حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَوْفُ بْنُ أَبِي جَمِيلَةَ، حَدَّثَنِي يَزِيدُ الْفَارِسِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ قُلْتُ لِعُثْمَانَ مَا حَمَلَكُمْ عَلَى أَنْ عَمَدْتُمْ إِلَى سُورَةِ الْأَنْفَالِ وَهِيَ مِنْ الْمَثَانِي وَإِلَى سُورَةِ بَرَاءَةٌ وَهِيَ مِنْ الْمِئِينَ فَقَرَنْتُمْ بَيْنَهُمَا وَلَمْ تَكْتُبُوا بَيْنَهُمَا سَطْرَ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ فَوَضَعْتُمُوهَا فِي السَّبْعِ الطِّوَالِ فَمَا حَمَلَكُمْ عَلَى ذَلِكَ قَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِمَّا يَأْتِي عَلَيْهِ الزَّمَانُ وَهُوَ يُنْزَلُ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ السُّوَرِ ذَوَاتِ الْعَدَدِ فَكَانَ إِذَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ الشَّيْءُ دَعَا بَعْضَ مَنْ يَكْتُبُ لَهُ فَيَقُولُ ضَعُوا هَذِهِ فِي السُّورَةِ الَّتِي يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا كَذَا وَكَذَا وَإِذَا أُنْزِلَتْ عَلَيْهِ الْآيَاتُ قَالَ ضَعُوا هَذِهِ الْآيَاتِ فِي السُّورَةِ الَّتِي يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا كَذَا وَكَذَا وَإِذَا أُنْزِلَتْ عَلَيْهِ الْآيَةُ قَالَ ضَعُوا هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ فِي السُّورَةِ الَّتِي يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا كَذَا وَكَذَا وَكَانَتْ سُورَةُ الْأَنْفَالِ مِنْ أَوَائِلِ مَا نَزَلَ بِالْمَدِينَةِ وَكَانَتْ سُورَةُ بَرَاءَةٌ مِنْ أَوَاخِرِ مَا أُنْزِلَ مِنْ الْقُرْآنِ قَالَ فَكَانَتْ قِصَّتُهَا شَبِيهًا بِقِصَّتِهَا فَظَنَنَّا أَنَّهَا مِنْهَا وَقُبِضَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَلَمْ يُبَيِّنْ لَنَا أَنَّهَا مِنْهَا فَمِنْ أَجْلِ ذَلِكَ قَرَنْتُ بَيْنَهُمَا وَلَمْ أَكْتُبْ بَيْنَهُمَا سَطْرَ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ وَوَضَعْتُهَا فِي السَّبْعِ الطِّوَالِ‏.‏

What made you take al-Anfal, which is one of the Mathani and Bara`ah, which is one of al-mi’een, and put them next to one another and not write - Ibn Ja`far said: A line between them saying Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Raheem - and put it with the seven long ones? What made you do that? `Uthman (رضي الله عنه) said. Sometimes many soorahs would be revealed (incomplete) to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) , and when something was revealed he would call one of the scribes to write it down for him and say: `Put this in the soorah in which such and such is mentioned`; and verses would be revealed to him and he would say, `Put these verses in the soorah in which such and such is mentioned`; and a verse would be revealed to him and he would say: `Put this verse in the soorah in which such and such is mentioned.` Al-Anfal was one of the first soorahs to be revealed in Madinah and Bara`ah was one of the last soorahs of the Qur`an, and the content of the two soorahs was similar. Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) passed away without having stated clearly to us that it was part of it, but we thought that it was, hence I put them together and I did not put between them the line Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Raheem, and I put it with the seven long ones.