Page 122 - History of The Quranic Text | Kalamullah.Com

102 THE HISTORY OF THE QUR'ANIC TEXT

many of these private copies were scribed; in the statement recorded by
Ibn Shabba,
66«J.>-L.d.11~0\ ,-",WI .r1.i»
'''Uthman ordered the people to write down the Mushafs." This can
be taken to mean that people were encouraged to pen copies for their
own use.

The Mushaf of Malik bin Abi 'Amiral-Asbahi contained both ayah and
sura separators, while 'Uthman's official copies contained neither. This lack
may have been a deliberate tactic on the Caliph's part, perhaps to ensure
that the text could handle more than one arrangement of verse separation,
or as an added obstacle in the face of anyone attempting to read on his own
without the supervision of a certified teacher. Many scholars assume that
any old Mushaf bearing ayah and sura separators must have been written
subsequent to 'Uthman's Mushaf but given this example we can see that
that is not necessarily true.

6. Al-lfajjiij andHis Contribution to the Mu~W

From Caliph 'Uthman we now turn our gaze to al-I:Iajjaj bin Yusuf ath-
Thaqafi (d. 95 A.H.), governor of Iraq during the Umayyad Caliphate and
a man of considerable notoriety. His unflinching, iron-fisted rule won him
many unflattering remarks in the annals of Iraq's history. Ironically he also
played a role in serving the Qjir'an, though even in this regard he had no
shortage of enemies. Ibn Abi Dawiid quotes 'Auf bin AbiJamila (60-146
A.H.), alleging that al-I:Iajjaj altered the 'Uthmani Mushaf in eleven places.'"
Closer examination reveals that 'Auf, though a trustworthyperson, had Shiite
tendencies as well as being anti-Umayyad.68Al-I:Iajjaj, one of the strongest
towers in the Umayyad garrison, would have been a natural target for him;
any reportissuing from the opposite camp must be approached with extreme
caution. Additionally Mu'awiya (the first Umayyad ruler) fought 'Ali on
the pretext of 'Uthman's blood, and this makes al-I:Iajjaj's supposed changcs
in the 'Uthmani Mushaf particularly implausible, as it would harm the
Umayyad cause.
Whatever the truth, the following is the list of words al-I:Iajjaj is accused
of alteringr"

66 Ibn Shabba, Tiirikh al-Madina, p. 1002.
67 Ibn Abi Dawud, al-Masahif, p. 117
68 Ibn Hajar, Taqtib at-Taheib, p. 433, entry no. 5215.
69 Ibn Abi Dawud, al-M~iiJ}if, pp. 117-8.