Anas ibn Malik reported that four men from the Ansar had gathered the Quran during the lifetime of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. They were Ubayy ibn Kab, Muadh ibn Jabal, Zayd ibn Thabit, and Abu Zayd, a maternal uncle of Anas. In another narration from al Bukhari, Anas stated that only four among the Ansar had collected the Quran before the Prophet passed away: Abu al Darda, Muadh ibn Jabal, Zayd ibn Thabit, and Abu Zayd. It was clarified that this applied only to the Ansar, while among the Muhajirun there were others who had gathered it, like Abu Bakr al Siddiq, Ibn Masʿud, and Salim the freedman of Abu Hudhayfah.
Abu Bakr Leading in Prayer and His Recitation
Abu al Hasan al Ashʿari said it is known by necessity that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, appointed Abu Bakr to lead the prayer during his illness, which confirms that he was the most proficient in recitation. This was supported by the prophetic statement, “The one with the most knowledge of recitation should lead them,” as narrated by Abu Bakr ibn Zanjawayh from al Ashʿari and recorded in Sahih Muslim.
Who Collected the Quran
Al Qurtubi quoted Qadi Abu Bakr al Baqillani saying that the Quran was collected by several companions, including Uthman, Ali, Tamim al Dari, Ubadah ibn al Samit, and Abdullah ibn Amr. Anas’s statement that only four gathered the Quran is explained to mean they directly received the full Quran from the Prophet himself. It is well known that others had memorised or written parts through indirect means.
The Collection After the Battle of al Yamamah
After many Quran reciters were martyred at the Battle of al Yamamah, Umar feared future loss of the Quran. He advised Abu Bakr to collect it, but Abu Bakr hesitated at first, since it was not done during the Prophet’s time. Eventually, he agreed, and assigned Zayd ibn Thabit, who was deeply trusted and had written revelation for the Prophet. Zayd began collecting from various sources: palm stalks, parchments, and memorised recitations. He found the ending of Surah al Tawbah only with Abu Khuzaymah al Ansari. The completed collection stayed with Abu Bakr, then Umar, then with Hafsah.
The Great Virtue of Abu Bakr
Abu Bakr’s initiative to collect the Quran is among his most noble contributions. Along with fighting apostates and defending Islam, he preserved the Quran in one place, ensuring it could be memorised fully. This fulfilled Allah’s promise: “Indeed, it is We who sent down the Reminder, and indeed We will preserve it.”
Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, said that Abu Bakr had the greatest reward in the collection of the mushaf, as he was the first to gather the Quran between two covers. This was reported by scholars including Sufyan al Thawri.
The Battle of al Yamamah and Its Impact
This battle was against Musaylamah and his large army of apostates. Khalid ibn al Walid led the Muslims. The experienced Quran reciters, about three thousand, separated themselves and fought fiercely. Their rallying cry was “O people of Surah al Baqarah!” until Allah gave them victory. Around five hundred reciters were martyred. This led Umar to advise Abu Bakr to collect the Quran before more were lost.
Zayd Ibn Thabit’s Efforts and Virtue
Zayd’s role in collecting the Quran was a great honour. He was chosen because of his integrity, intelligence, and prior service as a scribe of revelation. Umar also searched for a verse that was only known to someone who had died at Yamamah, reinforcing the urgency. Eventually, Umar ordered the gathering of the Quran into a single codex.
Uthman Ibn Affan Unites the Recitation
Uthman ibn Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, played a major role in preserving unity in the Quran’s recitation. While Abu Bakr and Umar preserved it from being lost, Uthman ensured the Ummah did not divide over variant readings. He acted after Hudhayfah witnessed differences during battles in Armenia and Azerbaijan. Fearing division like the Jews and Christians, he urged Uthman to act and stop the conflict between the muslims on recitation.
Jews and Christians and Their Scriptures
The Jews have conflicting versions of the Torah, such as the Samaritan version, which differs in letters and meanings. Christians have four different Gospels, all containing contradictions. These were abrogated by the Muhammadan law.
The Standardisation of the Mushaf
Uthman sent to Hafsah asking for the mushaf compiled by Abu Bakr and Umar. He appointed Zayd ibn Thabit, Abdullah ibn al Zubayr, Saʿid ibn al As, and Abdur Rahman ibn al Harith to copy it. When they disagreed about script, they wrote according to the dialect of Quraysh, as the Quran was revealed in their tongue. This was authenticated in Bukhari.
