Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

True Meaning of the Traditions

It is abundantly clear from the last report quoted above that the word Tahrif (displacing the words of Allah from their rightful places) denotes the variations brought about by the qaris who most of the time based their mode of recitations on their own opinions. We have made it plain from the very outset that such a tampering has definitely occurred, where a particular Qari has read a particular word differently though without effecting any change in the original text or its essence. Whether we subscribe to the so called, seven modes of recitations or not, there is no doubt that such a tampering took place. In fact, there are many renderings, each based on the reader's guess and conjecture, which have changed the pronunciations and the recitations. In any case, this report does not support the view of Tahrif as the alteration, addition, omission or interpolation in the Qur'an.

The remaining traditions clearly point out that the word Tahrif used in them mean the misinterpretation of the verses. One of the results was that the excellence of Ahl ul-Bayt (‘a) was denied, and hostility towards them encouraged. This is further supported by the sermon of Imam Husayn (‘a) quoted above when those who were gathered to kill him are described as perpetrators of Tahrif.

In the tradition reported from al-Kafi, Imam Muhammad al Baqir (‘a) says:

"And one of the examples of their repudiation of the Book is that while they upheld the words they distorted its injunctions".

Well, we have repeatedly said that Tahrif in this fashion has indisputably occurred in relation to the Qur'an. Had it not been so, the rights of Ahl ul-Bayt (‘a) would have remained protected, and the reverence for them by the Prophet (‘s) would have been honoured. The events would not have taken the tragic turn the way they did, resulting in the usurpation of their rights and in the Prophet's inconsolable grief.

The secondtype of traditions are those which state that the names of aimma (Imams) had originally appeared in certain verses of the Qur’an. These are quite a few. Among them is a report in al-Kafi by its own chain of narrators from Muhammad b. Fudhail that Abul Hasan (Imam Ali b. Musa Ridha (‘a) ) said:

"The wilayah of Ali b. Abi Talib found mention in every book of the Prophets. No Prophet was sent without a covenant of Muhammad's (‘s) prophethood and his rightful successor's wilayah, peace be upon them and their progeny"

And there is a report by al-Ayyashi with his chain of reporters from as-Sadiq (‘a);

"If the Qur'an were to be read the way it was revealed, we would be found therein by our names".

Further reports of this nature are in al-Kafi, tafsir of Al-Ayyashi, reporting from Abu Ja’far (‘a) and again in Kanzul Fawaid with its several chains of reporters from Ibn Abbas, and also in tafsir of Furat b. Ibrahim al Kafi with its own chain of narrators. It reports from Asbagh b. Nubatah having heard from Amirul Mu'mineen (Ali b. Abi Talib (‘a))

"The Qur'an was revealed in four quarters: a quarter about us, a quarter about our adversaries, a quarter about traditions and parables, a quarter about the obligations and the laws. Ours was the most vital part of the Qur'an".

And al-Kafi has also reported with its own chain of reporters from Abu Ja'far (Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (‘a))

"Jibra’ill came with this ayah to Muhammad in this way:

وان كنتم في ريب مما نزلنا على عبدنا – في علي- فأتوا بسورة من مثلة

In reply to all these, we have clarified earlier that some parts of the revelations to the Prophet did not constitute the Qur’an; they were elucidatory. The reports which say that certain verses contained the names of Aimma (‘a) could be such elucidatory additions. But if this interpretation does not seem plausible or probable, then the reports must be totally rejected as false and fabricated, because they would be deemed to be against the Qur'an, the traditions, and the aforementioned evidence which disprove Tahrif. There are acknowledged and continuous auth­entic reports which direct us to discard and reject all those reports which contradict the Qur'an.

One of the most convincing proofs that the name of Amir al Mu'minin (‘a) was never openly mentioned in the Qur'an is the tradition of al-Ghadir. On that occasion, the Prophet (‘s), as commanded by Allah appointed Ali after a revela­tion which placed great emphasis on it, and promised the Prophet (‘s) that he would be guarded from evil men. If Ali's name had been openly there in the Qur'an, there would have been no need to declare an appointment, nor would it be necessary to make an elaborate arrangement for Muslims to assemble, or for Allah to assuage his fear that the declaration could cause him any harm.

