The Noble Qur'an, as the last revealed book of God, is extant in its original form. Allah Himself guaranteed its preservation. The entire Qur'an was recorded in written form during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) on pieces of palm leaves, parchments, bones, and other suitable surfaces.

Moreover, there were tens of thousands of his followers who memorized the whole Qur'an, and the Prophet (pbuh) himself used to recite it to the angel Gabriel once a year and twice when he was about to die.

After the Prophet's death, Abu Bakr, the first caliph, oversaw the collection of the Qur'an into one volume by the Prophet's scribe, Zaid ibn Thabit. This volume remained with Abu Bakr who, when he was about to die, entrusted it to his successor, Umar ibn Al-Khattab who, in turn, passed it onto Hafsa, the Prophet's wife. It was from this original copy that Uthman, the third caliph, prepared several other copies and sent them to different Muslim territories

The Qur'an was preserved so meticulously because it is was to be the book of guidance for all humanity forever. Thus it does not address only the Arabs, even though it was revealed in their language.

For a free copy of the Qur'an:

Visit www.alharamain.org
Email charitablebook@hotmail.com
Fax (202) 944-5983, Saudi Embassy, including your name, mailing address and phone number with your request for a free Qur'an.

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