Arrangement of the Surahs
Uthman is believed to have arranged the mushaf, starting with the long surahs. He combined Surah al Anfal with Al Bara’ah because of their similar topics and the Prophet did not clarify whether they were separate. There was no basmalah between them.
The order of verses within surahs was according to prophet’s instructions, while the order of surahs was determined by Uthman. Reciting in the given order is preferred, but rearranging is allowed based on authentic hadith. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, sometimes recited out of order during prayer.
Burning of Nonstandard Mushafs
After completing the standard mushafs, Uthman returned Hafsah’s copy. Upon her death, Marwan took and burned it to avoid future disputes. Uthman had sent official copies to various regions. While some said there were four, others mentioned more. The Companions approved of his action, and no objections were raised except from those who later opposed him.
Ali ibn Abi Talib said he would have done what Uthman did if Uthman had not. Musab ibn Saʿd reported general approval from the people. Abu Mujliz and Ghunaym ibn Qays al Mazini praised the unification of the mushaf.
Abdullah ibn Masʿud’s Dislike and Later Acceptance
Ibn Masʿud was initially displeased, claiming to have learned seventy surahs directly from the Prophet and questioning Zayd’s authority. He advised his students to hide their mushafs. However, this view was not supported by others, and even Abu al Darda questioned why he opposed the leaders.
Eventually, Ibn Masʿud accepted the standardization. He acknowledged the Quran’s revelation in seven modes and recognised Uthman’s role. Uthman publicly called people to submit any portions of the Quran they had, verified them, and then assigned Zayd and Sa’id to write the mushafs.
The Final Committee
Uthman gathered twelve men, including Ubayy and Zayd. Pages from Umar’s house were brought, and they worked under Uthman’s supervision. Disagreements were delayed, possibly to consult the latest copy from the final presentation of the Quran.
The rubʿah, the early collection, was returned to Hafsah and remained with her until her death. Marwan burned it as Uthman had done with others.
The Origin of Writing
Writing was rare among Arabs. It was learned from places like al Anbar and Hira. Important figures like Harb ibn Umayyah and Umar ibn al Khattab learned it early on. Later it spread across Arabia.
The script used during the Salaf was basic. Abu Ali Muqlah later refined it, followed by Ibn al Bawwab. Writing differences appeared in mushafs due to the lack of standardisation, but the meanings remained consistent. Scholars wrote about this extensively.
Views of Imam Malik and Others
Imam Malik said mushafs should follow the Uthmanic script. Scholars differed on whether to use diacritical marks and verse numbers. These additions are now common, though following the Salaf remains preferred.
Zayd ibn Thabit and Revelation
Bukhari mentions Zayd’s role in writing revelation, especially his role in collecting the Quran and writing verses like An Nisa 95. Surprisingly, no other scribes were mentioned in that chapter.
The Mushaf of Uthman
A copy attributed to Uthman remains in the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. Ibn Kathir saw it and described its large, beautiful writing on parchment, likely camel skin. It is not known if Uthman wrote it himself, but it was written under his order.
Uthman’s Martyrdom and the Verse
When Uthman was attacked, his hand fell upon the verse: “Allah will suffice you against them, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.” His was the first hand to write al Mufassal. Imam Malik was later asked about the mushaf of Uthman, and he replied, “It is gone,” likely referring to the original copy or the one in Madinah.
Translation: Ibn Kathir said: A great and valuable benefit. It is authentically established in the two Sahihs from Anas who said: Four men collected the Quran during the lifetime of the Prophet, all of them were from the Ansar.
They were Ubayy ibn Kab, Muadh ibn Jabal, Zayd ibn Thabit, and Abu Zayd. He was asked: Who is Abu Zayd? He said: One of my uncles. In another narration by al Bukhari from Anas he said: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, passed away and none had gathered the Quran except four: Abu al Darda, Muadh ibn Jabal, Zayd ibn Thabit, and Abu Zayd, and we are their heirs.