The authenticity of Ghadir is enough to prove that these reports about the names of Aimma (‘a) in the Qur'an are untrue; especially so because the event of Ghadir occurred in the farewell Hajj of the Prophet (‘s) during his last days. By that time, most of the Qur'an had been revealed and had gained currency among the Muslim populace.

Moreover, the last report from al-Kafi seems to be highly improbable by its very contents. The abrupt mention of Ali where Allah wishes to prove the truth about Muhammad (‘s) by presenting the challenge of Qur'as an inimitable Book, seems quite irrelevant.

All these reports arerendered useless and invalid by one authentic tradition from Abu Abdillah, Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (‘a) reported by al-Kafi from Abu Basir. He says: "I asked Abu Abdillah (‘a) about the ayah:

واطيعوا الله واطيعوا الرسول وأولي الأمر منكم

He said the verse was revealed for Ali b. Abi Talib, Hasan and Husayn (peacebe upon them)".

I said: "People ask why the names of Ali and his family are not mentioned in the Book of Allah". He answered:

"Tell them that the Prophet (‘s) received the revelation for Salat, but Allah never specified the number of raka’ats as three or four. It was the Prophet (‘s) who made its meaning manifest for them ...."

This authentic tradition decides the merit of all those reports and clarifies their possible meaning: the name of Amir al Mum­inin (‘a) in those revelations could be just an elucidation, not to be imparted as a part of the Our'an. Besides, those who refused to swear oath of allegiance for Abu Bakr never substantiated their argument by saying that Ali had been men­tioned in the Qur'an. No doubt, had it been so, this would have been their strongest stand. And let us not forget that the collection of the Our'an, as believed by those who argue against us, saw its completion soon after the question of khilafah was decided. All these are pointers to the fact that the names were never included in the verses.

The thirdtype of reports are those which mention that there have been some additions or omissions in the Qur'an, and that, after the Prophet's death, people replaced some words in the Qur'an with the others.

Ali b. Ibrahim al-Qummi has reported with his chain of narrators from Hurayz who says: "Abu Abdillah (‘a) read this ayah as:

صراط من أنعمت عليهم غير المغضوب عليهم وغير الضالين

Al-Ayyashi reports from Hisham b. Salim:

"I asked Abu Abdillah (‘a) about this ayah:­

ان الله اصطفى آدم ونوحا وآل ابراهيم وآل عمران على العالمين

He said: "It isآلعمران They have changed one name for the other. They have substituted آل محمد for آل ابراهيم .

Besides the weakness and unreliability of the reporters, these reports are all unacceptable and false because they are against the Qur'an, the Sunnah and the consensus of Muslims who hold that there has not been an addition of even one letter in the Qur'an. Even those who advocate Tahrif do not believe that there has been any addition. A group of Ulama’ have claimed a consensus on the fact that there has been no addition to the Qur'an and that which exists between the two covers is nothing but the Qur'an. Among them are Sheikh Mufid, Sheikh Tusi, Sheikh Bahai and other great Ulama’, may He bless them. And we have quoted earlier from al-Ihtijaj which also reiterates that there has been no addition.

The fourthtype of reports claim that there has occurred Tahrif in the Qur'an by way of omission only. To them we say that they have to interpret such reports the same way as those concerning the elucidatory additions in the codex prepared by Amir alMominin( ‘a). And if that sounds improbable, then the reports must be rejected as false because they are against the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Most of the reports in this vein are weak, while falsehood of some of them is evident from their content. The Ulama’ have therefore guided us to either subject them to interpretations or reject them altogether.

Muhaqqiq Al-Kalbasi has said: "All those reports which speak of Tahrif are against the consensus of Ummah and therefore unreliable - except for those who do not rely upon the con­sensus". And then he proceeds to say: "The belief in any omission having occurred in the Qur'an is baseless. Had it been true, it would have become popular and acknowledged, because such an important occurrence could not pass unnoticed".

The commentator of al-Wafiyah, Muhaqqiq al-Baghdadi, has further clarified this by quoting from Muhaqqiq al-Karaki who had written a complete tract on the subject. He says:

"The reports which speak of omissions must either be interpreted or rejected. Any tradition which is contradictory to the Qur'an, the acknowledgedsunnah and the consensus, must be discarded if it has no room for interpretation or other justifications.

