Discover Hazrat Uthman Ibn Affan’s Love for the Holy Quran

Shining Stars

ꜤUthmān’s Love for the holy Quran

Mawlana Adnan Ahmad Attari Madani

One sign of loving the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم is to love the holy Quran.

The noble Quran, which was revealed to the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, is a guide for all those that will come and contains the greatest teachings regarding good character. If we wish to know how much love our hearts contain for Allah Almighty and His Messenger صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, we should look at the level of our interest in the holy Quran and our love for it. We should also observe how much satisfaction we experience when listening to its recitation, as the level of satisfaction one listening to the holy Quran feels is far greater than that experienced by those who remain engrossed in useless things, or who play (and listen to) musical instruments, swaying and feeling pleasure therein.[1]

Just as the 3^rd Caliph of Islam, ꜤUthmān b. ꜤAffān رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ is renowned for his modesty, generosity, and compilation of the holy Quran, he is also well-known for his abundant recitation of the holy Quran and passion for this. In this article, we will discuss this quality of Sayyidunā ꜤUthmān رَضِىَ اللهُ عَـنْهُ.

The first person to recite the entire Quran behind the Station of Ibrāhīm (Maqām Ibrāhīm) is Sayyidunā ꜤUthmān رَضِىَ اللهُ عَـنْهُ.[2] He was also the first individual to compile the Quran in one book. He then wrote it, placed it in the masjid, and gave the command that it be recited every morning.[3]

His practices

At night, Sayyiduna ꜤUthmān رَضِىَ اللهُ عَـنْهُ would offer salah and recite the holy Quran in abundance, and sometimes recite the entire Quran in one unit of salah.[4] A narration describes him remaining awake for the entire night and often completing the entire Quran in every unit of salah.[5]

During ḥajj season, it was his practice to complete the holy Quran in one unit of salah near the Black Stone.[6]

ꜤAbd al-Raḥmān b. Taymī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه mentions:

One night, I stood near the Station of Ibrāhīm to begin acts of worship. “Nobody will be able to surpass me (in worship) tonight”, I thought. Somebody then approached from behind and gestured towards me, yet I did not pay attention to this. He gestured again, and when I looked towards him, I found it was ꜤUthmān b. ꜤAffān رَضِىَ اللهُ عَـنْهُ. I joined him in salah and he recited the entire Quran in one unit.[7]

Completion of the holy Quran every week

On Friday night, Sayyidunā ꜤUthmān رَضِىَ اللهُ عَـنْهُ would recite from al-Baqarah to al-Māˈidah, from al-AnꜤām to Hūd the next night, from Yūsuf to Surah Maryam the next, then Ṭāhā to Qaṣaṣ, then al-ꜤAnkabūt to Ṣād, then al-Zumar to al-Raḥmān, and finish his recital on Thursday night. In one week, from Friday to Thursday night, he would complete recitation of the whole Quran.[8]

Due to being handled so often, the copy of the holy Quran he utilised to recite became worn and no longer usable.[9]

Keeping these practices of Sayyiduna ꜤUthmān رَضِىَ اللهُ عَـنْهُ in mind, we must reflect upon whether we complete a Quran in a month, in a year, or whether we have even completed it once in our entire lives up until today. Is it the case that we only recite the holy Quran in Ramadan, and then do not even look at it for the rest of the year?

His statements

Sayyidunā ꜤUthmān’s statements are also testament to his immense passion for the holy Quran.

* “If your hearts were pure, you would never tire of (reciting) your Lord’s speech (the Quran).”[10]

* “How is it possible for the devotee to ever tire of his beloved’s speech? A major ambition of the devotee is to continue delighting in the beloved’s speech.”[11]

* “I do not like for any day or night of mine to pass by in which I do not look at the Quran.”[12]

Students

146 hadith are narrated from him.[13] Regarding the virtue of learning and teaching the holy Quran, he narrates that the Merciful Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “The best among you is he who learned the holy Quran and taught it to others.”[14]

Just as Sayyiduna ꜤUthmān رَضِىَ اللهُ عَـنْهُ learned the holy Quran from the Greatest Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, the TābiꜤīn gained knowledge of it from him. His students include Abū ꜤAbd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī, Mughīra b. Abū Shihāb, Abū al-Aswad Duˈalī and Zirr b. Ḥubaysh رحمۃُ اللہِ علیہم.[15]

Abū ꜤAbd al-Raḥmān Sulamī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه learned how to recite the holy Quran from Sayyidunā ꜤUthmān رَضِىَ اللهُ عَـنْهُ. From 32 AH to 72 AH, for 40 years, the former taught the holy Quran in the largest masjid of Kufa.[16]

Mughīra b. Abū Shihāb رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه recited the entire Quran before Sayyidunā ꜤUthmān رَضِىَ اللهُ عَـنْهُ and nobody was between them.[17]

In the Fajr salah, Sayyidunā ꜤUthmān رَضِىَ اللهُ عَـنْهُ would frequently recite Sūrah Yūsuf. Furāfiṣa b. ꜤUmayr رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه memorised this after hearing it repeatedly from him.[18]

His passing

On 18 Dhū al-Ḥijjah 35 AH, some vile people took weapons and entered the home of Sayyiduna ꜤUthmān رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ with the intention of martyring him, at which point he was reciting the holy Quran.[19] Sayyidunā ꜤUthmān’s wife said, “If you kill him, you will be killing a man who stays awake at night and recites the entire Quran in one unit of salah.”[20]

The murderers first cut his hand, upon which Sayyidunā ꜤUthmān رَضِىَ اللهُ عَـنْهُ said, “This is the hand that wrote the holy Quran first.” When the evil doers struck his neck, the first drop of blood fell on the 136^th verse of al-Baqarah:

فَسَیَکْفِیْکَہُمُ اللہُ وَھُوَ السَّمِیْعُ الْعَلِیْمُ.

The copy of the holy Quran which contains the marks of Sayyidunā ꜤUthmān’s blood still exists today, in Tashkent.[21]