Is there any change or omission in the Qur’an?
Dr. Mozammel Haque
Generally
people are curious and pose the question: is there any change or omission or
addition in the Qur’an? I think this question must be answered in order to
resolve any confusion. I think, it should be clearly said without any ambiguity
that there is no changes, no additions, no omissions and no alterations in the
text of the Qur’an after the Prophet peace be upon him passed away. It is also
to be mentioned that once the Qur’an is collected and compiled as a text by the
Third Caliph Uthman bin Affan there is no changes or nothing is omitted from
the Qur’an.
Now,
at the Islamic Cultural Centre, London, someone raised this question at the
Islamic Circle meeting on 5th of January 2019. The Question was: Some
part of the Qur’an is added or omitted or dropped from the Qur’an? That was the
question. Whether this is true or not that is the question.
Dr. Ahmad al-Dubayan
Director General of the Centre
Dr.
Ahmad al-Dubayan, Director General of the Islamic Cultural Centre, London, gave
a lecture on this issue. He has already talked about the abrogation in the
Qur’an or not. He said, “The Qur’an that we have now as a Book is it the real
Qur’an that was revealed to Prophet Sallallahu wa Sallam or there is
some part of it is missing or may be, some part of it is added which is not a
part of the Qur’an? This is a question.”
Dr.
al-Dubayan said, “Be careful I am going to explain this. Those who believe,
from the Sunnah specially, that there is abrogation in the Qur’an; they said
there were some verses, may be, two or three or four verses of the Qur’an revealed
to the Prophet Sallallahu wa Sallam during his life and then during his
life these were removed from the Qur’an. So revealed to be there and revealed to
be removed. The Prophet Sallallahu wa Sallam was there.”
“When
the Prophet Sallallahu wa Sallam came to the end of his life, the Qur’an
was known as a text; but not all the companions memorized the Qur’an; each one memorized
some parts of them; some of them may be two-thirds of the Qur’an; some of them almost
all; some of them one Juz’ or two Juz’; three Juz’; but the community, all of
them, memorized the Qur’an all together; few only who can memorize the Qur’an
completely. Few people only; but most of them memorized some parts,” explained
Dr. al-Dubayan.
First Caliph Abu Bakr created a committee
The
ICC Director General continued, “About one year, even less than one year after
the Prophet Sallallahu wa Sallam dead, Abu Bakr Siddiq,the First Caliph,
himself started to write down the Qur’an, the text. He created a committee. This
committee in Madinah used to go to each one in Madinah to ask: ‘Do you memorize
anything from the Qur’an? Yes, what do you memorize? I memorize this.’ Then
they wrote down what he memorized and then they matched it with others and
where is this? Is it this part or this chapter till they complete their work all
of it.”
“Abu
Bakr wrote this and kept it in his house. After his death, of course, Omar bin
Khattab, the second Caliph, took it with him and then Omar bin Khattab all his
life about ten years (This subject - Omar bin Khattab and the Qur’an - was
talked about before) and then Omar bin Khattab was killed. Then this collection
of the Qur’an was given to his daughter Hafsa, who is the wife of the Prophet Sallallahu
wa Sallam. After two three years, the Third Caliph, Uthman bin Affan,
started the process of writing the Qur’an again. He asked Hafsa to hand over
these things that she had. Then Hafsa gave it to them,” Dr. al-Dubayan
mentioned.
The
Third Caliph Uthman bin Affan
Created
committee and wrote the Qur’an text
The
ICC chief continued, “Then Uthman bin Affan again created a committee. The committee
also did the same. They went to ask everybody; they checked whatever Abu Bakr
wrote before, about 12 years ago; and then they wrote it again. Uthman bin
Affan created a committee of companions to read it and to write it; to agree for
a certain order as I said to you the Chapters; not the verses; we know from the
Prophet Sallallahu wa Sallam. They wrote it down. In order to avoid any
problem, Uthman bin Affan wrote five copies, some historians said, seven
copies, some of them said, even about ten copies. He sent one to the major
cities; he sent one to Kufa in Iraq; one to Basra; one to Damascus in Syria. They
said he sent one to Yemen; and then he kept one in Madinah. Some people said,
he sent another one to Makkah. Then the Third Caliph asked the Governor of the
cities to ask people when they wanted to have a Qur’an they copied from this
copy; that’s why; we have now one Qur’an.”
Companion
Hudhaifah bin Al-Yaman
asked
to do it immediately
Dr.
al-Dubayan then enquired how this idea of having one Qur’an came. He described
and narrated the events for having to do this. He said, “That was the idea of
another Companion who is Hudhaifah bin Al-Yaman. Hudhaifah bin Al-Yaman was actually
in Armenia that time. Can you imagine the companions of the Prophet Sallallahu
wa Sallam reached Armenia? He was in Armenia with Muslim army there. Then
some one recited the verse of the Qur’an; some body said no, no, this is not
like this; it is recited that way. Then the other person said; no, this is not
correct; this is the way how it was recited.”