I say: Abu Zayd is not well known because he died early, and some have listed him among the people of Badr. Some said he was Saʿid ibn Ubayd. The meaning of Anas’s statement “none had gathered the Quran” refers to none among the Ansar besides these. As for the Muhajirun, there were several who had gathered the Quran, such as al Siddiq, Ibn Masʿud, Salim the freedman of Abu Hudhayfah, and others.
Shaykh Abu al Hasan al Ashʿari, may Allah have mercy on him, said: It is known by necessity that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, appointed Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer during his final illness.
And it is confirmed in the mutawatir report that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The one among the people who has the most knowledge of recitation should lead them.” If Abu Bakr had not been the most proficient in recitation, he would not have been preferred over others. This was transmitted by Abu Bakr ibn Zanjawayh in his book The Virtues of al Siddiq from al Ashʿari. (Reported by Muslim in his Sahih, hadith no. 172, from the narration of Uqbah ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with him.)
Al Qurtubi reported in the beginning of his tafsir from Qadi Abu Bakr al Baqillani that he said, after mentioning this hadith of Anas ibn Malik: It has been established through widely transmitted chains that the Quran was collected by Uthman, Ali, Tamim al Dari, Ubadah ibn al Samit, and Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al As.
As for Anas’s statement that no one gathered it except four, it is possible that he meant that no one received it directly and completely from the mouth of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, except these four, and that some learned parts from others. He said: And the narrations have corroborated that the four leading imams had gathered the Quran during the time of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, due to their precedence in Islam and the reverence the Messenger of Allah had for them. (Tafsir al Qurtubi 1/57)
Musa ibn Ismail narrated to us, Ibrahim ibn Saʿd narrated to us, Ibn Shihab narrated to us, from Ubayd ibn al Sabbāq, that Zayd ibn Thabit said: Abu Bakr summoned me after the battle of al Yamamah, and Umar ibn al Khattab was with him. Abu Bakr said: Umar came to me and said, “Indeed, heavy casualties have struck the Quran reciters in the battle, and I fear that deaths may continue among the reciters in other battlefields, which could lead to the loss of much of the Quran. I believe you should order that the Quran be collected.” I said to Umar, “How can we do something the Messenger of Allah did not do?”
Umar said, “By Allah, it is good.” He kept urging me until Allah opened my heart to it, and I saw in it what Umar had seen. Zayd said: Then Abu Bakr said to me, “You are a young, intelligent man and we do not suspect you. You used to write revelation for the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, so search for the Quran and collect it.” By Allah, if they had ordered me to move a mountain, it would not have been more burdensome than what they commanded me regarding the collection of the Quran. I said, “How can you do something the Messenger of Allah did not do?”
Abu Bakr replied, “By Allah, it is good.” He continued to persuade me until Allah opened my heart to what He had opened theirs. So I began collecting the Quran from palm stalks, parchments, and the chests of men. I found the end of Surah al Tawbah with no one but Abu Khuzaymah al Ansari: There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves (At Tawbah: 128) until the end of the surah. The collected pages remained with Abu Bakr until he passed away, then with Umar during his life, then with Hafsah bint Umar, may Allah be pleased with them. (Narrated by Abu Ubayd in Fadaʾil al Quran, p. 15; and Ibn Abi Dawud in al Masahif, p. 1, Also in Bukhari 7191)
This is among the best, most honourable, and greatest actions taken by al Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him. Allah placed him after the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, in a position none would occupy after him. He fought the apostates and those who withheld zakah, and also fought the Persians and Romans. He dispatched armies and military detachments, restored the religion to its rightful place after the fear of division and loss, and collected the mighty Quran from its scattered sources so that the reciter could then memorise it in full.
This action reflects the wisdom in the saying of Allah the Exalted:
Indeed, it is We who sent down the Reminder, and indeed We will preserve it [Al Hijr: 9].
So al Siddiq gathered the good and repelled the harms. May Allah be pleased with him and grant him satisfaction.
For this reason, a group of scholars, including Wakiʿ, Ibn Zayd, and Qubaysah, narrated from Sufyan al Thawri, from Ismail ibn Abd al Rahman al Suddi al Kabir, from Abd Khayr, from Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: The one with the greatest reward regarding the mushafs is Abu Bakr. Indeed, Abu Bakr was the first to gather the Quran between two covers.