I say: Muhaqqiq al-Karaki has pointed towards what we have said earlier, about the clear directive from authentic traditions regarding the rejection of all those reports which are in dis­agreement with the Qur'an.”

Among those traditions is the one reported by Sheikh as­ Saduq Muhammad b. Ali b. Husayn with his reliable chain of narrators from as-Sadiq (‘a):

"To exercise restraint when in doubt is better than rushing intoa jeopardy . Upon every truth there is divine light. Accept that which conformswith the Book of Allah, and leave aside that which goes against it ...."1

And Sheikh Saeed b. Hibatullah, al Qutb ar-Rawandi, has reported with his authentic chain of narrators from as-Sadiq (‘a),

"when you come across two opposing reports, expose them before the Book of Allah. Accept that which conformswith the Book of Allah and reject that which goes against it."2

The Fourth Doubt

This emanates from the way the collection of the Qur'an is described, making it possible for one to assume that Tahrif was inevitable. We now proceed to another chapter on this, so that this doubt is also allayed.

Notes

1. Al- Wasail Vol 3.

2. Al- Wasail Vol 3.

A Reflection on the Collection of the Holy Qur’an

The question how the Qur'an was collected into a book form is amongthose topics which has led some to believe in interpol­ation or tampering having occurred in the Qur'an. The process, as generally described, makes such changes appear inevitable.

It was therefore necessary to attend to this discussion with a view to establishing that no interpolation, alterations or omis­sions have occurred in the Qur'an.

Actually, the pristine quality of the Qur'an became doubtful because it was believed that Abu Bakr ordered its compilation after 70 reciters of the Qur'an were killed in the battle of Bir Maunah, and four hundred in the battle of Yamamah. Fearing that the Qur'an would be lost and forgotten by the believers, Umar and Zaid b. Thabit undertook the task of collection from scripts found on palm branches, pieces of cloth and covers, and also from the memory of the Muslims, provided that two witnesses gave testimony that it was from the Qur'an. There are several reports which indicate that such an exercise was indeed carried out. When a compiler is not infallible, one can safely expect an element of error to creep in. Those who compile the widely scattered poems of one single poet could give you various versions of the couplets. These variations are usual, leading finally to the belief that some tampering has occurred. It is quite possible that someone, in spite of having actually heard the Prophet (peacebe upon him and his progeny) recite verses from the Qur'an, did not venture to present them because he could not provide two witnesses. Thus, an omission becomes quite probable.

The answer to this is that the doubt becomes valid only if the reports about compilation of Qur'an are deemed credible. So, it is imperative that we mention those reports and analyse them critically.

The Traditions about the Compilation of the Qur’an

Report n. 1

1. Zaid b. Thabit says:

"Abu Bakr sent for me after the battle of Yamamah, and I found Umar also present. Abu Bakr said: `Umar has come to tell me that the day of Yamamah has been hard for the reciters of the Qur'an, and he fears that other such occasions may be harder still, resulting in the loss of greater part of the Qur'an. He says I must give orders for compilation of the Qur'an. I told Umar that how could he do a thing which the Messenger of Allah did not do? Umar said: "But this, by God, is desirable". And Umar has been referring this matter to me persistently, till at last Allah opened up my chest for thatundertaking, and I began to hold the same view as Umar's.

Zaid says:

"Abu Bakr said: `You are a young intelligent man, and we find no fault in you. You were also a scribe, writing down the revelations for the Messenger of Allah. So attend to the Qur'an, and compile it'. By God, if they had entrusted me with removing a mountain from among the mountains, the task would not have been heavier for me than that of collecting and compiling the Qur'an. I asked: `Why do you undertake someth­ing the Prophet himself never did?' He answered: `By God, this is desirable'. And then Abu Bakr never left me without re­minders, till Allah opened up my chest, the way He did for Abu Bakr and Umar, and I attended to the work, compiling the Qur'an from palm-branches, pieces of cloth, and from the memory of the people, till I found the last part of Surah al-Tawbah with Abu Khuzaimah Al Ansari, which no one else had.

