Does this Hadith not indicate a distortion of the Holy Quran, or what is the meaning of His saying: "By the night as it envelops, and the male and the female" along with the recitation of Ibn Mas'ud?

The Hadith from Abu al-Darda' is authentic, but it does not indicate distortion of the Qur'an, for it is preserved by Allah Almighty's protection, as He states: "Indeed, it is We who sent down the Dhikr (the Qur'an), and indeed, We will be its guardian." The scholars have mentioned that this was once part of the Qur'an but was later abrogated. Perhaps this occurred before the Uthmanic Mus'haf reached them. However, after the appearance of the Uthmanic Mus'haf, it is not conceivable that anyone would contravene it. What has been narrated from Ibn Mas'ud regarding his divergence is interpreted to mean that he used to write in his Mus'haf some rulings and interpretations which he believed were not part of the Qur'an itself.