Abu Bakr ibn Abi Dawud said in Kitab al Masahif: Harun ibn Ishaq narrated to us, Abda narrated to us from Hisham from his father, that Abu Bakr was the one who collected the Quran after the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, meaning he completed it. (Also authentic, reported in al Masahif, p. 12)
Umar ibn al Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, was the one who first realised the urgency of this when the slaughter among the reciters became severe at the Day of al Yamamah, which refers to the battle against Musaylamah the liar and his followers from Banu Hanifah in the land of al Yamamah, at the Garden of Death.
Musaylamah had gathered with him nearly one hundred thousand apostates. Al Siddiq sent Khalid ibn al Walid with nearly thirteen thousand soldiers to fight him. They met in battle, and the Muslim army was initially pushed back because of the large number of nomadic Arabs in their ranks.
The senior Quran reciters called out to Khalid saying: Distinguish us from the Bedouins. So they separated themselves, numbering around three thousand, and they launched a fierce attack. They began calling out: O people of Surah al Baqarah! That was their rallying cry until Allah granted them victory, and the army of the disbelievers turned and fled.
The swords of the Muslims pursued them, killing and capturing. Musaylamah was slain, his followers were scattered, and they later returned to Islam. But nearly five hundred reciters were martyred that day. May Allah be pleased with them.
It was for this reason that Umar advised al Siddiq to gather the Quran, so that nothing from it would be lost due to the death of those who memorised it in future battles. Once it was written and memorised, it became preserved, with no difference whether the one who carried it was alive or not. Al Siddiq hesitated at first to be firm in the matter, then agreed. Zayd ibn Thabit also hesitated with them, then they all agreed on it. May Allah be pleased with them all.
This action is among the greatest virtues of Zayd ibn Thabit al Ansari. For this reason, Abu Bakr ibn Abi Dawud said: Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Khallad narrated to us, Yazid narrated to us, Mubarak ibn Fudala narrated to us from al Hasan, that Umar ibn al Khattab once asked about a verse from the Book of Allah. He was told: It was with so-and-so, but he was killed on the Day of al Yamamah. Umar said: Verily to Allah we belong. So he ordered the Quran to be collected, and thus he was the first to order it to be gathered into a single codex. (Reported by Abu Ubayd in Fadaʾil al Quran, p. 15; and Ibn Abi Dawud in al Masahif, p. 1, and Bukhari 7191)
This is also among the greatest virtues of the Commander of the Believers, Uthman ibn Affan, may Allah be pleased with him. The two Shaykhs (Abu Bakr and Umar) had previously taken the initiative to preserve the Quran from loss, while Uthman united the people upon a single recitation so that they would not differ regarding the Quran.
All of the Companions agreed with him on this, and the only thing narrated from Abdullah ibn Masʿud, may Allah be pleased with him, was some displeasure due to the fact that he was not among those appointed to write the official copies of the Quran. He instructed his students to conceal their own copies when Uthman ordered all unofficial mushafs to be burned, preserving only the imam codex.
However, Ibn Masʿud later returned to agreement with the rest, to the point that Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “If Uthman had not done it, I would have done it.” Thus, the leading imams — Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali, may Allah be pleased with them — all agreed that this action served the interests of the religion. These are the rightly guided caliphs about whom the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “You must follow my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided caliphs after me.” (Reported in Sunan Abu Dawud no. 4607 and others.)
The reason behind this was what occurred with Hudhayfah ibn al Yaman, may Allah be pleased with him, when he was engaged in the conquest of Armenia and Azerbaijan. There, people from the lands of al Sham and Iraq had come together, and Hudhayfah began hearing various recitations differing in wording. He noticed the people differing and dividing. When he returned to Uthman, he informed him of what he had seen and said, “Take hold of this ummah before they differ regarding the Book like the Jews and Christians did.”
This is because the Jews and Christians differ concerning the scriptures they hold. The Jews have a version of the Torah, but the Samaritans differ from them in many words and meanings. In fact, the Samaritan Torah contains neither the letter hamzah nor the letter ya. The Christians also possess a Torah they call the ‘Old Testament,’ which differs from both the Jewish and Samaritan versions.
As for the Gospels held by the Christians, they are four: the Gospel of Mark, the Gospel of Luke, the Gospel of Matthew, and the Gospel of John. These also contain many contradictions. Each of these four Gospels is relatively small in size, with some being around fourteen medium-sized pages and others being half or twice that.
