Explanation of the Hadith of Abu Bakr's Compilation of the Qur'an

The Shaykh : Then he mentioned the hadith of Zayd ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: "Abu Bakr sent for me when the people of Yamamah were killed, meaning at the time of the killing of the people of Yamamah, and 'Umar was with him, meaning he was not sent for the killing itself but at the time of the killing. The letter 'lam' here is like the saying of Allah the Exalted: , meaning 'at the time of' and 'with him was 'Umar.' So Abu Bakr said: 'Indeed, 'Umar came to me and said: The killing has become severe on the day of Yamamah among the reciters of the Qur'an. 'Severe' means intense, and about seventy reciters were killed. And these people are prominent at that time. He said: And I fear that the killing will become severe among the reciters of the Qur'an in all the regions, and much of the Qur'an will be lost. Who is the speaker? The speaker is 'Umar. And I see, 'Umar said, that the Qur'an should be compiled. This etiquette in the wording: I see that you should order, and he did not say 'I see that it should be compiled,' but rather he said 'I see that you should order,' because the command belongs to whom? To Abu Bakr, to compile the Qur'an. So I said, 'Umar said: How can I do something that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do? And it is an act of worship, because preserving the Qur'an is from worship, indeed from the best of acts of worship. So how can he do it when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do it? So 'Umar said: By Allah, it is better, meaning compiling the Qur'an is better. And he swore to that, even though he did not seek a decision by lots, because the matter requires attention and care, so it is worthy of being sworn to. And for this reason he swore that it is better. So 'Umar kept pressing me about it until Allah expanded my chest for what He had expanded the chest of 'Umar for. Otherwise, if it had remained, his chest would not have expanded, and he would not have agreed with 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). But when his chest expanded, he agreed and saw in it what 'Umar saw. Zayd said: Abu Bakr said: And you are a young man of intellect whom we do not suspect. A young man, and he described him with youth because youth has energy and physical strength. Of intellect, this is the strength of the mind. The intelligent one does not act except with what he sees as beneficial and wise. Whom we do not suspect, this is trustworthiness, meaning so you are trustworthy in our eyes. These are three descriptions with which the Caliph of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) described Zayd ibn Thabit. And how excellent are these descriptions! You used to write the revelation for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), meaning so you are trusted by us with this great Qur'an. Zayd said: So I pursued the Qur'an and compiled it. Zayd said: By Allah, if I had been tasked with moving a mountain of mountains, it would not have been heavier for me than what I was tasked with regarding the compilation of the Qur'an, because the matter is great and requires tracking down men, and trust in those who saw it with them, and investigating their condition. So the matter is very great and the responsibility is large. He said: I said: How can you two do something that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do? He objected to this opinion with the same objection that Abu Bakr had made to 'Umar. Abu Bakr said: By Allah, it is better, like 'Umar's answer to Abu Bakr. So he kept pressing me until Allah expanded my chest for what Allah had expanded the chests of Abu Bakr and 'Umar for."