Page 117 - History of The Quranic Text | Kalamullah.Com

'UTHMAN'S MU~I:IAF 97

fate of each fragment rested with the individual possessingit:whether
to erase, tear, or burn." I believe one more possibility exists. Some
people may have chosen to compare their personal Mushafs with
'Uthman's and, where differences appeared, to amend them. 'Abdul-
A'la bin Hakam al-Kilabi's statement bears this out:

"Entering the house of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, I discovered him
in the company of Hudhaifa bin al-Yaman and 'Abdullah bin
Mas'ud on the top floor.... They were gathered around a Mushaf
sent by 'Uthman, accompanied by an order to correct their own
copies in accordance with his. Abu Musa told them, 'Whatever
you find in my Mushaf that is additional [to 'Uthman's], do not
remove it, and whatever you find missing, write it down. "'46
2. 'Uthman's second injunction was not to recite against the script of
the Mushaf The unanimous agreement to dispose of (or amend) all
earlier copies made 'Uthman's script and spelling the new standard;
from then on every Muslim learning the Qur'an had to conform with
the 'Uthmani text. Where a person's previous schooling was at odds
with this text, he was not granted leave to recite or teach in that di-
vergent manner." So what could such a person do? Attending an
officialreciter's circle was the simplest solution, to learn the Book in
accordance with the conditions laid and thereby regain the privileges
of teaching and recitation. 'Uthman's unparalleled success in this
regard is proof positive that his actions echoed the voice of the
community.

5. Studies on 'Uthmdn's Musha]

Assurance in the Qur'an as the Word of Allah, and as the supreme source
of legislation and guidance for all entities, isa cornerstone of every Muslim's
beliefs.This veneration impelled 'Uthman's contemporaries to quicklybegin
scrutinising his Mushaf trekking to the various locales which had received
copies and undertaking a word-by-word (infact a letter-by-letter) inspection,
to uncover any disparities between the copies he had dispatched. Many
books were penned on this subject, but I will confine myself to just one.
Khalid b. Iyas b. Sakhr b. Ahi al:Jahm, examining the Mushaf in 'Uth-
man's personal possession, noticed that this particular copy differed from

45 Ibn Hajar, Fat~ul Bdri, ix:21.
46 Ibn Abi Dawud, al-M~~if, p. 35.
47 This concept will be clarified in a subsequent discussion (Chapter 12).