Their content includes the biography of Jesus, his days, his rulings, and his speech, along with a small portion that they claim to be the word of God. However, as we said, these Gospels contradict one another extensively. The Torah also contains alterations and distortions. Despite all that, both have been abrogated by this pure Muhammadan law.
When Hudhayfah said this to Uthman, it alarmed him. He sent to Hafsah, Mother of the Believers, requesting the sheets in her possession which had been compiled by the two Shaykhs so that he could copy them into a single mushaf and send it to the provinces, uniting the people upon one recitation and leaving aside all others.
Hafsah sent them, and Uthman appointed four men: Zayd ibn Thabit al Ansari, one of the scribes of revelation for the Messenger of Allah; Abdullah ibn al Zubayr ibn al Awwam al Qurashi al Asadi, one of the jurists of the Companions, known for his knowledge, practice, noble lineage and excellence; Saʿid ibn al As ibn Saʿid ibn al As ibn Umayyah al Qurashi al Umayyad, who was generous and praiseworthy and was said to be the closest in speech to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him; and Abdur Rahman ibn al Harith ibn Hisham ibn al Mughirah ibn Abdullah ibn Umar ibn Makhzum al Qurashi al Makhzumi.
These men sat and began copying the Quran. If they disagreed about the manner of writing something in the script, they would refer it to Uthman. For example, they disagreed about how to write the word al tabut, whether with a ta and ha or otherwise. Zayd ibn Thabit said, “It is al tabuh,” while the three Qurashi men said, “It is al tabut.” They then returned the matter to Uthman who said, “Write it in the language of Quraysh, for the Quran was revealed in their tongue.” (Bukhari 4897)
It appears that Uthman, and Allah knows best, arranged the surahs in the mushaf, placing the seven long surahs at the beginning and then following them with the lengthy ones.
This is supported by what Ibn Jarir, Abu Dawud, al Tirmidhi, and al Nasa’i narrated from several of the major scholars from Awf al Aʿrabi, from Yazid al Farisi, from Ibn Abbas, who said: I asked Uthman ibn Affan, “What caused you to place al Anfal, which is from the shorter surahs, alongside al Baraʾah, which is from the longer ones, without writing between them the line In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful and to place them among the long surahs?”
Uthman replied: “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, used to receive surahs consisting of many verses, and when something was revealed to him, he would call one of those who wrote for him and say, ‘Place these verses in the surah in which such and such is mentioned.’ When a verse was revealed, he would say, ‘Place this verse in the surah in which such and such is mentioned.’ Al Anfal was among the earliest surahs revealed in Madinah, and al Baraʾah was among the last.
Their subject matter was similar, and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, passed away without clarifying that they were distinct from one another. So I joined them together without writing between them In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, and I placed them among the seven long surahs.” (Tafsir al Tabari 10/102; Sunan Abi Dawud no. 786; Sunan al Tirmidhi no. 389; al Nasa’i al Kubra no. 87. Yazid al Farisi is unknown and has been disapproved due to this hadith.)
This hadith shows that the ordering of verses and surahs is something based on prophetic instruction, received from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. As for the order of the surahs, that was from the Commander of the Believers, Uthman ibn Affan, may Allah be pleased with him. For this reason, no one is allowed to recite the Quran out of order, for doing so is a serious mistake.
Ordering the surahs in recitation is recommended in following Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him. The best practice in reciting is to follow the sequence as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did in Friday prayer by reciting Surah al Jumuʿah and Surah al Munafiqun, and sometimes Surah al Aʿla and Surah al Ghashiyah. However, separating them is also permissible, as it is authentically reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, recited Qaf and The Hour has drawn near during the Eid prayer.
Bringing forward one surah before another is also allowed. It is narrated that Hudhayfah heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, recite al Baqarah, then al Nisaʾ, then Al Imran. This was narrated by Muslim.
Umar recited in the Fajr prayer Surah al Nahl and then Surah Yusuf. Later, Uthman returned the mushaf to Hafsah. It remained with her until Marwan ibn al Hakam requested it from her after her death. She did not give it to him, so he took it from Abdullah ibn Umar and burned it, to ensure that no discrepancies remained in the mushafs that Uthman had sent to the provinces.
