I say, and with God's success: The Messenger of God, peace be upon him, passed away while the Quran was preserved in the hearts, recorded on pieces of paper and similar materials, but it was not compiled in a single manuscript; rather, it was scattered. And a small portion of the Sunnah was recorded, such as what Abdullah ibn Amr wrote, who said: "I used to write down everything I heard from the Messenger of God that I wanted to memorize, but Quraysh forbade me, saying: 'You write everything you hear from the Messenger of God, and the Messenger of God is a human who speaks in anger and pleasure.' So I stopped writing, and I mentioned this to the Messenger of God, who said: 'Write, for by the One in Whose hand is my soul, nothing comes from me except the truth.'" Musnad Ahmad 2: 162. The reason for not fully recording the Sunnah during his time, peace be upon him, was his prohibition against it, as he said: "Do not write anything from me, and whoever writes anything from me other than the Quran, let him erase it. And narrate from me without any harm, and whoever deliberately lies about me, let him take his place in Hell." Sahih Muslim 4: 2298. This prohibition against recording all of the Sunnah is due to several reasons, including: 1. Fear of mixing the Sunnah with the Quran; because he, peace be upon him, used to command the writing of the Quran, so if he had insisted on writing the Sunnah in the same manner, the companions, may God be pleased with them, would have had doubts in some instances about whether it was from the Quran or the Sunnah. 2. There was no need for recording, as the companions lived with him moment by moment and were very keen to follow him in his stillness and movements, so all his states were preserved in their minds due to their great love for him. 3. Recording it during his time, peace be upon him, would have been difficult and burdensome; it is unreasonable to think that they could write down every action, word, gesture, or whisper that came from him, peace be upon him; because that would require individuals to follow him carrying notebooks at all times, even during his sleep, which contradicts the nature of the mission and the life that the Messenger of God, peace be upon him, had. And God knows best.