One Book for the Ummah

Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman returned from the campaigns in Armenia and Azerbaijan alarmed. He had heard soldiers from different regions quarrel over how the Qur'an was recited, each insisting his own way was right. He told 'Uthman: "O Commander of the Believers, rescue this ummah before they differ over the Book as the Jews and Christians differed."

'Uthman sent for the written sheets compiled under Abu Bakr, which were kept by Hafsah, the Mother of the Believers. He appointed Zayd ibn Thabit with three men of Quraysh to make copies, telling them that where they differed, they should write it in the dialect of Quraysh, for the Qur'an had come down in their tongue. Copies were sent to the major cities, and other private written copies were withdrawn and burned (Sahih al-Bukhari 4987).

Some objected at the time, but 'Ali is reported to have said afterwards: speak only good of 'Uthman, for what he did with the copies of the Qur'an he did only with the agreement of all of us. To this day, Muslims across the world read from the mushaf that bears his name — part of Allah's promise to guard His revelation: ﴿إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ﴾ (“Indeed, it is We who sent down the Reminder, and indeed, We will be its guardian”) (15:9).