ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Great Companion of the Prophet (s) Abu Dharr (ra) Chapter 18 Abu Dharr having returned to Medina from Syria was busy in his preachings when one more heart rending incident came to pass and that was the burning of the Holy Qur'an. He was already grieved to see that the Islamic State was being ruined. The wealth of Muslim ummah was being spent on relatives and kinsmen of the Caliph.

The door of the Public Treasury was completely closed to the needy, the poor, the orphans and the widows, but it was wide open to the descendants of Umayyah. The poor people were starving while the relatives of the Caliph were purchasing houses, gardens and lands. All of a sudden he got the news that the Caliph got different copies of the Qur'an collected from a far and wide, and put them to flames. Therefore, this important incident became the target of his preaching.

The historian Abul Fida writes that this happened in 30 A.H[^1]. The historian Ya'qubi (died 278 A.H.) writes in his book that Uthman collected the Qur'an arid arranged it in such a way that he placed big surahs (chapters) together and the small surahs together separately, and sending for copies from all sides, got them washed with hot water and vinegar and set fire to them. As a result of it no Qur'an was left except the copy belonging to Ibn Mas'ud which was with him in Kufah.

When Abdullah Ibn 'Amir, the Governor of Kufah, asked Ibn Mas'ud for his copy he refused to give it. At this news Uthman wrote to 'Amir to arrest Ibn Mas'ud and send him to Medina. When Ibn Mas'ud came and entered the masjid, Uthman was busy delivering his speech. Seeing Ibn Mas'ud he said, "An ugly and ill-natured animal has come". Ibn Mas'ud also strongly retorted in response. Hearing it Uthman ordered people to beat him.

So the people beat him and dragged him in such a way that two of his ribs got fractured. It is written in the Persian translation of Tarikh A'tham Kufi (printed in Bombay vide page 147 line 8) that Uthman tore off the Qur'an and got it burnt. The same is given in the book " of Muhammad". (W. Irving p.160 printed in London, 1850 A.D.). According to "Najatul Mu'minin" by Mulla Mohsin Kashmiri, Uthman got the ribs of Ibn Mas'ud fractured and snatching his Qur'an got it burnt.

According to Rauzatul Ahbab vol. 2, p. 229 printed Lucknow, Uthman ordered, "My Qur'an must be given currency in my domain and the remaining Qur'ans should be burnt".