It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said: I asked Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him): "You joined Surah al-Anfal, which is one of the Mathani (surahs of fewer than a hundred verses), with Surah Bara'ah, which is one of the Mi'in (surahs of a hundred or more verses), and did not write the line 'Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim' between them, and you placed them among the seven long surahs of the Qur'an. What is the reason for this?" Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Over a long period various surahs were revealed to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). When any portion of revelation came down to him (peace and blessings be upon him), he would call a scribe of revelation and say: 'Place these verses in the surah in which such-and-such is mentioned.' Surah al-Anfal was revealed in the early period in Madinah, and Surah Bara'ah (al-Tawbah) was revealed in the last part of the Qur'an. The stories and themes of the two resembled each other, so I supposed that it was part of it. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away and he had not made clear to us that it was part of it. For that reason I did not write 'Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim' between them, and I placed it among the seven long surahs." This hadith is sahih in its chain, and the two Shaykhs did not record it.