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The Qur’an, and all Muslims, are claiming that the Qur’an’s script, is not, and cannot be tempered with, as God himself promised to protect it. He didn’t make the same promise. From their point of view, in protecting the Torah, and the bible.
Qur’an 15:9 We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption).
Qur’an 4:82 Do they not consider the Qur’ān (with care)? Had it been from other Than God, they would surely have found therein Much discrepancy
10:15 But when Our Clear Signs are rehearsed unto them, those who rest not their hope on their meeting with Us, Say: "Bring us a Reading other than this, or change this," Say: "It is not for me, of my own accord, to change it: I follow naught but what is revealed unto me: if I were to disobey my Lord, I should myself fear the penalty of a Great Day (to come)."
10:37 This Qur’ān is not such as can be produced by other than God. on the contrary it is a confirmation of (revelations) that went before it, and a fuller explanation of the Book- wherein there is no doubt - from the Lord of the worlds.
85.21-22 Day, this is a Glorious Qur’ān,
(Inscribed) in a Tablet Preserved
And so more in the Qur’an, testifying that it is the perfect, complete, and untouchable word of Allah.
In this article, I am going to discuss this claim, and we will see whether this claim is valid, or the best kept book, was tempered with, in many stages, and by many people?
The collection, and writing of the Qur’an, started when Mohamed was still alive. In many of the Islamic books, it was clearly mentioned, that Mohamed ordered the writers, to write whatever verse he receives, to keep those verses safe from being lost or forgotten. The very big question regarding this claim that was mentioned by several Islamic writers; if this was the case? Where are the sources of those writings? Not one of them has been discovered and preserved, as the sources for the Holly book were found and preserved?
They keep all kinds of possessions, which Mohamed had, but not one single source for this Qur’an, Isn’t that very strange?!
Muslims claim that the Qur’an was written on wooden and stone material. Those wooden, and stone material were kept, preserved the Qur’an from loss. If that was the case, where is the Qur’an which was written in Mecca? As we all know, Mohamed fled from Mecca with Abu Bakr, and they had nothing more with them. The Qur’an material which was supposed to be transported from Mecca to Al Madinah, needed 20 rides to carry them as per Mohamed’s Sobeih book ‘New research about the Holy Qur’an’ pages 87 and 88.
This was supposed to be the first collection of the Qur’an, during Mohamed’s era. If this was the case, and the Qur’an was collected during Mohamed’s life, there was no point of having the second collection of the Qur’an done, the way it was.
Abu Bakr Al Seddiq the first Khalifa who came after Mohamed’s death, asked Omar Ibn Al Khattab and Zaid Ibn Thabet to collect the Qur’an from the people who remember it, and they have to make sure that whatever they collect, is remembered by at least two people. So why did this collection had to be made this way, if it was already written? Wouldn't it be more accurate, if the written material was all collected, then examined for accuracy, and then written down in one book?! And the main reason behind making the first collection, also supports that hte Qur'an was not entirely written before, and this reason was, the casualty rate in Yamama war.
Many of the companions of the Prophet of Allah (saw) had their own reading of the Qur'an, but they died and their readings disappeared soon afterwards. (Ibn Abi Dawud, Kitab al-Masahif, p.83).