لقد جاءكم رسول من انفسكم عزيز عليه ما عنتم حريص عليكم بالمؤمنين رؤوف رحيم. فان تولوا فقل حسبي الله لا اله الا هو علية توكلت وهو رب العرش العظيم

till the end of Bara’ah. These compiled pages were with Abu Bakr till he died, then with Umar in his lifetime, and then with Hafsa, daughter of Umar".1

Report n. 2

2. Ibn Shihab reports from Anas b. Malik:

“When Huzaifah b. al-Yaman, with the Iraqis, was fighting the people of Syria, in the conquest of Armenia and Azerb­aijan, he once came to Uthman and expressed his fears about variations in the recitations of Qur'an. Huzaifa told Uthman: `O master of the faithfuls! Come to the rescue of this ummah, before it is entangled into disagreements about the Book, the same way as Christians and Jews have been.

`Uthman sent a message to Hafsa asking her to submit the notes of Qur'an she held so that they could be copied into books, promising that they would be returned to her care and trust. Hafsa submitted the notes to Uthman who ordered Zaid b. Thabit, Abdullah b. az-Zubair, Saeed b. al-Aas, Abdur­ Rahman b. al-Harth b. Hisham, to transcribe. And Uthman told the group of three Qureishites: `If you differ with Zaid b. Thabit on any parts of the Qur'an, write down according to the dialect of Qureish, because it has come down in their dialect'.

`So they did the work, and when they had transcribed the notes into the books, Uthman returned the notes to Hafsa. Then he sent a copy to every place, ordering that all other versions of the Qur'an, found in pages or books must be set on fire'.

Ibn Shihab says:

"Kharijah b. Zaid b. Thabit informed me that he heard Zaid b. Thabit report the following: `When we were copying the notes, I found that an ayah from the Surah Al-Ahzab was missing. It was an ayah I had been hearing the Messenger of Allah himself recite. So we went in search of it, and found it with Khuzaimah b. Thabit al-Ansari:

من المؤمنين رجال صدقوا ماعاهدوا الله عليه

and we added it to its Surah in the book.2

Report n. 3

3. Ibn Abi Shaybah, on his ownchain , of authorities, reports from Ali:

"Abu Bakr deserves the best reward for the copies of Qur'an, for he was the first one to compile what exists between the two covers".

Report n. 4

4. Ibn Shihab reports from Salim b. Abdillah and Kharijah:

"Abu Bakr had compiled the Qur'an in some papers, and then asked Zaid b. Thabit to go through them. Zaid refused, till Abu Bakr asked Umar to intervene. So Zaid agreed. These books were with Abu Bakr till he died, then with Umar till he died, and thereafter with Hafsa, the Prophet's wife. When Uthman sent for them, she refused to part with them, till he pledged that they would be returned to her. Then she gave them. Uthman transcribed them into the books, and returned the original to Hafsa withwhom they remained.”

Report n. 5

5. Hisham b. Urwah reports from his father, who said:

"When the participants of Yamamah were killed, Abu Bakr ordered Umar b. al-Khattab and Zaid b. Thabit: `Sit at the door of the Mosque, and when anyone brings something from the Qur'an which you suspect, write it down if it is witnessed by two men'. This is because those companions of the Prophet (‘s) who had compiled the Qur'an had been killed at Yamamah".

Report n. 6

6. Muhammad b. Sheen says:

"Umar got killed, without having compiled the Qur'an".

Report n. 7

7. Al-Hasan says:

"Once Umar b. al-Khattab inquired about a verse in the Qur'an. Someone said: "It was with so and so, but he was killed on the day of Yamamah".

Umar replied: "To Allah we belong!" Then he ordered the compilation of the Qur'an. So he was the first to compile it into a book form".

Report n. 8

8. Yahya b. Abdir Rehman b. Hatib says:

"Umar wished to compile the Qur'an, so he stood among the people and said: Anyone from you who had heard part of the Qur'an from the Messenger of Allah, should come to us with it'. They had written down parts of the Qur'an on pages, boards and palm-branches. Umar did not accept anything unless it was supported by two witnesses. He was killed while the compilation continued.

Then Uthman took over. He said: `Anyone who has someth­ing of the Qur'an with him should bring to us'. And he never accepted anything without having two witnesses. Then Khuzaimah b. Thabit came to him and said: "I find that you have left out two verses which you have not recorded". They asked: "Which are they"? He said: "I have received from the Messenger of Allah (peacebe upon him and his progeny):

لقد جاءكم رسول من انفسكم عزيز عليهما عنتم

till the end of the Surah. So Uthman said: "And I bear witness that these two verses are from Allah. Now, tell us where do you want us to place them?" Khuzaimah said: "Place them at the end of what was last revealed of the Qur'an". So Baraah was ended with them".

