✿ Objection by the Atheists:
What does it mean that Uthmān (رضي الله عنه) said:
“If you differ with Zayd ibn Thābit (رضي الله عنه) regarding any word of the Qur’an, write it in the language of Quraysh, for the Qur’an was revealed in their language”?
The objectors argue: If Uthmān (رضي الله عنه) preserved the “seven Aḥruf,” why was this directive given?
✿ Answer:
✔ Inclusion of the Seven Aḥruf in the ʿUthmānic Codices
The ʿUthmānic codices contained all possible details of the seven Aḥruf that could be accommodated within the ʿUthmānic script. These codices included all those Qirāʾāt that remained after the ʿArḍah Akhīrah (the final review of the Qur’an with Jibrīl ﷺ).
The codices were left free of vowel marks and diacritical points to allow for the inclusion of the Qirāʾāt of the seven Aḥruf. However, not every codex contained all the complete details of the seven Aḥruf; rather, these details were distributed among the different codices sent to various regions.
✔ Examples:
◈ The word {وَوَصّٰى} is not present in some codices (such as the Madinan and Syrian codices) but is found in others.
◈ The verse of Sūrah Tawbah {تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا} is only in the Makkan codex, while the other codices contain {تَجْرِي تَحْتَهَا}.
◈ Words such as {فَتَبَيَّنُوا}, {هَيْتَ لَكَ}, and {أُفٍّ} were included in all the codices because their script could encompass all Qirāʾāt.
✿ Clarification of Uthmān’s (رضي الله عنه) Directive
Uthmān’s (رضي الله عنه) instruction does not mean that six of the seven Aḥruf were eliminated and only the language of Quraysh was retained. Rather:
✔ It meant that if there was any difference in orthography during the writing of the Qur’an, the script of Quraysh should be given precedence, as the Qur’an was revealed in the dialect of Quraysh.
✔ Example of Such a Difference:
In Sūrah al-Baqarah, verse {أَن يَأْتِيَكُمُ ٱلتَّابُوتُ}, there was a difference of opinion during its writing:
Uthmān (رضي الله عنه) resolved this by instructing:
“Write it as التابوت, for the Qur’an was revealed in the language of Quraysh.”
✿ Summary:
✔ The purpose of Uthmān’s (رضي الله عنه) directive was only to resolve differences in orthography so that the codices would remain consistent.
✔ It was never intended to eliminate the seven Aḥruf and retain only the dialect of Quraysh.
✿ Supporting Evidences:
① Foundation of the ʿUthmānic Codices
The preparation of the ʿUthmānic codices was based on the Ṣuḥuf compiled during the caliphate of Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq (رضي الله عنه). Scholars agree that these Ṣuḥuf contained all the details of the seven Aḥruf that were established through Tawātur and remained after the ʿArḍah Akhīrah.
② No Evidence of Elimination of the Aḥruf
There is no authentic or weak narration indicating that Uthmān (رضي الله عنه) instructed the scribes to restrict the codices to a single ḥarf and discard the other six.
③ Consensus of the Companions (رضي الله عنهم)
During Uthmān’s (رضي الله عنه) era, there were over 12,000 Companions present. It is inconceivable that all of them would agree to remove any of the Aḥruf established through Tawātur from the Qur’an.
Uthmān (رضي الله عنه) adopted the approach necessary to eliminate differences and unify the Ummah.
He only left out the non-mutawātir recitations that were given in the early period as a concession but were later abrogated in the ʿArḍah Akhīrah.
④ False Claim of Restricting to Quraysh’s Dialect
If Uthmān (رضي الله عنه) had restricted the Qur’an to only the dialect of Quraysh, the Qur’an would not contain any words from other dialects. However, the Qur’an indeed contains words from other dialects, such as:
✔ The dialect of Hawāzin
✔ The dialect of Tamīm
This proves that the ʿUthmānic codices encompassed all the details of the seven Aḥruf that were established through Tawātur.
✿ Views of the Scholars of the Ummah
① Majority View
The majority of scholars believe that Uthmān (رضي الله عنه) did not eliminate the seven Aḥruf but preserved them.