He had sent a mushaf to the people of Makkah, another to Basrah, another to Kufa, another to al Sham, another to Yemen, and another to Bahrain, and he left a mushaf with the people of Madinah. This was narrated by Abu Bakr ibn Abi Dawud from Abu Hatim al Sijistani who heard it from him. (Al Masahif by Ibn Abi Dawud, p. 43)
Al Qurtubi authenticated the report that Uthman only sent four mushafs to the provinces. This is a rare opinion. Uthman also ordered that all other mushafs be burned so that people’s recitations would not differ across regions.
The Companions of his time agreed with him on this. None of them objected except the group that later betrayed and killed him. Their accusations had no basis. As for the leading Muslims among the Companions and the generation that followed them from the Tabiʿin, all of them supported Uthman.
Abu Dawud al Tayalisi, Ibn Mahdi, and Ghundar all narrated from Shuʿbah, from Alqamah ibn Murthid, from a man, from Suwayd ibn Ghaflah, that Ali said at the time Uthman burned the mushafs: “If he had not done it, I would have done it.” (Reported by Ibn Abi Dawud in al Masahif, p. 19)
Abu Bakr ibn Abi Dawud also said: Ahmad ibn Sinan narrated to us, Abdur Rahman narrated to us, Shuʿbah narrated to us from Abu Ishaq, from Musʿab ibn Saʿd ibn Abi Waqqas who said: “I witnessed the people in agreement when Uthman burned the mushafs. They approved of it, or he said: No one among them objected.”
Ghunaym ibn Qays al Mazini used to say, “I recited the Quran according to both modes [of recitation], and by Allah, I would not prefer that Uthman had not written the mushaf, even if every Muslim were to gain the wealth equivalent to that of a newly born boy each morning.” He was asked, “O Abu al Atbar, why is that?” He replied, “If Uthman had not written the mushaf, people would have begun reciting poetry.”
Yaʿqub ibn Sufyan narrated to us, Muhammad ibn Abdullah narrated to us, ʿImran ibn Hudayr narrated to us, from Abu Mujliz who said: If it were not for Uthman writing the Quran, you would find people reciting poetry.
Ahmad ibn Sinan said: I heard Ibn Mahdi say, “There are two traits of Uthman ibn Affan that neither Abu Bakr nor Umar had: he remained patient until he was killed wrongfully, and he united the people upon a single mushaf.”
As for Abdullah ibn Masʿud, Isra’il narrated from Abu Ishaq, from Humayd ibn Malik who said: When Uthman commanded the mushafs to be burned, Abdullah ibn Masʿud was displeased and said, “Whoever among you is able to hide a mushaf, let him do so, for whoever hides something will come with what he hid on the Day of Judgment.”
Then Abdullah said, “I recited seventy surahs from the mouth of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, while Zayd was still a young boy. Should I then abandon what I took directly from the mouth of the Messenger of Allah?”
Abu Bakr narrated to us: Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn al Nuʿman narrated to us, Saʿid ibn Sulayman narrated to us, Ibn Shihab narrated to us, from al Aʿmash, from Abu Wa’il who said: Ibn Masʿud gave a sermon on the pulpit and said: “Whoever betrays will come with what he betrayed on the Day of Judgment” (Al Imran 3:161).
Hide your mushafs. How can you order me to recite according to the recitation of Zayd ibn Thabit when I recited more than seventy surahs from the mouth of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him? And Zayd used to come along with the youth, with two braids hanging down from his head. By Allah, nothing from the Quran was revealed except that I know in what it was revealed, and no one knows the Book of Allah better than me.
Though I am not the best among you, if I knew of a place to which camels could travel where someone knew more of the Book of Allah than I do, I would go to him.” Abu Wa’il said: When he came down from the pulpit, I sat in the circles [of people], and not one person objected to what he had said.
As for his order to conceal the mushafs, many people rejected that. Al Aʿmash narrated from Ibrahim, from ʿAlqamah who said: I came to al Sham and met Abu al Darda who said, “We used to consider Abdullah [ibn Masʿud] to be wise. Why then does he now oppose the leaders?”