“Then
Hudhaifah bin Al-Yaman himself, who was the companion of the Prophet, realised
that there is something really very dangerous. He moved from Armenia back long
way to Madinah; met Uthman bin Affan and said to him: ‘You have to do something
urgently before we have the same problem that the Jews and Christians have with
the Bible. There are different versions. Immediately you have to write down.’ Then
Uthman bin Affan did it,” Dr. al-Dubayan mentioned the background.
Shia-Sunni story – a political issue,
not religious one
That
was the background of having one Qur’an which was written down as one Qur’an
after having committees during Abu Bakr, Omar bin al-Khattab and Uthman bin
Affan. This is how the present Qur’an compiled as one text, one Book. Now, Dr.
al-Dubayan mentioned about the opinion of the Shia and the Shia-Sunni story. He
said, “Some Shia, not all Shia; by the way, said that the Qur’an is being
changed; why? “There is a long explanation which I am trying to squeeze for you
in a short time. You know the story of Shia and Sunni started in the beginning;
it was a political issue, not religious issue. Those only dispute between Ali
ibn Abi Talib RA because of the Uthman bin Affan the third Caliph was killed;
then each one had different idea anyway that led to some fighting; then that was
some political.”
“After
that those who supported Ali tried to find, say after about, may be, eighty
years after, the idea was created that Ali bin Abi Talib is the real and the
first Caliph and the Prophet Sallallahu wa Sallam had a will for Ali.
The Will, okay, was removed and then they gave it to Abu Bakr Siddiq. This is
something like conspiracy done by the companions. This opinion was created, may
be, one century after the Prophet Sallallahu wa Sallam. Not within a
first century. Nobody talked about it,” Dr. al-Dubayan mentioned.
The
ICC Chief went into different topic for discussion. He said, “Now the question
is: If Allah SWT wanted Ali to be the first Caliph, how come then HE allows His
plan to be changed. Question? We know the biography of Abu Bakr; we know the
biography of Omar bin al-Khattab; we know the biography of Uthman bin Affan.
They are good people. How come suddenly in the last minute of the life of the
Prophet Sallallahu wa Sallam they become evil and they changed the will.
A good Question? Another thing that is: those who believe in what we call it
Immamah or Imanship of Ali; they said Imamship of Ali is something like pillar
of Islam. It means, not to be a Muslim till you do not believe in this,
according to them; not according to us. From this issue, there is a big
question. Okay, if imamship of Ali is so important like Hajj, like Zakat, why
it is not mentioned in the Qur’an; where is it? Show us in the Qur’an; where is
it? Not there. It is not possible Allah says us something so important; then HE
does not mentioned in the Qur’an.”
No
additions, No Omissions in the Qur’an
Dr.
al-Dubayan then entered into a more difficult question, saying there were two
versions of those who believed there are changes in the Qur’an – one believed
after the Prophet Sallallahu wa Sallam and another believed during the
lifetime of the Prophet Sallallahu wa Sallam. Dr. al-Dubayan first dealt
with those who believed changes took place after the Prophet. He argued, “Most
of them came to the idea that the Qur’an has been changed. Good Question. How
the Qur’an is changed? They said after the Prophet Sallallahu wa Sallam, some
people just removed the whole Qur’an like this and then they removed all these
verses talking about Ali and they removed them and those who cursed Omar
removed them; those cursed Uthman they removed them; Abu Bakr removed them. To
make them good people. Remove the verses talking about Imammat of Ali ibn Abi
Talib to make it so that the people do not know about it. And they said this is
the Qur’an.”
“They
have a problem about this. Now, those who believed there is a change after the
Prophet Sallallahu wa Sallam that is the problem. That means the Qur’an
is not protected. Allah SWT says in the Qur’an We have revealed the Qur’an and
We are going to preserve it. Preservation of the Qur’an is that you cannot
change it. And till today with all these millions of manuscripts found
everywhere in the world you find it always the same text. I think no additions,
nothing omitted,” Dr. al-Dubayan clarified the position.
Qur’anic Manuscripts in the Birmingham University
Then
Dr. al-Dubayan mentioned about the manuscripts in the Birmingham University. He
said, “Recently manuscripts of three or four pages of the Qur’an found in the
University of Birmingham; the oldest Qur’an actually. It is one of the oldest
manuscripts actually discovered in the Birmingham University. It was actually
kept there since about 1920, but nobody paid that much attention to. By chance,
one of the researchers came and then found this. Even that one, I checked it
myself; it is exactly the same text that is you have in the printed Qur’an. No;
not even one single word added; not one single word omitted.”
