However, after the death of the Prophet, more than seventy Huffaz (memorizers of the Qur'an) were martyred in the battle of Al-Yamamah. This caused a great deal of concern to Umar-ibn-Khattab (one of the close companions of the Prophet), who was deeply concerned at this sudden loss of the „Oral Copies¾ of the Qur'an. He approached Abu Bakr, the first caliph, to start the process of gathering the manuscripts of the Qur'an under one official volume for reference and for the future. Abu Bakr, with some reluctance, appointed Zaid; another companion of the Prophet, with the task.

Zaid had memorized the Qur'an, was one of the main scribes and had heard the Prophet recite the Qur'an to Angel Gabriel during Ramadan. He was also a man of piety, integrity and honesty, as such had all the credentials needed to undertake such a supreme task.

Zaid, along with other trustworthy and competent colleagues, collected the manuscripts from many people and started to compile them in accordance with the Prophet's original instructions. This was not done behind closed doors or in secret, it was in fact a public affair.

Even though he was an authority in the Qur'an, he took many steps to check, cross-check with other memorizers and with manuscripts from many other companions to guarantee that the final compiled version was authentic and that no alteration or modifications were made.

Just to illustrate how authentic the Qur'an is, this is one of the striking examples. Every Surah in the Qur'an begins with the usual formula of 'bismillah' (In the name of Allah). However, Surah nine is the only exception - it does not begin with the formula of 'Bismillah'. It is the natural tendency of all human beings to follow the most normal and common practice. Hence, Zaid and other companions of the Prophet would have been tempted to add 'ismillah' to make it consistent with all the other 113 Surah in the Qur'an, but they refrained from such alteration or addition.

Chronologically speaking the revelation of Surah eight and Surah nine are separated by an interval of seven years. Although the Prophet had directed that Surah nine should follow Surah eight, it was not clear whether the Ayat (verses) were to form a separate Surah or to form a part of Surah eight. As such, Zaid treated it as a separate Surah (Surah 9), but the 'Bismillah' was not prefixed to it, as there was no warrant for supposing that the Prophet used the 'Bismillah' before it in his recitation of the Qur'an.

This methodology proves how honest and truthful Zaid was in his compilation. The first official volume, prepared under the supervision of Zaid, of the Qur'an was in the custody of Abu Bakr, the first Caliph. Before his death, he passed this copy to Umar, the second Caliph who in turn passed it to Hafsa, one of the widows of the Prophet.