Series of Answers by the Eminent Scholar Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah, Ameer of Hizb ut-Tahrir, to the Questions of the Followers of his Facebook Page "Fiqhi"
Answer to a Question
To: Sawt Altahrir
Question:
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,
I have a question regarding the gathering of the Holy Quran by Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (ra). Was it a transcription (naskh) or a gathering of the tablets/materials in which the Quran was written? I know that the adopted position in the book The Islamic Personality (Ash-Shakhsiyyah al-Islamiyyah), the Ameer's previous answers on this subject, and the book Taysir al-Wusul ila al-Usul all state that Abu Bakr's gathering of the Quran meant collecting the original materials in which it was written and not transcribing them. However, I have read some texts indicating that "gathering" meant transcribing the materials into a single book rather than just bringing them together. These texts are as follows:
In the book Al-Murshid al-Wajiz ila 'Ulum Tata'allaq bi al-Kitab al-'Aziz by Shihab al-Din Abu Shama al-Maqdisi (d. 665 AH), there are several citations suggesting that the gathering was a transcription and writing from the sheets (suhuf) that were written in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (saw) into one book, rather than collecting the physical sheets themselves into one book... etc. It appears to me that this contradicts what is mentioned in The Islamic Personality and the Ameer's answer. We completely deny that it was a transcription and consider it a gathering of the actual materials written in the presence of the Prophet (saw), while these evidences suggest otherwise.
How can this be reconciled? May Allah bless you.
The Answer:
Wa Alaikum Assalamu Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,
Regarding the gathering of the Quran, we have detailed it clearly in our books. During the era of Abu Bakr (ra), it was a gathering of the suhuf (sheets) that were written in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (saw) on riqa’ (parchments), ‘usub (palm stalks), or likhaf (thin white stones). These remained with Abu Bakr (ra) until his death, then with Umar (ra) until his death, then with Hafsah (ra). During the era of Uthman (ra), reasons arose to make copies of these gathered materials. He sent for Hafsah (ra), brought those gathered materials of the Holy Quran, and transcribed a number of copies from them, which he sent to various regions while keeping one for himself, known as the "Imam" Mushaf. We have explained this matter with sufficient and clear detail.
Yes, there are other varying narrations that suggest transcription (naskh) occurred during the era of Abu Bakr (ra) and that this transcription was from the materials kept by the Companions. There are other narrations stating that the transcription was for part of the Quran and not the whole Quran during Abu Bakr's time, and so on.
However, what is relied upon in such cases is to take the narrations reported by al-Bukhari. Other narrations are then examined; if they agree with what is recorded in al-Bukhari, they are accepted; if they contradict it, they are not.
By studying this issue as it appeared in al-Bukhari, the following becomes clear:
a. It is stated in Sahih al-Bukhari:
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْيَمَانِ أَخْبَرَنَا شُعَيْبٌ عَنْ الزُّهْرِيِّ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي ابْنُ السَّبَّاقِ أَنَّ زَيْدَ بْنَ ثَابِتٍ الْأَنْصَارِيَّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، وَكَانَ مِمَّنْ يَكْتُبُ الْوَحْيَ قَالَ: أَرْسَلَ إِلَيَّ أَبُو بَكْرٍ مَقْتَلَ أَهْلِ الْيَمَامَةِ وَعِنْدَهُ عُمَرُ فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: إِنَّ عُمَرَ أَتَانِي فَقَالَ: إِنَّ الْقَتْلَ قَدْ اسْتَحَرَّ يَوْمَ الْيَمَامَةِ بِالنَّاسِ وَإِنِّي أَخْشَى أَنْ يَسْتَحِرَّ الْقَتْلُ بِالْقُرَّاءِ فِي الْمَوَاطِنِ فَيَذْهَبَ كَثِيرٌ مِنْ الْقُرْآنِ إِلَّا أَنْ تَجْمَعُوهُ، وَإِنِّي لَأَرَى أَنْ تَجْمَعَ الْقُرْآنَ. قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: قُلْتُ لِعُمَرَ: كَيْفَ أَفْعَلُ شَيْئاً لَمْ يَفْعَلْهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ؟ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ: هُوَ وَاللَّهِ خَيْرٌ. فَلَمْ يَزَلْ عُمَرُ يُرَاجِعُنِي فِيهِ حَتَّى شَرَحَ اللَّهُ لِذَلِكَ صَدْرِي وَرَأَيْتُ الَّذِي رَأَى عُمَرُ. قَالَ زَيْدُ بْنُ ثَابِتٍ وَعُمَرُ عِنْدَهُ جَالِسٌ لَا يَتَكَلَّمُ: فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: إِنَّكَ رَجُلٌ شَابٌّ عَاقِلٌ وَلَا نَتَّهِمُكَ كُنْتَ تَكْتُبُ الْوَحْيَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَتَتَبَّعْ الْقُرْآنَ فَاجْمَعْهُ. فَوَاللَّهِ لَوْ كَلَّفَنِي نَقْلَ جَبَلٍ مِنْ الْجِبَالِ مَا كَانَ أَثْقَلَ عَلَيَّ مِمَّا أَمَرَنِي بِهِ مِنْ جَمْعِ الْقُرْآنِ. قُلْتُ: كَيْفَ تَفْعَلَانِ شَيْئاً لَمْ يَفْعَلْهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ؟ فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: هُوَ وَاللَّهِ خَيْرٌ. فَلَمْ أَزَلْ أُرَاجِعُهُ حَتَّى شَرَحَ اللَّهُ صَدْرِي لِلَّذِي شَرَحَ اللَّهُ لَهُ صَدْرَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ، فَقُمْتُ فَتَتَبَّعْتُ الْقُرْآنَ أَجْمَعُهُ مِنْ الرِّقَاعِ وَالْأَكْتَافِ وَالْعُسُبِ وَصُدُورِ الرِّجَالِ حَتَّى وَجَدْتُ مِنْ سُورَةِ التَّوْبَةِ آيَتَيْنِ مَعَ خُزَيْمَةَ الْأَنْصَارِيِّ لَمْ أَجِدْهُمَا مَعَ أَحَدٍ غَيْرِهِ ﴿لَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُمْ﴾ إِلَى آخِرِهِمَا، وَكَانَتْ الصُّحُفُ الَّتِي جُمِعَ فِيهَا الْقُرْآنُ عِنْدَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ حَتَّى تَوَفَّاهُ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ عِنْدَ عُمَرَ حَتَّى تَوَفَّاهُ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ عِنْدَ حَفْصَةَ بِنْتِ عُمَرَ...
"Abu Bakr sent for me after the heavy casualties among the warriors of the battle of Yamama. Umar was present with Abu Bakr who said: 'Umar has come to me and said: The people have suffered heavy casualties on the day of Yamama, and I am afraid that there will be more casualties among the qurra' (those who know the Quran by heart) at other places, whereby a large part of the Quran may be lost unless you gather it. And I am of the opinion that you should gather the Quran.' Abu Bakr added: 'I said to Umar: How can I do something which Allah's Messenger (saw) did not do? Umar said (to me): By Allah, it is a good thing. So Umar kept on pressing me until Allah opened my chest for it and I had the same opinion as Umar.' Zaid bin Thabit said: Abu Bakr said to me: 'You are a wise young man and we do not suspect you; you used to write the Divine Revelation for Allah's Messenger (saw). So, search for the Quran and gather it.' By Allah, if they had ordered me to shift one of the mountains, it would not have been heavier for me than this order of gathering the Quran. I said: How can you do something which the Prophet (saw) did not do? Abu Bakr said: By Allah, it is a good thing. I kept on arguing with him until Allah opened my chest for what He had opened the chests of Abu Bakr and Umar. So I started searching for the Quran and gathering it from riqa' (parchments), aktaf (scapula bones), 'usub (leaf stalks of date palms) and from the chests of men until I found the last two verses of Surah At-Tawbah with Khuzaimah al-Ansari and I did not find them with anyone else: 'Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger from among yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty. He is anxious over you...' (At-Tawbah [9]: 128) until the end of the Surah. Then the suhuf (sheets) in which the Quran was gathered remained with Abu Bakr until Allah took his soul, then with Umar until Allah took his soul, and then with Hafsah, the daughter of Umar..." (Sahih al-Bukhari, 4311)
