He then turned to the remaining muṣḥafs that people still possessed—those which differed from the recension he had just approved—and burned them so that no further dissension might arise.

Abū Bakr ibn Abī Dāwūd said in his book al-Maṣāḥif (1): “Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related to us; Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān both said: Shuʿbah narrated to us, from ʿAlqamah ibn Marthad (2), from a man who reported from Suwayd ibn Ghafalah, who said: ʿAlī—when ʿUthmān burned the muṣḥafs—remarked to me, ‘Had he not done it, I would have done it myself.’”

Abū Dāwūd al-Ṭayālisī (3) and ʿAmr ibn Marzūq transmitted the same report from Shuʿbah.

Al-Bayhaqī (4) and others likewise narrated it through Muḥammad ibn Abān—who was Ḥusayn’s brother-in-law—from ʿAlqamah ibn Marthad, who said: “I heard al-ʿAyzār ibn Jurūl; I heard Suwayd ibn Ghafalah say: ʿAlī declared, ‘People! Beware of going to extremes against ʿUthmān, saying, “He burned the muṣḥafs.” By Allah, he only burned them after consulting a group of the Companions of Muḥammad ﷺ. Had I been placed in charge of what he was placed in charge of, I would have done the very same thing.’”

It is also related from Ibn Masʿūd (5) that he voiced displeasure when his own muṣḥaf was taken and burned. He spoke of how he had entered Islam before Zayd ibn Thābit—the one tasked with writing the codices—and he told his pupils to conceal (6) their muṣḥafs, reciting the verse, “And whoever is dishonest shall bring what he was dishonest about on the Day of Resurrection” (Āl ʿImrān 161). ʿUthmān, may Allah be pleased with him, then wrote to him, inviting him to follow the Companions in what they had unanimously judged beneficial—uniting the community and eliminating discord. Ibn Masʿūd accepted, complied, and abandoned his objection, may Allah be pleased with them all.

Abū Isḥāq reported from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Yazīd that ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd entered the mosque of Minā and asked, “How many rakʿahs did the Commander of the Believers pray for Ẓuhr?” They answered, “Four.” Ibn Masʿūd therefore prayed four. The people said, “Did you not tell us that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, Abū Bakr, and ʿUmar prayed two?” He replied, “Indeed, and I tell you that again now—but I dislike disagreement.” In the Ṣaḥīḥ (7) Ibn Masʿūd said, “Would that my share from those four rakʿahs were two accepted ones.”

Al-Aʿmash (8) said: “Muʿāwiyah ibn Qurrah at Wāsiṭ narrated to me from his elders, who said …”