“The
great scholars, the Orientalist, who are not Muslims, who studied the Qur’an, they
said it is not possible to find another. There is no other. Even recently, not
all Shia, by the way, they follow this opinion. That is the Qur’an. Some of
them, not all. Some of them start to change, said: All these Hadiths or
references saying that Qur’an has been changed; it is not correct; they are
weak. They are not accepted; but still there are references. Okay; some Shia
believe exactly like us that the Qur’an is as it is; that’s it,” that was about
the Shia, said Dr. Al-Dubayan.
One
Text One Qur’an in the whole World
Now talking
about the Sunni community Dr. al-Dubayan said, “All of them say that the Qur’an
is preserved and these are the Qur’an as it is revealed to the Prophet Sallallahu
wa Sallam and as it was written by Uthman bin Affan. The copies of the
Uthman bin Affan, by the way, are till recently, may be hundred years or 400
years, they are still existing. Yes. One copy of it was in Baghdad and then
carried to Cairo years ago and from Cairo we assume it is now in Istanbul;
there is another one attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib it is in Sanaa, Yemen; and
there is another one in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. It is believed this is the copy
of Uthman bin Affan and there was one also in Andalusia in Spain. Actually when
Muslims left Spain somebody carried that copy in a ship that ship sunk in the Mediterranean
and the copy lost forever.”
Ibn
Battuta mentioned Qur’an by Uthman
Bin
Affan in Damascus in 12th century
“Some
historians talked about the copy in Madinah. They said, it is there; but where it
is now we don’t know. Ibn Battuta when he entered Damascus in the 12th
century he mentioned in Damascus, every Friday they used to bring out the
Qur’an by Uthman bin Affan; people see it; where it is now? We don’t find.
Anyway, we want to say Alhamdolillah, finally, we have only one text; one
Qur’an. If you see another copy of the Qur’an another version of the Qur’an in
the world you will find the same without any changes,” Dr. Al-Dubayan said
finally there is only one text One Qur’an.
Dr.
al-Dubayan again repeated how the Qur’an was collected and how the Surah and
Chapters were arranged. He said, “The Qur’an was written during the Prophet Sallallahu
wa Sallam but it was not collected as one collection. That happened during
the days of Abu Bakr when he started this. During the days of Prophet Sallallahu
wa Sallam people used to memorise than to write. When something revealed,
for example, Surah al-Fateha, when they heard the Prophet read in the mosque, when
they heard, most of people memorised. The Arabs, by the way, are very good in
their memory; memorised even thousands of poetry; so they memorised quickly and
because of this, there is also interest of their religion. They have the strong
desire to memorise it.”
Difference between collection and collected
“Not
all the companions memorised the Qur’an but all of them, all together as a
community memorised it all. But it was scattered among them all. That’s why,
during the days of Abu Bakr the companions of the committees started to collect
them all because there would be no other revelations; because the Prophet Sallallahu
wa Sallam was dead already. During the days of the Prophet Sallallahu wa
Sallam it was not collected; because the revelation was continuing; was
coming. During the time of Prophet Sallallahu wa Sallam, he instructed:
first put this Surah in that place; there must be match, where it should be put
it; but it was not collected,” mentioned Dr. al-Dubayan.
Ibn Mas’ud’s Qur’an
After
explaining the difference between collection and other collected, Dr.
al-Dubayan clarified about Ibn Mas’ud’s Qur’an. He said, “Ibn Mas’ud had the
same Qur’an but Ibn Mas’ud had the order of the chapters; that’s one, okay. Even
Mas’ud did not include Surah Qul Falaq and Qul Nas; he did not know it is part
of the Qur’an. So he did not write in his Qur’an. And he had the different
order of the Surah; not the verses. Surah only. May be, he has the Surah Falaq
in the beginning; or Baqara in the middle. When the third Caliph Uthman ibn
Affan standised the Qur’an; he said: ‘I
do not want another Qur’an.’
“When
Ali ibn Abi Talib was asked during his time about this, he said: “That is
excellent, if he has not done it; I would do it today.’ That is what Ali said. The
work of Abdullah ibn Mas’ud is the work of one man, while the work of Uthman
ibn Affan is a work of the whole committee including himself, including Ali ibn
Abi Talib, including Zayed ibn Thabit. They participated and they were also
members of the previous committee. So it is a group of people, not one,” clarified
Dr. Al-Dubayan.
Surah
Al-Falaq and Surah Al-Nas were revealed during the last days of the Prophet Sallallahu
wa Sallam. That time ibn Mas’ud did not think these are verses of the
Qur’an. When they told him, confusion gone and he accepted.
