“As far as the various pieces of revelation are concerned, we may be confi- dent that their text has been generally transmitted exactly as it was found in the Prophet’s legacy.” 1
The historical credibility of the Quran is further established by the fact that one of the copies sent out by the Caliph Uthman is still in existence today. It lies in the Museum of the City of Tashkent in Uzbekistan, Central Asia. According to Memory of the World Program, UNESCO, an arm of the Unit- ed Nations, ‘it is the de initive version, known as the Mushaf of Uthman.’3 2
This manuscript, held by the Mus- lim Board of Uzbekistan, is the earliest existent written version of the Quran. It is the definitive ver- sion, known as the Mushaf of Othman. Image courtesy of Mem- ory of the World Register, UN- ESCO. A facsimile of the mushaf in Tashkent is available at the Columbia University Library in the US.4 This copy is proof that the text of the Quran we have in
Schwally, Geschichte des Qorans, Leipzig: Dieterich’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1909-38,
Yusuf Ibrahim al-Nur, Ma’ al-Masaahif, Dubai: Dar al-Manar, 1st ed
., 1993, p.117; Isma’il
Makhdum, Tarikh al-Mushaf al-Uthmani fi Tashqand, Tashkent: Al-Idara al-Diniya, 1971, p.22ff.
I. Mendelsohn, “The Columbia University Copy Of The Samarqand Kufic Quran”, The Moslem World, 1940, p. 357-358.
A. Jeffery & I. Mendelsohn, “The Orthography Of The Samarqand Quran Codex”, Journal Of The American Oriental Society, 1942, Volume 62, pp. 175-195.
The Muslim World, 1940, Vol.30, p.357-358