Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal: Book 1, Hadith 71
It was narrated that Abu Bakr as Siddeeq said: ‘Umar has come to me and told me that casualties were heavy at al-Yamamah among the Muslims who knew the Qur’an by heart, and I am afraid that more heavy casualties may take place among the Muslims who know the Qur’an by heart on other battlefields and a large part of the Qur’an may be lost. I think that you [Abu Bakr should issue instructions that the Qur’an be collected. I said to ‘Umar. How can I do anything that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not do? He said: By Allah, it is a good thing. And he kept urging me to do that until Allah opened my heart to it and I came around to ‘Umar’s point of view. Zaid said: And ‘Umar was sitting with him, not speaking. Abu Bakr said: You are a wise young man and we trust you. You used to write down the revelation for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), so collect it. Zaid said: By Allah, if they had ordered me to move a mountain, that would not have been more difficult for me than what they instructed me to do of collecting the Qur’an. I said: How can you do anything that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not do?
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْمُغِيرَةَ بْنَ مُسْلِمٍ أَبَا سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ فَرْقَدٍ السَّبَخِيِّ، عَنْ مُرَّةَ الطَّيِّبِ، عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقِ، رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَا يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ سَيِّئُ الْمَلَكَةِ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَلَيْسَ أَخْبَرْتَنَا أَنَّ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةَ أَكْثَرُ الْأُمَمِ مَمْلُوكِينَ وَأَيْتَامًا قَالَ بَلَى فَأَكْرِمُوهُمْ كَرَامَةَ أَوْلَادِكُمْ وَأَطْعِمُوهُمْ مِمَّا تَأْكُلُونَ قَالُوا فَمَا يَنْفَعُنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ فَرَسٌ صَالِحٌ تَرْتَبِطُهُ تُقَاتِلُ عَلَيْهِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَمَمْلُوكٌ يَكْفِيكَ فَإِذَا صَلَّى فَهُوَ أَخُوكَ.
Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal: Book 1, Hadith 71
The above hadith is from the Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal collection of hadiths. Compiled by the renowned Islamic scholar Ahmad ibn Hanbal, the Musnad is a monumental hadith collection distinguished by its unique organizational structure. Unlike other major collections arranged by topic, the Musnad is organized according to the names of the Prophet Muhammad’s companions. This means each section is dedicated to a specific companion, grouping all the narrations they transmitted together. This method offers valuable insights into the Prophet’s teachings as passed down through his closest followers. While the collection is highly respected for its overall authenticity and vast scope, scholars note that it includes narrations of varying strength, and some feature weaker chains of transmission that require expert analysis.
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For more Hadith in Book 1: Musnad Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (ra)