Sayyidunā ʿUthmān رضي الله عنه and His Great Achievement of Compiling the Qur’an – In the Light of Hadith
Source: Fatāwā Amanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri
❖ Question:
Sayyidunā Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه narrates:
قال عثمان للرهط القرشيين الثلاثة: إذا اختلفتم أنتم وزيد بن ثابت فى شيء من القرآن فاكتبوه بلسان قريش، فإنما نزل بلسانهم، ففعلوا، حتى إذا نسخوا الصحف فى المصاحف، رد عثمان الصحف إلىٰ حفصة، وأرسل إلىٰ كل أفق بمصحف مما نسخوا، وأمر بما سواه من القرآن فى كل صحيفة أو مصحف أن يحرق.
ʿUthmān رضي الله عنه said to the three Qurashī men: If you and Zayd ibn Thābit disagree about anything in the Qur’an, then write it in the dialect of Quraysh, for it was revealed in their tongue. So they did that until they had copied the manuscripts into muṣḥafs. Then ʿUthmān returned the original manuscripts to Ḥafṣah رضي الله عنها and sent one muṣḥaf to every region. He then ordered that any other copies of the Qur’an in every sheet or muṣḥaf be burned.
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 4987)
From the wording it seems that ʿUthmān رضي الله عنه burned the Qur’an. Does this mean he disrespected it?
❖ Answer:
No, it is not true that Sayyidunā ʿUthmān رضي الله عنه burned the Qur’an itself. This accusation was raised by some people. In reality, he was the compiler and preserver of the Qur’an.
- What he ordered to be burned were the extra personal copies and fragments that contained various modes of recitation which could cause disputes among people.
- His purpose was to unite the Ummah upon one standardized muṣḥaf in the dialect of Quraysh, as the Qur’an was revealed.
- Rather than being an act of disrespect, it was a great service and protection for the Qur’an. He spread the Qur’an by sending standardized muṣḥafs to the main Islamic regions.
Thus, ʿUthmān رضي الله عنه was a preserver of the Qur’an, not one who erased it.
❖ Scholarly Explanations
◈ Imām Ibn Baṭṭāl رحمه الله (d. 449H):
في أمر عثمان بتحريق الصحف والمصاحف حين جمع القرآن جواز تحريق الكتب التى فيها أسماء الله تعالىٰ وأن ذلك إكرام لها، وصيانة من الوطء بالأقدام وطرحها فى ضياع من الأرض.
ʿUthmān’s order to burn the manuscripts and copies when the Qur’an was compiled shows that it is permissible to burn books containing Allah’s names. This is in fact honoring them and protecting them from being trampled or discarded in unsuitable places.
(Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 10/226)
◈ Imām al-Zarkashī رحمه الله (d. 794H):
أما تعلق الروافض بأن عثمان أحرق المصاحف فإنه جهل منهم وعمى … لم يحرق إلا ما يجب إحراقه، ولهذا لم ينكر عليه أحد ذلك.
As for the Rāfiḍah accusing ʿUthmān of burning the Qur’an, this is ignorance and blindness on their part. In fact, what he did was among his virtues and knowledge, for he united the people and prevented division. This was obligatory upon him, and if he had neglected it, he would have been sinful. He only burned those copies whose reading was not permissible, and this is why no one objected to his action.
(al-Burhān fī ʿUlūm al-Qur’ān 1/240)
Conclusion:Sayyidunā ʿUthmān رضي الله عنه’s action of standardizing the Qur’an and removing variant personal manuscripts was one of his greatest achievements in protecting the Book of Allah. It was not disrespect, but rather a monumental service to preserve the Qur’an’s unity and authenticity.
