Jam al-Quran al-Karim fi Ahd al-Khulafa al-Rashidin - Abd al-Qayyum al-Sindi
- Author died
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- Editions
- King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran in Medina
Jam' al-Qur'an al-Karim fi 'Ahd al-Khulafa' al-Rashidin (The Collection of the Noble Quran during the Era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs) is a scholarly treatise in Quranic studies by the scholar Abu Tahir Abd al-Qayyum Abd al-Ghafur al-Sindi, presented in 1421 AH (2000 CE) and published by the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran in Medina . The work examines the history, methodology, and characteristics of the compilation of the Quran during the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, focusing exclusively on the official compilations undertaken during the caliphates of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and Uthman ibn Affan .
Background and Purpose
The treatise was composed as a research paper for the symposium titled 'Inayat al-Mamlakah al-'Arabiyyah al-Sa'udiyyah bi-al-Qur'an al-Karim wa-'Ulumih ("The Care of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the Holy Quran and Its Sciences"), organized by the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran in Medina . The author's stated purpose was to contribute to highlighting efforts dedicated to the Quran and its sciences, providing an authentic, focused, and accessible historical analysis of how the Quranic text was gathered and preserved in early Islam .
Structure and Contents
The monograph consists of an introduction, a preliminary chapter (tamhid), three main chapters (mabahith), and a conclusion :
- Preliminary Chapter: Defines the linguistic and technical meanings of the term "Quran", clarifies the dual concept of compilation (jam')—memorization in the chest and recording in writing—and explains the intrinsic relationship between the Quranic text and the variant readings (qira'at) .
- First Chapter: Focuses on the collection during the reign of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq. It covers Abu Bakr's biography and caliphate, the motives for gathering the text, the commissioning of Zayd ibn Thabit, the method and physical materials used, and the outcomes and benefits of this initial compilation .
- Second Chapter: Details the compilation during the reign of Uthman ibn Affan. It examines Uthman's era, the causes necessitating the project, the committee appointed to transcribe the codices, the procedural steps taken, the number of official copies produced and their destinations, the legal nature of Quranic orthography (al-rasm al-mushafi) regarding whether it is divinely dictated (tawqifi) or conventional, the scribal proficiency of the Companions, and the outcomes of the Uthmanic codification .
- Third Chapter: Addresses comparative issues between the two eras, specifically the distinctive differences between Abu Bakr's sheets (suhuf) and Uthman's codices (masahif), and how both initiatives accommodated the seven modes (al-ahruf al-sab'ah) .
- Conclusion: Summarizes the principal findings and takeaways of the study .
Methodology
Al-Sindi adopted a methodology grounded in classical primary sources . He integrated biographical profiles of the two caliphs and the appointed scribal committee directly within the main text owing to their central role in the narrative, while placing biographical notices of other cited figures in the footnotes . The study restricted its scope to the official state compilations of Abu Bakr and Uthman, setting aside unofficial private codices as lacking authentic institutional standing . Additionally, the author refrained from cataloging and answering polemical doubts regarding the Quranic text, noting that this specific topic was assigned as a separate thematic axis within the symposium proceedings .
Publication
The book was published in a single volume by the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran in Medina in 1421 AH (2000 CE) .
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