Islamic Figures: Zayd ibn Thabit (scribe of the revelation, master ‎reciter of the Quran, Mufti of Medina)‎

Zayd ibn Thabit was the scribe of the revelation, the master of reciters, and the mufti of Medina. His father was Thabit ibn al-Dahhak from the Banu Najjar tribe. His mother was al-Nuwar bint Malik. His brother was Yazid ibn Thabit. His wife was Umm al-'Ala' al-Ansari, and the mother of his son, Kharijah ibn Zayd ibn Thabit ibn al-Dahhak al-Ansari.

Zayd ibn Thabit was a noble companion of the Prophet. He narrated hadith from the Prophet and recited some or all of the Quran to him. He was an orphan, as his father died on the day of Bu'ath when he was no more than eleven years old. He embraced Islam with his family on the day the Messenger of God arrived in Medina, and the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, blessed him with a supplication.

The Battle of Bu'ath was the last major battle between the tribes of Aws and Khazraj in Yathrib (Medina) five years before the migration of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. The civil war between them ended with their conversion to Islam. The battle took place in a region called Bu'ath, resulting in the death and injury of many leaders from both tribes, which paved the way for their conversion to Islam when the Prophet Muhammad came to Medina.

He went out with a group of Ansar to the Battle of Badr, but the Prophet sent him back due to his young age and physical condition. At the Battle of Uhud, he went with a group of his peers to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), hoping to be included among the fighters. Their families were even more eager. The Prophet looked at them gratefully, as if to apologize, but Rafi' ibn Khadij, one of them, stepped forward to the Prophet, brandishing a spear and saying, "As you can see, I am skilled at archery, so grant me permission." The Prophet granted him permission. Samurah ibn Jundub then stepped forward, and some of his family told the Prophet, "Samurah can defeat Rafi'." The Prophet greeted him and granted him permission. Six young men remained, including Zayd ibn Thabit and Abdullah ibn Umar. They pleaded, wept, and displayed their strength, but their young age and immaturity prevented them from joining the next battle. The Prophet promised them the opportunity to participate in the next campaign, and thus Zayd and his brothers began their role, as it is known in Islam, as fighters in the cause of God, starting with the Battle of the Trench in the fifth year of the Hijra. He also participated in the Battle of Tabuk with the Prophet.

Revelation was being sent down to the Prophet, and Zayd was among the blessed group who had memorized the Quran: Ali ibn Abi Talib, Ubayy ibn Ka'b, Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, Abdullah ibn Abbas, and Zayd ibn Thabit. Zayd recited the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) twice in the year he died. This recitation is called the recitation of Zayd ibn Thabit because he recited it to the Prophet in the form of a mursal (a specific recitation of the Quran), and he witnessed the final recitation. He continued to teach it to people until his death. Zayd was cultured and excelled in knowledge and wisdom. When the Prophet began spreading his message to the world and sending letters to the kings and emperors of the earth, he instructed Zayd to learn some of their languages, which he mastered quickly. Zayd said, “I was brought to the Prophet shortly after his arrival in Medina, and it was said, ‘This man is from Banu Najjar, and he has memorized seventeen chapters of the Quran.’ So I recited to him, and he was pleased with that. He said, ‘Learn the Jewish script, for I do not trust them with my letters.’ So I did, and within half a month I had mastered it. I would write to them for him, and when they wrote to him, I would read to him.” Then the Prophet asked him to learn Syriac, which he learned in seventeen days. He memorized the Quranic revelations, and whenever a revelation came to the Prophet, he would send for Zayd to write it down.

Zayd shone in the Muslim community thanks to his knowledge and attained a high position, becoming a figure of respect and veneration among the Muslims. During the Battle of Tabuk, 'Umarah ibn Hazm initially carried the banner of Banu Najjar. The Prophet took it from him and gave it to Zayd ibn Thabit. 'Umarah asked, "O Messenger of God! Have you heard anything about me?" The Prophet replied, "No, but the Quran takes precedence." It is also reported that when Zayd went to mount his horse, Ibn Abbas held the stirrup. Zayd said to him, "Step aside, O cousin of the Messenger of God!" Ibn Abbas replied, "No, this is how we treat our scholars." As Thabit ibn Ubayd said of Zayd ibn Thabit, “I have never seen a man more jovial in his home nor more dignified in his gatherings than Zayd.”

