Hudhaifa bin Al-Yaman came to `Uthman at the time when the people of Sham and the people of Iraq were Waging war to conquer Arminya and Adharbijan. Hudhaifa was afraid of their (the people of Sham and Iraq) differences in the recitation of the Qur'an, so he said to `Uthman, "O chief of the Believers! Save this nation before they differ about the Book (Qur'an) as Jews and the Christians did before." So `Uthman sent a message to Hafsa saying, "Send us the manuscripts of the Qur'an so that we may compile the Qur'anic materials in perfect copies and return the manuscripts to you." Hafsa sent it to `Uthman. `Uthman then ordered Zaid bin Thabit, `Abdullah bin AzZubair, Sa`id bin Al-As and `AbdurRahman bin Harith bin Hisham to rewrite the manuscripts in perfect copies. `Uthman said to the three Quraishi men, "In case you disagree with Zaid bin Thabit on any point in the Qur'an, then write it in the dialect of Quraish, the Qur'an was revealed in their tongue." They did so, and when they had written many copies, `Uthman returned the original manuscripts to Hafsa. `Uthman sent to every Muslim province one copy of what they had copied, and ordered that all the other Qur'anic materials, whether written in fragmentary manuscripts or whole copies, be burnt.
Historical Context & Divine Wisdom
This narration from Sahih al-Bukhari 4987 in the "Virtues of the Qur'an" reveals Allah's profound protection of His revelation. As Muslim armies expanded into new territories, variations in Qur'anic recitation emerged among non-Arab converts. Hudhaifa's foresight recognized this as a potential source of division, mirroring earlier religious communities who corrupted their scriptures.
Methodology of Compilation
The compilation under Caliph Uthman (RA) followed meticulous scholarly principles. The original manuscripts from Hafsa (RA), preserved since Abu Bakr's (RA) era, served as the primary source.
The committee comprised Zaid bin Thabit (RA) - the original compiler, and three Qurayshi scribes to ensure linguistic accuracy according to the dialect of revelation. This dual verification system combined written preservation with oral tradition.
Scholarly Consensus & Burning of Variants
The burning of other manuscripts was not destruction of revelation but unification of the Ummah. Scholars unanimously agree this action preserved the Qur'an's textual integrity and prevented future disputes.
This established the principle of tawatur - mass transmission ensuring every word of the Qur'an reaches us through numerous independent chains of reliable narrators, making it impossible to alter without detection.
Divine Protection Fulfilled
Allah's promise to preserve the Qur'an (15:9) manifested through this compilation. The Uthmani codex became the standard reference, eliminating regional variations while preserving the seven authentic recitations (qira'at) within its skeletal form.