✔ ʿAllāmah Ibn Ḥazm (al-Faṣl fī al-Milal)
✔ Mawlānā ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq Ḥaqqānī (Muqaddimah Tafsīr Ḥaqqānī)
✔ ʿAllāmah al-Zurqānī (Manāhil al-ʿIrfān) – He writes that Uthmān (رضي الله عنه) selected a script that could encompass all Qirāʾāt.
② ʿAllāmah Ibn al-Jazarī
He writes:
“The jurists, reciters, and theologians unanimously agree that the ʿUthmānic codices included the seven Aḥruf.”
(al-Nashr fī al-Qirāʾāt al-ʿAshr, vol. 1, p. 31)
③ Other Scholars
✔ ʿAllāmah Badr al-Dīn al-ʿAynī quotes Imām Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī:
“The seven Aḥruf are present in our current recitations.”
(ʿUmdat al-Qārī, vol. 12, p. 258)
✔ ʿAllāmah al-Zarkashī transmits from Qāḍī Abū Bakr:
“The seven Aḥruf were transmitted through Tawātur from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and Uthmān (رضي الله عنه) preserved them in the codices.”
(al-Burhān fī ʿUlūm al-Qurʾān, vol. 1, p. 151)
✔ ʿAllāmah Anwar Shāh Kashmīrī states that Ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī did not understand the correct meaning of the seven Aḥruf and that his claim that Uthmān (رضي الله عنه) eliminated them is incorrect.
(Fayḍ al-Bārī, vol. 3, pp. 321-322)
④ ʿAllāmah Zāhid al-Kawtharī
He firmly refutes Ibn Jarīr’s claim, stating:
“The notion that the Qur’an now exists on only one ḥarf is dangerous and unacceptable.”
(Maqālāt al-Kawtharī, p. 21)
✿ Summary:
✔ Uthmān’s (رضي الله عنه) action was not to eliminate the seven Aḥruf but to preserve them in a manner that would protect the Ummah from differences.
✔ He chose a script capable of accommodating all the Mutawātir Qirāʾāt.
What does it mean that Uthmān (رضي الله عنه) said:
“If you differ with Zayd ibn Thābit (رضي الله عنه) regarding any word of the Qur’an, write it in the language of Quraysh, for the Qur’an was revealed in their language”?
The objectors argue: If Uthmān (رضي الله عنه) preserved the “seven Aḥruf,” why was this directive given?
✿ Answer:
✔ Inclusion of the Seven Aḥruf in the ʿUthmānic Codices
The ʿUthmānic codices contained all possible details of the seven Aḥruf that could be accommodated within the ʿUthmānic script. These codices included all those Qirāʾāt that remained after the ʿArḍah Akhīrah (the final review of the Qur’an with Jibrīl ﷺ).
The codices were left free of vowel marks and diacritical points to allow for the inclusion of the Qirāʾāt of the seven Aḥruf. However, not every codex contained all the complete details of the seven Aḥruf; rather, these details were distributed among the different codices sent to various regions.
✔ Examples:
◈ The word {وَوَصّٰى} is not present in some codices (such as the Madinan and Syrian codices) but is found in others.
◈ The verse of Sūrah Tawbah {تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا} is only in the Makkan codex, while the other codices contain {تَجْرِي تَحْتَهَا}.
◈ Words such as {فَتَبَيَّنُوا}, {هَيْتَ لَكَ}, and {أُفٍّ} were included in all the codices because their script could encompass all Qirāʾāt.
✿ Clarification of Uthmān’s (رضي الله عنه) Directive
Uthmān’s (رضي الله عنه) instruction does not mean that six of the seven Aḥruf were eliminated and only the language of Quraysh was retained. Rather:
✔ It meant that if there was any difference in orthography during the writing of the Qur’an, the script of Quraysh should be given precedence, as the Qur’an was revealed in the dialect of Quraysh.
✔ Example of Such a Difference:
In Sūrah al-Baqarah, verse {أَن يَأْتِيَكُمُ ٱلتَّابُوتُ}, there was a difference of opinion during its writing:
- One opinion was to write التابوت with a long “tā”.
- Another was to write it with a rounded “tā” (التابوة).
