In fact through this copy Allah has safeguarded the holy...

In fact through this copy Allah has safeguarded the holy Qur'an (against any alteration), as He said in the verse: "Verily We have sent down the Reminder (the Qur'an), and verily We (Ourself) unto it will certainly be the Guardian", (15.9) And also in the verse: "Verily, on Us is the collection of it and the recital of it." (75:17) Had this unique copy, holding the veracious everlasting version of the Qur'an, been available (at that time), it would have sufficed them, rendering them in no need of all that toil they exerted for executing their task (collecting the Qur'an).

Further, it would have become the main reference for the Qur'an, throughout every age and time, on the basis of which Uthman could have reviewed the codices (masahif) that he had written, before distributing them through the towns.

A Necessary Commentary: If they — as claimed by them — have managed in the work of investigation in regard of writing of the Qur'an, and safeguarding it so as no one can dare to dispute or harbour any doubt regarding it, many things were raised about this critical issue, which they called problems.

I find myself obliged to cast light on some of these problems so as not to blame for ignoring a part of what should the readers of my book know about riwayah and the troubles it caused for hadith, which is relevant to the theme of my book "in every place there is a trace of Tha'labah."! In his book al-Tibyan, 466 while discussing the necessity of the tawatur of the Qur’an and the ambiguities it encountered on this way, al-Allamah Tahir al-Jaza'iri writes.

There are several ambiguities raised against the very necessity of the tawatur of the Qur'an, we state herewith with their answers: The First Ambiguity: It is reported that Ibn Mas'ud used to deny presence of Surat al-Fatihah and al-Mu’awwidhatan in the Qur'an, and that is why a large number of `ulama disapproved the veracity of reporting from him.

Al-Nawawi, in Sharh al-Muhadhdhab, said: All Muslims concur that the Mu'awwidhatan and al-Fatihah being among the Qur'anic chapters (surahs), and whoever denying even part of them is a disbeliever, besides whatever is reported from Ibn Mas'ud being false and incorrect.

In his book al-Qadh al-mu’alla tatmim al-muhalla, Ibn Hazm writes: This is a lie fabricated against Ibn Mas'ud, but what can be correctly reported from him being the reading of `Asim from Zar'ah, containing the Mu’awwidhatan and (Surat) al-Fatihah.