Ulum al Qur'an. Ahmad Von Denffer

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       Variants on Sūra Al-Ikhlāṣ (112)

      Even today the variants and synonyms are found in such copies of the text as are attributed to the Companions and are of some value to us in the sense that they may have served as an early rudimentary form of tafsīr. For example, according to some reports the word ‘salāt al-wuṣtā’ (middle prayer) were read and written by Ḥafṣa,⁵² Ubay⁵³ and Ibn ‘Abbās⁵⁴ as ‘salat al-‘aṣr’ (i.e. afternoon prayer).

      As long as the ṣaḥāba wrote their own copies for personal use only, there was nothing wrong, if they did not strictly adhere to the order of sūras which was the order of the Qur’ān. Later on, when ‘Uthmān’s copy became the standard version, the Companions adopted the order of this copy including Ibn Mas‘ūd who perhaps differed most.⁵⁵

      There were also, as indicated, some variant readings in these copies,⁵⁶ when some words were pronounced and spelt in slightly different ways, etc. However, it should be noted that variant readings are usually reported by a single person only, and occasionally by perhaps two or three while the version called the ‘Uthmānic text is mutawātir, i.e. transmitted by numerous people and is without doubt authentic.

THE MUṢḤAF OF ‘UTHMĀN

      During the time of ‘Uthman differences in reading the Qur’ān became obvious, and after consultation with the Companions, ‘Uthmān had a standard copy prepared from the ṣuḥuf of Abū Bakr that were kept with Ḥafṣa at that time.

      The following is the report transmitted in the Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī:

      Narrated Anas bin Mālik: Hudhaifa bin Al-Yamān came to ‘Uthmān at the time when the people of Shām and the people of Iraq were waging war to conquer Armīnya and Ādharbījān. Hudhaifa was afraid of their (the people of Shām and Iraq) differences in the recitation of the Qur’ān, so he said to ‘Uthmān, ‘O chief of the Believers! Save this nation before they differ about the Book (Qur’ān), as Jews and the Christians did before’. So ‘Uthmān sent a message to Ḥafṣa saying, ‘Send us the manuscripts of the Qur’ān so that we may compile the Qur’ānic materials in perfect copies and return the manuscripts to you’. Ḥafṣa sent it to ‘Uthmān. ‘Uthmān then ordered Zaid bin Thābit, ‘Abdullah bin Az-Zubair, Sa‘id bin Al-‘Āṣ and ‘Abdur Rahmān bin Hārith bin Hishām to rewrite the manuscripts in perfect copies. ‘Uthmān said to the three Quraishī men, ‘In case you disagree with Zaid bin Thābit on any point in the Qur’ān, then write it in the dialect of Quraish as the Qur’ān was revealed in their tongue’. They did so, and when they had written many copies, ‘Uthmān returned the original manuscripts to Ḥafṣa. ‘Uthmān sent to every Muslim province one copy of what they had copied, and ordered that all the other Qur’ānic materials whether written in fragmentary manuscripts or whole copies, be burnt. Zaid bin Thābit added, ‘A verse from Sūra al-Aḥzāb was missed by me when we copied the Qur’ān and I used to hear Allah’s Apostle reciting it. So we searched for it and found it with Khuzaima bin Thābit AI-Anṣārī’. (That verse was): ‘Among the Believers are men who have been true in their convenant with Allah’ (33: 23).⁵⁷