Umar ibn al-Khattab would appoint him as his deputy in Medina when he went on pilgrimage. Zayd was the one who oversaw the distribution of the spoils of war on the day of Yarmouk. He was one of the six companions of the Prophet who issued fatwas: Umar, Ali, Ibn Mas'ud, Ubayy, Abu Musa, and Zayd ibn Thabit. Neither Umar nor Uthman would give precedence to anyone over Zayd in judicial matters. He was knowledgeable in issuing legal opinions, inheritance laws, and Quranic recitation. Umar appointed him as a judge and allocated him a stipend. Az-Zuhri said, "If 'Uthman and Zayd had died at any point in time, the science of inheritance laws (the legal science concerned with distributing the deceased's estate among the heirs according to Islamic law, also known as the science of inheritance) would have perished. There was a time when no one knew it except them." Ja'far ibn Burqan said, "I heard Az-Zuhri say, 'If Zayd ibn Thabit had not written down the laws of inheritance, I would have seen them disappear from the people.'" Ibn Sirin said, "Zayd ibn Thabit surpassed the people in two ways: his knowledge of the Quran and his understanding of Islamic inheritance laws."

After the death of the Prophet, the people gathered at the Saqifah of Bani Sa'idah. The Muhajirun (immigrants) and the Ansar (helpers) met to choose a successor from among themselves. The Ansar suggested to the Muhajirun that the Imam be chosen from among them, but Zayd ibn Thabit, the scribe of the revelation, offered a sound opinion that satisfied everyone. He said, "The Messenger of God was from the Muhajirun, and we are his Ansar. I believe the Imam should be from the Muhajirun, and we will also be his Ansar."

After the death of the Prophet, the Muslims were preoccupied with the Wars of Apostasy. In the Battle of Yamamah, a large number of Quran memorizers were martyred. As soon as the flames of the conflict subsided, Umar ibn al-Khattab approached the Caliph Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, urging him to compile the Quran before death claimed the remaining reciters and memorizers. The Caliph sought guidance from his Lord and consulted his companions. Then he summoned Zayd ibn Thabit and said to him, “You are a wise young man, and we do not doubt your integrity. You used to write down the revelation for the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him). So, follow the Qur’an and compile it.” I said, “How can you do something that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do?” He replied, “By God, it is good.” Zayd ibn Thabit said, “Abu Bakr kept urging me until God opened my heart to what He had opened the hearts of Abu Bakr and Umar to.”

Zayd undertook the task and performed admirably, comparing, contrasting, and verifying the text. Zayd ibn Thabit uttered his famous statement regarding the compilation of the Qur’an: “By God, if they had tasked me with moving a mountain, it would have been easier for me than what they commanded me to do in compiling the Qur’an.” He also said, “I used to follow the Quran, collecting it from parchments ('parchments' refers to papers or pieces of leather), shoulder blades ('shoulders' refers to the bones of the shoulder or the wooden pieces placed on a camel's back), palm leaves, and the hearts of men.” He completed the task and compiled the Quran into more than one codex. During the caliphate of Uthman ibn Affan, Islam was receiving new converts every day, and it became clear what danger the multiplicity of copies of the Quran could lead to when variations in pronunciation began to occur, even among the earliest Companions. So Uthman and the Companions, led by Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman, decided on the necessity of unifying the codex. Uthman asked, “Who is the most literate person?” They replied, “Zayd ibn Thabit, the scribe of the Messenger of God.” He asked, “And who is the most eloquent speaker?” They replied, “Sa’id ibn al-As.” Sa’id ibn al-As’s accent was the closest to that of the Messenger of God. Uthman said, “Let Sa’id dictate and let Zayd write.” They sought the help of Zayd ibn Thabit, so he gathered his companions and supporters, and they brought copies of the Quran from the house of Hafsa bint Umar and began their noble task. They always considered Zayd's word to be the final authority.

Zayd ibn Thabit died in 45 AH during the reign of Mu'awiya. Upon his death, Ibn Abbas said, "A great deal of knowledge has been buried today." Abu Hurayra said, "The scholar of the nation has died! May God grant Ibn Abbas a successor to him."