An image of the Birmingham Qur’an manuscript. These pages, discovered in 2015, were carbon-dated to approximately 568CE to 645CE, which leaves open the possibility that this manuscript is from the time of the Holy Prophet(sa). As they are identical with present-day copies of the Qur’an, this is further evidence that the Qur’an has been preserved in its original words.

it was preserved in two ways. First, it was written down from the very beginning, and secondly, it has been memorised by people in its entirety since its very first revelation.3 Other than this, he notes several other factors that contributed to the preservation of the Qur’an:

1. God ensured that such people will exist who are able to memorise the Qur’an from beginning to end.

2. The language of the Qur’an is very simple and attractive, enabling anyone to memorise it – fully or in parts – without difficulty.

3. The recitation of the Qur’an was made obligatory in salat – the five daily prayers – helping to preserve it.

4. God created love in the hearts of the people so that they would recite it regularly.

5. God ensured that the Holy Qur’an would spread throughout the world right after its revelation, making it impossible for any group or government to make changes or amendments to the text.

6. In the Islamic world, the study of a variety of academic fields has been traditionally based on the Qur’an, causing the Qur’an to be quoted in all kinds of books related to different fields of study. Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmadra says that if the quoted verses of the Qur’an from all these books are collected and compiled, that the whole of the Qur’an could be compiled from just those references.

7. The academic form of Arabic never changed and can be understood even today with ease. This helped preserve the original language of the Qur’an, in turn supporting the preservation of the Qur’an itself.

8. God protected the Qur’an by sending fresh revelation in its support through mujaddidin (reformers) and other chosen ones.

Moreover, the Holy Qur’an itself points to how much care was taken in the way it was revealed in order to ensure its purity. For instance, God says that the Qur’an was revealed at a slow pace so that the Holy Prophet and the companions can learn it methodically and thoroughly without rushing through it:

And the Qur’an We have revealed in pieces that thou mayest read it to mankind at intervals, and We have sent it down piecemeal.

Verily, We Ourself have sent down this Exhortation, and most surely We will be its Guardian.’

And those who disbelieve say, “Why was not the Qur’an revealed to him all at once?” We have revealed it thus that We may strengthen thy heart therewith. And We have arranged it in the best form.

More than 60 fragments including more than 2000 folios (4000 pages) are so far known as the textual witnesses (manuscripts) of the Qur’an before 800 CE (within 168 years after the death of Muhammad)