The correct answer is Hazrat Hafsa (R.A). The manuscript known as the Mus’haf of Abu Bakr represents the very first time the Quranic revelations were gathered into a single, unified written volume. After the passing of the first Caliph, Hazrat Abu... Read More
The correct answer is Hazrat Hafsa (R.A). The manuscript known as the Mus’haf of Abu Bakr represents the very first time the Quranic revelations were gathered into a single, unified written volume. After the passing of the first Caliph, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (R.A), this precious collection remained in the custody of Hazrat Umar Farooq (R.A) throughout his decade-long leadership. However, as the end of Hazrat Umar’s life approached following his assassination in 23 A.H., a critical decision had to be made regarding the safekeeping of this primary source of Islamic law.
Unlike the transfer of political power, which was left to a committee of six companions, the custody of the original Quranic script followed a different path. Hazrat Umar (R.A) decided to entrust the manuscript to his daughter, Hazrat Hafsa (R.A), the widow of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H). This move was deeply significant. It moved the manuscript from the official "state archives" of the Caliphate into the hands of one of the most learned women of the time, ensuring it remained safe during the period of political transition and the election of the third Caliph.
Hazrat Hafsa (R.A) was not chosen simply because she was the daughter of the Caliph. She was a distinguished scholar in her own right. Among the Ummahat-ul-Mu'minin (Mothers of the Believers), she was one of the few individuals who was fully literate—an uncommon skill in 7th-century Arabia. She had been personally taught to read and write by Ash-Shifa bint Abdullah at the request of the Prophet (P.B.U.H).
Furthermore, she was a Hafiza (memorizer) of the Quran. Her deep knowledge of the verses and her proximity to the Prophet (P.B.U.H) during the years of revelation made her a "living archive." By placing the written script in her care, the Sahaba (R.A) ensured that the physical text was guarded by someone who possessed the mental text as well.
The period during which Hazrat Hafsa (R.A) held the manuscript was a time of rapid expansion for the Islamic state. As Islam spread to non-Arabic speaking regions like Persia and the Byzantine territories, variations in the dialect of recitation began to emerge. This led the third Caliph, Hazrat Uthman bin Affan (R.A), to recognize the need for a standardized, official codex that would be distributed to all provinces.
To achieve this, Hazrat Uthman (R.A) sent a formal request to Hazrat Hafsa (R.A). He asked for the loan of the original "Abu Bakr script" so that several identical copies could be transcribed from it. Hazrat Hafsa (R.A) agreed, but only on the condition that the original manuscript would be returned to her custody after the copies were completed. This original script served as the "Master Copy" for what we now know as the Mushaf-e-Uthmani.
After the standardized copies were made and sent to major cities like Kufa and Damascus, the original manuscript was indeed returned to Hazrat Hafsa (R.A), as promised. She continued to guard it with great reverence for the remainder of her life. Her stewardship ensured that the most authentic, verified version of the Holy Quran survived the most turbulent years of early Islamic history, eventually forming the basis for every copy of the Quran read across the world today.
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