Ali Ibn Abi Talib - Volume 1 of 2

280 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib at ihe time of the Rightly Guided Caliphs
Allah, we do not fear them, and they will be more than happy to be
left alone in their land with no one bothering them.' None of those
from whom 'Uthm2n sought advice differed with him. Then he
addressed the people and urged them to join the campaign to North
Africa. Some of the Companions went out on this campaign,
including Abdullah ibn az-Zuhayr and Ahu Dharr al-~hifiiri."~~~
3.4.3. 'Ali's view on 'Uthmsn's uniting
the people on one Qur'anic recitation
'Uthd (&,) assembled the Muhijireen and the An& and
consulted them with regard to this matter. Among this group were the
most prominent Companions, foremost among whom was 'Ali ibn
Abi T2ih (&). 'Uthmb (&)presented this topic to the elite of the
Ummah and its leaders who were guided and were beacons of
guidance. He discussed the issue with them, and they discussed it
with him, until he found out their view, and they came to know his
view. What they agreed upon became known to people throughout
the land, and it is not known that anyone opposed their decision or
objected to this idea. The issue of the Qur'an is not something that
could he hidden from any ordinary member of the Ummah, let alone
the scholars and prominent figures.2z9
'UthmZn (&) . did not introduce any innovations when
..
collecting the Qur'an because Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq (&) had done it
before him. 'Uthm2n did not decide this matter by himself; he did it
in consultation with the Companions (may Allah be pleased with
them), who approved of this action and said it was a good idea. They
also said that he did well with regard to what he did with the
m~~hafs.~~~ Mns'ab ibn Sa'd met the Companions of the Prophet
(@) when 'Uthmb burned the (other) mushafs, and he saw that they
were impressed by this action of his.231 'Ali (&) used to rebuke
those who criticized 'Uthm2n (&) for that, and he used to say: "0