The First Compilation
After the Battle of Yamama (12 AH), where many Quran memorizers (qurra’) were killed, Umar ibn al-Khattab approached Abu Bakr about compiling the Quran into a single written document before the memorizers could be lost entirely.
Abu Bakr initially hesitated — the Prophet had not commanded this formally — but was persuaded. Zayd ibn Thabit (the Prophet’s chief scribe) was tasked with the compilation: gathering every written fragment and verifying it against the testimony of multiple witnesses who had heard it directly from the Prophet.
The resulting written copy (suhuf — loose pages) was kept by Abu Bakr until his death, then by Umar, then — after Umar’s death — by Hafsa.
Hafsa’s Custodianship
For approximately twelve years (between Umar’s death in 23 AH and Uthman’s standardization project in 25 AH), Hafsa held the only canonical written compilation of the Quran. During Uthman’s caliphate, when differences in regional recitation became a concern, he sent to Hafsa to borrow the manuscript as the reference for producing standardized copies.
After producing the Uthmanic codices, the manuscript was returned to Hafsa. After Hafsa’s death, Marwan ibn al-Hakam (then governor) eventually had it destroyed — a decision criticized in later tradition but attributed to the concern that having a competing manuscript could cause confusion once the Uthmanic copies were established.
Character and Practice
She was known for extended fasting and night prayer. The Prophet reportedly said: “Hafsa is a constant faster, constantly rising at night” — describing a woman of intense personal piety who combined this with the household responsibilities of a Prophet’s wife.
See also: Quran Compilation History, Seerah Zayd Ibn Thabit, Seerah Khadijah, Aisha Bint Abi Bakr, Seerah Umar Ibn Khattab