[Zaid b. Thabit said:] 'The Prophet died and the Qur'an had not been assembled into a single place.' (p. 118, Ahmad b. `Ali b. Muhammad al `Asqalani, ibn Hajar, "Fath al Bari", 13 vols, Cairo, 1939/1348, vol. 9, p. 9)
Salim had already 'collected the Qur'an into a single volume' -- he was the first to collect the Qur'an, and gave it the name mushaf, a word he had heard in Ethiopia, (p. 121, Jalal al Din `Abdul Rahman b. abi Bakr al Suyuti, "al Itqan fi `ulum al Qur'an", Halabi, Cairo, 1935/1354, pt 1, p. 58)
The sheets [suhuf] that Zaid prepared in this manner remained in the keeping of Abu Bakr. On his death, they passed to `Umar who then bequeathed them on his death to his daughter Hafsa. (p. 118-119, Ahmad b. `Ali b. Muhammad al `Asqalani, ibn Hajar, "Fath al Bari", 13 vols, Cairo, 1939/1348, vol. 9, p. 9. Also Sahih Bukhari vol. VI:509, 510)
Zuhri reports that when slaughter befell the Muslims in the Yemama it was Abu Bakr who feared that many of the qarra' would perish. (p. 120, Ahmad b. `Ali b. Muhammad al `Asqalani, ibn Hajar, "Fath al Bari", 13 vols, Cairo, 1939/1348, vol. 9, p. 12)
It is said that upward of 700 Companions fell in the Yemama. Sufyan reports that when Salim was slain `Umar hastened to Abu Bakr. (p. 120, Ahmad b. `Ali b. Muhammad al `Asqalani, ibn Hajar, "Fath al Bari", 13 vols, Cairo, 1939/1348, vol. 9, p. 9)
The first to collect the Qur'an between two covers was Abu Bakr. awwal man jama`a al Qur'an baina lawhain. (p. 122, Abu Bakr `Abdullah b. abi Da'ud, "K. al Masahif", ed. A. Jeffery, Cairo, 1936/1355, p. 6)
`Ali said, 'God bless Abu Bakr! He was the first to collect the Qur'an between two covers', (p. 122, Abu Bakr `Abdullah b. abi Da'ud, "K. al Masahif", ed. A. Jeffery, Cairo, 1936/1355, p. 6)
'the greatest reward in respect of the masahif will fall to Abu Bakr for he was the first to collect the text between the two covers.' (p. 122, Abu Bakr `Abdullah b. abi Da'ud, "K. al Masahif", ed. A. Jeffery, Cairo, 1936/1355, p. 5)
'Abu Bakr collected the Qur'an after the death of the Prophet.' (p. 122, Abu Bakr `Abdullah b. abi Da'ud, "K. al Masahif", ed. A. Jeffery, Cairo, 1936/1355, p. 6)
Elsewhere we are assured that Zaid first wrote out the Qur'an for Abu Bakr on scraps of leather and on palm-branches. On the death of Abu Bakr, `Umar appointed Zaid to transcribe his materials into the sahifa which remained in `Umar's possession. (p. 123, Ahmad b. `Ali b. Muhammad al `Asqalani, ibn Hajar, "Fath al Bari", 13 vols, Cairo, 1939/1348, vol. 9, p. 12)
From all of the above, we reach the conclusion, that the Qur’an in its present form was not created during the life of Muhammad, and this destroys all theories claiming that it was completed during the life of Muhammad.
Now let us take a closer look on how the first collection of the Qur’an which took place during Abu Bakr was conducted.
It was supposed to be confirmed by two people before it was written down, as part of the Qur’an according to the following:
Abu Bakr ordered `Umar and Zaid to sit in the gate of the mosque and to include in the mushaf only what was vouched for by the testimony of two men. (p. 125, Ahmad b. `Ali b. Muhammad al `Asqalani, ibn Hajar, "Fath al Bari", 13 vols, Cairo, 1939/1348, vol. 9, p. 11)
But, is that really what strictly happened, or exceptions were made to this rule?!
In a book called (The compiler, Al gamea), written by Ibn Rashed Al azdy, part 11, page 235. (Zaid Ibn Thabet said “When we wrote the masahef, a verse was lost, that I used to hear from the prophet, and I found it at Khozayma Ibn Thabet Al Ansary. And it was 33:23 Among the Believers are men who have been true to their covenant with God. of them some have completed their vow (to the extreme), and some (still) wait: but they have never changed (their determination) in the least. After that Khazayma was known as the dual witness, the prophet accepted his testimony to be accepted as dual, and it was inserted in Sura 33.
