Zayd ibn Thabit facts for kids

Zayd ibn Thabit (Arabic: زيد بن ثابت) was an important figure in early Islam. He was the personal scribe (a person who writes things down) for the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Zayd was also part of the Ansar, which means "helpers" in Arabic. These were people from Medina who supported Muhammad.

Zayd joined the Muslim army when he was 19 years old. After Muhammad passed away, Zayd was given a very important job. He was asked to gather all the parts of the Quran into one book. The Quran is the holy book of Islam. Zayd was known as an expert on the Quran and spent a lot of time reciting it.

Zayd's Early Life and Learning

Zayd's father died when Zayd was only 6 years old. This happened during the Battle of Bu'ath. When Zayd was 11, he wanted to fight in the Battle of Badr. However, Muhammad did not allow him to join because he was too young.

Instead of fighting, Zayd decided to impress Muhammad by learning the Quran. He worked hard to memorize its verses. Because of his skills, Muhammad later chose Zayd to write letters to non-Muslims. He also helped keep records of the Quran's verses as they were revealed. Zayd spent most of his time learning and reciting the Quran.

Zayd's Role as a Scribe

Zayd had a very special job. He was responsible for writing down the verses of the Quran. Muslims believe these verses were sent to Muhammad from Allah (God) through the Angel Jibrail (Gabriel).

Muhammad also asked Zayd to learn other languages. Zayd quickly learned Hebrew and Coptic in just two weeks. He then used these languages to work as an interpreter for Muhammad. This shows how smart and dedicated Zayd was.

Collecting the Quran: A Big Task

After Muhammad's death, Zayd became a top expert on the Quran. The first leader of the Muslim community, Abu Bakr, gave Zayd a huge task. He asked Zayd to gather all the Quranic verses into one complete book.

This became very important after a battle called the Battle of Yamamah. Many Muslims who had memorized the entire Quran died in this battle. Umar ibn al-Khattab, another important leader, convinced Abu Bakr that the Quran needed to be written down in one place.

Zayd accepted this difficult job. He started collecting Quranic material from many sources. He found verses written on things like parchments, animal shoulder blades, and date palm leaves. He also gathered verses from the memories of people who knew them by heart.

When Zayd finished, he gave the collected sheets to Abu Bakr. Before Abu Bakr died, he passed these sheets to Umar. Umar then gave them to his daughter, Hafsah. Hafsah, along with Umm Salamah and Aishah, were wives of Muhammad who had memorized the Quran.

Zayd's Importance to the Quran

Zayd ibn Thabit became one of the most respected authorities on the Quran. Umar ibn al-Khattab once told the Muslims, "O people, whoever wants to ask about the Quran, let him go to Zayd ibn Thabit." This shows how much people trusted Zayd's knowledge.

Standardizing the Quran during Uthman's Time

Later, during the time of the third leader, Uthman, Islam had spread widely. People in different areas started reading the Quran with slight differences in dialect. A companion named Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman urged Uthman to "save the Muslim community before they differ about the Quran."

Uthman borrowed the original Quran manuscript from Hafsah. He then asked Zayd ibn Thabit and other companions to make copies of it. Zayd was again put in charge of this important project. The copies were made using the Arabic dialect of the Quraysh tribe, which was Muhammad's tribe. This dialect was chosen to create a standard text.

Zayd and his team made five copies of the Quran. One copy was sent to each Muslim province. Uthman ordered that all other Quranic materials, whether small pieces or full copies, should be burned. This was done to make sure everyone used the same, standard text of the Quran. Uthman kept one copy for himself and returned the original manuscript to Hafsah.

Zayd's Passing

When Zayd ibn Thabit passed away, many people mourned him. Said Ibn Al-Musayyib said that he attended Zayd's funeral. After Zayd was buried, ibn Abbas said, "O you people! Whoever wishes to know how knowledge leaves us should know that it is like this that knowledge leaves. I swear by Allah that a great deal of knowledge has just left us today." This shows how much knowledge and wisdom Zayd carried.