The formation of the Authorised Version – the Uthmanic Codex, presents us with an important reason as to why the Quran is incomplete and imperfect.
“ According to Dani, the companion of the prophets came to him and complained to him about the sharp divergences of Kuranic recitations that had appeared among Muslims – just as had been the case, he warned, among Jews and Christians before them. Uthman, thereupon requested Hafsa, one of the prophets widows to send him the leaves she had in her possession, which she did. He appointed a group of five and instructed them to copy the leaves into a single volume monitoring the text as they went.”(1)
This passage explains how the Quran we have today was compiled. Uthman was the third Caliph. This version speaks of him as no more than a editor, who preferred one version of the Quran over the other. The version of the Quran he preferred was that which was in the possession of Hafsa, the widow of Mohammed and the daughter of Umar, the second caliph. He is claimed to have been one of the collector and compiler of the first codex of Quran. Abu Bakr, the first caliph is also said to have been the collector and editor of the first Quran. Even though Uthman was an editor, some sources depicted him also as a collector of Quranic materials from tablets, shoulder blade of animals and dried palm leaves.
If Uthman was still collecting the Quran, how do we know he collected all there is to the Quran? There is an early source which says that the collection was indeed incomplete.
“Let none of you say”, avered the pious son of caliph Umar, “that he has the whole Quran in his possession. How does he know, what the whole of it is? Much of the Quran is gone.”(1) Here is an internal witness to the incompleteness of the Quran and a good reason as to why the Quran as we have today, need not be trusted.
Reference:
(1) The Koran, a very short introduction, Michael Cook