Report n. 9

9. Ubaid b. Umair said:

"Umar never recorded any verse in the compilation till it was witnessed by two men. Then a man from Ansar brought to him these two verses:

لقد جاءكم رسول من انفسكم عزيز عليه ماعنتم

till its end. Umar said: I shall never ask you to substantiate these. The Messenger of Allah was indeed like that'.3

Report n. 10

10. Sulaiman b. Arqam reports from Al-Hasan and Ibn Sirin and Ibn Shihab Az-Zuhri. They said:

"In the battle of Yamamah, massacre spread among reciters of the Qur'an, killing four hundred men. Then Zaid b. Thabit met Umar b. al-Khattab and told him: `This Qur'an binds us to our faith. If Qur'an vanishes, our faith vanishes also. I have decided to compile the Qur'an in a book form'. Umar asked him to withhold till he had consulted Abu Bakr. They went to Abu Bakr and informed him about the intention. He said: `Do not make haste. Wait till I have consulted the Muslims'. Then he stood to address the people and informed them about the intention. They said: "You have made the right decision". So they compiled the Qur'an. Then Abu Bakr ordered a herald to announce among people: "Whoever has any part of the Qur'an with him should come up with it".

Report n. 11

11. Khuzaimah b. Thabit reports:

"I brought the following ayah to Umar b. al-Khattab and Zaid b. Thabit:

لقد جاءكم رسول من انفسكم

Zaid asked: "Who bears witness with you?" I said: "No. I do not know anyone". So Umar said: "I bear witness with him for the ayah".

Report n. 12

12. Abu Ishaq reports from some of his friends. They said:

"When Umar had completed the collection of the Qur'an, he inquired: "Who is most well versed in Arabic?" They said: "Saeed b. al-Aas". Then he asked: "Who is most proficient writer?" They said: "Zaid b. Thabit". He said: "Then Saeed should dictate and Zaid should write down". So they transcribed four copies of the Qur'an. A copy each was sent to Kufah, Basrah, Syria and Hijaz".

Report n. 13

13. Abdullah b. Fadhalah says:

"When Umar decided to write down the master copy of the Qur'an, he appointed a group of his companions for it and they said: "When you have any disagreement over the language.write it down in the dialect of Mudhar.Because Qur'an came down to a man from the family of Mudhar".

Report n. 14

14. And Abu Qalabah said:

"In the days of Uthman's caliphate, a tutor would teach recitation according to a particular person, while another would teach recitation according to another person; so when the boys (students) met, they disagreed about each other's recitations. This finally came to the attention of the tutors who labelled each other's recitations as profane.

When Uthman learnt about this, he stood up to address the people and said:

"If you who are near me have so much of disagreements and confusion, then those who are farther away must have worse differences and errors. So, O Companions of Muhammad, join hands to write down a master copy of the Qur'an".

Abu Qalabah says:

Malik b. Anas told me: (According to Abu Bakr b. abi Dawud this Malik b. Anas is the grandfather of the known Malik b. Anas) "I was among those to whom the copy was dictated. So whenever there was any disagreement about an ayah, they would try to remember somebody who had heard it from the Messenger of Allah (peacebe upon him and his progeny). And if he was away, or lived in the deserts, they would write the preceding and the following words, leaving the disputed part till the person they wanted to refer to appeared, orwas sent for. When the copy was finally ready, Uthman wrote to all the towns saying: "I have done this way, and have struck off what I had, so you strike off what you have"

Report n. 15

15. Masa'b b. Sa'ad reported:

"Uthman stood to address the people and said: 'O people, you are only thirteen years away from the era of the Prophet (‘s) and have already begun to dispute about the Qur'an. Some of you talk of the recitation by Ubayy, while others quote the recitation by Abdullah. And one tells the other that his recitation has no value. So I command everyone who has any part of the Qur'an with him to come up with it'. Then people started coming with the Qur'an written on pieces of papers and patches of skin, till most of it was compiled. Then Uthman called them individually, imploring each of them to confirm that he had heard the Prophet (‘s) recite for him, and each confirmed. When it was over, Uthman said: "Who is the best scribe?" They said: "The scribe of the Prophet (‘s), Zaid b. Thabit". He said: "Who is most proficient in Arabic?" They said; "Saeed b. al-Aas". Uthman said: "Then Saeed should dictate and Zaid should write". So Zaid started writing and made out several copies which were distributed among men. Then I heard a companion of Muhammad say: "He has done well".

