casualties were heavy among the Qurra' of the Qur'an (i.e. those who knew the Qur'an by heart) on the day of the Battle of Yamama, and I am afraid that more heavy casualties may take place among the Qurra' on other battlefields, whereby a large part of the Qur'an may be lost. Therefore I suggest, you (Abu Bakr رضی اللہ عنہ) order that the Qur'an be collected." I said to `Umar رضی اللہ عنہ , "How can you do something which Allah's Apostle did not do?" `Umar said, "By Allah, that is a good project." `Umar رضی اللہ عنہ kept on urging me to accept his proposal till Allah opened my chest for it and I began to realize the good in the idea which `Umar رضی اللہ عنہ had realized." Then Abu Bakr رضی اللہ عنہ said (to me). 'You are a wise young man and we do not have any suspicion about you, and you used to write the Divine Inspiration for Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). So you should search for (the fragmentary scripts of) the Qur'an and collect it in one book." By Allah If they had ordered me to shift one of the mountains, it would not have been heavier for me than this ordering me to collect the Qur'an. Then I said to Abu Bakr, "How will you do something which Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) did not do?" Abu Bakr رضی اللہ عنہ replied, "By Allah, it is a good project." Abu Bakr رضی اللہ عنہ kept on urging me to accept his idea until Allah opened my chest for what He had opened the chests of Abu Bakr رضی اللہ عنہ and `Umar رضی اللہ عنہ . So I started looking for the Qur'an and collecting it from (what was written on) palme stalks, thin white stones and also from the men who knew it by heart, till I found the last Verse of Surat at-Tauba (Repentance) with Abi Khuzaima Al-Ansari, and I did not find it with anybody other than him. The Verse is: 'Verily there has come unto you an Apostle (Muhammad) from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty..(till the end of Surat-Baraa' (at-Tauba) (9.128-129). Then the complete manuscripts (copy) of the Qur'an remained with Abu Bakr رضی اللہ عنہ till he died, then with `Umar رضی اللہ عنہ till the end of his life, and then with Hafsa, the daughter of `Umar رضی اللہ عنہ .

Hudhaifa bin Al-Yaman رضی اللہ عنہ came to `Uthman رضی اللہ عنہ at the time when the people of Sham and the people of Iraq were Waging war to conquer Arminya and Adharbijan. Hudhaifa رضی اللہ عنہ was afraid of their (the people of Sham and Iraq) differences in the recitation of the Qur'an, so he said to `Uthman رضی اللہ عنہ , "O chief of the Believers! Save this nation before they differ about the Book (Qur'an) as Jews and the Christians did before." So `Uthman رضی اللہ عنہ sent a message to Hafsa saying, "Send us the manuscripts of the Qur'an so that we may compile the Qur'anic materials in perfect copies and return the manuscripts to you." Hafsa رضی اللہ عنہا sent it to `Uthman رضی اللہ عنہ . `Uthman رضی اللہ عنہ then ordered Zaid bin Thabit رضی اللہ عنہ , `Abdullah bin Az-Zubair, Sa`id bin Al-As and `Abdur Rahman bin Harith bin Hisham to rewrite the manuscripts in perfect copies. `Uthman رضی اللہ عنہ said to the three Quraishi men, "In case you disagree with Zaid bin Thabit on any point in the Qur'an, then write it in the dialect of Quraish, the Qur'an was revealed in their tongue." They did so, and when they had written many copies, `Uthman رضی اللہ عنہ returned the original manuscripts to Hafsa. `Uthman رضی اللہ عنہ sent to every Muslim province one copy of what they had copied, and ordered that all the other Qur'anic materials, whether written in fragmentary manuscripts or whole copies, be burnt.

"A verse from Surat Ahzab was missed by me when we copied the Qur'an and I used to hear Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) reciting it. So we searched for it and found it with Khuza`ima bin Thabit Al-Ansari رضی اللہ عنہ . (That Verse was): Among the Believers are men who have been true in their covenant with Allah.' (33.23)

Abu Bakr رضی اللہ عنہ sent for me and said, "You used to write the Divine Revelations for Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) : So you should search for (the Qur'an and collect) it." I started searching for the Qur'an till I found the last two Verses of Surat at-Tauba with Abi Khuza`ima Al-Ansari and I could not find these Verses with anybody other than him. (They were): 'Verily there has come unto you an Apostle (Muhammad) from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty ...' (9.128-129)

There was revealed: 'Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) and those who strive and fight in the Cause of Allah.' (4.95) The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Call Zaid for me and let him bring the board, the inkpot and the scapula bone (or the scapula bone and the ink pot)."' Then he said, "Write: 'Not equal are those Believers who sit..", and at that time `Amr bin Um Maktum, the blind man was sitting behind the Prophet (ﷺ) . He said, "O Allah's Apostle! What is your order For me (as regards the above Verse) as I am a blind man?" So, instead of the above Verse, the following Verse was revealed: 'Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) except those who are disabled (by injury or are blind or lame etc.) and those who strive and fight in the cause of Allah.' (4.95)

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Gabriel recited the Qur'an to me in one way. Then I requested him (to read it in another way), and continued asking him to recite it in other ways, and he recited it in several ways till he ultimately recited it in seven different ways."