Abu Bakr ibn Abi Dawud wrote a chapter titled “The Acceptance of Abdullah ibn Masʿud of Uthman’s Compilation of the Mushafs Later On.” He said: Abdullah ibn Saʿid and Muhammad ibn ʿUthman al ʿAjli both narrated to us, Abu Usamah narrated to me, from al Walid ibn Qays, from Uthman ibn Hassan al ʿAmiri, from Fallafalah al Juʿfi who said: I was among those who rushed to Abdullah ibn Masʿud concerning the mushafs.
We entered upon him. A man from the group said, “We have not come to you as mere visitors, but rather we came to you when this matter disturbed us.” He replied, “The Quran was revealed to your Prophet from seven doors, upon seven letters or modes. The scripture before you was revealed or sent down from one door, upon one mode.”
Abu Bakr also said: My uncle narrated to us, Abu Rajaʾ narrated to us, Israʾil narrated to us from Abu Ishaq, from Musʿab ibn Saʿd who said: Uthman stood and addressed the people, saying, “O people, it has been thirteen years since your Prophet passed away, and you still dispute about the Quran. One person says: the recitation of Ubayy, another: the recitation of Abdullah. One says: By Allah, your recitation is not sound. I urge every one of you who has something from the Book of Allah to bring it forth.”
So each man would come with a sheet or piece of leather on which he had written the Quran, until a large quantity of material was gathered. Then Uthman entered and called them in one by one, asking them under oath, “Did you hear the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, dictate this to you?”
They would reply, “Yes.” When he finished, he asked, “Who among the people is the best scribe?”
They replied, “The scribe of the Messenger of Allah, Zayd ibn Thabit.”
He then asked, “Who among the people is most eloquent?” They said, “Saʿid ibn al ʿAs.” Uthman said, “Then let Saʿid dictate and Zayd write.”
So Zayd wrote the mushafs and distributed them among the people. I heard some of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, saying, “He did well.”
Abu Bakr also said: Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ibn Zayd narrated to us, Abu Bakr narrated to us, Hisham ibn Hassan narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Sirin, from Kathir ibn Aflah who said: When Uthman wanted to compile the mushafs, he gathered twelve men from Quraysh and the Ansar. Among them were Ubayy ibn Kaʿb and Zayd ibn Thabit. They sent for the pages that were in the house of Umar, and they were brought.
Uthman used to oversee them. Whenever they differed about something, he would postpone it. Muhammad said: I asked Kathir, who was among those writing, “Do you know why he would postpone it?” He said, “No.” Muhammad said, “I suspected that it was because they wanted to refer to the one who had the latest exposure to the final presentation of the Quran, so they would write according to his view.”
I say: The rubʿah refers to the gathered pages or sheets. They were with Hafsah, may Allah be pleased with her. When Uthman compiled them into the mushaf, he returned them to her and did not burn them along with the others.
That mushaf was the very one he used, though he reordered it. He had promised to return it to her, and it remained with her until she passed away. Then Marwan ibn al Hakam took it and burned it, interpreting the matter just as Uthman had. This was narrated by Abu Bakr ibn Abi Dawud.
Muhammad ibn ʿAwf narrated to us, Abu al Yaman narrated to us, Shuʿayb narrated to us, from al Zuhri who informed me from Salim ibn Abdullah:
…he was among the furthest from such things. As is well known, he was the first to establish the science of grammar, according to what is narrated from him by Abu al Aswad al Duʾali, who divided speech into noun, verb, and particle, and mentioned other things which Abu al Aswad heard from him, then others took it from Abu al Aswad, expanded it, and clarified it until it became an independent discipline.
As for the standardized Uthmanic mushafs, the most famous one today is that in al Sham, in the Umayyad Mosque of Damascus, near the eastern corner of the chamber dedicated to the remembrance of Allah. It had previously been in Tiberias, then was transferred to Damascus around the year 518 AH.
I saw it with my own eyes: a magnificent, noble, grand and large book, written in a beautiful, clear and strong script, with excellent ink, on parchment that I believe is made from camel skin. And Allah knows best. May Allah continue to honor and bless it.
As for Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, it is not known that he wrote these mushafs with his own hand. Rather, they were written by Zayd ibn Thabit and perhaps others during his caliphate, and they were attributed to Uthman because they were compiled by his command and supervision. The Companions recited from them in front of Uthman before they were distributed to the provinces. May Allah be pleased with him.
