The Rightly Guided

One of the most consequential achievements of the Rashidun era was the compilation of the Quran into a single, standardized written codex. During the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad, Quranic revelations were preserved through memorization by the huffaz (those who memorized the entire text) and written on various materials such as palm leaves, bones, and parchment.

After the Battle of Yamama in 632 CE, where many huffaz were killed, Caliph Abu Bakr commissioned Zayd ibn Thabit to collect all written and memorized portions into one manuscript. This initial compilation, known as the Suhuf, was kept by Abu Bakr and later by Umar.

Under Caliph Uthman, as the empire expanded and non-Arabic speakers entered Islam, variations in recitation arose. Uthman ordered the creation of a standardized codex (the Uthmanic codex), which was copied and distributed to major cities. This ensured the preservation of the Quran in its original form for all subsequent generations.