Question

Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullah 

In a reply to a Web question, you mentioned "this type of division was done after the time of Umar bin Al-Khattab ...."  This is very important for me: could you please inform us when that division into "juz'" and others subsection was actually made?
Wassalamu alaykum wa rahmatullah

Answer

Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh. 

May Allah reward you and the other first questioner for these very intriguing questions.  A great deal can be learned from these questions.

The Qur’an was divided into different sections from the time of Prophet, , used for daily reading and for completing the Qur’an within a fixed period of time.  Abu Dawood related that Aws bin Huthayfah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “The Prophet, , would come to the Thaqeef delegation when they came forth to him and he would address them.  One night he was slow [delayed] in coming to them and they said, “Were you delayed coming to us this evening?”  He said, “Two portions (juz’ay) of the Qur’an flew [meaning he didn’t have a chance to read them] from me and I hated to come until I finished.”  Aws said, I asked the companions of the Prophet, , “How do you divide the Qur’an?” They said, “Three, and five, and seven, and nine, and eleven, and thirteen, and a portion for the munfassal [shorter surahs] by itself.”  Abee At-Tayyib Mohammed Shams Al-Haqq Al-‘Atheem Abaadee in his commentary on Sunan Abee Dawood, said the following explained that the numbers in this hadeeth were numbers of surahs, so the first division is surah Al-Baqarah, Aali ‘Imraan, and An-Nisaa’, the second division is from surah Al-Maa’idah to [the end of] Baraa’ah [At-Tawbah], the third division which is stated as “seven” is the seven surahs from Yunus to [the end of] An-Nahl, etc.  [‘Oon Al-Ma’bood Sharh Sunan Abee Dawood by Abee At-Tayyib Mohammed Shams Al-Haww Al-‘Atheem Abaadee, Fourth volume page 271-272, hadeeth number 1380.  ]

The book “Sunan Al-Qurraa’ wa Manaahij al-Mujawwideen” by Dr. Abee Mujaahid Abdulazeez Abdu-l-Fattaah Al-Qaari, states the above hadeeth shows that the Prophet, , had as his “hizb” or portion from what was mentioned in the hadeeth of Aws in addition to his statement to Abdullah bin ‘Amrin bin Al-‘Aas, may Allah be pleased with him, in an agreed upon hadeeth “Finish it in seven and do not exceed that.”

This shows, according to Dr. Abee Muhaahid Al-Qaari, that the best division for finishing [khatam] is seven.  The present day division into thirty juz’ is originated from the same hadeeth of the Prophet , to Abdullah bin ‘Amrin bin Al-‘Aas, may Allah be pleased with him, “Finish it in a month”.   The same author also commented that it was during the time of the taabi’een that the Qur’an was divided into these ‘ajza’ [plural of juz’] and ahzaab [plural of hizb] and arbaa’ [plural of rub’], and fifths and tenths.

 

The book “Jamaal Al-Quraa’ wa Kamaal Al-Iqraa’” by ‘Ilm Ad-Deen As-Sakh-khaawee gives more evidence to the division of the Qur’an into 30 parts during the end of the first or beginning of the second century of the Hijara calendar.  It is reported in this book that Al-Manssor said to ‘Amrin bin ‘Ubayd [died 144 Hijara], “I wish to memorize the Qur’an, so in what amount [of time] so you say I can memorize it?”  He said, “If Allah, the Mighty and Honored,  makes it easy for you, in one year.”  He [Al-Manssor] then said, “ I indeed would like to partition that for myself into portions that I will not exceed nor diminish; I will memorize of it every day a portion and I will not leave it one day.”  ‘Amrin then said, “Would you like for me to do that?”  He said, “Yes”.  So he [‘Amrin] divided the Qur’an according to that and wrote it on books and made every 12 portions of those divisions one juz’ and it became 30 juz’.  He separated between the ajzaa’ with a line of gold at the end of each juz’.  End of quote from “Jamaal Al-Quraa’ wa Kamaal Al-Iqraa’.” This same book outlines the 390 division done by ‘Amrin for Al-Mansoor, and we examined every 12 parts to see where the juz’ dividers are; they either coincide with the juz’ markers we have in the present day, or are extremely close, with one or two ayaat difference. 

 

This book also reports that Imaam Abu ‘Amrin Ad-Daanee, may Allah be merciful to him, reported the division of the Qur’an into 60 parts, and stated that he learned this from more than one of his sheikhs.  The 60 divisions are same as what is known today as the “ahzaab” of the Qur’an, the singular being a hizb which are one half juz’ each.  Imaam Ad-Daanee died in the year 444 Al-Hijara. 

 

The present day division of the Qur’an into ajzaa’ and ahzaab, etc. was done at a very early time in Islamic history by the taabi’een, but an exact date could not be found.  Division of the Qur’an into sevenths, was done by the sahaabah.  It was also noted in “Jamaal Al-Quraa’ wa Kamaal Al-Iqraa’”  that Al-Hajjah bin Yusef had the memorizers of the Qur’an divide the Qur’an into half,  sevenths, thirds, and fourths.  Al-Hajjaj died in 95 Hijara. 

Wa assalaam alaikum wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh.