during his lifetime, or whether he neither did it himself nor was it done during his lifetime because there was then no occasion for it or because an impediment prevented it. Once it is established that he commanded or recommended it, it is Sunnah. For example, he “commanded that the Jews and Christians be expelled from the Arabian Peninsula.” Other examples include the Companions’ compilation of the Quran into a single volume and their regular observance of the Ramadan night prayers in congregation in the mosque. He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Do not write down anything from me other than the Quran. Whoever has written down anything from me other than the Quran should erase it.”

He thus sanctioned writing down the Quran. As for writing down hadith, he initially prohibited it. According to the majority of scholars, however, that prohibition was abrogated by his permission for Abd Allāh ibn Amr to write down whatever he heard from him, whether in anger or contentment; by his permission for his sermon in the year of the Conquest to be written down for Abū Shāh; by the lengthy document he wrote for Amr ibn Hazm when appointing him over Najrān; and by other evidence.

The point here is that writing down the Quran is sanctioned, but he did not compile it into a single volume because its revelation was not yet complete, and a verse might be abrogated after being revealed. With additions and omissions still occurring, it could not be compiled into a single volume until he died.

The same applies to the Ramadan night prayers. He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“When a man prays with the imam until the imam finishes, a whole night’s prayer is recorded for him.”

He led them in prayer for two nights at the beginning of the month and for several nights at its end. During his lifetime, people would pray in the mosque individually and in groups. However, he did not continue leading them regularly in congregation for fear that