Dating Reports on Ibn Masʿūd’s Reaction to the Compilation of the Qurʾān under ʿUthmān

Document Type : Research Article

Authors
Marjan Shiri Mohammadabadi 1
Nosrat Nilsaz 2
1 PhD in Quran and Hadith Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Department of Quran and Hadith Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
10.30497/qhs.2026.247984.4115
Abstract
Reports concerning ʿAbd Allāh b. Masʿūd’s to the appointment of Zayd b. Thābit for the compilation of the Qurʾān during the caliphate of ʿUthmān, as well as his refusal to surrender his personal codex (muṣḥaf), have been transmitted through diverse chains (ṭuruq) and textual versions in Sunni ḥadīth and historical sources. This study employs multiple methods of ḥadīth dating, including isnād analysis and combined isnād–textual analysis, in order to reconstruct the historical and geographical origins of these reports and trace their gradual development over time. The findings of the isnād analysis indicate that Ibn Masʿūd functions as the common pivotal transmitter across these reports, with at least seven transmitters reporting from him. The tradition appears to have originated and circulated in Kūfa before 30 AH, later spreading to Baṣra through subsequent generations. Key secondary common links that played a significant role in its transmission include Abū Isḥāq al-Sabīʿī, al-Aʿmash—both Kūfan transmitters—and Ibrāhīm b. Saʿd from Medina. The results of the isnād–textual analysis show that all versions consistently emphasize Ibn Masʿūd’s elevated status during the lifetime of the Prophet and describe Zayd b. Thābit as a young man (with two locks of hair, “dhūʾābatān”), a detail often interpreted as an allusion to his Jewish background. All versions also include Ibn Masʿūd’s refusal to hand over his codex and his encouragement of the Kūfans to follow his stance. In the recension of Shaqīq b. Salamah, an additional claim appears asserting Ibn Masʿūd’s superiority in Qurʾānic knowledge. In the transmissions of Ibrāhīm b. Saʿd, however, the reference to dhūʾābatān is omitted, while a new element expressing Ibn Masʿūd’s resentment at being excluded from the official codification process is introduced.
Keywords
Qurʾānic history
compilation of the Qurʾān
Ibn Masʿūd
dating of reports
isnād analysis
textual criticism
Subjects
The Holy Qur’ān.    
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