Uthmān (رضي الله عنه) resolved this by instructing:
“Write it as التابوت, for the Qur’an was revealed in the language of Quraysh.”
✿ Summary:
✔ The purpose of Uthmān’s (رضي الله عنه) directive was only to resolve differences in orthography so that the codices would remain consistent.
✔ It was never intended to eliminate the seven Aḥruf and retain only the dialect of Quraysh.
✿ Supporting Evidences:
① Foundation of the ʿUthmānic Codices
The preparation of the ʿUthmānic codices was based on the Ṣuḥuf compiled during the caliphate of Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq (رضي الله عنه). Scholars agree that these Ṣuḥuf contained all the details of the seven Aḥruf that were established through Tawātur and remained after the ʿArḍah Akhīrah.
② No Evidence of Elimination of the Aḥruf
There is no authentic or weak narration indicating that Uthmān (رضي الله عنه) instructed the scribes to restrict the codices to a single ḥarf and discard the other six.
③ Consensus of the Companions (رضي الله عنهم)
During Uthmān’s (رضي الله عنه) era, there were over 12,000 Companions present. It is inconceivable that all of them would agree to remove any of the Aḥruf established through Tawātur from the Qur’an.
Uthmān (رضي الله عنه) adopted the approach necessary to eliminate differences and unify the Ummah.
He only left out the non-mutawātir recitations that were given in the early period as a concession but were later abrogated in the ʿArḍah Akhīrah.
④ False Claim of Restricting to Quraysh’s Dialect
If Uthmān (رضي الله عنه) had restricted the Qur’an to only the dialect of Quraysh, the Qur’an would not contain any words from other dialects. However, the Qur’an indeed contains words from other dialects, such as:
✔ The dialect of Hawāzin
✔ The dialect of Tamīm
This proves that the ʿUthmānic codices encompassed all the details of the seven Aḥruf that were established through Tawātur.
✿ Views of the Scholars of the Ummah
① Majority View
The majority of scholars believe that Uthmān (رضي الله عنه) did not eliminate the seven Aḥruf but preserved them.
✔ ʿAllāmah Ibn Ḥazm (al-Faṣl fī al-Milal)
✔ Mawlānā ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq Ḥaqqānī (Muqaddimah Tafsīr Ḥaqqānī)
✔ ʿAllāmah al-Zurqānī (Manāhil al-ʿIrfān) – He writes that Uthmān (رضي الله عنه) selected a script that could encompass all Qirāʾāt.
② ʿAllāmah Ibn al-Jazarī
He writes:
“The jurists, reciters, and theologians unanimously agree that the ʿUthmānic codices included the seven Aḥruf.”
(al-Nashr fī al-Qirāʾāt al-ʿAshr, vol. 1, p. 31)
③ Other Scholars
✔ ʿAllāmah Badr al-Dīn al-ʿAynī quotes Imām Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī:
“The seven Aḥruf are present in our current recitations.”
(ʿUmdat al-Qārī, vol. 12, p. 258)
✔ ʿAllāmah al-Zarkashī transmits from Qāḍī Abū Bakr:
“The seven Aḥruf were transmitted through Tawātur from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and Uthmān (رضي الله عنه) preserved them in the codices.”
(al-Burhān fī ʿUlūm al-Qurʾān, vol. 1, p. 151)
✔ ʿAllāmah Anwar Shāh Kashmīrī states that Ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī did not understand the correct meaning of the seven Aḥruf and that his claim that Uthmān (رضي الله عنه) eliminated them is incorrect.
(Fayḍ al-Bārī, vol. 3, pp. 321-322)
④ ʿAllāmah Zāhid al-Kawtharī
He firmly refutes Ibn Jarīr’s claim, stating:
“The notion that the Qur’an now exists on only one ḥarf is dangerous and unacceptable.”
(Maqālāt al-Kawtharī, p. 21)
✿ Summary:
✔ Uthmān’s (رضي الله عنه) action was not to eliminate the seven Aḥruf but to preserve them in a manner that would protect the Ummah from differences.
✔ He chose a script capable of accommodating all the Mutawātir Qirāʾāt.