b. Also in Sahih al-Bukhari:
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ أَبُو ثَابِتٍ حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ عَنْ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ عَنْ عُبَيْدِ بْنِ السَّبَّاقِ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ ثَابِتٍ قَالَ: بَعَثَ إِلَيَّ أَبُو بَكْرٍ لِمَقْتَلِ أَهْلِ الْيَمَامَةِ وَعِنْدَهُ عُمَرُ فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: إِنَّ عُمَرَ أَتَانِي فَقَالَ: إِنَّ الْقَتْلَ قَدْ اسْتَحَرَّ يَوْمَ الْيَمَامَةِ بِقُرَّاءِ الْقُرْآنِ وَإِنِّي أَخْشَى أَنْ يَسْتَحِرَّ الْقَتْلُ بِقُرَّاءِ الْقُرْآنِ فِي الْمَوَاطِنِ كُلِّهَا فَيَذْهَبَ قُرْآنٌ كَثِيرٌ، وَإِنِّي أَرَى أَنْ تَأْمُرَ بِجَمْعِ الْقُرْآنِ. قُلْتُ: كَيْفَ أَفْعَلُ شَيْئاً لَمْ يَفْعَلْهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ؟ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ: هُوَ وَاللَّهِ خَيْرٌ. فَلَمْ يَزَلْ عُمَرُ يُرَاجِعُنِي فِي ذَلِكَ حَتَّى شَرَحَ اللَّهُ صَدْرِي لِلَّذِي شَرَحَ لَهُ صَدْرَ عُمَرَ وَرَأَيْتُ فِي ذَلِكَ الَّذِي رَأَى عُمَرُ. قَالَ زَيْدٌ: قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: وَإِنَّكَ رَجُلٌ شَابٌّ عَاقِلٌ لَا نَتَّهِمُكَ قَدْ كُنْتَ تَكْتُبُ الْوَحْيَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَتَتَبَّعْ الْقُرْآنَ فَاجْمَعْهُ. قَالَ زَيْدٌ: فَوَاللَّهِ لَوْ كَلَّفَنِي نَقْلَ جَبَلٍ مِنْ الْجِبَالِ مَا كَانَ بِأَثْقَلَ عَلَيَّ مِمَّا كَلَّفَنِي مِنْ جَمْعِ الْقُرْآنِ. قُلْتُ: كَيْفَ تَفْعَلَانِ شَيْئاً لَمْ يَفْعَلْهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ؟ قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: هُوَ وَاللَّهِ خَيْرٌ. فَلَمْ يَزَلْ يَحُثُّ مُرَاجَعَتِي حَتَّى شَرَحَ اللَّهُ صَدْرِي لِلَّذِي شَرَحَ اللَّهُ لَهُ صَدْرَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَرَأَيْتُ فِي ذَلِكَ الَّذِي رَأَيَا، فَتَتَبَّعْتُ الْقُرْآنَ أَجْمَعُهُ مِنْ الْعُسُبِ وَالرِّقَاعِ وَاللِّخَافِ وَصُدُورِ الرِّجَالِ فَوَجَدْتُ فِي آخِرِ سُورَةِ التَّوْبَةِ: ﴿لَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ﴾ إِلَى آخِرِهَا مَعَ خُزَيْمَةَ أَوْ أَبِي خُزَيْمَةَ فَأَلْحَقْتُهَا فِي سُورَتِهَا وَكَانَتْ الصُّحُفُ عِنْدَ أَبِي بكْرٍ حَيَاتَهُ حَتَّى تَوَفَّاهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ثُمَّ عِنْدَ عُمَرَ حَيَاتَهُ حَتَّى تَوَفَّاهُ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ عِنْدَ حَفْصَةَ بِنْتِ عُمَرَ... قَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ: اللِّخَافُ يَعْنِي الْخَزَفَ
"Abu Bakr sent for me at the time of the battle of Yamama while Umar was with him. Abu Bakr said: 'Umar has come to me and said: The killing has become intense on the day of Yamama among the qurra' of the Quran, and I am afraid that the killing will become intense among the qurra' in all places, so much of the Quran will be lost. I think you should command the gathering of the Quran.' I said: How can I do something that the Messenger of Allah (saw) did not do? Umar said: By Allah, it is a good thing. Umar kept on pressing me until Allah opened my chest for that which He had opened the chest of Umar and I saw in it what Umar saw. Zaid said: Abu Bakr said: 'You are a wise young man and we do not suspect you; you used to write the Divine Revelation for Allah's Messenger (saw). So, search for the Quran and gather it.' Zaid said: By Allah, if they had charged me with shifting a mountain from the mountains, it would not have been heavier