حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ عُمَرَ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا يُونُسُ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي ابْنُ السَّبَّاقِ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي زَيْدُ بْنُ ثَابِتٍ، أَنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ، رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَرْسَلَ إِلَيْهِ مَقْتَلَ أَهْلِ الْيَمَامَةِ فَإِذَا عُمَرُ عِنْدَهُ فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ إِنَّ عُمَرَ أَتَانِي فَقَالَ إِنَّ الْقَتْلَ قَدْ اسْتَحَرَّ بِأَهْلِ الْيَمَامَةِ مِنْ قُرَّاءِ الْقُرْآنِ مِنْ 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 اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ هُوَ وَاللَّهِ خَيْرٌ فَلَمْ يَزَلْ يُرَاجِعُنِي فِي ذَلِكَ حَتَّى شَرَحَ اللَّهُ بِذَلِكَ صَدْرِي وَرَأَيْتُ فِيهِ الَّذِي رَأَى عُمَرُ قَالَ زَيْدٌ وَعُمَرُ عِنْدَهُ جَالِسٌ لَا يَتَكَلَّمُ فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ إِنَّكَ شَابٌّ عَاقِلٌ لَا نَتَّهِمُكَ وَقَدْ كُنْتَ تَكْتُبُ الْوَحْيَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَاجْمَعْهُ قَالَ زَيْدٌ فَوَاللَّهِ لَوْ كَلَّفُونِي نَقْلَ جَبَلٍ مِنْ الْجِبَالِ مَا كَانَ بِأَثْقَلَ عَلَيَّ مِمَّا أَمَرَنِي بِهِ مِنْ جَمْعِ الْقُرْآنِ فَقُلْتُ كَيْفَ تَفْعَلُونَ شَيْئًا لَمْ يَفْعَلْهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ‏.‏

‘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 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?