Report n. 16

16. Abul Malih says:

"When Uthman decided to have the Qur'an copied, he said: "People of Huzail would dictate and people of Thaqif would write".

Report n. 17

17. Abdul A'la b. Abdillah b. Abdillah b. Amir al Qarshi says:

"When he had completed the work of compilation, Uthman came up with it, and looking in it said: `I see some minor errors which Arabs will mend on their tongues"'.

Report n. 18

18. Ikramah said:

"When the transcribed Qur'an was brought before Uthman, he saw some minor error. So he said: "Had it been dictated by someone from Huzail and written by one from Thaqif, this error would not have occurred.

Report n. 19

19. Ata says:

"When Uthman compiled the Qur'an, he sent for Ubayy b. Ka'ab who dictated it to Zaid b. Thabit, Saeed b. al-Aas gave grammatical inflections. So this copy is according to the recitation by Ubayy and Zaid".

Report n. 20

20. Mujahid reported:

Uthman ordered Ubayy b. Ka'ab to dictate, Zaid b. Thabit to write down and Saeed b. al-Aas and Abdur-Rahman b. al-Harth to give grammatical inflections".

Report n. 21

21. Zaid b. Thabit said:

"When we transcribed the Qur'an, I found that an ayah which I had been hearing from the Prophet (‘s) was mis­sing, I found it with Khuzaima b. Thabit

من المؤمنين رجال صدقوا

up to

تبديلا

And two witnesses. Khuzaima was known as one equal to Prophet (‘s) had accepted his testimony as equal to two".

Report n. 22

22. Laith b.Sa'd said:

"The first person who collected Qur'an was Abu Bakr, and Zaid wrote it down. And people came to Zaid b. Thabit, but he would not write down any ayah except when supported by two witnesses. The ending part of Bara’ah was not found except with Abu Khuzaimah b. Thabit. He said: "Write it down, because the Messenger of Allah (‘s) had accepted his witness as equal to two witnesses". So it was written. And when Umar came up with the ayah of Rajm (i.e. stoning the adult­erer or adulteress to death) it was not recorded because he was alone".4

These are the important traditions reported on the subject of compilation of the Qur'an. Apart from being isolated reports which give no benefit of certitude, they have various def­iciencies.

Notes

1. Sahih, Bukhari,bab jamul Qur’an, v6, p.98

2. Sahih, Bukhari,bab jamul Qur’an, v6, p.99, note, these two reports, and the following ones till No. 11 are mentioned in Muntakhab of Kanz al Ummal, on the margin of Ahmad Hanbal's Musnad, v2, p. 43-52.

3. This tradition in Muntakhab of Kanzul Ummal has been repor­ted by Yahya b. Ju'dah.

4. al Itqan, v1, p.101

The Contradictions

These reports are self-contradictory on many points, making them totally unreliable. Here, in the form of questions and answers, we examine the contradictions.

When was the Qur'an compiled as a book?

The second report says it was compiled during the rule of Uthman. The first, third, fourth and some of the later reports explain that it was in the era of Abu Bakr. And the seventh and twelfth report indicate that it was during Umar's caliphate.

Who undertook to compile the Qur'an during the era of Abu Bakr?

The first two traditions and the twenty second say that it was Zaid b. Thabit, but the fourth report says it was Abu Bakr himself; and that he only asked Zaid to go through what he himself had collected. And the fifthreport together with the others indicate that the task was undertaken by Umar and Zaid.

Was Zaid given sole authority to compile the Qur'an?

The first tradition clearly states that Abu Bakr gave him sole authority. He told Zaid: "You are a young, intelligent man, and we find no fault in you. You were also a scribe, writing down the revelations for the Messenger of Allah (‘s). So attend to the Qur'an and compile it". These words are explicit. But the fifth and other traditions reveal that the writing was substantia­ted by two witnesses, so much so that when Umar came with the verse of rajm, it was rejected.