for me than what he charged me with regarding the gathering of the Quran. I said: How can you both do something that the Messenger of Allah (saw) did not do? Abu Bakr said: By Allah, it is a good thing. He kept urging me until Allah opened my chest for what He had opened the chests of Abu Bakr and Umar, and I saw what they both saw. So, I searched for the Quran, gathering it from 'usub (palm stalks), riqa' (parchments), likhaf (thin white stones), and the chests of men. I found the end of Surah At-Tawbah: 'Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger from among yourselves...' (At-Tawbah [9]: 128) until its end with Khuzaimah or Abu Khuzaimah, so I attached it to its Surah. The suhuf (sheets) remained with Abu Bakr during his life until Allah (swt) took him, then with Umar during his life until Allah took him, then with Hafsah, the daughter of Umar... Muhammad bin Ubaidullah said: Al-Likhaf means pottery/stones." (Sahih al-Bukhari, 6654)
c. Al-Bukhari's narrations from Zaid bin Thabit (ra) are repeated, and in each of them, Abu Bakr's words to Zaid are: "Abu Bakr said: You are a wise young man and we do not suspect you; you used to write the Divine Revelation for Allah's Messenger (saw). So, search for the Quran and gather it."
d. From this, it is clear that Abu Bakr (ra) asked Zaid to search for the Quran and gather it, not to write it. This means Zaid's (ra) task was to search for the suhuf written in the presence of the Messenger (saw), whether they were riqa', 'usub, or likhaf, and to gather them—not to write them anew.
e. This is confirmed by the fact that when Zaid did not find the end of Surah At-Tawbah written except with Khuzaimah al-Ansari, and it was not written with anyone else, he paused to verify this. This was despite the fact that they memorized it by tawatur (successive narration). However, they had obligated themselves not to accept any sheet unless two witnesses testified that it was written in the presence of the Messenger (saw). Since they only found this verse written with Khuzaimah, they paused to find two witnesses; Khuzaimah was one, and they wanted another witness. They did not write the verse from their memory, although they memorized it by tawatur. Then relief came from Allah (swt) as some Companions testified that the Messenger of Allah (saw) had made Khuzaimah’s testimony equal to the testimony of two men. Consequently, they took this sheet from Khuzaimah because his testimony counted as two.
f. Regarding Khuzaimah’s testimony being equal to two, Ahmad reported in his Musnad and Abu Dawud in his Sunan, and the wording is Ahmad's:
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْيَمَانِ حَدَّثَنَا شُعَيْبٌ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ حَدَّثَنِي عُمَارَةُ بْنُ خُزَيْمَةَ الْأَنْصَارِيُّ، أَنَّ عَمَّهُ حَدَّثَهُ، وَهُوَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ ابْتَاعَ فَرَساً مِنْ أَعْرَابِيٍّ فَاسْتَتْبَعَهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ لِيَقْضِيَهُ ثَمَنَ فَرَسِهِ، فَأَسْرَعَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ الْمَشْيَ وَأَبْطَأَ الْأَعْرَابِيُّ، فَطَفِقَ رِجَالٌ يَعْتَرِضُونَ الْأَعْرَابِيَّ فَيُسَاوِمُونَ بِالْفَرَسِ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ ابْتَاعَهُ، حَتَّى زَادَ بَعْضُهُمْ الْأَعْرَابِيَّ فِي السَّوْمِ عَلَى ثَمَنِ الْفَرَسِ الَّذِي ابْتَاعَهُ بِهِ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ، فَنَادَى الْأَعْرَابِيُّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقَالَ: إِنْ كُنْتَ مُبْتَاعاً هَذَا الْفَرَسَ فَابْتَعْهُ وَإِلَّا بِعْتُهُ. فَقَامَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ حِينَ سَمِعَ نِدَاءَ الْأَعْرَابِيِّ فَقَالَ: أَوَلَيْسَ قَدْ ابْتَعْتُهُ مِنْكَ؟ قَالَ الْأَعْرَابِيُّ: لَا وَاللَّهِ مَا بِعْتُكَ. فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ: بَلَى قَدْ ابْتَعْتُهُ مِنْكَ. فَطَفِقَ النَّاسُ يَلُوذُونَ بِالنَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَالْأَعْرَابِيِّ وَهُمَا يَتَرَاجَعَانِ، فَطَفِقَ الْأَعْرَابِيُّ يَقُولُ: هَلُمَّ شَهِيداً يَشْهَدُ أَنِّي بَايَعْتُكَ، فَمَنْ جَاءَ مِنْ الْمُسْلِمِينَ قَالَ لِلْأَعْرَابِيِّ: وَيْلَكَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِيَقُولَ إِلَّا حَقّاً، حَتَّى جَاءَ خُزَيْمَةُ فَاسْتَمَعَ لِمُرَاجَعَةِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَمُرَاجَعَةِ الْأَعْرَابِيِّ، فَطَفِقَ الْأَعْرَابِيُّ يَقُولُ: هَلُمَّ شَهِيداً يَشْهَدُ أَنِّي بَايَعْتُكَ. قَالَ خُزَيْمَةُ: أَنَا أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ قَدْ بَايَعْتَهُ، فَأَقْبَلَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ عَلَى خُزَيْمَةَ فَقَالَ: بِمَ تَشْهَدُ؟ فَقَالَ: بِتَصْدِيقِكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، فَجَعَلَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ شَهَادَةَ خُزَيْمَةَ شَهَادَةَ رَجُلَيْنِ
"Umara bin Khuzaimah al-Ansari narrated that his uncle, who was one of the Prophet's (saw) companions, told him that the Prophet (saw) bought a horse from a Bedouin and asked him to follow him to pay the price. The Prophet (saw) walked quickly while the Bedouin was slow. Men started intercepting the Bedouin, bargaining for the horse, not knowing that the Prophet (saw) had already bought it. Some even offered a higher price than what the Prophet (saw) had paid. The Bedouin called out to the Prophet (saw): 'If you are buying this horse, then buy it; otherwise, I will sell it.' The Prophet (saw) stood up when he heard the Bedouin's call and said: 'Have I not already bought it from you?' The Bedouin said: 'No, by Allah, I did not sell it to you.' The Prophet (saw) said: 'Yes, I have bought it from you.' People began to gather around the Prophet (saw) and the Bedouin as they argued. The Bedouin said: 'Bring a witness to testify that I sold it to you.' Any Muslim who came said to the Bedouin: 'Woe to you! The Prophet (saw) would not say anything but the truth.' Then Khuzaimah came and listened to the exchange between the Prophet (saw) and the Bedouin. The Bedouin said: 'Bring a witness to testify that I sold it to you.' Khuzaimah said: 'I testify that you sold it to him.' The Prophet (saw) turned to Khuzaimah and asked: 'On what basis do you testify?' He said: 'Based on believing you, O Messenger of Allah.' So the Prophet (saw) made Khuzaimah's testimony equivalent to the testimony of two men." Al-Hakim also reported it in Al-Mustadrak and said: "...This is a Hadith with a Sahih chain, and its narrators are reliable by the agreement of the two Sheikhs (Bukhari and Muslim), though they did not record it."
g. All of this proves that the Companion with whom the written parchment of the two verses of At-Tawbah was found, and not with anyone else, was Khuzaimah and not Abu Khuzaimah, as mentioned in some narrations. This is because the verse was accepted based on the testimony of its carrier being equal to two, and this applies to Khuzaimah and not to Abu Khuzaimah. It seems the names became confused among narrators between Khuzaimah and Abu Khuzaimah, which happens sometimes. In any case, it is Khuzaimah bin Thabit al-Ansari as explained above.
h. Thus, Zaid paused the gathering of what he found written with Khuzaimah until witnesses testified that Khuzaimah’s testimony was equal to two according to the Hadith we mentioned from the Messenger of Allah (saw). Only then was Zaid’s heart at ease, and he gathered this parchment found with Khuzaimah and added it to the other written materials.