Abu Bakr ibn Abi Dawud said: Ali ibn Harb al Ta’i narrated to us, Quraysh ibn Anas narrated to us, Sulayman al Taymi narrated to us, from Abu Nadrah, from Abu Saʿid the client of Banu Asid, who said: When the Egyptians entered upon Uthman, they struck him with the sword on his hand, and it fell upon the verse, Allah will suffice you against them, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing (al Baqarah 2:137). His hand extended, and indeed it was the first hand to write al Mufassal.
He also said: Abu Tahir narrated to us, Ibn Wahb narrated to us: I asked Malik about the mushaf of Uthman. He said to me: “It is gone.” It is possible that he was asked about the copy Uthman wrote with his own hand, or perhaps he was asked about the copy he left in Madinah. And Allah knows best.
I say: Writing among the Arabs was extremely rare. They first learned it through what was mentioned by Hisham ibn Muhammad ibn al Sa’ib al Kalbi and others: that Bishr ibn Abd al Malik, brother of Ukaydir of Dumat al Jandal, learned script from al Anbar, then came to Makkah and married al Suhbaʾ, daughter of Harb ibn Umayyah, sister of Abu Sufyan. He then taught it to Harb ibn Umayyah and his son Sufyan. Umar ibn al Khattab learned it from Harb ibn Umayyah, and Muʿawiyah learned it from his uncle Sufyan ibn Harb.
It is also said that the first to learn it from al Anbar were a group from Tayy from a village called Buqqah. They refined it and spread it through the Arabian Peninsula, and the people learned it.
For this reason, Abu Bakr ibn Abi Dawud said: Abdullah ibn Muhammad al Zuhri narrated to us, Sufyan narrated to us from Mujahid from al Shaʿbi who said: We asked the Muhajirun, “From whom did you learn writing?” They said, “From the people of Hira.” And we asked the people of Hira, “From whom did you learn writing?” They said, “From the people of al Anbar.” (Al Anbar was a city near Iraq. Hira was also a center of learning in pre-Islamic times.)
I say: The script that dominated during the time of the Salaf was a primitive form. It was later refined by Abu Ali Muqlah, the vizier, and it became…
(Footnote: According to Korkis ʿAwadah in his mentioned book (p. 34), a mushaf preserved in the Museum of Islamic Antiquities in Turkey, written on parchment, has at the end: “This is the mushaf of Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him,” and is numbered 457 in that museum.)
Uthman Ibn Affan (May Allah have mercy on him) had a distinct method and style of writing, which was later refined by Ali ibn Hilal al Baghdadi, known as Ibn al Bawwab. The people followed his path, and his method became clear and well developed.
The point is that writing during that era had not yet become precise, so differences appeared in the way words were written in the mushafs, though not in their meaning. Scholars authored works on this, and the great Imam Abu Ubayd al Qasim ibn Sallam, may Allah have mercy on him, devoted attention to the matter in his book Virtues of the Quran.
The hadith master Abu Bakr ibn Abi Dawud, may Allah have mercy on him, also discussed it in detail and mentioned a considerable section related to the script of the Quran, but that is not the focus here.
For this reason, Imam Malik, ruled that mushafs should not be written except according to the script of the Imam (i.e., the Uthmanic standard), while others allowed more flexibility.
There was disagreement over diacritical marks and vowel notation. Some permitted them, others prohibited them. As for writing the names of surahs, their verse numbers, markings every ten verses, divisions into parts and sections, these are found abundantly in the mushafs of our time. However, the better path is to follow the righteous early generations.
Then al Bukhari said: Mention of the Prophet’s scribes. He cited in it the narration of al Zuhri, from Ibn al Sabbāq, from Zayd ibn Thabit, that Abu Bakr al Siddiq said to him: You used to write revelation for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He then mentioned something similar to what was already narrated concerning his collection of the Quran, which has already been discussed.
He also cited the narration of Zayd ibn Thabit regarding the verse: Not equal are those believers who sit back, except those with excuse [al Nisa 95], and further discussion on this will appear under Surah al Nisa, if Allah wills. Al Bukhari did not mention anyone else among the scribes in this chapter except Zayd ibn Thabit, which is surprising, as though no other narration reached him besides this one. And Allah knows best.
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (1/24-35)