In (Mosnad Al imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal), part one, page 199. (by Abdullah Ibn Al Zubayr, “Al harith Ibn Khazmah came with two verses from the end of Bara’ah (Al Tawbah 128 and 129. Now hath come unto you a Messenger from amongst yourselves: it grieves him that ye should perish: ardently anxious is he over you: to the Believers is he most kind and merciful. But if they turn away, Say: "God sufficeth me: there is no god but He: On Him is my trust,- He the Lord of the Throne (of Glory) Supreme!" to Umar, he asked him, “And who is with you to confirm this?” He said “No body, but I witness that I heard it from the prophet of Allah, and studied it”. Umar replied “And I witness that I heard it from the prophet of Allah”, and added “And if they were three verses, I would have made it a separate Sura “, then ordered the writers saying: “Find a sura from the Qur’an, and insert them in it” so Zayd inserted it at the end of Al tawba.
In the book Proficiency in the science of the Quran (Al Itqan fi oloum al Qur’an) by Al Seyouti, part 1, page 163.Umar came with the verse of stoning, but Zayd refused to add it, because he was alone on it, while he accepted another verse before from a single source! This is a very strange situation, taking in consideration that Umar was very highly respected by Muhammad, and he was the second Khalifa too.
In the book Wallflowers jewels (Al dor al manthour) by Galal Al Din Al Seyouti, part 6, page 558 (the nawawy said “It came to our knowledge that some of the prophet fellows were injured on the day of the war with Musaylama, so parts of the Qur’an were lost”.
In the Proficiency in the science of the Qur’an, part 3, page 66. “Nafea herd from Umar’s son that Umar said “No one says that I studied the whole Qur’an, he doesn’t know its whole, a lot of it is lost, he can say I studied what is available”
In the book Proficiency in the science of the Quran (Al Itqan fi oloum al Qur’an) by Al Seyouti, part 1, page 177. When Abo Bakr became Khalifa, Ali Ibn Abu Taleb stayed home, Abu Bakr was told that Ali did not support him, so he sent to him saying “Did you hate supporting me?!” Ali replied “God knows it is not that”, Abu Bakt asked “Why didn’t you come?!” Ali replied “I saw the book of God being added to, so I said to myself, I will not put my clothes on except for praying, until I collect it.”
Abu Bakr, and Umar collected the Qur’an in one book, but they did not eliminate the problem of the existence of different versions, and readings of the Qur’an, which made it necessary for Othman Ibn Affan to recollect the Qur’an once again, and make sure that the different versions, and readings are destroyed, and only one version is being used in all pars of the Islamic Umma.
In the book Proficiency in the science of the Quran (Al Itqan fi oloum al Qur’an) by Al Seyouti, part 1, page 165,166. Uthman collection happened when numerous readings were occurring, and people even started reading it in their own languages, and they started to say others were reading wrong readings, Uthamn was worried of things getting out of control in this regard. He collected, and organized one version, and chose from all languages Qoraish tribe’s, saying that the Qur’an was revealed in their language.
This collection was also made by Zaid Ibn Thabet, although the most important four Qur’an studiers were as per Muhammad, Bukhary, part 4, and page 199. Muhammad said “Listen to the Qur’an from four Abdullah Ibn Mas’oud, Obay Ibn Ka’b, Ma’az Ibn Gabal, and Salem Mawla Abi Hozayfah”. So why did Othman neglect those four, and once again asked Zaid to collect it?!
If the Qur’an was collected completely, and perfectly by Abu Bakr, and Umar, why was the need for Uthman to ask Zeid, once again to re-collect the Qur’an, and then burned all the other ones? If they were all the same version, and no differences or discrepancies were found, why was the need of burning the other versions?! Needless to say, that in this collection too, they had the freedom to find missing verses, as well as adding, and removing from the Qur’an.
If I was to include all that is related to this issue in this article, I would need to write much more to show what happened during the collection of Uthman, but as it happened in the first time, things also happened during the second time, which is not really necessary to mention them in details, as the details already mentioned in the first collection, and not directly copying from it, supports the conclusion that all sorts of editing happened to the second collection too.
The conclusion is that the claim by Muslims, that Qur’an is the untouched, complete, and preserved word of Allah, is nothing but more of Islam myth and poor Muslims are well rested that they have the full truth from Allah revealed to Muhammad.
It is not only Muhammad, wrote this book, and included what he wanted to build his Islamic empire, but Also Abu Bakr, Umar, Zaid, and Utman are his partners in presenting to the world the Qut’an in its present form.
