THE PERIOD OF UTHMAN: THE COPYING OF THE QUR’AN

During the period of Caliph Uthman, the Islamic state expanded, and the numbers of Muslims were increasing daily. Teachers of the Qur’an were sent to the settlements within the Islamic state. These teachers taught the recitation in their own particular style. This caused controversy among the people who were unaware that the Qur’an could be read in different styles of recitation.

Explanation: During the first years of Prophethood, the Arab tribes who spoke with a different dialect were permitted to recite the Qur’an according to the seven letters (qira’at) to make the transition process until they learned the Qurayshi dialect easier.

In an attempt of ending this controversy, Caliph Uthman sent for the Qur’an that was compiled during the period of Abu Bakr, and classifying these as the original scripts, ordered the copying of the Qur’an.

A committee comprising of Abdullah ibn Zubayr, Said ibn al-As and Abdullah ibn Harith was established and headed by Zayd ibn Thabit. The manuscripts of the Qur’an copied by this committee were sent to each of the Muslim cities, and the original copy of the Qur’an was returned to   Hafsa, the Prophet’s dear wife. The original copy of the Qur’an remained in the holy city of Medina, and the seven copies were sent to major cities such as Kufa, Basra, Damascus, Mecca, Egypt, Yemen and Bahrain. Over a period of time, the numbers of these Qur’ans were increased.

 

Akgul, Muhittin. Tafsir: An Introduction to Qur’anic Exegesis. Tughra Books Press, Inc. 2013