i. All of this confirms that Zaid’s task, assigned by Abu Bakr, was to gather the Quran and not to write it. Zaid gathered the copies written in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (saw), arranged these materials into their Surahs, and placed them in one location. Every piece he gathered was testified to by at least two people that it was written in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (saw), except the end of At-Tawbah, which was only with Khuzaimah, and whose testimony the Messenger of Allah (saw) made equal to two. Allah (swt) spoke the truth when He said:
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ
"Indeed, it is We who sent down the Message [i.e., the Qur’an], and indeed, We will be its guardian." (Al-Hijr [15]: 9)
j. Therefore, the narrations you mentioned in the question—suggesting that what Zaid did in Abu Bakr’s time was a transcription of the Quranic verses rather than a gathering of the 'usub, riqa', and likhaf—contradict the authentic (Sahih) narrations in al-Bukhari as explained above. Therefore, what we mentioned applies to it: it is rejected in terms of its content (dirayah) even if its chain (sanad) is sound, or it is not taken due to its weakness if the chain is weak.
In conclusion, it is clear from your question that you have reviewed The Islamic Personality Volume 1 and Taysir al-Wusul ila al-Usul regarding the gathering of the Quran. Thus, there is no need for me to attach everything from those two books here.
- However, I will excerpt the following from The Islamic Personality:
"(Therefore, Abu Bakr's order to gather the Quran was not an order to write it in one Mushaf, but rather an order to collect the sheets (suhuf) written in the presence of the Messenger (saw) together in one place, and to ensure they were the exact ones by confirming them with the testimony of two witnesses that they were written in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (saw), and that they were written with the Companions and preserved by them. These sheets remained preserved with Abu Bakr during his life, then with Umar during his life, then with Hafsah bint Umar, the Mother of the Believers, according to Umar's will...
...Accordingly, Uthman’s work was not a 'gathering' of the Quran, but rather a transcription and transfer of the exact material reported from the Messenger of Allah (saw) as it was. He did nothing except transcribe seven copies from the copy preserved with Hafsah, the Mother of the Believers, and united the people on this script alone, prohibiting any other script or spelling. The matter settled on this copy in script and spelling, which is the same script and spelling in which the sheets were written in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (saw) when the Revelation descended, and it is the same copy gathered by Abu Bakr. Then the Muslims began transcribing from these copies and no other, and only Uthman’s Mushaf with its orthography remained. When printing presses were invented, the Mushaf was printed from this copy with the same script and spelling...)"
- And I will excerpt from Taysir the following:
"Allah (swt) has guaranteed the preservation of the Holy Quran; falsehood cannot approach it from before it or from behind it, and no one can change a single letter of it without being discovered:
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ
'Indeed, it is We who sent down the Message, and indeed, We will be its guardian.' (Al-Hijr [15]: 9)
إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا جَمْعَهُ وَقُرْآنَهُ
'Indeed, upon Us is its collection and its recitation.' (Al-Qiyamah [75]: 17)
وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنْ عِندِ غَيْرِ اللّهِ لَوَجَدُواْ فِيهِ اخْتِلاَفاً كَثِيراً
'If it had been from [any] other than Allah, they would have found within it much contradiction.' (An-Nisa [4]: 82)
لَا يَأْتِيهِ الْبَاطِلُ مِن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَلَا مِنْ خَلْفِهِ تَنزِيلٌ مِّنْ حَكِيمٍ حَمِيدٍ
'Falsehood cannot approach it from before it or from behind it; [it is] a revelation from a [Lord who is] Wise and Praiseworthy.' (Fussilat [41]: 42)
Allah (swt) has preserved the Holy Quran and provided those who would gather it and protect it from alteration and distortion until it reached us through mutawatir (recurrent) transmission. The Companions—may Allah be pleased with them—conveyed the exact revelation that descended and what the Messenger (saw) commanded to be written. It will remain preserved until Allah inherits the earth and those upon it, and for as long as Allah wills."
Your Brother, Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah
30 Rabi’ al-Akhir 1442 AH 15/12/2020 CE
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