I heard Hisham bin Hakim reciting Surat Al-Furqan during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and I listened to his recitation and noticed that he recited in several different ways which Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) had not taught me. I was about to jump over him during his prayer, but I controlled my temper, and when he had completed his prayer, I put his upper garment around his neck and seized him by it and said, "Who taught you this Sura which I heard you reciting?" He replied, "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) taught it to me." I said, "You have told a lie, for Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) has taught it to me in a different way from yours." So I dragged him to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and said (to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)), "I heard this person reciting Surat Al-Furqan in a way which you haven't taught me!" On that Allah's Apostle said, "Release him, (O `Umar!) Recite, O Hisham!" Then he recited in the same way as I heard him reciting. Then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "It was revealed in this way," and added, "Recite, O `Umar!" I recited it as he had taught me. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) then said, "It was revealed in this way. This Qur'an has been revealed to be recited in seven different ways, so recite of it whichever (way) is easier for you (or read as much of it as may be easy for you).

While I was with Aisha رضی اللہ عنہا, the mother of the Believers, a person from Iraq came and asked, "What type of shroud is the best?" `Aisha رضی اللہ عنہا said, "May Allah be merciful to you! What does it matter?" He said, "O mother of the Believers! Show me (the copy of) your Qur'an," She said, "Why?" He said, "In order to compile and arrange the Qur'an according to it, for people recite it with its Suras not in proper order." `Aisha رضی اللہ عنہا said, "What does it matter which part of it you read first? (Be informed) that the first thing that was revealed thereof was a Sura from Al-Mufassal, and in it was mentioned Paradise and the Fire. When the people embraced Islam, the Verses regarding legal and illegal things were revealed. If the first thing to be revealed was: 'Do not drink alcoholic drinks.' people would have said, 'We will never leave alcoholic drinks,' and if there had been revealed, 'Do not commit illegal sexual intercourse, 'they would have said, 'We will never give up illegal sexual intercourse.' While I was a young girl of playing age, the following Verse was revealed in Mecca to Muhammad: 'Nay! But the Hour is their appointed time (for their full recompense), and the Hour will be more grievous and more bitter.' (54.46) Sura Al-Baqara (The Cow) and Surat An-Nisa (The Women) were revealed while I was with him." Then `Aisha took out the copy of the Qur'an for the man and dictated to him the Verses of the Suras (in their proper order) .

Surat Bani-lsrael, Al-Kahf (The Cave), Maryam, Taha, Al-Anbiya' (The prophets) are amongst my first earnings and my old property, and (in fact) they are my old property.

I learnt, 'Glorify the Name of your Lord the Most High' (Surat al-A'la) No 87, before the Prophet (ﷺ) came (to Medina) .

"I learnt An-Naza'ir which the Prophet (ﷺ) used to recite in pairs in each rak`a." Then `Abdullah got up and Alqama رضی اللہ عنہ accompanied him to his house, and when Alqama رضی اللہ عنہ came out, we asked him (about those Suras). He said, "They are twenty Suras that start from the beginning of Al- Mufassal, according to the arrangement done be Ibn Mas`ud, sequence, first twenty chapters are long (Mufassal) and the others are Hawameem, حم دخان and عم یتساء لون .

The Prophet (ﷺ) was the most generous person, and he used to become more so (generous) particularly in the month of Ramadan because Gabriel used to meet him every night of the month of Ramadan till it elapsed. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to recite the Qur'an for him. When Gabriel met him, he used to become more generous than the fast wind in doing good.

Gabriel used to repeat the recitation of the Qur'an with the Prophet (ﷺ) once a year, but he repeated it twice with him in the year he died. The Prophet (ﷺ) used to stay in I`tikaf for ten days every year (in the month of Ramadan), but in the year of his death, he stayed in I`tikaf for twenty days.

`Abdullah bin `Amr mentioned `Abdullah bin Masud رضی اللہ عنہما and said, "I shall ever love that man, for I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, 'Take (learn) the Qur'an from four: `Abdullah bin Masud, Salim, Mu`adh and Ubai bin Ka`b.' "

Once `Abdullah bin Mas`ud رضی اللہ عنہما delivered a sermon before us and said, "By Allah, I learnt over seventy Suras direct from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) . By Allah, the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) came to know that I am one of those who know Allah's Book best of all of them, yet I am not the best of them." Shaqiq added: I sat in his religious gathering and I did not hear anybody opposing him (in his speech).

While we were in the city of Hims (in Syria), Ibn Mas`ud رضی اللہ عنہما recited Surat Yusuf. A man said to him), "It was not revealed in this way." Then Ibn Mas`ud رضی اللہ عنہما said, "I recited it in this way before Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and he confirmed my recitation by saying, 'Well done!' " Ibn Mas`ud detected the smell of wine from the man's mouth, so he said to him, "Aren't you ashamed of telling a lie about Allah's Book and (along with this) you drink alcoholic liquors too?" Then he lashed him according to the law.

By Allah other than Whom none has the right to be worshipped! There is no Sura revealed in Allah's Book but I know at what place it was revealed; and there is no Verse revealed in Allah's Book but I know about whom it was revealed. And if I know that there is somebody who knows Allah's Book better than I, and he is at a place that camels can reach, I would go to him.

I asked Anas bin Malik رضی اللہ عنہ : "Who collected the Qur'an at the time of the Prophet (ﷺ) ?" He replied, "Four, all of whom were from the Ansar: Ubai bin Ka`b, Mu`adh bin Jabal, Zaid bin Thabit and Abu Zaid." Fadl, Husain bin Waqid, Thumah reported likewise from Hdrat Anas رضی اللہ عنہ .