Were there some verses which remained unrecorded till the time of Uthman?

Most of the traditions say that no verses remained unrecor­ded, but the second report says that some of the verses re­mained unwritten.

Did Uthman omit any thing from what was compiled before him?

Most of the traditions quoted above say that he did not exclude or omit anything. But the fourteenth report tells us that he struck off some parts from the previous compilation, and ordered the Muslim to do the same.

From what sources did Uthman prepare a book copy of the Qur'an?

The second and fourth report say: he relied upon the notes and pages collected by Abu Bakr. Then the eighth, fourteenth and fifteenth traditions reveal that he relied upon two witnesses, and upon those who claimed to have heard the ayah from the Prophet (‘s).

Who asked Abu Bakr to compile the Qur'an?

The first report says that Umar did it, and that Abu Bakr conceded after having first refused. Then he sent for Zaid who also conceded after having declined. But the tenth report tells us that Zaid and Umar jointly asked Abu Bakr to undertake the work, and he conceded after having consulted the Muslims.

Who prepared the master copy and sent its editions to various cities?

The second report says it was Uthman, while the twelfth tells us it was Umar.

When were the two verses added to the Surah of Bara’ah?

The first, eleventh and twenty second reports reveal that this happened during the time of Abu Bakr, and the eighth report together with others say that it happened in the era of Umar.

Who came up with those two verses?

The first and twenty second reports say they were brought in by Abu Khuzaimah, while the eighth and eleventh reports say it was Khuzaimah. These are two gentlemen who had no relation­ship with each other at all, as reported by Ibn Abd al Barr.1

How were they accepted as being parts of the Qur'an?

By a sole witness, as mentioned in the first, ninth and twenty second report.By the accompanying witness by Uthman, as shown in the eighth; and by the supporting witness by Umar as shown in the eleventh.

Who did Uthman appoint for dictating and writing of the Qur'an?

(i) Uthman appointed Zaid, Ibnaz Zubair, Saeed and Abdu Rahman as writers (see Report n. 2)

(ii) He appointed Zaid forwriting, and Saeed for dictating, (see Report n. 15)

(iii) He appointed a person from Thaqif to write down, and a person from Huzad to dictate; (see Report n. 16)

(iv) The writer was not from Thaqif and the one who dictated was not from Huzad. (see Report n. 18)

(v) The dictation was by Ubay b. Kaab, and Saeed gave grammatical inflections to what Zaid wrote down (see Report n. 19)

(vi) The twenty second report adds the name of Abd ar Rahman together with Saeed.

Note

1. Tafsir, al Qurtubi, v1, p.56

Their Conflict with Other Traditions Related to the Compilation of the Qur’an

These traditions are in conflict with all those tradition which stress that the Qur'an was recorded and compiled during the time of the Prophet (‘s) himself. It has been reported bya group which include : Ibn Abi Shaybah, Ahmed b. Hanbal, Tirmidhi, Nas’ai, Ibn Haban, al-Hakim, al-Bayhaqi, Ziya al Maqdasi, who report from Ibn Abbas as following:

"I asked Uthman b. Affan: 'Why have you joined al-Anfal with Baraah, excluding the line of Bismillah from between them, while the former is shorter than 100 verses, and the later exceeds a hundred, and then you placed them among the seven long Surahs? What made you do that?"

Uthman said:

"At times, the Prophet (‘s) used to come up with the revelation of Surahs containing numerous verses, then when revelation came in small parts, he used to call his scribe and say: "Place this part among the Surah which says so and so": and when verses were revealed, he instructed: "Place these among the Surah which mentions such and such thing". Al-Anfal was from among the early revelations at Madina, and Bara’ah was from what was revealed last.-Their contents were similar, so I presumed that they belonged to each other. The Prophet (‘s) never clarified this in his lifetime, so I joined them, without Basmalah in between and placed them among the seven long Surahs".1

Tabranireports, and so does Ibn Asakir from Asha'bi.

