The Qur’an
Abu Bakr, Uthman and the first copies
Within about twenty years of the Prophet’s death, the Qur’an was gathered into one standard text and sent to the main cities. Who did this, why, and what happened to the other copies?
1The question
How did the Qur’an become one book, and what did Uthman’s copies change?
2What Christians believe
Christian writers note that the caliph Uthman ordered a standard copy to be made and had other copies burned. They argue that this means we cannot know everything that was in the copies that were destroyed.
They also point to reports that companions such as Abdullah ibn Mas’ud kept their own copies, which differed in the order of the surahs and in some wording, and that Ibn Mas’ud at first objected to Uthman’s copy. On this view the standard text was one edition among several early forms.
3What the texts say
A book of the Law found and read again
And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.
Reading God’s word clearly to the people
So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.
“The word of the Lord endureth”
But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
4What scholars say
Harald Motzki (“The Collection of the Qur’ān”, Der Islam 78, 2001) studied the reports of the collection and concluded that they go back to the first Islamic century, not to later legend.
Behnam Sadeghi and Uwe Bergmann (“The Codex of a Companion of the Prophet and the Qur’ān of the Prophet”, Arabica 57, 2010) compared early manuscripts and argued that Uthman’s text preserves the Qur’an of the Prophet ﷺ with great accuracy.
Scholars agree that Abu Bakr had the Qur’an gathered after the battle of Yamama, that Uthman had copies made from that collection, and that other copies were destroyed.
5The Islamic perspective
Muslims see the collection as God keeping his promise to guard the Reminder. The Qur’an describes itself as a glorious recitation, kept safe, and a book without doubt:
Lo! We, even We, reveal the Reminder, and lo! We verily are its Guardian.
Nay, but it is a glorious Qur'an. On a guarded tablet.
This is the Scripture whereof there is no doubt, a guidance unto those who ward off (evil).
According to Sahih al-Bukhari, Uthman acted after Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman saw Muslims from different regions arguing about recitation during a campaign in Armenia and Azerbaijan. Copies were made from Abu Bakr’s collection, kept by Hafsa, by a committee led by Zayd ibn Thabit, and sent to the main cities.
6Objections and responses
“Ibn Mas’ud objected to Uthman’s copy.”
Response: The reports show he objected to being left out of the committee and wanted to keep his own copy. His copy differed mainly in the order of surahs and in some wording, not in its message, and some reports say he later accepted the common text.
“Burning the other copies destroyed the evidence.”
Response: The aim was to end disputes over recitation, not to hide anything. The text itself was kept in Abu Bakr’s master copy and in the memories of the companions, many of whom were still alive to object. Burning worn or unofficial copies is also the traditional respectful way to dispose of pages of the Qur’an.
7Conclusion
Both sides agree that the Qur’an was gathered under Abu Bakr and standardised under Uthman within a generation, and that other copies were destroyed. Christians see a lost record of early variety. Muslims see a careful, public process, checked by living companions, that kept the Qur’an as it was recited.
Read about the collection in the reports of Sahih al-Bukhari, and compare it with how the books of the Bible were gathered.
8Watch and read more
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Related topics
Sources
- Bible, King James Version:2 Kings 22:8Nehemiah 8:81 Peter 1:25
- Qur’an, translated by M. Pickthall:Qur’an 15:9Qur’an 85:21–22Qur’an 2:2
- Harald Motzki, “The Collection of the Qur’ān”, Der Islam 78 (2001)
- Behnam Sadeghi and Uwe Bergmann, “The Codex of a Companion of the Prophet and the Qur’ān of the Prophet”, Arabica 57 (2010)
- Muhammad Mustafa al-Azami, The History of the Qur’anic Text (2003)