Key Takeaways
- Sahih al-Bukhari (4987) records that Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman raised concern about differences in recitation among the people of Sham and Iraq.
- Uthman asked Hafsa for the manuscripts of the Quran she held, and had them copied into standard copies, then returned to her.
- Zayd ibn Thabit, Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr, Sa'id ibn al-As, and Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Harith ibn Hisham were tasked with the copying.
- Where the group differed, Uthman told the Quraysh members to write in the dialect of Quraysh, since the Quran was revealed in it.
- A copy was sent to each province, and other materials were ordered to be burned, so that the community would share one text.
Sahih al-Bukhari records that Uthman ibn Affan, the third caliph, had the manuscripts held by Hafsa copied into standard copies and sent to each province, after Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman warned about differences in recitation.
The Concern Raised by Hudhayfah
Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman came to Uthman when the people of Sham and Iraq were campaigning together, and he was concerned about differences in how people recited the Quran. He urged Uthman to save the community before they differed about the Book, as the Jews and Christians had before them (Sahih al-Bukhari 4987).
Hafsa's Manuscripts
Uthman sent a message to Hafsa asking her to send the manuscripts of the Quran so that they could be copied into standard copies and then returned to her. Hafsa sent them to Uthman (Sahih al-Bukhari 4987).
The Committee That Copied Them
Uthman ordered Zayd ibn Thabit, Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr, Sa'id ibn al-As, and Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Harith ibn Hisham to write out the manuscripts in perfect copies. He told the three Quraysh members that if they disagreed with Zayd ibn Thabit on any point, they should write it in the dialect of Quraysh, because the Quran was revealed in that tongue (Sahih al-Bukhari 4987).
Copies Sent to the Provinces
After they had written many copies, Uthman returned the original manuscripts to Hafsa and sent one copy to every Muslim province. He ordered that all other Quranic materials, whether fragments or full copies, be burned (Sahih al-Bukhari 4987). The aim, as the hadith describes it, was one shared text for the whole community.
Why This Matters Today
The Quran that Muslims read across the world follows this text. Learning to read it accurately, with correct pronunciation, is one of the ways to respect that trust. Our Noorani Qaida course and Tajweed course teach this from the ground up, and a free trial lesson is an easy place to start. You can also read our guide on the earliest memorisers of the Quran.