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ahmad:21644 – Abū Kāmil > Ibrāhīm b. Saʿd > Ibn Shihāb > ʿUbayd b. al-Sabbāq > Zayd b. Thābit

[Machine] Abu Bakr sent to me the killing of Al-Yamama; so when 'Umar was sitting with him, Abu Bakr said, "O Zaid ibn Thabit! You are a young, smart boy. We do not accuse you. You used to write down the revelation for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. So, try to retrieve the Qur'an and gather it."

Zaid said, "By Allah, if they ordered me to carry a mountain from the mountains, it would not have been heavier on me than what they have burdened me with of gathering the Qur'an." So I said, "Are you doing something that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not do?"

He said, "By Allah, this is better." Abu Bakr kept urging me until Allah opened my chest (made it easy) for what He had opened the chests of Abu Bakr and 'Umar.  

أحمد:٢١٦٤٤ – حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كَامِلٍ حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ شِهَابٍ عَنْ عُبَيْدِ بْنِ السَّبَّاقِ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ ثَابِتٍ قَالَ

أَرْسَلَ إِلَيَّ أَبُو بَكْرٍ مَقْتَلَ الْيَمَامَةِ فَإِذَا عُمَرُ عِنْدَهُ جَالِسٌ قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ يَا زَيْدُ بْنَ ثَابِتٍ إِنَّكَ غُلَامٌ شَابٌّ عَاقِلٌ لَا نَتَّهِمُكَ قَدْ كُنْتَ تَكْتُبُ الْوَحْيَ لِرَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَتَتَبَّعِ الْقُرْآنَ فَاجْمَعْهُ قَالَ زَيْدٌ فَوَاللهِ لَوْ كَلَّفُونِي نَقْلَ جَبَلٍ مِنَ الْجِبَالِ مَا كَانَ أَثْقَلَ عَلَيَّ مِمَّا أَمَرَنِي بِهِ مِنْ جَمْعِ الْقُرْآنِ فَقُلْتُ أَتَفْعَلَانِ شَيْئًا لَمْ يَفْعَلْهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ هُوَ وَاللهِ خَيْرٌ فَلَمْ يَزَلْ أَبُو بَكْرٍ يُرَاجِعُنِي حَتَّى شَرَحَ اللهُ صَدْرِي بِالَّذِي شَرَحَ لَهُ صَدْرَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ  

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Collected by Aḥmad
ahmad:76 – ʿUthmān b. ʿUmar > Yūnus > al-Zuhrī > Ibn al-Sabbāq Qālaʾakhbaranī Zayd b. Thābit

‘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 ['Umar] 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?  

أحمد:٧٦ – حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ عُمَرَ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا يُونُسُ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي ابْنُ السَّبَّاقِ قَالَأَخْبَرَنِي زَيْدُ بْنُ ثَابِتٍ

أَنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ أَرْسَلَ إِلَيْهِ مَقْتَلَ أَهْلِ الْيَمَامَةِ فَإِذَا عُمَرُ عِنْدَهُ فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ إِنَّ عُمَرَ أَتَانِي فَقَالَ إِنَّ الْقَتْلَ قَدِ اسْتَحَرَّ بِأَهْلِ الْيَمَامَةِ مِنْ قُرَّاءِ الْقُرْآنِ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَأَنَا أَخْشَى أَنْ يَسْتَحِرَّ الْقَتْلُ بِالْقُرَّاءِ فِي الْمَوَاطِنِ فَيَذْهَبَ قُرْآنٌ كَثِيرٌ لَا يُوعَى وَإِنِّي أَرَى أَنْ تَأْمُرَ بِجَمْعِ الْقُرْآنِ فَقُلْتُ لِعُمَرَ وَكَيْفَ أَفْعَلُ شَيْئًا لَمْ يَفْعَلْهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ؟ فَقَالَ هُوَ وَاللهِ خَيْرٌ فَلَمْ يَزَلْ يُرَاجِعُنِي فِي ذَلِكَ حَتَّى شَرَحَ اللهُ بِذَلِكَ صَدْرِي وَرَأَيْتُ فِيهِ الَّذِي رَأَى عُمَرُ قَالَ زَيْدٌ وَعُمَرُ عِنْدَهُ جَالِسٌ لَا يَتَكَلَّمُفَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ إِنَّكَ شَابٌّ عَاقِلٌ لَا نَتَّهِمُكَ وَقَدْ كُنْتَ تَكْتُبُ الْوَحْيَ لِرَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَاجْمَعْهُ قَالَ زَيْدٌ فَوَاللهِ لَوْ كَلَّفُونِي نَقْلَ جَبَلٍ مِنَ الْجِبَالِ مَا كَانَ بِأَثْقَلَ عَلَيَّ مِمَّا أَمَرَنِي بِهِ مِنْ جَمْعِ الْقُرْآنِ فَقُلْتُ كَيْفَ تَفْعَلُونَ شَيْئًا لَمْ يَفْعَلْهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ؟