Why Did the Caliph Uthman Burn Different Versions of the Quran?

The Sincere Seeker: Unveiling Islam's Message and Discovering Life's True Purpose - A podcast by The Sincere Seeker

Prophet Muhammad PBUH received the text of the Holy Quran from Angel Gabriel, who, in turn, received it directly from God. The Holy Quran was not revealed to Prophet Muhammad PBUH at one time, nor were they revealed to him in order. Instead, the Verses of the Holy Quran were revealed to Prophet Muhammad PBUH over the course of 23 years and often would be delivered in the wake of a current event happening in the time of Prophet Muhammad PBUH and his early Muslim companions.  Angel Gabriel instructed Prophet Muhammad PBUH where Verses and Chapters belonged so that he could sequence the Holy Quran correctly. Prophet Muhammad PBUH instructed scribes to write verbatim as he dictated them orally. The scribes of the Prophet PBUH would write the Verses of the Holy Quran as dictated on whatever surface they had available, whether it took the form of leather, white stones, bones, animal skin, pieces of bark, etc. His main scribe was named Zaid bin Thabit R.A.  Whereas Quranic Verses were composed in fragments, the Holy Quran was compiled into a Book--one developed within two years after the passing of the Prophet PBUH when his major companions were still alive. During a battle, many Quranic memorizers were killed, so the scribe of Prophet Muhammad PBUH, Zaid bin Thabit, was asked to compile the Holy Quran into a published Book.  Whereas Zaid bin Thabit memorized the whole Quran by heart, he did not submit any Verses to the formed Book unless he had acquired two witnesses for each Verse-- their testimonies were in written form and memorization--to confirm the Verses were exactly like how they were revealed ensuring no words or letters were added or subtracted from the text.  It's important to stress that the Prophet's main scribe, Zayd bin Thabit, did not rely on himself, or for that matter, a single companion, to compile the Holy Quran. Instead, he called upon the services of the many memorizers of the Holy Quran to ensure and confirm that they possessed the exact Verses of the Holy Quran, as sent down and Revealed to Prophet Muhammad PBUH with no additions or subtractions. Many companions of the Prophet PHUH memorized the Holy Quran during the life of the Prophet, word for word. The companions knew that past Scriptures, such as the Torah sent with Prophet Moses and the Gospel sent with Jesus Christ, were rendered lost, so they took the necessary steps to protect the Holy Quran from any additions, enhancements, or subtractions; doing so through the devices of word for word memorization.  No parts of the Holy Quran were lost when Zaid bin Thabit compiled the Quran into book form; this owing to the fact that the companions had written copies of the Holy Quran, and the Holy Quran as a whole was memorized by many of the companions. The oral tradition has always been the primary means of preserving the Holy Quran; even today, millions of people worldwide have memorized the Quran by heart. This more than 600-page document is memorized word for word, letter for letter, even by children that do not speak Arabic. Even if every single copy of the Quran were to be burnt today, it would not matter--because many people worldwide have the Holy Quran memorized by heart.  This complete Book of the Holy Quran remained with the first Caliph, Abu Bakr, until his death, then was passed down to the second Caliph, Umar ibn Al Khattab. After his death, it was entrusted to his daughter, Hafsa, also a wife of the Prophet PBUH. Support the show