Imam Ali (A.S.), the First Compiler of the Holy Qur'an

Read More Dr. Sayyid Mohammad Hussein Tabātabāie

By: Dr. Sayyid Muhammad Baqir Hujjati
Translated by: Sayyid 'Ali Shahbaz

Inna 'Aliyyan ma'a al-Qur'an wa al-Qur'an ma'a 'Ali, lan-Yatafarraqa hatta yarida 'alayya al-hawz (Indeed, 'Ali is with the Qur'an and the Qur'an is with 'Ali, the two will never separate even when they return to me at the poll [of kawthar in paradise]) - Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.).(1)

The above hadith found in several authoritative works of almost all denominations of Islam, is not a stray or solitary reference to the relationship between the Holy Qur'an and its prime and perfect compiler as a mushaf (book) in the correct order of revelation, especially when one takes note of the widely-quoted Hadith al-Thaqalayn which the Prophet pronounced on several occasions concerning the legacy that he was leaving behind and the inseparability between the Book of Allah and his Ahl al-Bayt, whose most senior member was his cousin and son-in-law, Imam 'Ali bin Abi Talib (A.S.).

In addition, the Prophet's explicit explanation of certain ayahs of the Holy Book, such as "... say: sufficient is Allah as witness between me and you and he with whom is the knowledge of the Book" (13:43). that the witness other than God referred here, is Imam 'Ali (A.S.),(2) is further proof of the fact that it was but natural for the Qur'an to be collected between two covers by the person who for twenty-three years had been the sole human witness to the revelation of the Divine Message to the Seal of Messengers (S.A.W.).
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