"The Qur'an was compiled in the days of the Prophet (‘s) by six men from the Ansar. They were Ubay b. Ka'ab, Zaid b. Thabit, Muadh b. Jabal, Abu al-Darda',Sa'd b. Ubaid, and Abu Zaid. And Ibn Jariyah had taken it except two or three Surah".2

And Qataadah says:

"I asked Anas b. Malik: `Who collected the Qur'an at the time of the Prophet (‘s)?' He said: `Four of them, all from Ansar. They were Ubay b. Ka'b, Muadh b. Jabal, Zaid b. Thabit and Abu Zaid'.3

Masruq, when recalling Abdullah b. Umar and Abdullah b. Masud said:

"I have always loved him. I heard the Prophet (‘s) say: Take the Qur'an from four: from Abdullah b. Masood, Salim, Muadh and Ubay b. Ka'b".4

Nasai has a report based on authentic chain from Abdullah b. Umar who said:

"I gathered the Qur'an, and read it every night. The Prophet heard about it, so he said: "Read it in a month ..."5

We will mention the compilation of the Qur'an by Umm Waraqah later.

One might argue that the collection or compilation mentioned in these reports denote committing the Qur'an to memory, and not to the papers. This presumption cannot be corroborated. Besides, it is a known fact that there were numerous believers at the time of the Prophet (‘s) who knew the Qur'an by heart, so how can the memorising of the Qur'an be confined to four or six names? Those who have studied carefully the lives of the companions of the Prophet (‘s) would know it for certain that the Qur'an was ready compiled during the days of the Prophet (‘s) and that the number of its compilers were too many to be ignored.

The report by al-Bukhari through Anas stating that when the Prophet (‘s) died, the Qur'an had not been compiled by anyone except four: Abu al Darda, Muadh b. Jabal, Zaid b. Thabit and Abu Zaid, is a report which ought to be discarded and rejected because it contradicts not only the earlier reports, but also what al-Bukhari himself reported. Moreover, the report cannot be accepted because it is difficult to conceive that the reporter knew all the Muslims at the time of the death of the Prophet (‘s), and that in spite of the great number of the Muslims, scattered all around, he was able to find only four who had collected the Qur'an. This is a mere conjecture.

To summarize the whole situation, one may ask:

(a) With all the foregoing reports, how can one believe that Abu Bakr was the first to compile the Qur'an, after he had become a Caliph?

(b) And if we accept the report, it is strange that Abu Bakr should ask Zaid and Umar to collect the Qur'an from leather parchments, pieces of papers and from the people's memory, while Abdullah, Muadh and Ubayy were present alive among the people, especially when the Prophet (‘s) had himself recom­mended that the Qur'an be taken from them?

(c) Of course, they could not have anything from Salim because he was one of those killed at the battle of Yamamah. But Zaid, one of the compilers of the Qur'an, was there, and Abu Bakr had certified his character as young, intelligent and without blemish. So what was the need of resorting to others?

(d) Finally, the widely acknowledged and authentic tradition about thaqalayn leaves us with no doubt that the Qur'an existed in a complete book form. We shall point this out later.

Notes

1. Muntakhab Kanz al Ummal, v2, p.48

2. Muntakhab Kanz al Ummal, v2, p.48

3. Sahih, Bukhari,chapter : "Qura" from the Prophet's companions, v6, p.202

4. Sahih, Bukhari,chapter : "Qura" from the Prophet's companions, v6, p.202

5. al Itqan, v1, p.124

Their Conflict with the Qur’an itself

These reports contradict the Qur'an itself. Numerous verses of the Qur'an prove that complete Surahs existed, each dis­tinguished from the other. They were in the hands of the people, even those who were idolaters or the people of the Books. The famous challenge by the Prophet (‘s) to the disbelievers was to produce the like of the Qur'an, the like of ten Surahs or even one Surah. This means that the Surah were there in the public hands.

And in the Qur'an itself, the word "book" has been used in many verses. And also in the famous saying of the Prophet (‘s): "I leave among you two valuable things, the book of Allah and my progeny", there is a clear proof that the Qur'an was then written and compiled, because the word `book' is not used for that which is retained in the memory, nor for scattered writings on the parchments, pieces of papers and bones, except metaphorically. It is not right to construe any word metaphoric­ally unless there isan evidence in its context.

The word `book' denotes existence of a collection and not of scattered scribbles, nor of things which are in the memory but not written.