Muslim

Hadith Commentary:

Benefits and Issues:

➊ During the era of Uthman (radi Allahu anhu), when Islam spread beyond Arabia to the distant regions of Rome and Persia, and various Companions (radi Allahu anhum) reached different areas and taught the people there the Qur’an according to their own recitations (qira’at), differences began to arise among the people regarding the recitations of the Noble Qur’an. When Hudhayfah bin al-Yaman (radi Allahu anhu) informed Uthman (radi Allahu anhu) of this, Uthman, after consulting with the eminent Companions, devised this solution to avoid such differences: that all people should be united upon a single codex (mushaf). Thus, the parchments compiled during the era of Abu Bakr (radi Allahu anhu) were transferred into one mushaf, multiple copies of it were prepared, and this complete standardized version was placed in various locations. People were instructed to prepare their own copies in accordance with this version, and their individual codices, which had different arrangements, were to be burned, so that the arrangement and script of the mushaf would become uniform.

➋ However, Abdullah bin Mas’ud (radi Allahu anhu) was not prepared to do this, because he said, “I have learned more than seventy (70) surahs directly from the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), so why should I destroy my mushaf?” For this reason, he also encouraged his Kufan students to hide their mushafs and not hand them over to Uthman (radi Allahu anhu), and for this he presented the aforementioned verse, arguing that handing over the mushaf to the caliph would be an act of betrayal, and that they would present this betrayal on the Day of Resurrection.

➌ In any case, the Ummah accepted the script and arrangement established by Uthman (radi Allahu anhu), and today that very script and arrangement remains in place. Although, for the convenience of non-Arabs, dots, vowel marks (harakat and sukun), divisions into rukū‘, parts (para), and symbols of pauses (rumuz awqaf) have been added.

Hadith Commentary:
Hazrat Abdullah ibn Mas'ud radi Allahu anhu described his actual state; although there is a virtue implied in it, his intention was neither pride nor arrogance. However, to say such a thing out of pride and arrogance is prohibited.
“Innamal a‘malu bin-niyyat” (Actions are only by intentions).
The statement of Shaqiq is worthy of consideration, because Ibn Abi Dawud narrated from Zuhri, who said that Mujahid did not approve of this statement of Hazrat Ibn Mas'ud radi Allahu anhu (Wahidi).
It is true.
﴿And above every possessor of knowledge is one [more] knowing﴾

Hadith Commentary:
➊
Abdullah ibn Mas'ud radi Allahu ta'ala anhu has described his actual state. There was no expression of pride or arrogance in his intention, as he himself clarified that he is not the best among the Companions radi Allahu anhum ajma'in. However, the statement of Shaqiq rahimahullah is open to consideration, because Imam Zuhri rahimahullah has stated that the Companions of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam did not like this statement of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud radi Allahu ta'ala anhu. It is possible that this was due to a difference in perspective.

➋
Indeed, Abdullah ibn Mas'ud radi Allahu ta'ala anhu was a scholar of the Noble Qur'an and an excellent reciter, but he insisted on retaining his own codex (mushaf) in comparison to the Uthmani codex. The Companions radi Allahu anhum ajma'in did not approve of this, even though there had already been consensus among all the Companions radi Allahu anhum ajma'in on the codex of Uthman radi Allahu ta'ala anhu. (: Fath al-Bari: 9/62)